Chapter 34
I felt the bed dip when Declan crawled in to join me. “How did it go with Myles?” I mumbled, coming out of the sleepy state I was in from my nap.
He pulled my back into his chest so we were spooning and whispered gruffly in my ear, “Better than expected. He’s struggling a lot and probably will be for a while but he’s going to focus on himself for a little while.”
“Mmm, good. That makes me happy,” I murmured. The sleepiness in my voice begged to go back to sleep.
“Go back to bed, baby. We can talk more about this later,” he spoke softly into my ear.
He didn’t have to ask me twice. I was out like a light, with no idea who even fell asleep first. All I knew was when I woke up the next morning, it was early enough to catch the sunrise, but I felt more rested than I had in a long time. Our afternoon nap turned into a full night’s rest, not one of us budging the entire night.
The sun peeked over the mountain top and bled into the wide-open windows, most likely being the reason I woke up in the first place. The sheets rustled as I quietly got out of bed and tiptoed to the restroom. Hopefully, I wouldn’t wake him. He needed the sleep just as much as I did.
I crawled back in bed, returning from the bathroom to a sound asleep Declan.
Or so I thought.
He rolled over, reaching for my side of the bed. Pulling me close, I rolled over to lay my head on his warm chest. “Sorry if I woke you up. Apparently, I hadn’t peed in hours and my bladder was screaming at me for release.”
“What time is it?” he mumbled as he stretched his hands over his head.
“Early enough to watch the sunrise in bed.”
“Wow. We really were knocked out, weren’t we?”
“We were basically the walking dead before we fell asleep yesterday, so I think it was called for.” I laughed while reveling in the way his arms felt around me. I don’t remember the last time I slept at my mom’s. Somewhere along the way, we took on this new routine of me sleeping over every night. With mornings like these, the sunrise staring back at me and looking as beautiful as it did, it made me never want to leave.
“I could get used to this,” I said shyly.
“Yeah? What is it you can get used to?” He rubbed slow circles on my arm as he held me against his hard body.
“All of it. Sleeping with you every night. Staying here. This view. Coming home to you after a late-night shift at the bar.” I reflected on everything I never thought I’d enjoy as much as I was. I was past ignoring my feelings for him. They were coming in hot and weren’t going anywhere.
My feelings were here to stay. I was here to stay.
Declan titled my chin up, leaning my head back so I looked him in the eye. “I know it’s only been two short months of us getting to know each other but it feels so much longer, yet not long enough. It’s a feeling I can’t explain but I want all the mornings with you in my bed, Paige. I want all the late nights of you sliding into my bed in the middle of the night. I want all of the early wake up calls by the sunrise because we forget to close the curtains. I want you here in my house as long as you want to stay. I want you to consider my house your home too.” This man of mine had a way with words. With everything he said these days, my cheeks flushed, and I throbbed so deep in my stomach I had to squeeze my legs shut.
He wore his emotions on his sleeve and wasn’t afraid to speak what he wanted into existence. The more time I spent around him, the more open I became with my feelings too.
Before I could get another word out, my stomach spoke for me. A loud growl indicated I in fact, had not eaten in God knows how long. He took the cue. “I’m starving too. Come on, let me make breakfast for you.” Fuck. He cooks breakfast too? He was making it impossible for me to leave.
Maybe that was his goal all along.
I might as well hole up here because I had everything I needed. “What’s for breakfast?” I looked up at him and smiled.
“You like French toast?”
“It may just be my new favorite meal,” I answered. “No one has ever cooked for me before.” The admission made my cheeks burn. I was thirty years old, and I’ve never had a man treat me the way that Declan has in just a few short months.
“Get used to it, baby girl. This is how it feels to be treated right.” My teeth bit down on my lip at that response as we made our way out of bed and into the kitchen.
I glanced down at his hand wrapped up from yesterday and frowned at the memory. It felt like I had slept for days. How could I forget that his hand was battered from punching Logan?
“How is your hand feeling this morning?” He looked down at the bandage and shook out his hand.
“Well, seeing as how I almost forgot it was wrapped up, maybe that’s a good sign that it’s just bruised up.” Relief washed over me. Deep down, I love that he stood up for his brother and me, but I never wanted him to get hurt because of it.
When we walked into the kitchen, I took the opportunity to take care of him—he always took care of me, and it was time to return the favor from yesterday and every other day he came to my rescue. The least I could do was get a closer look at his hand under the bandage.
“Here, let me see.” I took his hand in mine and gently started to unwrap the fabric that was spun around his hand. He wiggled his fingers and moved his wrist around in a few circles, no signs of pain etched on his face.
“See. Just a little bruised, but should be good to go.” He grinned as he waved his fingers at me. “Take a seat while I make us breakfast.”
I did as he asked and sat up at the bar top counter. As he grabbed each ingredient he would need to make French toast, I took the moment to admire him. He was bent over at the fridge fishing out milk, eggs and butter while I drank in his muscular back. Muscles I didn’t even know existed were protruding from his back side. He was wearing those damn gray sweatpants and walking around shirtless again.
Maybe I could eat the French toast off him?
My mouth started to salivate, and I didn’t know if it was because the smell of cinnamon and vanilla extract floating around the kitchen or because he looked as edible as the fucking French toast itself.
“I can feel your eyes burning a hole in my back, Paige. You can keep eye fucking me or you can come over here and do something about it.” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.
“I was just admiring you making me breakfast. I never knew dipping bread in egg could be so sexy.” He flipped the French toast on the burner as it made a sizzling sound. With a slight turn of his head, he glanced at me behind him with a sexy smirk lifting at the corners of his lips.
“Order up.” He slid a plate across the bar with two of the most perfect looking pieces of French toast I’d ever seen. Egg dipped bread cut in fourths, powdered sugar sprinkled across the plate and maple syrup drizzled in a zig zag formation sat in front of me. It was almost too pretty to eat, but I was absolutely starving.
“Declan, this looks amazing. Where did you learn to cook?” I asked in awe.
“You’ve tasted my mom’s cooking before. This is her recipe.” He looked at the plate and back up to me like he was waiting for me to take my first bite.
I cut a corner of the toast off, dipping it in the syrup, making the perfect first bite. I wrapped my lips around the sweetest breakfast I’ve ever had and moaned, “Mmm, Declan, this is the best French toast I’ve ever tasted. It’s so sweet.”
“You keep moaning like that with every bite and you won’t be able to finish your breakfast without me interrupting,” he said while he licked his lips.
“A-ar-are you not going to make up a plate for yourself? Aren’t you hungry?” I stuttered.
“I’m looking at my meal right now. The French toast may be sweet, but I think you’re even sweeter.” His eyes roamed over my body. Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry anymore and my appetite wanted something else entirely. Something tan and chiseled.
Maybe I wouldn’t be the one eating my breakfast off him. Maybe it would be the other way around.
I took a moment to tease him. I made up another bite on my fork, this time with extra syrup. The bite slid off my fork and into my mouth, tortuously slow. The sticky sweet syrup dripped from the fork when my tongue reached out to lick up the mess, never breaking eye contact.
“Mmm. Yes… So good,” I moaned. His bright blue eyes stared right back into mine, heavy lidded and glazed over. He broke eye contact with me, following the sticky substance trickling down my chin. Declan released his tight grip on the counter across from me and circled the bar top headed toward where I was sitting.
He glanced down at my plate and slid it away from me. “I told you, you weren’t going to be able to finish this if you couldn’t control those sweet moans of yours.” He towered over me, so I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.
His finger swiped at the loose syrup on my chin as he brought his finger to his mouth and sucked it right off. “Fuck, Paige. How is it possible that this syrup tastes even sweeter after it’s been on you?” Fuck, everything he did and said turned me on. I’d never been into food play before but I kind of wanted to try something I hadn’t done before.
I looked over at my plate and slid some more sticky syrup on my finger. His gaze followed my hand as if he was waiting to see what I was going to do next. Looking down at my chest, I swiped it over the top of my breast that was exposed from my silk camisole I wore to bed.
His chest rose up and down as his breathing picked up. “You dirty girl, you want me to lick you clean?” I nodded my head and bit my lip in anticipation. He brought his palms to my waist and lifted me up onto the counter, so I sat a little higher. His touch was burning through my heated skin as I waited for his next move.
His mouth came down to my tits as he swiped his tongue across my skin. “This sexy little pajama set is going to need to come off right now.” His voice turned stern as he played with the thin strap that held my top up. With my arms in the air, I waited for him to slide it over my head. He tore the silky pink tank top off and went straight back to the spot where the syrup once lingered, nipping and licking all the way up to my neck.
“You want me to eat you for breakfast, Paige?” he whispered gruffly into my ear.
“Yessss,” I moaned, goosebumps making me shiver in excitement.
He looked me in the eyes as he pushed my back flat against the cold countertop. “Stay right there,” he ordered as he went back to the other side of the kitchen where he was cooking breakfast. With the full bottle of syrup in his hand, he popped the top and made his way back over to me.
“I’m going to have some fun with you this morning,” he said before pouring a sticky path over each of my nipples and down my stomach where the syrup met the waistband of my silk shorts. My back arched at the sensation and my panties were already drenched just thinking of what he was going to do to me.
His mouth lowered as his tongue reached out to flick one of my nipples. He lapped at the sticky sugar, not leaving a drip behind. “So fucking sweet, baby girl,” he groaned as he trailed toward my other breast. His tongue flicked my hardened nipple up and down as he groaned with every swipe. When he came up for air, his eyes devoured my body. He stood between my spread legs and dragged me so my ass reached the ends of the countertop. Shocked at the suddenness of it, I reacted with a high-pitched squeal.
“Fuck, Declan, you’re so sexy.” I ran my hands down his chest, appreciating his body as he drank me in with his seductive gaze.
“I could eat my breakfast off of you every morning and die a happy fucking man, baby.” With that he lowered his head once more, starting just under my breasts. He devoured the syrup he had drizzled on my stomach all the way down until his tongue toyed with the sensitive area right below my belly button.
“I’m gonna need to take these off too, baby.” My body reacted to his raspy voice when my hips lifted up, giving him permission to tear my shorts off. The silk slid down my thighs so fast I thought they were going to rip. I didn’t have any underwear on, so I was completely bare for him.
“You’re glistening for me, baby. Does this turn you on?” My head eagerly nodded up and down, silently answering his question. My body reacted to his touch when his finger swiped through my exposed center. The slickness he gathered on his finger came up to his mouth as he sucked me right off his finger like he did with the syrup just moments ago. My mouth dropped open as I tried to form the right words.
“No one has ever licked food off of me before. You’re my first,” I answered, noticing how feral his eyes went at my statement.
“I’ll take every fucking first I can get from you.” That made me think of how many firsts he had already given me whether he knew it or not. I was already in this vulnerable position, laying spread eagle on the countertop so why not just go all in?
“How about my first ‘I love you’?” I whispered shyly; my heart was pumping so hard I could hear it thumping in my chest.
The expression on his face instantly softened. “You saying you love me, Paige?”
“I’m in love with you,” I stated as my breath picked up waiting for his response.
“I’m glad you finally realized that because I’ve been in love with you since the moment I fucking saw you and I was just waiting for you to catch up.”
Our lips crashed together with a wild need. The weight of him pressed against me and every hard ridge of his body felt like stone beneath my fingertips. The hair on the nape of his neck filled the space between my fingers as I gave the soft hairs a tug. Groaning against my lips in response, he rubbed his strained cock against my wet center. His sweatpants were still on, and I desperately wanted to tear them off. My fingers found the elastic waistband of his pants when he grabbed my hands in his.
“I need to finish my breakfast first,” he said as he stopped me from stripping him down.
“Before you finish, let me hear you say it. Tell me you love me, Declan.”
“I love you, Paige. I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you too, Declan, so much.”
With a devilish grin on his face, he lowered his warm mouth directly down to my pussy. Immediately my hands found his hair, I gripped him tightly to make sure he’d stay right where I needed him. My body broke out in a chill as goosebumps continued to spread up and down my arms; his touch made me melt inside.
His tongue drew perfect circles around my sensitive clit, waking up every nerve ending in my body. “So fucking sweet.” He spoke roughly looking up at me from between my legs, his lips glistening with me all over him.
“Oh my God!” I moaned as he licked me all the way up my center. Quick flicks of his tongue turned to long strokes. Every swipe brought me closer to the edge. If I hadn’t spilled the beans about falling in love with him just before this, I’d be screaming it at the top of my lungs by now.
In the thirty years I’ve been alive, I had never fallen in love. Not even close. I’d never found that one person I connected with perfectly on an intimate level. No one I wanted to open up to on an emotional level. No one I felt safe enough around that I’d ask them to be my pretend boyfriend to get my ex-boyfriend off my back.
And then Declan came along. Fucking me the way I’ve always wanted to be fucked. Getting turned on by maple syrup being poured over my body and licked off. He made what’s supposed to be a sticky mess, sexy.
All of my thoughts came to a screeching halt when my body started closing in on me. Declan was like a wild animal, feeding on me like I was his last meal. Putting my needs before his own, refusing to let me touch him until my needs were met. How he always treated sex with me.
My legs were flung over his shoulders as his large hands wrapped around my thighs with a strong hold. The grip I had on his hair got tighter as my legs started to pinch close. “Fuck, baby. I know you’re getting close, squeezing me so tight. Come for me. Come all over my face like the dirty girl that you are.”
“Fuck, Declan. Fuck, that feels so good. You’re so good,” I called out, hardly able to take it anymore. My orgasm was building at the base of my spine. “Please. don’t stop. I’m right there,” I pleaded.
His dirty mouth would always be my undoing. My lower back arched off of the cold countertop, my inner walls caving in. His mouth continued to lap at me, over and over again until I was too sensitive to take it anymore. He wasn’t going to stop unless I asked him too.
“I’m coming, Declan! Yessss. Oh my God!” I spilled over as he continued to clean up the mess I made on his mouth.
“So sweet, baby girl. So sweet. Best damn French toast I’ve ever had.” He trailed up my naked body, his mouth leaving one kiss after another. “I am so fucking in love with you, Paige Wilson.” I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to hearing that.
He was in love with me.
His kisses continued to stamp my body all the way up to my neck, his large frame finally towering back over me, our eyes connected. “I’m so fucking in love with you too, Declan Cooper. You have no idea.”
The corners of his mouth lifted in a sly manner. “You can show me if you want? You know… so I have a better idea.” He winked.
“Hmmm…” I scratched my chin like I had to think about it. “How about I show you in the shower? You can help me clean up this sticky mess and I can start getting ready for work.” Sophie was a saint covering for me yesterday, but I needed to go back tonight and be a good friend and coworker.
Declan hooked his arms underneath me and lifted me up, so my legs were wrapped around his back. We made our way to the shower, him carrying me like the gentleman that he was. “I could get used to this too…” I whispered as he carried me through the house.
“Used to me carrying you around the house with syrup all over your body?” He boomed with laughter.
“I won’t object if that happens again. I’d even be okay with whipped cream or chocolate sauce too, but it’s your breakfast, so your choice,” I teased.
“Fuck, now you have my mind reeling with all of the possibilities.” His mouth found mine for just a moment. A quick peck.
“But what I really meant was… I could get used to the I love yous, and the breakfasts and weekend mornings spent together. Every special moment I have with you makes me fall more and more in love with you every day, Declan.”
His strong body hauled me all the way from the kitchen to the bedroom then into the massive bathroom I couldn’t get enough of. I was carried like a princess all the way into the black marble shower where he sat me on the bench inside. As usual, he turned on the water and waited for it to warm up before he pulled me under the hot stream with him.
The water fell over both of us as we stood there, lost in our own thoughts. His hands cupped around my face, tilting my chin up, the look on his face was sincere. “Then have all these mornings with me, Paige. I told you that I’m all in. Why waste time pretending that we can’t have all the mornings and the nights and anything we want together. We can have it all… You can have it all. Stay here for good. Move in with me, Paige.”
I was still in awe that this man could come along in such a dark time. That something so good could walk into my life when everything else around me was crumbling.
“You really mean that? You won’t get sick of me being around or regret your decision a few weeks from now?” My brows furrowed in question. It made me nervous since I’d never lived with a boyfriend before. I’ve never counted on anyone in the ways I’ve counted on Declan in the last couple of months. The overwhelming feelings, the sex that felt like fireworks, all the little moments in between, it was enough that it could scare him off. He was only twenty-five. What if he got bored and wanted to play the field?
All of my insecurities washed over me.
“Are you kidding me right now? I want to be around you all the time. I’m showering with you so we can both go to work. You will do the working, and I will do the stalking as I watch you work until the end of your shift.” My hands reached out, giving him a small shove. Naturally, his large body didn’t even budge. We both broke out in laughter.
“You’re serious?” I asked.
“Never been more serious in my life. Your stuff has already accumulated here so why not go get the rest so you can officially call this house a home?”
“I know we like to do things ass backwards, but if I say yes, does this mean I’m officially your girlfriend?” I know we have had our moment of pretending to date and then it turned more serious but somewhere in the midst of it all, we never put an official title on things.
“Little do you know, Paige, I was never pretending. I’ve considered you my girlfriend this whole time. I told you I was just waiting for you to catch up. You caught up yet?”
“I think I’m finally caught up.” I licked my lips and slowly began to lower myself to my knees.
It was about time I showed my boyfriend just how much I loved him.