Chapter 8
Eight
T hey cleaned the dishes together. Like they were some old married couple who had celebrated together or just had dinner together. Usually, domesticity freaked Eileen out. Guys who pushed for more always seemed to leave her nervous. But here she was on her first date with Declan, and she was happy to hang out in the kitchen laughing over sibling stories.
“Are you telling me that you let Aeden think Kaitlin was the one who tattled on him sneaking out?”
He chuckled as he handed her one last dish to dry. “Yep. And to this day, he still thinks it.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Twenty years.”
“Damn, you definitely know how to keep things in the vault. I guess we have that in common.”
He turned off the water as she dried the dish. “Yeah. It was hard being the only girl and the one non-twin. They had their own secret language beyond just being boys.”
“And being a woman in a male-dominated field.”
She glanced up at him, a little surprised.
“What? I know that has to be hard. I know it is for BeeBee.”
“Oh, the girl your brother has a crush on?”
“Yes!” He laughed. “See, they both act like they aren’t hot for each other, but they are.” He shook his head. “Not that I can talk.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been trying to ask you out for at least six months.”
She almost dropped the dish she had been drying. She carefully set it down and looked at him. “What?”
Again, his cheeks turned ruddy. She had to admit that a blushing Declan was just as cute as a regular Declan. Either way, she wanted him.
“Listen, this is embarrassing, but what I said about the food was true. I’ve been trying to get to you since I met you.”
“During your sister-in-law’s investigation?”
He nodded. She frowned. “Declan, you don’t have to make up stories.”
“I’m not. I promise.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s embarrassing to admit that for the first time since I was about fourteen, I lacked the nerve to ask you out.”
“But you finally did?”
He nodded as he raised his hand to brush the back of his fingers over her cheek. “I’d have a plan, and then I would look into your eyes and lose every word I had memorized to say to you.”
“Uh. Same.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I’ve also been busy with getting a new partner.” Her last partner had retired, and she and Eddie had been getting to know each other. “But I knew I was using that as an excuse.”
He cupped her jaw with one hand as he moved closer.
Close enough to kiss.
It was the one thought she had the second or two before she felt his mouth brush over hers. She knew that he had probably planned a simple kiss, one that hinted at the passion they shared but kept banked. But that was all it took. One…two…then something changed. Heat coursed through her entire body as her head spun. Declan slanted his mouth over hers and deepened the kiss. His tongue stole inside. Eileen could taste the wine…and him. All Declan. She slipped her hands up to his shoulders as he pulled her closer. As he turned them so that her back was to the counter, their bodies pressed together.
Oh, hello. He was definitely hard. Her nipples pebbled, ached. Before she was ready, he wrenched himself away. They were both breathing heavily.
“Damn,” he said. He took a step away, his eyes wide. She immediately felt cold. Lifting her hand, she touched her lips. “Sorry.”
“Why?”
His gaze connected with hers. “I was a little rough there.”
She laughed. It was all she could do because he always made her feel that way. Around him, even if she had the worst day, the world seemed brighter and lighter.
“In case you didn’t notice, I liked it.”
He drew in a breath, then released it. “I was trying to go slow.”
“Again, why? It’s not like we just met.” Eileen reached up to grab his shirt and tug him back. “And it’s not like I asked you to stop.”
Then she kissed him again. She wasn’t sure that she would ever be this close to him and be able not to kiss him. Now that she knew how he tasted, she was afraid she might have just turned into an addict.
Again, he pulled away, but at least this time, he didn’t step away from her. “This wasn’t my plan.”
She frowned at him. “You had a plan?”
This man was talking about plans and what he expected, and she just wanted in his pants.
He shook his head. “I didn’t bring you here for this.”
Heat flushed her face, and not because of the arousal. No, this was embarrassment. Before she could slip away from him, he tightened his hold.
“Nope, don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“I didn’t mean I don’t want you like that.” He sighed and set his forehead against hers. “I meant that I wanted to take my time.”
“I will point out, once again, that we haven’t just met.”
“But…” Then he trailed off. She waited for what seemed like hours, even as she knew only a few seconds had passed before he continued. “You matter.”
She blinked against the sudden burning against the backs of her eyes. She hated crying, but no one had said those words in such a growly slash tender way. It seeped into her soul.
“You matter, too,” she said in a whisper.
“We should take it slow.”
She understood he was repeating a mantra like a rule as if he was reminding himself to take it slow. At that moment, she decided to push him. There was no reason not to act on this need, this heat that was simmering between them.
She slid her hand down his chest. “We have been taking it slow.”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Probably because she pressed her hand against a very impressive length. She wanted to feel that inside her, and she needed it like yesterday. She wasn’t usually so aggressive when it came to men, but she’d been dying to touch him for months, and now that she had, she wanted it all.
He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, the dark need Eileen witnessed had her stomach muscles quivering. She could admit to herself that it scared her a little, but at the same time, she knew she wanted it. Her entire body throbbed with the desire to taste.
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Declan swooped in and took complete possession of her mouth. The simmering heat went to boiling in mere seconds. No man had ever been able to do that to her, make her forget everything but him. She had always thought women were lying when they talked about how men could do that to them. Apparently, she had been kissing the wrong guys.
His tongue slipped between her lips. Her nipples hardened at that little move. He was so damned talented with his tongue that she was ready to lose it right then. To rub herself against him like a cat.
All of a sudden, his mouth was gone. It was so abrupt she was blinking, but in the next instant, he grabbed her hand and dragged her back to his bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, the room had a light, airy feel, with a massive king-sized bed in the middle.
He faced her. “Last chance, love. You have a chance to run before I get my mitts on you.”
She looked at him. He was every fantasy she had about any man. Tall, strong, sexy as hell, with a mouth that could seduce her. Yes, they had cussed, but he had barely touched her, and she could feel her damn panties. Something was coursing through her with the arousal: fear. It licked around the outskirts, and she knew there was a good chance she should listen to what that one part of her was saying. But…it was drowned out by the need surging through her.
With careful movements, she stepped back and saw his disappointment. Then, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and tugged it over her head, tossing it behind her.
One slow blink, then he stepped forward. “I guess that’s a yes.
He laughed. It sent sparks of energy through her entire body, but it also had her heart turning over. Without much effort, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. She laughed. When had she last done that with a man? She couldn’t remember.
“I like that sound,” he said before tugging his shirt off. When he stepped out of his jeans, she was saddened to see that he was wearing boxer briefs. She was sure he was a guy that would go commando. Still, it was easy to see his hard length outlined by the soft black fabric.
“What’s that sad look for, baby?”
She hated when guys used the word baby . Or at least, she had before Declan had said it. Now, she wanted to hear him say it all the time.
“I thought you wouldn’t have anything on under those jeans.”
He laughed at that. “I need to keep it in check tonight. I swore I would take this slowly, but we are going all in since you insisted.”
Leaning down, he helped tug off her jeans. They joined the rest of the clothes on the floor. Then, he was crawling on the bed, covering her body with his. He gave her a long, wet kiss, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth, teasing her before he kissed down her neck. With expert ease, he undid her bra and had her panties off before she could even think twice.
Then, he was between her legs. He kissed her inner thigh, nipping at the sensitive skin. Next, he was moving up, dragging the flat of his tongue along the way.
“I’ve been dying to know what you tasted like from the first time I saw you.”
After that, his mouth was on her sex. Every nerve ending was tingling, so aware of the sensual torture, ready to explode. She needed this, needed him. His tongue slipped inside of her, tasting the most intimate part of her. She rarely enjoyed having a man go down on her, but she thought it had to do with trust… and technique. Declan Fitzpatrick was a sex god.
“Fucking delicious. You taste better than any fantasy I could ever have.”
He slipped a finger inside of her as he teased her clit with his tongue, then his teeth. Her fingers speared through all that thick hair as her toes curled into the mattress. She was so close, but it seemed out of reach.
“Come on, baby. Let me feel you come all over my fingers.”
That was all it took. She was flying high over that last hurdle to break apart into a million pieces. Her orgasm seemed to last forever, her body shuddering as she bucked up against his mouth. All the way, he continued to lick, nip, and tease. Before she knew what was happening, she was up and over into another orgasm.
Soon, he slipped up her body, licking and sucking and nipping. The man seemed to be treating her like a delicacy. And she did not mind it at all. In fact, Eileen didn’t know if she had ever felt so sexy and powerful in her life.
Declan reached over to his nightstand to grab a condom. With fast moves, he tugged off his boxers. His cock sprang free, and Eileen couldn’t help herself. She reached forward, wrapped her hand around his thick length, and stroked him from the tip down to the base.
“Damn,” Declan muttered, his voice hoarse with need. A drop of precum wet the head. She licked her lips, thinking about how he would taste.
“Nope, not this time. You do that, and I will go off like a rocket, and while I wouldn’t mind getting off that way next time, this time, I want to be deep inside of you when I come.”
After easing her down, he tore open the condom package, pulled it out, and then rolled it down his shaft. He lifted her by her hips and centered his tip at her entrance. In one fast, hard thrust, he was inside of her. She was sensitive from her release, but she soon adjusted.
“Oh, fuck, Eileen, you feel good wrapped around me, baby.”
He started to move, each thrust measured. She wasn’t the kind of woman who had multiple orgasms, but soon, she felt the tension building. His fingers dug into her hips as he increased his speed.
“Pinch your nipples, Eileen.”
Again, it was totally out of character for her, but she did as he ordered. He groaned. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was watching her with hooded eyes as he licked his lips. It was like he was remembering what she tasted like.
“Come for me, Eileen. I want to feel you coming all over my dick.”
He pressed his thumb against her clit, and it was her undoing. One…two…on the third thrust, she was losing it again, screaming his name as her orgasm slammed into her more brutal than the first. That seemed to be all he needed.
“Fuck, yes, Eileen,” he muttered.
He sped up his rhythm, thrusting so hard and so deep that the bed slammed against the wall. He threw his head back and shouted her name as he lost himself to the pleasure.
He collapsed on top of her a moment later, but she didn’t care. He was heavy, but she enjoyed his weight on her. He stirred a few moments later and then lifted his head.
“I’m sorry I dropped on you like an oaf.”
She chuckled and squeezed her arms around him. “I don’t mind.”
He kissed her, his mouth moving over hers lightly, seductive. “Be right back.”
Nodding, she let him go as she tried to get her head screwed on straight. That had been…well, the best sex of her life. She knew it was probably normal for him, but she understood that she trusted him on some level to let herself go like that.
“I need some water, you?”
“Please.”
He didn’t take long to return with two glasses of water and her phone. “I thought you would need this nearby.”
“Thanks,” she said, setting it on the bedside table. “So, you don’t mind having me stay the night?”
“No,” he said, then his lips curved as he looked at her. He was still completely naked. “I’m not done with ya.”
“Is that a fact?”
He nodded, then said, “Why don’t I show you?”
Eileen was laughing when he dove back on the bed.