Chapter 14
NICO
Declan’s anger is radiating off him in waves. Probably made worse because he’s only gotten one hit on me while I’ve slapped the shit out of him at least twenty times.
He’s too mad and it’s clouding his judgment. He needs to learn to think through his anger. That’s the only way Carter will stay off his back.
It took effort not to yank Carter’s ass up and tell him to keep his hands off Declan. Yeah, Declan keeps telling me not to catch feelings but fuck all that. He belongs to me and I won’t tolerate anyone touching him in anger.
For the fifth time, Declan rushes at me and ends up on the mat, a snarl leaving his throat.
“Come on, Deck,” I murmur. “You can do better than this. I’ve seen you fight before. Then again,” I say as I push off him, “you’re used to catching people off guard.”
“Fuck you,” he growls and gets to his feet.
He’s not without skill, though. He started with a good stance, with amazing control of all his muscles, but he let his anger bleed in, pissed every time I evaded his strikes or made contact with his pretty face. He becomes sloppy and uncoordinated when he gets too in his head.
After that time in the foyer, he’s at least learned to listen to my instructions and apply them. If I tell him to drop his arms, he does and he actually let me arrange his body into a better ready stance. He puffed up like a damn cat, but he stayed right where I put him.
I’m sure when he came here, he thought we’d immediately jump into talking, but while he’s upset, it’s not possible. He’ll try to go off half-cocked and end up dead or locked the fuck up.
When attitude comes into play, Declan is wildly impulsive. That’s fine for when he wants to kill someone, but it doesn’t work when we’re trying to solve the mystery of his blackmailer.
I want to teach Declan that rage and clear thinking can go hand in hand. I manage it often. No one knows when I’m truly angry—aside from Kai. They always think I have a clear head and run off logic. But oftentimes, I’m fucking pissed, but I give myself space to think.
Declan rushes at me, a roar leaving his throat as he throws a wild cross.
I hook my arm around his elbow and bring his arm around his back, then shove him against the wall opposite us.
He lets out a huff and tries to push off, but I’m bulkier than he is and I’m able to hold his weight with little effort, even with his squirming.
I put my mouth near his ear. “Think, Declan. Did you see an opening when you came at me?”
Through clenched teeth, he says, “No.”
“So why throw a reckless punch?” He pushes against me, but I press harder into him, our bodies flush against one another.
Instead of continuing with my instruction, I roll my hips, letting my cock fall between his ass cheeks. The loose sweatpants he has on allows me to nestle myself nicely.
I lean closer to him, nuzzling at his neck. “I might have to give you a deep dicking for you to think while you’re mad. I’m up for the challenge.”
“Who says I won’t be deep dicking you?” he grunts, gyrating against my erection.
I hum as I run my nose along his skin, pulling his sweaty scent into my lungs. “Your head is clear when it comes to sex, huh?” I kiss him quickly on the exposed skin of his neck, then push away from him. “Apply that to when you want to knock someone’s head between the washer and dryer, yeah?”
“How?” he asks, spinning around and adjusting his hard on. “When I’m mad, I’m fucking livid and want everyone to know.”
“But they don’t need to know. How many times have you seen me mad?” He stares at me but doesn’t answer. “Exactly. I’m always pissed, I always want to beat someone’s ass for one reason or another, but no one ever knows. All they see is what I show them. Do that and no one can guess your next move.”
Declan nods and shakes out his limbs. Then he puts his hands up, his face blanking.
It’s such a drastic change from his usual scowl that I’m taken aback, giving him room to snap an arm out and catch me with a solid right on my chin.
I drop to one knee, grinning through the blood that fills my mouth.
“Just like that,” I tell him, standing to my full height and bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Again.”
Declan smiles so brightly that I’m nearly struck speechless. I haven’t seen him like this outside of the bedroom. He truly is a beautiful man. Even his little angry scowls draw me in. This though? I’m a fucking sucker for a grinning Declan.
Instead of charging at me, he takes measured steps, dodging a few strikes and getting around my back.
I don’t allow him to get me in a hold, though.
I turn with him and wrap my arms around his middle and toss him, grinning when he hits the mat with a thud.
He curses and holds his hip, glaring up at me.
“You’re a dick,” he mutters as he gets to his feet.
I shrug. “Maybe. But you’ll learn a lot. Stick with me, kid, and I’ll have you ready to join the UFC.”
“Fat fucking chance of that.”
Chuckling, I rush over to him, pinning him down on the mat before he can roll to his feet. “I like you under me like this.”
He tries to buck me off, but I have my knees planted and my weight distributed evenly. All he does is tire himself out.
With a huff, he glowers at me. “You gonna move?”
“No. Try to get out of this position.”
His look is deadpan, making me smile. “Did you not just see me trying?”
“You tried to use your strength. Use your head. How can you get out of this position?”
“If you get your big ass off me.”
“You think my ass is big?”
He growls and struggles more. “I can’t, Nico. Just move.”
I shake my head. “Make some space. Twist your hips, yeah, like that. Get me off center, off balance. Like that, you can toss me off.”
He follows my direction beautifully, managing to get me off balance enough to wiggle away.
“Was that so hard?” I ask, batting my eyes.
“I swear to fucking God, you aggravate me,” he mutters, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout.
“Aww,” I say, crawling over to him. “Don’t be salty. I just—”
In the blink of an eye, Declan has me on my back, straddling my waist. “Didn’t you tell me not to drop my guard?”
A laugh bursts from my throat. “You’ll fucking pay for that.”
We don’t talk much more, other than me giving Declan small instructions. He’s a quick study, so by the time we call it quits, I have a few bruises myself.
We flop down on the mat, breathing heavily.
I drink from my water bottle, then pass it over to Declan.
He takes it without question, sucking the water down like he’ll never have a drink again.
I flick my eyes away, telling my dick to calm the fuck down as his cheeks hollow, his lips puckered around the top.
When he’s done, he passes my water bottle back and I toss it to the other side of the room. “So, you got another letter? Did you bring it?”
Declan lifts his head slightly, looking around the room. “You sure we’re alone?”
“Yeah. Overheard Kai tell Carter he could calm him down when they got back home. That usually lasts for a few hours.”
“Fucking gross. I never want to hear about my brother and his husband calming each other down again in my life.” He scoffs and lies back on the mat. “Gavin?”
“Somewhere alone, probably. He rarely comes down when I’m here. Someone has to be on guard at all times.”
Declan nods and tells me what the note said. “I fired Jadon today, then I found the letter under my windshield wiper. Fucker thought he could leave with a bang by threatening my life. I’ll fucking show him. When I leave here, I’ll—”
“Do what? Kill him after you fired him? I know you have the cops in your pocket, but if enough people—like his family—make noise, the public will be behind them, and the cops won’t be able to spin why they’re not investigating you. Not without people being fucking pissed about it.”
Declan narrows his eyes at me but says nothing.
I roll over and rest my head on my bicep. “Let me talk to Jadon. Figure out what the fuck is going on. When I have answers, I’ll let you know, then you can do what you want. But give it a week or so.”
“I gave him a week to get out of town, and he gave me two weeks to give him the money or he’d kill me,” Declan grunts.
“Okay, in a week, I’ll go past his place to make sure he took your warning to heart. If he didn’t, I’ll give him some incentive.”
“Fine. A week, hunt that bitch down and figure out what his fucking deal is. If he’s not gone, I’ll dissolve him in acid while he’s alive for threatening my life.”
“I expect nothing less.” I sit up and stretch my sore muscles. “I went past the courier service yesterday.”
“Anything new?”
“The guy there said he can’t remember the person that sent the letter, even though he was on shift.
He said they get so many people they start to blur after a while.
” Declan blows out a frustrated breath. “It’s all good.
We’ll figure it out. If it’s Jadon, this shit will be handled in a week. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Before he can stop me, I lean over and kiss him. “What are you doing tonight?’
“You. Eleven o’clock?”
Grinning, I kiss him again. “I’ll be there with fucking bells on.”