Chapter 8 A Few House Rules
A FEW HOUSE RULES
Isla
I’d died and gone to heaven. Declan was kissing me.
Like honest to God, take off your clothes right now kissing me.
How was this even happening? One minute we were talking, I was about to burst into tears from all the crap of the past few days, and then his lips were on mine.
Did I start this or did he? Okay maybe I did lean in, but he didn’t seem to mind.
I had fantasized about his mouth on me for so long, now that we were here, I didn’t want it to stop. He was too good; he felt too good.
I raked my fingers through his soft hair, pressing my body to his.
His growly moan and his hands all over my ass taking handfuls of it sent me into some state of delirium.
The kind that made me forget about the world and the fact that Declan was a player, a total bastard at times, and more importantly, my boss.
“Isla.” He panted, coming up for air before he thrust his tongue past my teeth.
A raw and heated burst of desire shot straight to my core and the throbbing spot between my legs.
He seemed to know my body so well. I fit perfectly in his embrace as if I’d done this before, which confirmed my suspicions.
The scene that had been playing in my head where he kissed me and made me come over and over hadn’t been a dream.
That actually happened last night. I hated myself for not remembering more of it, all of it.
“Omigod, Declan. I want you again.” I rubbed my pussy against the rock-hard bulge in his pants.
He responded by deepening the kiss as his hand moved up from my waist up into my hair, gripping tresses and pulling to get better access.
The way he took control was such a turn-on.
He definitely knew what he was doing. His hard kisses turned to bites as he worked his way down to my breasts.
My nipples pebbled at the thought of having his mouth there.
What did he plan to do them? My need mounted until I couldn’t take any more of this foreplay. I reached for the straps of my cami.
“Bloody hell, we need to stop.” He dug his fingers into my lower back, pressing his forehead to my chest, panting while he labored to catch his breath.
“Why?” I arched toward him.
I didn’t care if my lungs needed oxygen.
I didn’t want the kissing to end. Cool air brushed between us.
Now that his big arms weren’t wrapped tightly around me and his hard body wasn’t pressed to mine, I could think again.
The fog lifted, and slowly, I focused on his chiseled jaw, those sexy lips, and his bright blue eyes that were, understandably so, full of confusion and horror.
My cheeks burned hot as the realization of what I had asked him to do washed over me—I basically blurted out I wanted to have sex with him again. What was wrong with me?
“I’m so sorry.” I shuffled back, placing a hand over my mouth. “I don’t know what came over me. I was thinking about last night and everything that happened.”
“What exactly do you believe happened last night?” He furrowed his brows.
“I thought…” I swallowed. “You know. You saw me naked.”
He glanced down, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You didn’t do anything you should be ashamed of.” His gaze lifted up to my cleavage. He sucked on his bottom lip as if he regretted that he’d stopped when he did.
I swore I saw desire in his eyes. And damn if that didn’t make me tingly all over again.
“Isla.” He shook his head once. “We didn’t have sex. You blacked out in the back seat of my car. You were in and out. But mostly you were passed out.”
“I woke up naked.”
He cleared his throat as if trying to erase the memory of whatever he saw. “You must’ve taken your clothes off after I went to bed. But nothing happened between us.”
“Did I hit on you?” I winced. “I tend to get frisky sometimes when I drink too much. And it’s been so long.” I covered my mouth again. Jeez, I needed to stop with the oversharing.
“You mentioned that.” He pressed his lips together. “It’s not that I don’t want you. But my life is on this side of fucked up right now with a new son. Everything is a mess. I’m not used to that. It wouldn’t be fair to drag you into it. I mean, no more than I already have.”
“I understand.”
“If you’re going to be here for a month, we need a few house rules.”
“Of course. House rules. Good idea.” The bubbly tone in my voice made me cringe inside.
“Right.” He stood, towering over me.
Not in an intimidating way, but in a sexy, all-consuming way. The want in his eyes was so enchanting.
He wanted me. What would he do if I asked him for sex again?
No strings attached. Would he refuse? Who was I kidding?
I wasn’t the love ’em and leave ’em type.
I always fell for the guys I slept with.
The raw ache at my core told me that if I ever slept with Declan, I would fall—madly and desperately—in love with him.
I inhaled a long breath to force myself to come to my senses.
My future, my career, it all depended on my ability to keep my composure and not throw myself at my boss.
I wasn’t a sex addict or anything, but it had been at least a year since the last time I was with Steve.
And it had been exactly never since someone kissed me like that—with so much desire and longing.
“I promise to keep my clothes on from now on.” I placed my hand over my heart.
“That’s a good place to start.” He chuckled. “Rule number one. Clothes on at all times.”
“Number two.” I put up two fingers, squeezing my legs together to ease the lingering sensations his erection had left behind. “No sex.”
“Yeah, that’s a given.” His hot breath brushed the side of my face, then his gaze dropped to my lips for a beat. “And definitely no more kissing.”
“Of course, no more of that.” I inhaled his musky scent, a mix of sweat, wine, and sandalwood. “I feel like we need a third rule just to have a complete list.”
“You can’t have men over while you’re with me. I mean, living with me.” He slow-blinked. “Working here.”
He came up with that rule rather quickly.
“Oh, I wasn’t going to do that anyway. I just broke up with my boyfriend. I’m not ready to jump into that again. Not to mention, I need to focus on my new job.”
“Lovely. I’m glad you see it that way.” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking very much like a possessive alpha.
Why was that a turn-on for me?
“Okay, so, rule number three: don’t bring dates home. That’s simple enough.”
Simple enough to keep my clothes on, not ask him for sex again, and no dates. But how the hell was I supposed to keep my hands off of him when I couldn’t stop thinking about his deft hands and demanding mouth?
“You’re my employee. The optics are bad. Nicolas doesn’t need another scandal surrounding his company.”
“Yeah, makes sense. The tabloids would have a field day with all this.” I tapped my nose as I considered what the headline would read. “Noble’s New Baby Momma and His American Side Hussy.”
“That’s terrible.” He laughed, a throaty and sexy sound that made my knees buckle. “But it’s something they would absolutely use.”
“I’m really sorry about last night.” I was about to tell him how I got drunk because Steve broke up with me, but I had to start owning that. I didn’t have to get drunk. And I sure as hell didn’t have to get naked in the middle of his condo. “I don’t blame you for firing me.”
“It wasn’t all that bad. I didn’t fire you because you got drunk and hit on me.
I fired you because…” He scratched the stubble on his cheek.
“Because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get anything done with you sitting outside my office.
” His gaze fell on my chest again. “It’s incredibly sexist. And I do apologize for that.
I’m quite capable of controlling my cock, I assure you. I was being an asshole.”
I gaped at him. Who was oversharing now? He really did want me. How? “I’m glad we had this talk and hashed things out.”
What else could I say? As much as I wanted Declan, he was right.
A quick tumble between the sheets wasn’t worth the trouble.
My reputation at the office would be ruined.
It would be as he’d said. I would become tabloid fodder.
No company would hire a programmer with that kind of thing on her resume.
And a recommendation from the fixer would mean less than nothing.
Declan was the best kisser I’d ever met, and I had no doubt sex with him would be mind-blowing, but none of it was worth giving up a career and a better life for myself.
I had applied for the programmer job because I wanted to make something of myself and have the life I’d always wanted.
I thought of my sister and what she would think of me—probably that the apple never fell too far from the tree.
Here was Declan with a brand-new baby and a shot at a family.
I had no right to come in and take that away from him, from Harper—just like Mom had done with Louisa’s family.
“Well, good night. And thank you for dinner. It was delicious.” I picked up my plate and walked it over to the sink.
“Leave the dishes. Mrs. Ross will handle that in morning. Which reminds me, I’ll have to introduce you. She doesn’t like it when I bring women over.” He glanced upward. It was like rolling his eyes, but in a sexy way.
“I’m glad I didn’t run into her.”
“You left before she got here. She usually comes in before I leave for work.” He nodded once as if he were looking for something else to say. “If you need anything, let her know. She’ll help with whatever.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“Right. Good night, Isla.”
“Good night, Declan.”
I strode past him and headed to my room.
When I reached the door, I peeked over my shoulder to find he hadn’t moved at all.
A part of me wished he was having second thoughts about our new house rules.
But he was right. He had to focus on work and his new baby.
He didn’t have time for a side hussy. With a sigh, I walked in, shut the door quietly, and went to check on Joey.
“Your dad isn’t the jerk everyone thinks he is. You’ll be alright, kid.” I gently touched the back of my fingers to his pink cheek.
A minute later, Declan padded along the hallway. When he stopped in front of my room, my heart raced. I went to meet him and placed my palm on the panel to listen in, but I heard nothing. Maybe I had imagined he’d come to me.
The next morning, Joey’s fussing woke me up. I changed his diaper and gave him a binky before I went out to the kitchen to make his bottle. I hadn’t brushed my teeth or changed my clothes, but Joey wasn’t in the mood to wait for breakfast.
I walked out, expecting to see Declan in the kitchen, but he wasn’t.
Even the papers and his computer were gone.
It wasn’t even seven yet. I supposed he didn’t want to deal with me this morning.
In the kitchen, I found a handwritten note from him.
He had to go to the office early, but he promised to send Mrs. Ross a text to let her know I was here.
The message ended with a, “Have a good day. I’ll see you tonight. ”
Of course, he meant he’d come home to see his baby, but for a few beats, I fantasized about what it would be like to have Declan Noble say those words to me for real.
“Stop it.”
It was bad enough to be having dirty thoughts about him, developing feelings would be wrong in the most epic and disastrous way.
Mrs. Ross showed up exactly at seven o’clock.
She already knew I was there and had even brought a small gift for Joey.
We spent the better part of the morning drooling over the baby.
After his morning nap, Mrs. Ross suggested I take him for a stroll around the park.
I did need to get out of the apartment and get some fresh air, so I said yes to her plan and even accepted the lunch she prepared for me.
I stood in the middle of Declan’s apartment, doing a mental check on the stuff I needed to take with me—stroller, diaper bag, baby.
“Wait.” She met me at the door. “I won’t be here by the time you get back. Let me smell that bald head again.”
“I hear ya. That baby scent is making my uterus hurt.” I laughed and angled Joey so Mrs. Ross could get a good waft before we left. “I have to ask. Did Mr. Noble ask you to nanny for him?”
“I have too many clients to tend to during the day. I wish I was available to help. Sweet boy.” She kissed his head then met my gaze over her reading glasses. “You’re young. It’ll happen for you soon.”
Whoa, what? “Oh no, not me. I like kids, but I have to figure out how to keep a job first.” I barked out a laugh.
Yeah, now that I almost had the lead programmer job, I wasn’t mad at Declan for firing me, and could joke about it. I swiped my lips with the back of my hand to erase the kiss from last night. Declan wasn’t for me. The whole family thing with kids and a husband wasn’t for me.