Chapter 17
YOU'RE TRENDING
Isla
The lunch spot Declan chose for us was a rooftop pop-up restaurant not too far from the office.
We could’ve walked, but he didn’t want another photographer intruding on our date.
A server dressed in a white coat jacket met us at the door in the lobby, escorted us to the elevator bay and finally our table, which was under a small pergola with thick linen curtains on all sides.
I sat and the server immediately placed a napkin on my lap. “We could’ve gone home for lunch. This is too much.”
“It’s a lunch date, love. It’s supposed to be too much.” He nodded toward the server.
Within a few minutes, several dishes had been arranged in the middle of the table along with a bottle of champagne. I knew any place Declan picked would be great. But this was over the top.
“I asked him to do one of everything so we can sample a few things.” He picked up a canapé and offered it to me.
I considered doing something cheesy like taking the morsel in my mouth and lick his fingers but figured this wasn’t the time nor the place.
“Thanks.” I took the food he offered and put it in my mouth. The mousse melted in my mouth with savory flavors that were new to me. “Wow, that was delicious. What is it?”
“Smoked salmon, I think.” He popped a pastry in his mouth and closed his eyes. “Smoked tuna. It’s quite fantastic, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” I chuckled at how appreciative he was. “Maybe we should bring snacks to our status meetings. Food puts you in a good mood.” I sipped from my champagne glass. “Oh, jeez, I’m drinking on the job now.”
“Maybe that will put you in a good mood.” He reached for my hand and kissed my fingers. “Come here.” He pulled me off my chair and into his lap.
“Our server.” I managed to utter my complaint before his lips landed on my neck.
“We have everything we need. They know not to bother us.” His lips left a wet trail as they moved down to my chest. “You’re so gorgeous, Isla. I want you all the goddam time.”
I melted into him. “Me too. I can’t wait to get home tonight.”
“I don’t want to wait.”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I decided I was okay having sex with Declan in the middle of the day on a random rooftop with a bunch of people lingering outside our little tent. Did he ever do anything normal? No wonder the media loved him. Everything he did was juicy news.
“Though I did promise you a proper meal.” He picked up another bite that looked like a sushi roll, except it was bite-sized with fresh salmon lumped on top.
This time, he didn’t offer it to me, simply placed it on my tongue when I opened for him.
It seemed like the only thing to do when his fingers touched my lips.
I ate it eagerly. Suddenly hungry for more than food. As if he could read my thoughts, he slipped his free hand under my skirt and cupped my mound while his thumb flicked my clit. I giggled the second I understood his game. He was going to feed me and then make me come.
My gaze shifted back toward the table to look at our options. All the tiny plates had bite-size pieces of art. He took the next one before I could see it and fed it to me—I had no idea what it was, but it was creamy and spicy and made my mouth feel alive.
“Whatever that was it was delicious.”
“Terrine.” He sucked on my clavicle and then entered me.
“Omigod.”
“Drink,” he ordered.
I reached for my wineglass and took a long sip while he worked my pussy into a frenzy. Just when I thought I was going to come, he stopped. “I want to see those gorgeous tits. Help me with your blouse.”
My mouth fell open. It was one thing to have his hand playing under my skirt, but now he wanted me to expose myself in a public place. “I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. Indecent exposure to be precise.”
His response was to pull out and rest his palm on the inside of my thigh, which for whatever reason made me a little cranky. He smirked at me. “Trust me. They don’t care what we’re doing in here. I want to see you.” His gaze brushed down to my hard nipples.
“How do you know? Do you bring a lot of women here?”
“No. I come here a lot. But most of the time, it’s only me. The privacy they offer suits me.”
Glancing upward to pray for courage, I unbuttoned my blouse and pulled it back to show him my lacy bra that I had specifically chosen to wear today because it made my boobs look round and perky. Declan buried his face in my cleavage and then yanked my bra down to expose both my breasts.
“See? That wasn’t so hard.” He ground his erection against my hip, then wrapped his lips around my nipple.
That was my undoing. I didn’t care about the food or the fact that we were in a fancy restaurant. I worked on his belt and then the zipper of his trousers. When my hand wrapped around his thick and silky shaft, I moaned into the side of his face. “Now.”
“Not yet. We haven’t finished our hors d’oeuvres.” He fed me another morsel that just melted in my mouth as his fingers found my folds again.
This time he stroked me harder. I was mortified for the wet sounds his hand made every time he went deeper, but it didn’t last long. He had worked me up so well, I came immediately. His mouth captured mine and stifled my groan.
“I could watch you come all day.” He massaged my folds and my entrance until all the tingly sensations were gone and my orgasm was well spent. “There’s one more thing I want to see.”
I was still in a daze that it didn’t register when he gripped my skirt and yanked it all the way to my waist. In one fluid move, he swung my legs in between his so I was facing the table instead of sitting on his lap, then entered me from behind.
I reached out to hold on to something and knocked a few plates onto the floor.
The rough feel of his zipper and the cold of his belt rubbed against my skin, and I lost it completely. All I wanted was to come again and didn’t care my ass was also exposed.
He kneaded my cheeks, spreading them and lifting them at the same time so I would slide up and down his erection.
His cock was so hot and slick. I realized how much I had missed it in the six hours since the last time he was filling me like this, hard and demanding.
He thrust into me over and over until we both found our release.
“You’re unbelievable.” I reached back and ran my fingers through his soft hair while he planted kisses on my shoulder.
“You’re so fucking delicious.”
I stood and shimmied my skirt down before I turned to face him. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you kept all your clothes on.”
“Sorry, love.” He stepped in to help me with my top. “Next time, I promise to be fully naked before I touch you.”
“Incorrigible is what you are.” I pointed at his pants and his semi-erect cock.
“Hmm.” He tucked in his shirt and righted his trousers.
Laughing, I dropped my head into my hands. I would never be able to win when it came to this man. He had me utterly smitten. No, it was more than that. I was falling in love with him. I didn’t know when or how it had happened, but he’d stolen my heart.
“Hey.” He put his hand under my chin. “Where did you go? You got all serious.”
“No, I was just wondering what’s gonna happen when you return to the UK?” I glanced around me then started picking up the plates that had fallen. I couldn’t even look at him.
He sat on his ankles next to me and caught both of my wrists with his hand, cocking his head so he could look me in the eyes. “You don’t have to do that. What’s going on?”
“I’ve never had sex in a restaurant before.”
“I’m your first.” He beamed at me. “I rather like that.”
The butterflies in my chest fluttered something crazy, and then I was reminded how Declan had the power to break my heart into a million pieces. Not to mention he also had the power to ruin my career, possibly my entire life.
“Hey.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when the Windsor project ends. But whatever it is, I’m fairly certain I want you to still be in my life. I need you.”
“Fairly certain?”
“It’s an expression.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” He tightened his hold on me. “I’m not good with relationships.
I don’t know how they work. All I know right now is that I can’t stand being apart from you.
I can’t imagine going home and not see you there, in my kitchen, in my living room, in my bed.
” He puffed out a breath. “I feel things I’m not used to feeling. ”
The desperate look in his eyes made me wonder, and hope a little, that maybe he could love me back someday. Was he capable of such a thing? I cupped his face and kissed him—soft at first, and then a bit more desperately.
“Ahem.” The server cleared his throat from the entrance to our little haven.
If he could tell what we had just done, he didn’t show it.
“Mr. Noble, sorry to interrupt, but it’s important.
Your chief of staff has been trying to get a hold of you for the last hour.
She called the restaurant and asked me to get your attention. ”
“This can’t be good.” Declan turned to me. “You think she found out about us?”
“If that were the case, I think Casey would’ve waited until we returned to the office.” I grabbed my purse to check my phone.
“Is that it, sir?” The server nodded once.
“Yes. Just the check. Thank you.” Declan pulled out his phone from the inside of his suit jacket and walked over to me. “I have twenty missed calls. You see what you do to me? The world falls away when you’re with me.”
I was wrong. I wasn’t falling in love with Declan. I was already madly in love with him. He held my gaze for a few beats as if he wanted to say something else. I stepped toward him but stopped when his phone rang again. He tapped the screen and spoke into it.
“Casey, what’s the emergency? I was in a very important meeting. Did you not see that on my calendar?” He winked at me.
“I know you’re extremely busy.” Casey’s voice boomed in the small tent. “But you’re trending on Twitter. I thought you should know. Actually, more than that. We need a game plan. How long before you get to the office?”
“Ten minutes.”
“I’ll call back.” Casey ended the call.
“Oh, no.” I placed a hand over my mouth. “They released the picture of us.”
“Fuck me. Probably not a good idea to go home right now.” He rubbed the side of his face and dialed Tommy. He left it on speakerphone so I could hear. “We need to get back to the office.”
“Yeah, I’m here. But there’s a bunch of reporters out here.” He let out a breath. “Not sure what’s going on.”
“Hang on.” Declan gave me his phone. When the server returned with our check, Declan gave him his card and a couple of hundred-dollar bills. “Is there a private entrance we can use?”
“Of course. I’ll show you.” He waved for us to follow.
After a quick stop to run Declan’s credit card, he escorted us to a freight elevator that led to the kitchen.
From there, we took another elevator that took us all the way to a parking garage that was fairly empty.
Declan dialed Tommy again and gave the server the phone so he could tell Tommy how to find us.
In three minutes flat, Tommy pulled in and drove off. Despite Declan’s efforts, the paparazzi were outside waiting with flashes that blinded me on the spot. He pulled me into his arms and blocked me from view as Tommy maneuvered through the streets.
“I’m so sorry. They’re never this crazy. Especially not in the States.”
“That must’ve been one real juicy story if they want more pictures.” I was glad his suit muffled my words and the shame behind them.
No doubt by now, everyone in the office knew I had slept with Declan. I could only guess how badly the media twisted our story. I could only guess what Nicolas, Louisa, and everyone else thought of me. Jesus, today was my first day back. I’d hoped no one would find out about us for a long while.
“Wait.” I lifted my head to meet Declan’s gaze. I was one hundred percent sure he was thinking what I was thinking. “What if they have photos of us having sex on the rooftop? I mean, it’s not impossible.”
He opened his mouth then closed it. “Let’s wait until we get a full report before we panic.”