CHAPTER TWELVE
I woke with a start, unsure of where I was or what time it was.
“Hey... are you okay?” came Declan’s sleep-roughened voice from right next to me, and it was then that the memories came flooding back.
I shifted, and the ache in my center only bolstered my internal recounting of the last few hours.
“What time is it?” I croaked, voice raw and throat aching from all the screaming I’d done.
Glancing out the large glass window on the far side of the bedroom, I noticed that it was still dark outside.
“A little after three,” Declan replied, glancing at the digital display of the alarm clock on his bedside table that read 3:08 am.
Groaning, I sat up, then winced as the discomfort in my nether regions grew more intense.
Declan and I had gone at it a second time with him on top, pounding me into the mattress, while peppering tiny kisses and compliments all over my face. I’d come two more times after that. Then I think I’d passed out while Declan was cleaning me up.
My intention was never to fall asleep for so long. I just wanted to relax and catch my breath a little. But at his mention of the time, I knew I’d fucked up.
“I have to go home,” I said, and gingerly climbed out of the warm bed.
Declan groaned pitifully. “No, stay.”
“Declan, I can’t. I have work in a few hours, and all my stuff is at home.” I searched the floor for my dress and found it in a corner under a different glass window, next to his discarded shirt.
Seriously, how many windows could one room have?
He sighed and pushed up to a sitting position. “Okay, I’ll take you.”
I smiled at him, grabbed my dress from the floor, and shimmed into it, then sauntered over to him so he could help with the zipper. “That’s very kind of you, but I drove here, remember?”
His shoulders slumped, then a second later, he brightened again. “Oh, I know. I can follow you to make sure you get there safely, then I’ll come back home.”
I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him gently. “That’s honestly very sweet… but also very dumb. That’ll only waste time, and you have work in a few hours, just like I do.”
He scowled, opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
“Plus,” I rushed to add. “You mentioned at dinner that you have an early morning meeting with the board. You need to be sharp for that. Which means you need to sleep. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”
He nodded, albeit reluctantly, and clambered out of bed, heading for his massive walk-in closet to pull on sweatpants and a black athletic tank so he could walk me to my car.
Moments later, we were in his private parking lot again, and the kiss this time was bittersweet and a little depressing.
Declan held on to me for dear life, and it took the beeping of my car’s alarm from me repeatedly hitting the unlock button for him to let me go. But not before dropping another quick kiss on my lips, then stepping back.
“Get home safe,” he murmured, then smirked. “I’ll see you in a few hours,”
Confused, I canted my head to look up at him. “In a few hours?”
“I’m on drop-off duties, remember?”
Oh, right, Orla. His niece. My student. Because I was her kindergarten teacher.
God, I hoped this didn’t complicate things.
“Right,” I said. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Then I got into my car and started the engine, rolling the windows down so I could wave another goodbye at Declan, who stood there looking like a kicked puppy.
“Text me when you get home,” he shouted over the car’s engine.
“I will.”
“And after that as well. You can… text me after that.”
I smiled. “I will.”
“Like anytime, really. It doesn’t matter.”
I chuckled. “I will.”
“Like, for instance, right before you head out to work in the mornings. That’s a good time to text someone, right?”
I was full-on laughing now. “It is. And I will, I promise. I’ll text you all day, every day, and whenever I feel like it.”
Declan grinned, and it made my heart flutter in a peculiar way.
I pulled out of the parking lot and headed for home, thanking all the gods in all the heavens to have ever existed for a night I’d never forget.
◆◆◆
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to the two-story contemporary-style home that Seth and I shared for the last four years, and the sudden feeling of melancholy and dread that washed over me was dizzying.
The reality was this house didn’t feel like home anymore. Frankly, it hadn’t felt like my home for a very long time. I’d simply refused to acknowledge it, content with just chugging along until things finally came to an end.
And didn’t that just sucked.
Sighing, I left the car and entered the house on quiet feet. It was pitch-black inside, and I could barely see in front of me. There was an odd silence that was so loud it was deafening. Which was quite the opposite of how it was when I’d left.
Still, I was thankful Seth was asleep. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any version of him right then, because I was convinced he had a personality disorder. That, or he was just crazy. Either way, those texts he’d sent earlier were alarming, and I hadn’t turned my phone back on since the park.
I briefly contemplated letting it stay that way, then groaned when I remembered that I’d promised to contact Declan when I got home.
I grimaced, dreading the number of unanswered texts that awaited me.
Slowly, silently, I navigated my way down the dark hall and to my room, only breathing a sigh of relief when I pressed my bedroom door closed and leaned against it.
Somewhere down the hall, a floorboard creaked, followed by the faint sound of a door being shut.