Chapter 19
Penny
“How did your date go tonight?” my mom asks a few minutes after Declan leaves through the front door.
Her tone alone gives her away. She’s fishing. It didn’t occur to me until I was hugging Declan that we both have wet hair and look like we came from the same place.
“It wasn’t great,” I tell her. Because it wasn’t. Wade didn’t pay me any attention as soon as the guys showed up.
“Hmm… and what were you doing before you came here?” she asks while putting a sheet on the couch.
Autumn sleeps in my old room, and the third bedroom is the designated craft room now, so I sleep on the couch if I ever stay over.
I lie to my mother with ease because I don’t want her to get any ideas. “Just watching TV.”
“Is that what kids are calling it these days?” she asks, and my dad clears his throat a second later.
I internally groan because this is the second time my dad has walked in on a conversation I wish he hadn’t heard.
I turn on my mom and narrow my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but Declan is my friend,” I tell her with conviction.
She smirks and says, “I never said anything about Declan.”
My dad looks away, but my mom and I stare at each other.
My cheeks are on fire, but I refuse to give her any more ammo.
“I’ll put myself to bed,” I say, “goodnight.” I don’t leave room for argument.
It’s none of their business as far as I’m concerned.
I’m my own person and can sleep with whomever I choose.
They don’t need to know every detail of my sex life.
Especially my dad. He’s already heard plenty.
My mom holds back a smile but gives me a brief hug before heading to bed. My dad stays behind as I climb onto the couch and set my phone down on the coffee table.
He brings me a glass of water and hovers for a second. “I probably shouldn’t say this but I’m going to. I know you’re an adult, but whatever you’re doing… just be careful.”
I look down at my hands, avoiding his gaze. This arrangement just started tonight, and there are already two people who know what we’re up to. It was supposed to be a secret for fucks sake.
“Goodnight, sweet pea,” my dad says, using the term of endearment he’s used for me since I was born.
He turns off the lights, and I get settled on the couch, suddenly exhausted from the events of today. I went from being on a date with Wade, to fucking Declan, to ending up at my parents’ house because of a night terror.
I’m about to fall asleep when my phone pings.
Declan: Rest deeply, sleep peacefully, dream sweetly, Penny.
~ ~ ~
It’s been a few weeks since the start of our arrangement, and Declan and I have only managed to have enough alone time for a few quick romps with our fingers and mouths.
One of those times, I was wearing red lipstick when Declan came into the coffee shop, and his gaze wouldn’t leave my mouth, so I pulled him into the back office.
I’ve always wondered what it would look like to leave my signature red lipstick on a man’s dick, and as soon as I locked the door behind us, I dropped to my knees for him.
The look on his face was downright feral as we worked his jeans down together, and I didn’t hesitate to wrap my lips around his velvet length, wanting to feel his piercing hit the back of my throat.
He couldn’t hold himself back as he threaded his fingers through my hair and fucked my face like he was on a mission.
It took less than two minutes before I was swallowing every last drop of him.
It’s something I’m proud of. Very proud of.
We’ve texted every day, and when Autumn and I run into him on the landing, or at the coffee shop, he always hugs Autumn and then me, giving me a kiss on the forehead or the cheek. He’s still slightly brooding in public, but he’s no longer silent, and I call that a win.
It’s mid-day on Sunday, and Autumn is in the office of the coffee shop drawing while I help the girls clean from the rush.
The door chimes open, and Declan walks through, looking like a snack. The weather is turning nice again, and Declan is sporting a white T-shirt today that does everything for his arms. The sight of him has my core aching to be filled.
“Hey,” I say as I continue to wipe down a table.
“Hey, where’s Autumn?” he asks, looking around.
I throw a thumb over my shoulder. “Drawing.”
“Can you go get her for me?”
I furrow my brows but do as he asks. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but his eyes are bright with… is that excitement?
Autumn’s little head pops up from her coloring book when I enter the office. “Declan is here,” I tell her. That gets her moving, and her pigtails swing back and forth as she books it into the coffee shop.
“Declan,” she yells and wraps her little arms around his neck. He picks her up and gives her a tight squeeze before asking about her day. She tells him about her drawing, and he hangs on to every word.
After the night terror, Declan has been extra attentive towards Autumn.
If he sees her, he actively engages her in conversation, and if he doesn’t see her, he makes sure to ask me if she’s been doing okay.
It’s a total one-eighty from how he acted around her when they first met, and she’s relishing the attention.
“Well, I have a surprise for you,” he tells her.
“A surprise? I love surprises!” she exclaims with a huge smile on her face.
I narrow my eyes at him, and his gaze flicks to mine. “How would you like it if we went to the zoo?” he asks her.
And holy shit, the screech that comes out of my daughter’s mouth could make you go deaf. “The zoo? Yes!” she screams.
Declan sets her down and watches her lose her cool. She’s so excited that she does a little dance, and I bust out laughing.
My gaze catches Declan’s, and he’s watching me with a smile on his face. I move to stand next to him and ask, “The zoo? I’m confused.”
“I may have bought us season tickets to the zoo.” I go to open my mouth, but he continues, “And I may have convinced Jordan and Lucas to buy some as well.”
“You bought us season tickets… to the zoo? Seriously?” I ask.
He shrugs his shoulders and says, “I didn’t really get Autumn a birthday gift, and I thought she might like it. And then you guys can go whenever you want.” I stare at him in disbelief. “What?” he asks. “Too much?”
Before I can get a word out, my mom walks through the door, followed by Jordan and Lucas.
“Alright, my beautiful darlings,” my mom announces.
“Get your butts out of here and go have some fun. It’s a warm, sunny, and seventy-five-degree day, and you can’t let it go to waste,” she sing songs as she wraps Autumn in a hug.
“We’re going now?” I furrow my brows.
He nods his head. “Yup. I might have asked your mom if you could take the rest of the afternoon off.”
I peek at Jordan and Lucas, and they’re both standing there with shit-eating grins on their faces.
“I need to pack snacks, change…”
“Slow down,” Declan interrupts. “I packed water and food already. All you two need is a light jacket and maybe some sunscreen. You look fine, though.” His eyes trail my body and I instantly heat.
I’m not going to lie, the last few weeks have been torture.
Now that I know what sex can be like, I want to jump Declan’s bones all the time.
I’m getting to the point that if he doesn’t dick me down soon, I’m going to combust. Especially when he does nice things like this.
“Okay,” I breathe out. “I’m going to run upstairs super quick, and I’ll be right back down.”
I ask Jordan to make sure Autumn goes potty, and I run upstairs to pack a quick backpack of two sweatshirts, sunscreen, a ball cap for Autumn, her camera from Christmas, and an extra set of clothes for her, just in case.
I throw on a distressed black ballcap myself and make it back downstairs in five minutes.
Declan and Lucas are in the front of the truck while us girls pile up in the back. Once we’re on the road, Jordan whispers to me, “Dude, what is this?”
I look at her and shrug. I haven’t said anything to her about Declan and me having sex because of the rules we made. I’ve been wanting to spill, but since my mom and dad already suspect something, that’s two too many people in on the secret.
She narrows her eyes at me and leans into my ear. “I know you went home with him from the bar. I’ve been waiting for you to say something.” I pull back and she laughs. “You didn’t think Lucas and Declan showing up there was a coincidence, did you?”
I look at the two men and they’re chum as can be, talking each other’s ears off.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, yes. I went home with him.”
She does a silent dance in the seat, and I roll my eyes. “How was it?” she whispers back.
I take a deep breath and say, “A million times better than the first time.”
Her eyes go wide, and she smiles at me like a kid on Christmas day. “I can’t wait for a play-by-play later.”
I shake my head and then tell her about the deal and all the rules Declan and I made. Well, the rules I made. Declan didn’t actually make any rules of his own.
“No kissing? Really?” she asks incredulously, and I nod my head. “You drive a hard bargain. Your pussy must really be something.” And she looks down at my crotch.
We both bust out laughing and spend the rest of the ride to the safari park idly chatting away.
I took Autumn to the zoo when she was two, but she doesn’t remember it, so her reaction to everything once we enter is contagious. She can’t hide her excitement, and all four of us adults watch her as she freaks out over every little thing.
When we make it to the cheetah run, there’s a crowd, and Autumn is jumping up and down trying to see. Declan crouches down next to her and says something. In the next instant, she’s on his shoulders, holding onto his head while they watch the dog and cheetah race.
My heart is doing the thing it did when he comforted her during her night terror, and I look away for a second to catch my breath.
I feel a hand squeeze mine, and Jordan has sidled up next to me. “We sure that’s the same guy who said he didn’t like kids? Or that he’s not baby daddy material?”
I roll my eyes but keep my mouth shut. Because yeah, I’m wondering the same damn thing.
The rest of the day is more than fun. Autumn oohs and awes at every animal, and we eat sandwiches that Declan made. Jordan teaches Autumn how to use her camera, and she goes ham on capturing pictures of the animals and taking candids of all the adults.
When Jordan and Lucas go off to check out the giraffes by themselves, Autumn, Declan, and I stay to watch the elephants bathe in their little pond.
“Hey, can you get a picture of Autumn and me?” I ask Declan and hand him my phone.
“Of course.”
I grab Autumn, and we stand next to a shaded tree that’s in front of the elephant enclosure.
Before Declan can get a shot off, an older woman comes up next to him and says, “Get in there with your wife and daughter, you handsome young man.” She winks at Declan, and he pauses before passing the phone off to her.
He stands next to me and asks Autumn if she wants on his shoulders. We get ready for the picture, but the woman tells me, “Oh, honey. Act like you love the man and put your arm around him.”
My heart skips a beat, but Declan just chuckles and whispers, “Do as she says, and this will be over much quicker.”
“We do love Declan,” Autumn exclaims. “He’s our best friend.”
I don’t dare look at Declan or Autumn, for fear of what’s on each of their faces. Instead, I put one arm around Declan’s waist and the other on his chest, acting like I love the hulking of a giant man who’s become an integral part of our lives over the past several weeks.
“Smile!” yells the woman.
And I do.
With everything I have.