Page 18

Chapter eighteen

Noah

T he evening was crisp and perfect weather to take out a few puppies. We’d gotten a crate to contain them, and Petie happened to be at the shelter when we’d visited. I hadn’t been able to leave him behind, even though I struggled more and more to separate with every visit.

I got the three pups leashed up, and I handed one of the leashes over to Declan, though not Petie’s. “How comfortable are you with dogs?”

He accepted the leash. “I don’t know if you remember Brandysnaps, but after handling the contrary little Pekinese, most dogs feel easy in comparison.”

A laugh escaped me. “Oh man, that dog was such a shit. He only liked Aislin.”

We stepped past the gate of the dog park portion, and I kneeled to let these guys roam leash-free. Watching dogs run free lifted my spirits more than waking up and realizing it was a Saturday. If I had a dog, I’d build a fence for them to be able to run around like that whenever they wanted.

The other two dogs raced off at once, but Petie remained next to me, his tail wagging. His eyes were bright and sweet, and my heart tugged. I wanted to take him home with me so damn badly. I dropped to my knees and ran my hands over his furry head.

“Is this my competition?” Declan joked.

“He’s gotten attached.” I accepted the gift of Petie’s puppy kisses all over my face.

“I don’t think he’s the only one,” Declan said. Even though some of the other volunteers had said the same, it hit deeper coming from him. Because he knew me beyond the superficial, past simple external observations.

“Just a little.” I didn’t want to admit how much I wanted to bring this dog home. It was a miracle he hadn’t been adopted yet, and a small part of me felt like the universe was giving a nudge. I bumped my forehead with Petie, and he let out a happy yelp. Fuck, how did Declan know what I needed? The way we clicked together was the exact reason no guy had ever measured up. Because no one else soothed me and challenged me in the same breath like he did.

I’d dated briefly, had hooked up, but the entire time, I’d been searching for…this.

I glanced over at Declan while giving Petie an abundance of pets. He stared at the golden and the pittie we’d taken along with us frolicking on the grass, running around, and letting out joyful barks. His eyes crinkled, and a soft smile lingered on his lips. God, I was so in love.

I’d almost blurted it out in the car, but I’d swallowed the words back. We’d just started dating, and I didn’t want to leap in, only to send him spiraling. One step at a time .

“I’m getting my résumé together.” Declan crouched as the pittie came rushing back to him. The big guy bumped at his glasses, but Declan didn’t seem to mind. He let out a loud laugh, just pure joy. The breath stuck in my throat. Fuck, he was so beautiful.

“Where are you going to submit it?” I asked, my heart thumping. Had our conversation left a mark?

“There are a remarkable number of engineering companies involved in aerospace engineering, which is more where I wanted my skills utilized.” Declan ran his hands down the pittie’s sides, and the big guy happily barked. “Maybe some change wouldn’t be remiss.”

“I’m proud of you,” I said, my chest aglow with warmth. Goddamn. Together for less than a week, and we were helping each other in ways I could never have imagined. Yet Declan’s call-out with me, his blunt truths when I’d sorely needed to hear them, were already working their magic on my life. And hell, today had been such a massive step forward. “My mom wants to get together for dinner soon. She tried for tonight, but I told her we had a date.”

Declan’s gaze locked on me. “You said no?”

I nodded, trying to bite back my smile, but it slipped out. Giddiness fluttered through me. The bright sun beamed down on us, and given the crisp late fall breezes, the combination was potent and alluring.

“Well, then I’m proud of you too,” Declan said, his observant gaze on me. Fuck. A shiver ran through me. Those three little words bubbled up on my tongue again. Petie licked my face, not happy that my attention was on Declan and not him. I shook my head with a grin and grabbed one of the tennis balls out of the bag on my shoulder.

“C’mon, boy.” I tossed the ball, and Petie rushed off after it like a shot.

“So, not a disaster of a date?” Declan asked, a hint of vulnerability in his tone. “I’ll be honest with you. I’ve tried the whole dinner and a movie thing, and I find those dates boring. If I want to watch a movie, why would I do it around people?”

I snorted. That was pure Declan Brannon. “When I say I’m easy to please, I mean it. However, this goes beyond that. A date where I get to play with dogs? Fuck, Dec. Even with all the time we spent apart, you still know me better than anyone. You listen in a way so many people in my life don’t.”

He let go of the pittie and moved until we were inches apart. “You’re worth listening to, Noah.”

My heart squeezed tight. My god. How had we passed this up for so long? He was perfect . I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. The crisp air of decaying leaves swept my way, mingling with the rich scents of the earth. A slight chill lingered, but my body brimmed with more than enough heat. Declan tasted sweet and minty, and the softness of his lips against mine sent a flare of pure euphoria through me, like lit sparklers. I gripped his nape tight and savored him for a moment, the feel of him next to me.

The season of change was when we found each other again, and it affected us both in the best way.

When I pulled away, he blinked, a dreamy gaze in his eyes. One I wanted to keep there for as long as possible.

“So, what are the rest of your plans for tonight?” I asked, the curiosity overtaking me.

He plunked onto the ground, and I settled next to him. The three dogs raced back up to us. We each grabbed the balls they dropped and gave them another toss, and off they went again.

“Well, I did bring food.” He slid his messenger bag off his shoulder. The hesitation must have been clear on my face because he sighed. “No, I did not cook it. You’re safe.”

“Look, there were multiple cases of food poisoning… ”

“You clearly talk to my family too much,” he grumbled, even though an amused smile tugged at his lips. I loved that we had this history, that I knew the Brannons so well. All those moments, our past together, enriched the tapestry we’d begun to weave, and I couldn’t wait to see where we’d take those strands.

“I grabbed some takeout sandwiches from Fun Guy,” he said. “Figured we needed to fuel up.”

My blood thrummed. “Oh? For what?”

“When we get back to your place, I want to try a few things.” Declan’s eyes heated, and already I was paying rapt attention. “If you’re comfortable with it, I want you to restrain me and blindfold me. Then I want you to use me all night, just fucking into my hole and then warming yourself in my mouth until you’re ready to fuck me again.”

Ho-ly fuck .

My cock jumped at his words and the visceral imagery parading through my brain.

Declan Brannon was one kinky fucker, and I loved it.

“Sign me the hell up.”

Even though Declan’s promise for the night had gotten my blood stirring, we’d enjoyed a few hours at the dog park, playing around with Petie and the others amid some occasional conversation and mixed silences. Sometimes it was just me rambling, but I’d known Dec long enough to understand that it didn’t bother him in the slightest. The ease around him was unparalleled, and now that I had it again in my life, I’d never let him go.

We’d polished off the thankfully not homemade sandwiches and brought the pups back to Furever Homes. Leaving Petie this time hit me even harder. He stared up at me with those soulful eyes as if begging me not to let him go.

The car’s engine thrummed as I pressed hard on the gas en route to my house. My libido thrummed right along with it, the air in the car intense. My skin prickled with awareness of Declan’s heated gaze, the way his pine scent this close set my blood ablaze.

We were minutes from my place, and the understanding of what would unfold between us there had my whole body simmering.

“So, when we get to my house, the plan is to play a round of poker, right?” I teased.

Declan snorted. “Right, that’ll get us what we both want.”

I turned onto the road leading to my house, my heart thumping so hard it drowned out the classic rock I had playing. “And what do we want?”

“Your cock in my hole,” Declan said. “Over and over and over again.”

Ngh. My god. He said the words in this matter-of-fact way that was far hotter than any attempt to seduce.

I licked my lips, my throat so damn dry. “Think you’ll be able to handle it?”

“Better question is, how long will you last?”

I shook my head, loving the tease in his tone. His sass was something I’d sorely missed, a dry wit and humor that had been sadly absent from my life in the time we’d spent apart. I pulled up into my driveway, cut the engine, and hopped out. Declan kept close behind me, clear by the thump of his footsteps. I didn’t bother looking back but focused on getting the door open and stepping inside.

I flicked on the lights, necessary with the waning sunbeams as evening stole into the night. When I turned around, seeing Declan in my space clicked something into place. Like adding the final ingredient to a recipe. I was mesmerized by his coiffed chestnut hair, his dark glasses framing heartbreaker blue eyes. The way his tight tee and form-fitting jeans showcased the lithe body that felt so damn good entwined with mine. God, he was perfection in human form, and I’d been yearning for so long my heart didn’t know how to stop.

The sight of him here made my chest ache.

Declan swept past me, heading toward my living room with a confidence that sent a thrill up my spine. He knew what he wanted and didn’t make any apologies about it, and that was sexy as hell. His messenger bag turned into a bag of holding with the amount of shit he kept pulling from it, but I had the feeling more was in store.

He set it down on my couch and then faced me. “Here or your bed?”

I sucked in a sharp breath. The bed might be a little easier, but I loved the idea of christening this space too. An idea struck me, and I veered toward the futon. “I’ve got a solution.” With a few deft motions, the futon was unfolded and flat. “Now I’ve got the perfect space to get you on your hands and knees for me.”

I licked my lips as Declan approached, a hunger roaring inside me that grew by the second. He’d set out the parameters and placed his trust in me. That gift was a heady thing, not to be wasted.

I’d give him a night he’d never forget.

Declan tugged a blue scarf from his messenger bag and placed it on the futon. “For the blindfold.”

“I’ll go snag my restraints.” My mind reeled with ideas of how to bind him up and fuck him. God, he was going to look so gorgeous splayed out for me. “I want you stripped down and on your hands and knees when I get back.”

When I met his gaze, he offered a smart grin, but he’d started to tug his tee up and over. Heat rushed through me with the force of the rapids. My cock had woken up and tested the confines of my pants while the need built inside me. Right. Restraints.

I strode into my room and grabbed the essentials—condoms, plenty of lube, and the leather wrist and ankle restraints I liked best. I wanted to fuck into him all night long until he couldn’t erase the feel of me in his mouth, in his hole. Like we’d merged into one, and nothing could sever us.

When I stepped back into the living room, the sight of Declan naked on my futon knocked the breath from my lungs.

His form was pure art, all slender limbs, that peachy ass gorgeous and tempting. His hair was already a little mussed, and I couldn’t wait to see how wrecked it got after I fucked him over and over again. He waited patiently on his hands and knees, his ass thrust out like a gift, one I couldn’t wait to take advantage of. And when his gaze landed on me, well, goddamn.

Those blue eyes simmered with banked heat. Fuck, I was so damn lucky.

“How do you want me?” he asked. A thrill shot through me.

Every day for the rest of my life. But I bit back the response and kicked off my shoes and socks instead, ditched my pants and boxers, followed by my shirt after. My whole body crackled with sheer electricity, the air surrounding us alight with it.

Declan Brannon was everything my heart longed for, and tonight, I would make him mine. Again and again and again.

I stepped up behind him and grabbed the blue scarf from beside him. “I’ll position you the way I need you. We’ll follow the same system as before—red if anything is too much, snap if it’s too much and your mouth is full. I’ll start with the blindfold.” The fabric was soft, and I wrapped it around his head and tied it. His shoulders untensed the slightest fraction, so clearly, this was working for him.

God, so damn sexy.

I ran my fingertips along his side, the curve of his ass, down his legs, memorizing the feel of him. I grabbed one of the restraints, which jangled in my hand, and then clasped it around his wrist. I followed suit with the other wrist and brought both arms down by his ankles. Once I fixed the ankle restraints on, I connected the two so each wrist was pinned by the ankle, making him easier to maneuver.

“You can rest your head,” I said. “I’ll be keeping it plenty busy soon enough.”

Declan slumped forward into the cushion of the futon, and I positioned myself behind him.

“God, you’re so damn pretty.” I ran my hands along his sides. A shiver raced through his body. “I’m going to take care of you tonight, baby. Until you’re nothing but a whimpering puddle in the aftermath.”

Tonight, I would make sure Declan Brannon knew who he belonged to.

Because he’d always been mine.