Page 11

Chapter eleven

Noel

W ithout opening my eyes, I enjoy the way the sheets feel as I stretch. The concept of time begins to creep in. I try to push thoughts away, holding on to the last bit of sleep, knowing I didn’t hear my alarm. I haven’t slept this good in so long.

My eyes pop open and my heart picks up the pace as the memory of where I am slams into me. The black wall and dark furniture confirms it was not a dream. I sit up to see that Declan’s side of the bed is empty but slept in, and I realize I’m still completely naked.

Jesus, Noel, way to go!

I get up to find my clothes and brush my teeth, silently berating myself for fucking Declan’s face on our first date. How does it take me years to be that comfortable with the man I married and only a single date with the next? Obviously, I don’t have as much self control as I always thought I had.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I can’t deny the fire in my eyes that I haven’t seen in a long time. Closing them, I think back to how Declan kissed each part of me.

Something changed in me last night. I like that he made me tell him what I wanted . This morning, I freaking love that he only kissed me. Of course, he took complete creative freedom with the request, but he didn't step outside of the one directive I gave.

As much as I should feel guilty for letting it go that far, my only thoughts now surround how to return the favor. Once I’m dressed and get my hair somewhat under control, I set out like the powerful bitch I am to find him. Last night, he mentioned his office was just down the hall, so I make my way out of his bedroom to find it.

There’s one open door at the end of the hallway, but I find the office empty when I step inside. The smell of his cologne causes my pulse to race. He must've just been in here.

I turn around and slam into him, not realizing he had walked in behind me.

“Good morning.” His morning voice is huskier than usual.

“Good morning.”

He’s wearing dark grey sweatpants but no shirt. I felt his toned stomach last night, but this is my first look at him. Men should not look like this. His body is tan and muscles are everywhere. His skin is flawless except for the tattoos, which have been hidden from me under his clothes until now.

He isn’t covered in them. The large one on his side wraps around his left rib cage. It looks like his flesh is ripped, exposing ribs. He has another that covers his right shoulder and tapers down across his chest. I’m wondering if he has any on his back when I notice the perfectly defined V of his lower abs and the bulge in his pants.

“See something you like?” He asks, amused.

My eyes snap back to his. I bite my lips together and giggle, knowing I deserve to be called out for gawking at him.

“Come on. Time to eat,” he says, reaching for my hand.

My eyes bulge. Now it’s his turn to laugh.

“Coffee?” He asks, pulling me down the hall .

“God, yes!”

He pours me a steaming cup and offers me a seat at the bar. While I sip the coffee, he sets to work making breakfast. I’m halfway through my coffee when he sets a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.

“Thank you.”

“Mmhm,” he says as he turns around to get napkins, giving me a full view of his back.

The majority of his back is covered in ink. A demon wing on one side and an angel wing on the other are both wrapped in a chain that is attached to an exposed spine under ripped flesh.

He turns to hand me a napkin, noticing that I was staring but doesn’t say anything. He sits on the barstool next to mine and begins to eat. He finishes quickly and puts his dishes in the sink.

I set my fork down on my plate just as Declan rounds the bar, stopping when he gets to me. He grabs the legs of my barstool just below the seat, sliding it out so I’m now facing him. Then he opens my knees to place himself between my legs. He slides a hand up my leg, but his fingertips stop once he has them just inside my shorts.

Licking his lips, he tilts my chin up with one finger and gently kisses me.

“I have something to show you,” he says, releasing my leg before turning and walking away.

He leads me back into his office and walks over to his desk. Pulling an image up on the monitor, he gestures with his hand for me to take a look. It's an image of two men in my bedroom. This must be from my surveillance drive.

“I don’t recognize them.”

“Not surprising. Whoever is behind it most likely hired help. What do you know about Isaiah Canton’s business?”

I stare at him, confused.

“Anything?”

“Isaiah doesn’t work. He’s a spoiled boy in a grown man’s body living off his daddy’s money.”

“He’s the heir to Cordeliers. He’s been running the club for the past five years since his dad retired.”

“No,” I breathe out. “You’re mistaken. Isaiah hasn’t worked a day in his life.” Even as I say the words, they feel wrong. Something terrible dawns on me. Something Isaiah’s date had said the last time we went out with him—something about a club.

“Isaiah approached me a few years ago wanting help with his books in exchange for a membership.”

“Nate never mentioned any of this. He couldn’t have known,” I say in disbelief. “Wait. When I asked you if you were a member, you said no.”

“Actually, I said ‘fuck no’,” he corrects.

“Why didn’t you join?” I ask even though I’m afraid to know the answer.

“What’s important right now is figuring out how you managed to inherit part ownership of Cordeliers and not find out that it’s Isaiah’s,” he says, avoiding my question.

Declan looks unfazed by this entire conversation, leaned back in his office chair, while I’m on the verge of losing my shit.

“I don’t have the slightest clue. I didn’t even know this club existed until last week, and Isaiah’s name wasn’t on that paperwork.”

My brain is struggling to process everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours, and I’m desperately fighting against the idea that Nate had such a secret.

Declan grabs my hips, pulling me down to straddle him. Our faces are inches apart as he digs his fingers into my sides.

“Loyalty to a dead man can get you killed, Noel,” he warns.

Nate was an open book. He never gave me a reason to think he would hide anything from me. And Isaiah? It’s hard to imagine him being responsible for anything, much less operating a secret business. But I also know Declan isn’t lying just as sure as I know myself. If I’m going to figure out what this club has to do with me, I’m going to need his help.

I decide to share a detail about my husband before I lose my nerve. “He had a standing poker night with a group of guys every Thursday night. Isaiah was one of them.”

He loosens his grip on my hips. “Where?”

“They rotated houses.”

“Good. Do you remember who all came when they were at your house?”

I watch him kiss the palm of my hand but feeling it between my legs.

“They only used the single guys’ houses, so it would be guys only.”

It never bothered me. I actually enjoyed girls nights with friends on the same schedule. But now that I know about Isaiah and his club, I feel so stupid.

I look out the window at the trees lining the property in the distance. I try to picture Nate’s face to find any trace of deceit in his eyes, but my mind is too cloudy to find him.

How could I have been so naive?

“Look at me,” Declan orders.

I meet his narrowed eyes.

“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t. People can hide things very well,” he says as though he’s thinking of something and someone else. “You didn’t do this. ”

I look back to the window trying to stop the tears from falling.

No, I’m just the fool who had no idea what her husband was doing every Thursday night.

Given everything I’ve just learned, it seems more likely that Nate was at this club for his poker nights. Maybe he played poker or maybe he slept around. I’ll never really know.

Declan wipes away the single tear that escapes. Looking down at him again, I watch him suck the tear off his thumb. He shifts underneath me, and I can’t help but let my gaze wander down to his bare chest and stomach. My breath catches at the sight of his erection pushing up against his sweatpants.

How can I feel like this with Declan and be mad at Nate for the past all at the same time? Whatever Nate did really doesn’t matter now, and I know that. But it still hurts. And somehow I feel safe letting Declan see me raw.

Declan touches my jaw then runs his hand through my hair. The expression on his face scatters all my thoughts. My heart stammering in my chest is the only sound I hear now—drowning out the conflicting voices in my head. My skin tingles everywhere his gaze touches. He runs his thumb across my bottom lip before he presses down on my teeth, forcing me to open my mouth.

“You’re so fucking pretty when you cry, sunshine,” his husky voice breathes out.

He watches my mouth as his thumb touches the tip of my tongue. Without thinking, I close my lips around it and suck. His eyes heat up, daring me to continue.

Releasing his thumb, I say, “My turn to kiss all of you."

He places two fingers on either side of my tongue, sliding them to the back of my throat. When I gag, he pulls back some. I grab his hand, nudging his fingers back in. I can see it in his eyes that he’s being gentle with me, holding back. I'm done being fragile.

He gives me his best ‘you’re so fucked’ smile and shoves his fingers to the back of my throat again. This time he watches me struggle to control my reflex. When I stop gagging and manage to swallow around his fingers, he pulls back again.

“That’s it.”

He pushes his fingers in and pulls them over and over again, continuing the pattern until I stop gagging so easily. I suck when he pulls them out of my mouth, trying not to drool on myself. Eventually, he runs a wet finger down my cheek, smearing saliva with the tears I shed from gagging on his fingers.

“These are the only tears you cry now. Tears for me.”

He grabs my hips, pushing me off his lap. I stumble back as he stands in front of me. I place my hands on his hips for balance, and he grabs my arms to steady me.

After a moment, I begin to kneel in front of him.

"Not yet." He grabs my hair yanking me back up, his tongue claiming my mouth.

When he pulls away from the dirty kiss, he snaps the neckline of my shirt. Keeping my eyes locked to his, I take it off for him and drop it on the ground. He breaks away from my gaze to watch me undo my bra. As soon as my chest is exposed to him, he lightly circles my nipple. His fingertips glide across my skin to wrap around my throat.

“All of it."

His hand stays in place as I lean forward to push my shorts and thong down my legs. The pressure makes it harder to breathe, so I let them slide to my ankles and toss them away with my feet. He stares into my soul as he tightens his grip on my throat. I know he's pushing me to find my limits, and I'm just as curious to find them.

I slip my thumbs into the waistband of his pants. “My turn, Dec.”

His eyes grow heavy and he lets go of my throat. He holds his arms out slightly to either side, allowing me access to him. I slide his sweatpants down his hips, freeing his hard cock. Even though I try to control my reaction, I can feel my eyebrows raise. I kneel down quickly, so he won’t be able to see my face.

Placing my hands on his thighs, I lean forward to lick the tip before sucking it into my mouth. His legs flex, and he sucks in a breath. His reaction along with how good he feels in my mouth urges me forward.

Grabbing him at the base, I slowly lick and suck my way down the side of his cock, fully understanding now that the gagging exercises were for actual practice and not just a dirty visual for him. Once he’s completely slick, I take him to the back of my throat, gagging around him but pushing through it.

He grabs the base of my head. He twists his fingers into my hair and forces me to look up slightly. The angle allows me to take more of him, and the pleasure written clearly on his face has my pussy dripping.

“Breathe through your nose and stick out your tongue,” he says, his voice raspy with need.

I do as I’m told and a moan escapes from the back of my throat. I watch as his brows furrow, and he begins to move.

“This pretty mouth was made for me.”

He watches me choke and gag around him. Using his free hand, he smears my tears down my face.

“Fucking gorgeous,” he says and pumps faster into me.

I’m mesmerized by this god of a man losing control above me. His thrusts into my throat become rough as the tears fall out of my eyes.

“Touch yourself, Noel,” he says breathlessly, keeping his pace.

I reach between my legs to feel myself soaked. I can hear my fingers moving through my wet pussy, and his face tells me he hears it too.

“Fuck that pretty little cunt with two fingers while I fuck your mouth.” As he says the words, he pumps hard into the back of my throat, causing me to gag again.

He pulls out of my mouth and strokes his dripping wet cock with his hand. “Let me watch you finger yourself.”

Leaning forward, I try to take him back into my mouth.

“You can have it back once there’s two fingers inside of you,” he says while he continues to stroke himself in my face.

I slip two fingers in, desperate to own his pleasure.

“Good girl. Now curl them and push up until you feel it,” he says through heavy breathing.

“Feel what?” I ask, but I whimper before he can answer when I touch the spot he wanted me to find.

“Do what I do.”

He slides the tip of his dick over my lips before pushing into my mouth again. I gag when he shoves back into my throat, but I recover quicker this time. He thrusts slowly in and out of my throat, waiting for me to follow his lead. As he slides in, I push my fingers in. As he pulls back, I do the same.

He nudges my knees with his feet to open wider, giving him a better view.

Then he picks up the pace, and I follow his lead.

The ache deep in the pit of my stomach tightens into a ball of tension. Drool is running down my chin, and I’m moaning around him as he pounds into the back of my throat.

“So fucking perfect. Goddamn, baby girl."

My hips begin to roll as my orgasm threatens to explode. I feel his cock harden to stone, and I know he’s close too. A scream echoes in my throat around him as I pump into my clenched pussy. The fingers of my other hand dig into his hip to keep myself stable while I come.

“Fuck, sunshine," he grinds out as he fills the back of my throat.

I swallow around him and watch his face dissolve into ecstasy.

He loosens his grip on my hair as he begins to come down from his high, but his eyes keep their hold on mine. When his face relaxes, I swallow around him once more to make sure I’ve gotten all of it. His lips part to suck in a breath at the sensation. He slides out of my mouth and pulls me up by the back of my neck.

Wiping away the remaining tears, he studies my face. His expression is so intense, but I’m not sure what he’s hoping to find. When his eyes wander to my swollen lips, he smiles a full-dimpled, heart-stopping grin. My chest feels raw at the sight of him.

He's just so real and so alive. I smile back, feeling warmth spread all over me.

“There you are,” he says and runs a thumb across my bottom lip.

He leads me to his shower, leaving our clothes on the floor behind us. The steam and hot water do nothing to cool the fire we’ve lit. Unable to keep our hands or lips to ourselves, we barely manage to shower at all.

After we dress, Declan brings me back to my house, so I can begin sorting through the mess. On the way to my house, I remember the note from Nate’s mom and decide to tell Declan about the dinner considering everything else going on.

“I’ll take you. You aren’t going anywhere alone until I get to the bottom of all this.”

“I don’t want to be alone with her anyway, but is that a little insensitive?”

“Her feelings aren’t your problem,” he clips.

“Good point,” I agree. “Thank you for helping with all this, Dec.”

“Anything for you,” he says, pulling my hand to his lips.

Kate is already at my house when we arrive. Declan really meant it when he said he wasn’t going to leave me alone. Kate is chatting it up with one of the security guys from last night.

Declan walks me into the house before giving me a slow, delicious kiss goodbye. I’m aware Kate is watching us, but I don’t care. As soon as he’s out the door, she starts in on me.

“What the fuck was that, Noel?” She squeals excitedly.

“I don’t even have an answer for you because there are no words for what he is,” I tell her honestly, a stupid grin on my face.

“You fucked him!” She accuses me.

“Well, not exactly,” I answer, deciding to keep the details to myself.

She narrows her eyes at me when she realizes I’m not going to give her a play-by-play of my night with Declan.

“Alright, Noel, keep your dirty little secrets to yourself. Just knowing you have some is good enough for me.” She grins, and I laugh.

“On another note, though, what do you know about this break in?” She asks, looking around my disastrous living room.

I only told her there had been a break-in on the phone, not wanting to get into all the details until we were together in person.

“It might have something to do with Nate.”

“Excuse me, what?” She stops picking up the broken lamp on the floor to stare at me.

I sigh. “Have you ever heard of Cordeliers Gentlemen’s Club?” I ask, hoping she says no, so I won’t feel like even more of an idiot.

“Like a strip club?”

“I’m not sure what kind of club it is.” I confess, realizing I hadn’t thought of a strip club as a possibility.

“I’ve never heard of it,” she says. “What does a gentlemen’s club have to do with Nate? Did he go there?”

“Apparently so. Isaiah owns it, and Nate was part owner,” I tell her and shrug my shoulders in defeat.

“What the fuck?” Her reaction mimics my own.

We talk ourselves in circles with reasons why Nate would’ve kept secrets. Kate texts her most questionable friends to ask about the club. All of which are dead ends. She suggests asking Isaiah straight up, but I’m not going to him for answers. If he hid his entire identity, he isn’t going to like that I know now.

She agrees to save the unanswered questions for later, so we turn on some music and start putting my house back together.