Page 9

Chapter nine

Declan

H yde fucking Pharmaceuticals. In black and white. Officially under contract. Fuck yeah!

Before we left the charity dinner Saturday night, I had Hyde in a verbal agreement. Now, here the contract sits on my desk before lunch on Friday. Done.

I pick up my cell and tap the contact I need.

“Hey, Dec,” she answers before the end of the second ring.

“I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” I say in greeting, letting her know I need a few minutes of her time.

“A bad time is the best time for an interruption from you. I can be free after 5:00. How does that sound?” She draws out the last part seductively.

Ignoring her offer to fuck later, I tell her, “I’m in the market for commercial property in Tennessee and Georgia.”

She clicks her tongue at me. “Straight to business, huh? You sure know how to break a girl’s heart.”

I scoff at that. “Jess, we both know you don’t have one of those, and we agreed to pursue other interests. Can you find some acreage for me or not?”

“Ugh! Yes, I’ll send you a list in the morning,” she groans.

“Thanks.”

“You can’t avoid me forever, Dec,” she tries again.

I hang up, not wanting to get into it with her.

Jessica has been a placeholder for a while now. As soon as my plans for Noel could be set in motion, I lost all interest in other women. I was gentleman enough to let Jessica end things, but it seems she has changed her mind. Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve already been fucking a petite brunette in my head on repeat since I walked into her office two weeks ago, which reminds me…

I type out a text to the siren who now lives in my head.

I'll pick you up at 6:00. Send me your address.

After a minute, my phone vibrates on my desk with a response from Noel.

617 Rosewood Drive, see you soon!

Everything else can wait until Monday as far as I’m concerned. My payroll is heavy enough that I should be able to leave early every once in a while, and today is that day. I shut down my computer, lock my desk, and get out of my office.

“Ms. Morris, I’m leaving for the day, and my father will be with Isaiah Canton until later next week. Chance is going to finish out the day here.”

“Enjoy your weekend, Mr. Adams.”

“See you Monday,” I say over my shoulder as I walk out the door.

Deciding to surprise little miss sunshine, I park in the street in front of Noel’s house about a half hour early. It’s exactly the type of house I’d expect the owner of an investment firm to live in—bright colors, cookie-cutter neighbors, and perfectly symmetrical landscaping. Not the type of house Noel would’ve chosen, but we’ll work on that.

I didn't actually need her address. I’ve kept tabs on her over the years. The only reason she ever got so far out of my reach was the machinations of her father. Conner Anderson knew exactly what would keep me from making a move. If I put myself in her life in any way, he would have my father killed. Conner was sure to hire the one fucker who hated me enough not to be bribed, and he was on standby just waiting for the opportunity.

His efforts only bought him some time. His hired hit has been canceled even if he doesn't know it yet. And here I am on her doorstep. The sun shines on a new day after all.

She opens the door wearing a flowy, blue dress. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun, and she’s barefoot.

Damn, she is beautiful.

“Hey, you’re early. I actually just walked in from work. Can you give me a few minutes?” She asks and opens the door to let me in.

“Take your time. I’m sorry for showing up early on you.” I’m not.

She closes the door once I’m inside, and says, “No worries. I just need to change.” She leads me into the living room and offers me a drink.

“No thanks.”

She walks into an alcove off the living room that I’m assuming leads to her bedroom. I take the opportunity to answer a few emails while I wait. Hearing her footsteps as she walks back into the room, I finish up and hit send on the last one. I look up to see she has stopped in the archway, just inside the living room.

She’s wearing a plain black t-shirt that stretches across her tits and bunches at her hips. Her long, tanned legs are on full display in blue jean shorts. She kept the messy bun and added tennis shoes. I stand and tilt my head to the side, when I notice she’s staring at me as though she forgot I was here.

“Sorry, it’s just that…”

Then it dawns on me why she’s frozen across the room. “I’m the first man here since Nate died.”

She nods and gives me a shrug.

When I take a step toward her, she rubs her hands against her thighs. Then she nibbles on her lip nervously as I get closer. I stop when I’m no more than a foot in front of her. Her wide eyes watch me, unsure. She doesn’t know the truth of her own story. To her, I'm the one who broke her heart, and the man who really loved her is dead. And that’s alright.

For now.

I’ll be patient.

I'll be exactly what she needs at every turn.

I slowly reach for her hand and hold it in mine as I make circles with my thumb over her smooth skin. We gaze into each other's eyes while she feels her way through this moment.

When she finally acknowledges my hand with a slight squeeze back, I take a step closer. Her breathing accelerates. I hold her gaze and her hand, keeping just enough distance that our bodies don’t touch. Waiting for the next clue that she's ready for more.

It’s all I can do to fight the urge to pull her into me, but I can be very patient when I need to be. She’s been on someone else’s clock long enough. So I’ll wait for her to make a move in her own time.

Her eyes have turned every shade from dark to the blazing green staring back at me now. Her grip on my hand has slowly gotten stronger. Whatever it is she’s working through, she’s almost there.

Accept it, baby. This is happening.

Finally, she breaks the moment by looking down at our hands. I expect her to step back, but she shocks the hell out of me when she looks back up and touches my face. I drop her hand to grip her hip instead. Every inch she gives, I take.

She sucks in a breath but doesn’t pull away. My fingertips press into her to prove I’m not going anywhere.

She wets her lips with the flash of her tongue, and her eyelids grow heavy. I’ve seen that look on so many women, but to see it on her is something else entirely.

I place my lips just below her ear to tell her to put us both out of our misery. To say the words out loud. Before I can speak, she leans into me and lets out the smallest of whimpers.

Fuck.

I have to take a steadying breath before I whisper, “When you’re ready, sunshine, you’ll have to say the words out loud.”

She places her hands on either side of my rib cage, so gently at first that I can barely feel her through my shirt. Then she closes the small space that’s left between us while running her hands down my sides, stopping when she touches my jeans. Her forehead presses into my chest as she makes a fist with my shirt in both hands, scratching my skin with her nails in the process.

I rest my hands on her shoulders. My fingers gently rest against her neck and collarbone. Her pulse beats against my thumbs wildly.

She pulls back enough to look up at me again, keeping our lower halves meshed together. My dick pulses against her at the movement, but she doesn’t put any more space between us. She stares up at me expectantly, waiting for me to make a move, to decide for her. I trail both thumbs up her neck to press into the bottom of her chin, lifting her face more. Her lips part for me as she closes her eyes.

It takes all my fucking willpower not to take what she’s silently offering, but she will say it. I growl and lower my face to close the distance, letting her feel my breath fan across her face to make her think I’m going to give in. My lips almost touch hers.

“Eyes open,” my voice comes out in a low rumble.

Her eyes fly open in surprise, searching my face like she doesn’t know what to expect.

Not him.

“Watch what you do to me, Noel. Watch me do whatever you ask. Let me hear the words come out of that pretty mouth.”

Licking her lips, she braces herself with her fists still wrapped in my shirt. She opens her mouth to speak twice, but nothing comes.

Finally she exhales a whisper, “I can’t.”

Then she’s gone—pressing her back against the wall, staring past me into nothing, silently at war between what she wants and what she thinks she should do. Her chest rises and falls quickly as she tries to cool the flames, and I can practically smell the desire on her.

She’ll ask for what she wants, or she’ll take it. Either way, she will own it.

“Show me your painting,” I whisper gently.

Slowly, she looks at me again. The torture fades from her eyes. She pushes away from the wall and leads me to another part of the house.

We find ourselves in a room that looks like an art gallery, and I’m immediately drawn to hers. The first thing I notice is the way the darkness touches the center point of light without dulling it. The shading is subtle, and the effect gives shadows in even the brightest areas. The opposite is also true of the darkest areas in which she managed to brighten with a shiny, metallic color. The swirling of the colors feels circular, and I’m transported back to the moment that inspired this. It confirms that everyone who played a role in keeping us apart deserves to pay.

“Well? Care to guess? ”

Looking down at her, I can see the pride in her eyes. It bolsters my determination even more to get her out of marketing and into her own studio. Fuck them all for putting her dreams on hold.

“You did a much better job painting it than I did when I described it. It’s exactly what I meant when I told you that you brought light into the darkness.”

Relief washes over her face. A slight look of confusion passes over her before she looks at the painting again. I know she’s starting to see the holes in the stories she was made to believe.

Soon, sunshine. I’ll tell you everything soon enough, I silently promise her.

“Let’s go, beautiful,” I say, taking her hand.

After stopping to eat at a restaurant on our way to the track, we still arrive with plenty of time to unload the car before time trials begin. Before we get out of the truck, I look over at Noel.

“You ready for my version of fun?”

“Ready or not,” she says with a smile.

“Come on. After we unload the car, I have something for you,” I tell her and jump out.

Zander and his girl, Jade, get out of his truck beside us. He walks over to give me a bro-hug.

“Noel, this is Zander and Jade.”

“Nice to meet you,” she says.

Zander and I unload the car. Noel stares at it terrified.

“Ever seen a car like this before?” Zander asks, noticing the look on her face too.

“I guess in movies,” she says and looks at me like a deer caught in headlights.

My blacked out ‘70 Challenger is street legal, but barely. It’s loud as fuck and has too much horsepower to drive other than at the drag strip.

“Come with me.” I gesture toward the opening of the enclosed trailer.

We walk inside to where the cabinets are, and I open the tall one to the left where I keep my gear. I give her the black and purple fire suit I ordered earlier this week.

She smiles. “Pink or purple.”

I give her a half-smile in return. “Yep. You wear this over your clothes.”

She takes it from me, nodding her understanding.

I reach back into the cabinet to grab my own suit and put it on.

Her eyes widen, and her eyebrows shoot up. “We’re doing this right now?”

“We’re doing this all night,” I tell her and wink.

“Fuck,” she whispers more to herself than me.

My laugh bursts out before I can stop it. “That’s a very dirty word for such a pretty mouth.”

She narrows her eyes at me as she puts on her suit. After placing the helmet I ordered to match her suit onto the countertop, I take out my own and lock everything up.

“Let’s go sign your waiver, so we can get in line.” I grab her hand as we walk toward the announcer’s booth.

When we get back to the car, I put her helmet on. She's starting to look pale, so I make an effort to calm her down before I strap her in.

“Do you like roller coasters? ”

“Yes,” she says nervously.

“Well, this is a lot like that first big drop that takes your stomach, except we’re just going in a straight line,” I explain, hoping she settles down enough to enjoy it. If she wants an out, she’s going to have to say so. I’m not offering one.

We walk to the car, and I show her how the harness works, fastening and tightening it up for her this time. Then I tell Zander to meet me at the staging lanes and get into the driver seat. After I reattach the steering wheel, I look over at Noel who's watching my every move.

“It’s fun, and you’re safe. I promise,” I reassure her before I crank the car.

When we’re two cars away from the front of the line, I fasten my harness and put on my helmet. “Zander, which side looks good?” I ask through the headset built into my helmet. Zander is standing in the middle of the two lanes checking the track for me.

“Left lane,” he answers. “Noel, you ready?” He laughs into his radio.

“Nope” She reaches grips the upper straps of her harness until her knuckles turn white.

I can’t help but chuckle and give her thigh a squeeze. I turn on the Bluetooth for the noise-canceling headsets. “Even if it Kills Me” by Papa Roach blocks out everything, including the girl in the passenger seat. Now it’s just me and the machine.

Zander guides me, so that my tires fall perfectly in the grooves of the left lane. Backing up, I spin the tires in the water box then pull forward to warm them up. Halfway through the burnout, smoke clouds the sides of the car as the noise from the engine vibrates inside my chest.

The music fades in my headset as it picks up on Noel’s voice, “Oh, fuck! Declan!”

I smile to myself but don’t answer her as I pull up to stage. Inching forward, I watch for the pre-stage and stage lights. The trans brake keeps the car in place while I rev the engine, allowing me to hold still at the RPMs I need.

As the third and final yellow light on the tree blinks to life, I disengage the trans brake, launching us forward just as the green light flashes. I quickly grab second gear when I hear the motor dial up high enough, and we jerk forward again. The back tires make a chirping sound.

My right foot keeps the pedal down as the stands and people on either side of us blur past. Then it’s time to shift once more. Stepping down on the clutch with my left foot just enough to shove into third gear, I slam the shifter forward. Then, as fast as it began, the ride is over.

I slow the car down to a crawl and enjoy the high as we make our way back to the trailer to let the car cool off between passes. My blood is pumping as the playlist shuffles to “Awaken” by Breaking Benjamin.

Noel hasn’t made a sound, surprisingly. Once the car is shut off, I put the steering wheel back on top of the dash, making room to climb out around the roll cage. Noel still doesn’t move as I remove my helmet and jacket.

I try not to smile as I run my hands through my hair and walk over to open her door. She sits perfectly still while I undo her harness and help her out of the car. She fidgets with the buckle under her chin as soon as she’s standing. Her hands are shaky and useless, so I move her them out of the way to undo the helmet myself.

The helmet slips off her head. Her face is flushed, and her green eyes sparkle.

Before I can say a word, her hands are on my neck pulling me down, crushing her mouth to mine. All hesitation gone.

I grip her thighs, lifting her, and she locks her legs around me as I take her inside the trailer. I slam my palm against the button against the wall. The ramp groans as it seals us inside.

Needing my hands free, I set her down on the counter. She uses her legs to pull me in closer while I wrap my hand around her neck, thumbing her chin higher.

My free arm wraps around her waist, and I pull away from the kiss. She licks her lips, looking up at me, waiting.

Now that I’m in control, I lower my lips to hers, brushing a soft kiss against the corner of her mouth.

"I've waited so long to taste these lips."

Another gentle kiss for the opposite side.

When I finally press my lips fully to hers, she opens up for me again, hungry for more. Instead of giving her what she wants, I drag the tip of my tongue along the center of her top lip.

She shivers and a soft moan slips past her lips.

That’s when I claim her completely. I slide my tongue into her mouth, slow and deliberate. I'm going to memorize every inch of her from the inside out.

Her arms wrap around my waist above her already locked legs as she grinds against my hard cock. Keeping her where I want her with one hand throttling her neck, I reach down with the other to grab her ass, pulling her into me.

Giving her the friction she’s after, I thrust into her, dry humping her like a fucking teenager.

She breaks our kiss to moan and takes in a shaky breath as I continue to rub against her. When she finally looks up, her eyes mirror everything I feel.

And fuck, it’s perfect. She's perfect.

Her hands slip under my shirt, palms resting above my jeans, and I growl at the feel of her skin on mine.

I stop moving, letting her explore—letting her feel me. Her fingers trace slowly over my stomach, then up my back. Electricity spreads in her wake.

Our foreheads press together as she watches her own hands roam beneath my shirt. Like she’ s memorizing me the way I am with her.

“Kiss me, Declan,” she says, digging her nails into my back as she pulls me in.

This time I devour her. My hands lock around her face. I hold her jaw, tilting her face away to drag my mouth down her neck, tasting more of her.

Another whimper from her lips has me dragging my tongue back up her throat. I take her mouth again until she eventually pulls away to catch her breath.

Her hands glide across my skin to rest on my chest. She works to catch her breath as her legs shake against me.

I refuse to give her any more space, making sure she understands that she can’t get away from me now.

When her breathing steadies, I straighten to my full height. She rubs her palms against her thighs as her eyes lift to meet mine. I brush my knuckles along her cheek.

“So you like my car?” I grin.