Page 87 of The Havenport Collection

Astrid

I t was game day. I had been psyching myself up all week for this, and I was terrified. I barely slept last night. At one point I just got up and sat on the couch and stared at the ocean for a few hours. Ginger came and sat beside me, quietly offering her support, which I appreciated.

It wasn’t long after I crawled in bed with Declan that Nora showed up with coffee and dragged me out to Dante’s salon.

I kissed Declan goodbye. It must be so nice to be a man.

He was planning a busy Saturday of exercise and hanging out with his dog.

Even without hours of primping, I was sure he’d look amazing.

Normally, I tend toward conservative in all things hair and makeup.

But Dante and Nora were too much to resist. In a few short hours I had every part of my body waxed, my finger- and toe-nails painted, my hair cut and colored, and professional makeup applied.

I had never done anything like this before.

Hours of primping always felt silly and like a waste of time.

But we had a blast, sipping champagne while Dante told us the story about how he and Christian fell in love.

I loved everyone at the salon and couldn’t wait to go back.

Declan seemed to appreciate all the hard work when I returned.

“Look at you,” he growled, wrapping his arms around me.

I touched my hair. “Dante talked me into it.”

“Then I owe him a beer. You look incredible.”

I kissed him deeply, lipstick be damned. He knew just what to say to make me feel so much better.

“I just have to grab my dress from the cottage,” I told him, heading across the street to grab my stuff. When I got to the door I saw a small brown package on the welcome mat.

The label bore very familiar looking handwriting.

I grabbed it, closed the door behind me, and tore it open.

Inside was a padded envelope that contained a sim card and a thumb drive. A small Post-it was stuck to the outside.

Anne Greely, Margaret Simmons, and Liz Barkett

Give ’em hell.

Love,

Donna

My heart soared. Donna had come through.

I knew this was the sim card from my company iPhone.

And it would have all the evidence I needed to make my case.

And these other three women? I hated the idea that there were more victims out there, but I was desperate to talk to them.

To tell them what I was doing and hear their stories.

I packed everything back in the padded envelope and stashed it in my bedroom. Tomorrow I would get to work, but tonight, I had a gala to attend.

The drive to Boston was nerve-wracking. I was starting to panic. What was I thinking? I didn’t want to face the Burns & Glenn people again. And what if Max was there?

Declan gently covered my hand with his. “Listen, there is no need to be nervous. We can walk out at any time. You don’t owe these people anything.”

I stared out the window, trying to breathe through my anxiety. I squeezed his hand.

“I mean it. We can turn around right now and go home. Or better yet, I’ll take you somewhere really nice in the city tonight, anywhere you want.”

His palm felt so steady, so resolute in my hand. “It’s fine,” I said softly. “I need to go. I need to show up. I need to show those assholes that I’m not afraid of them.”

He turned and gave me a huge smile. “Then we will knock ’em dead, killer.”

The Grand Bostonian Hotel was one of the oldest and the nicest in the city.

I had rented us a room for the night to thank Declan for being my date.

I figured that after I had my fill of boring legal people, I would want to tear off Declan’s clothes and wouldn’t be able to make it all the way back to Havenport.

Our room was gorgeous and came equipped with the champagne and ice bucket I had ordered. We hung up our fancy clothes, and Declan poured me a glass.

He raised his. “To you. You are amazing.”

I blushed. “Hardly. To us,” I said instead, not sure what it meant or what I wanted it to mean.

His eyes turned molten as he clinked my glass. “To us,” he repeated softly, slowly easing the strap of my tank top off my shoulder and lightly kissing my collarbone. I leaned my head back and my fingers found his hair, tangling it between my fingers.

Soon I was straddling him as we furiously kissed, and I tore his T-shirt over his head. His hands were everywhere, making me ache with want.

My anxiety was gone, replaced by pure lust as we shed our clothes and he carried me to the bed.

“Lie down,” I said, my voice husky.

“You want to be on top?” He smirked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll give you whatever you need.”

“What I need is you inside me. So follow orders,” I snapped.

He leaned back with a filthy grin on his face. “Do your worst, killer.”

I kissed my way slowly down his body, teasing and biting him as I made my way toward my ultimate destination. His hips bucked off the bed as I gently licked his cock, taking pains to go as slowly as possible.

He growled, “I can’t take it.”

I smiled. I loved the power I had over him. I loved how much he wanted me.

I straddled him and lined myself up. And then I carefully lowered myself onto his throbbing cock. Thanks to Yael, my legs were super strong now, and I needed it, because the sight of this naked god under my spell was making my thighs shake.

I felt every centimeter of his length, and I sank deeper and deeper, taking as much as I could. When I reached the base, I stopped and exhaled, holding his lusty gaze. I flattened my hands on his chest to steady me as I adjusted to his thickness. Then, I started to slowly rock.

Every cell in my body was on fire. My nerve endings sang with the exquisite fullness.

I had never experienced this before. I had never encountered this feeling. This total fulfillment, both physically and emotionally. Declan was giving me everything he had, and it was perfect. We were perfect together.

I rocked gently at first, gathering steam as I grinded myself on his pelvic bone and let the pleasure flutter through me. He used those large, rough hands to grab my ass and squeeze as I rode him.

He stared at me the entire time, his eyes hooded in lust, so focused on me.

I was not much of an exhibitionist. Most of the time, I didn’t want to be seen. I was insecure about my body and my performance. My sexual partners in the past hadn’t been this…intense. Sometimes it felt as if I wasn’t really there.

But Declan was different. We were on the same wavelength, totally in sync as I rode him faster and faster.

He leaned up and bit my nipples and I screamed.

His hands were everywhere, on my neck, breasts, and ass.

He started to rise up to meet my thrusts, and the deeper sensations totally put me over the edge.

I couldn’t contain it anymore. “You are so beautiful,” he grunted. I could tell he was trying to hold back, to wait for me, and it turned me on more.

I cried out as I continued to ride him, my perfectly styled hair flying everywhere and my breasts bouncing in all their medium-sized glory. I came apart and screamed as my orgasm ripped through me, tearing through every cell in my body.

Declan sat up as I rode the aftershocks, and stood as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me effortlessly over to the wide windows that looked out at the Boston skyline. He pinned me to the wall, still thrusting, and kissed me deeply.

I clung to him as his thrusts accelerated, pressure building within me.

“You are mine,” he growled into my neck.

“Yes. Yes,” I cried. “I am yours.”

I was completely helpless in his arms, as his thrusts grew wild, sending me to new heights. And then we crashed, together, over the edge. We stood, panting and sweaty, looking out at the view of the Boston skyline, and I knew something had shifted and things would never be the same.