Page 32 of Playing with Desire
There was still a spark of attraction between them, not that either one of them would do anything about it when she was with Declan. But after spending three weeks living with Declan, there was no denying that she’d also grown closer to Rick, too—not sexually but emotionally.
She glanced up at Rick and found him studying her face intently, no longer jovial as he’d been minutes before.
“Are you doing okay?” he asked, a slight frown creasing his brows.
She flashed him what she hoped looked like a cheerful smile. “Do I not look like I’m doing okay?”
He gently caressed his hand up and down her back as their bodies swayed to the music. “Summer... you’ve lived with me and Declan for three weeks, and I already told you that I’m damn good at reading people. I’m even better when I’ve gotten to know them more personally.”
“And?” she prompted, knowing he wasn’t done.
He exhaled a deep breath, though his eyes were kind. “You’ve been wearing your heart on your sleeve the past few days, and quite frankly I’m worried about you.”
A lump formed in her throat at his genuine caring. Trying not to let her emotions get the best of her, she rested her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and let the hand stroking her back soothe her. “I’ll be fine.”
“Will you really?” he murmured into her ear, sounding doubtful.
She swallowed hard. “Yes.” She had to be okay, because what choice did she have if Declan rebuffed her love?
“I knew this was going to happen,” he muttered.
The vehemence in his tone startled Summer, and she lifted her head to look up at him again. “You knewwhatwas going to happen?”
His lips thinned. “That you were going to fall for Declan, and he’s going to leave, and you’ll be left behind to pick up the pieces of your broken heart.”
She slid her free hand down the lapel of Rick’s jacket, appreciating his anger on her behalf, even if it was misplaced. “Declan didn’t make me any promises, and I’m trying really hard to respect the fact that he was honest and up-front right from the beginning about his intentions with me. But I do intend to tell him how I feel before he leaves for Fort Irwin tomorrow.”
“I hope he’s smart enough to realize how special you are and that he’d be a fucking fool to not try and make things work with you somehow.”
“I’m up against a lot of emotional demons,” she said, knowing it was true. The impact Declan’s father’s death in the line of duty had had on his mother was one, and Declan’s girlfriend’s inability to wait for the man she’d supposedly loved was another. They were legitimate issues that would mess with anyone’s head.
“You certainly are,” Rick agreed, a wry smile on his lips. “And I’m really sorry for that, but if anyone can alleviate those demons in Declan and give him a reason to believe, it would be you.”
“If he’ll let me.” She knew the odds weren’t in her favor, but she was determined to try.
Empathy flickered in Rick’s gaze. “Just know that I’m here for you, okay? If you need someone to talk to after he leaves, or just someone to hang out with, you know where to find me.”
She appreciated the offer more than he probably realized. “Thank you,” she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek for being so understanding.
“Mind if I cut in?” Declan asked gruffly, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
Rick slowly released her and stepped back, though his slightly annoyed gaze was on his stepbrother. “It’s about damn time you realized that Summer was with another guy.”
Declan rolled his eyes at Rick’s comment, though Summer didn’t miss the spark of jealousy darkening his gaze. “And now you can get lost.”
Rick walked off the dance floor, and Declan pulled Summer against him, resuming the slow, swaying dance, though the arms holding her now were much more possessive, which she found ironic since tomorrow he planned to walk away from her.
“You two looked like you were in a serious conversation,” Declan said, bringing her attention back to him.
“Not really,” she fibbed, and forced an amiable smile for now because it wasn’t the time or place for an emotional discussion. “We were just talking about how happy we are for Stephanie and Mac.”
He appeared doubtful but didn’t push the issue. They finished the slow dance and stayed at the reception until the bride and groom left for the evening to start their honeymoon. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Summer, Declan, and Rick drove back home together since they’d arrived in the same vehicle. The ride was abnormally quiet, when typically the three of them didn’t lack for conversation.
When they arrived back at the house, Rick announced he was going back out for the rest of the evening, and Summer knew it was his way of giving her and Declan alone time on their last night together. When she and Declan reached his room, she turned around for him to unfasten her dress. He brushed her hair over one shoulder and placed his warm mouth against her neck as he lowered the zipper. Goose bumps skittered along her flesh as his damp lips nuzzled the side of her throat, and when her garment dropped to the floor, she turned around and helped him undress, too.
In between slow, hot, deep kisses, they stripped bare, the moment between them quiet and sweetly unrushed as they made their way to the bed. Over the past three weeks, sex with Declan had been playful, erotic, and at times downright dirty and lascivious. But this encounter was notably different, so charged with emotion and meaning. There was no denying the reverent way they touched one another or the slow, seductive way he made her orgasm with his mouth. He worshipped her body with his hands and lips before moving over her, pinning her hips to the mattress with his lower body and his cock poised at her slick entrance.
Face-to-face, she slid her fingers into his hair and wrapped her legs tight around his hips. As he leisurely pushed his way into her, Summer swore she’d never forget the ardent way he looked at her as he gradually filled her with every hot inch of him until he was buried to the hilt and her pussy pulsed around his length.
