I should be exhausted, but instead I felt energized and elated, ready to go another round or two with the sleeping beauty next to me.
I turned my head to watch Shannon dozing. She was perfect, with her auburn hair fanned out on the pillow and her skin glowing in the rays of sunshine creeping onto the bed. It looked like she was smiling, and I couldn’t blame her. We were at the beginning of something amazing.
Then the reality of what I was up against hit me.
We wouldn’t be able to continue anything between us unless I succeeded in getting Ruth to agree to sell me her practice.
The thought shook me to my core. I knew I needed to be in town for my parents, but now everything that was happening with Shannon made the need to stay in Poplar Springs that much stronger. This wasn’t just a fling. This was important. And that meant I needed to be as on point as possible to make sure that I’d be able to see this through, that I’d be able to stay.
Shannon stirred, stretching with her eyes closed so that the blanket slipped below her breasts. It took everything in my power not to lean over and kiss her pink nipple.
“Hi, you,” she said in a sleepy voice, eyes still closed. She reached over and placed her hand on my chest.
“Hey,” I replied, pulling her into my arms. She melted into me, sighing.
“I’m not leaving this spotever,” she said, placing a warm kiss on my neck.
“I wish we could stay right here… but I need to check the time. At some point we’re both going to have to get up.”
Shannon’s hand slid down my body and came to rest on my rock-hard cock. “Looks like somebody’s already up.”
I shifted, thrusting toward her hand. “Don’t tempt me.”
She started stroking me as I leaned over to grab my phone. The second I flipped it over, my blood went cold. “Damn it,” I said, trying to turn it on. “Battery died. I need to check the time.” Shannon ignored me, her hand busy beneath the sheets. It felt so good that in spite of my best intentions, I quieted and let her work my shaft for a few seconds. Finally, I groaned. “Hold on, I can’t yet. Where’s your phone?”
“It’s plugged in to the charger in the sitting room,” she mumbled, more focused on getting me off then getting out of bed. “I plugged it in when I went to get water, remember? You can use my portable charger; it’s plugged in right next to it.”
I pulled away reluctantly. “That means I have to get dressed. Be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
Shannon’s lips quirked in a half smile, and she pulled her hand out from underneath the sheet and wiggled her fingers at me. “Maybe I’ll keep myself warm while you’re gone.”
“Woman...” I groaned at the thought of her touching herself. “You’re killing me. I can’t walk through your house with a hard-on.”
I paced around the room, breathing out of pursed lips, then slipped on my jeans, wincing as I zipped them up, and took a few more deep breaths before leaving. I figured I could pick up the shirt I’d left in the hallway on the way back.
Even though I wasn’t sure what time it was, I could tell by the way the light was streaming in that it was probably later than Iwanted it to be. It wasn’t like me to let my phone die, especially because things often blew up once the sun went down. Animals didn’t keep to a 9 to 5 schedule. If anything, they seemed to go out of their way to choose the worst, most inconvenient times to have issues flare up that required a vet’s visit.
I spied my shirt on the ground and was leaning down to pick it up when I heard footsteps.
“Declan.”
I jumped. It was Josh, standing in the doorway of his office, looking at me in shock.
Suddenly I felt completely naked instead of just shirtless. I threw it on quickly, buttoning it haphazardly, feeling as if someone had written on it in permanent markerI just had sex with your sister. “Hey, Josh, uh…”
“Hey, I’ve got nothing to say to you, don’t worry,” Josh replied, holding his hands in front of him and looking at the floor. “Shannon warned me to keep the hell out of her love life, and I respect that. She’s an adult, and it’s her decision who she wants to bring home. But… I need to tell you one thing.” He raised his head to look me directly in the face. “Don’t hurt my sister. Got it?”
I swallowed hard.
“Never. I swear it.”
It seemed to satisfy Josh, who nodded and retreated back into his office without another word.
I speed walked to the sitting room and found Shannon’s spare charger. Then I winced when the second I plugged in my phone, it lit up with texts and voicemails from Ruth. I started sweatingas I scrolled through them. There was no need to listen to the messages.
I already knew that I’d fucked up, big time. I scrolled through the texts to get the gist of things and to let the phone get enough of a charge to unplug it and hurry back to Shannon’s room. I dialed Ruth as I jogged down the hall.
“Where the hell have you been?” Ruth barked at me as a way of saying hello.
