Declan

7

“DECLAN?”

Dec pressed the button on his phone to activate the intercom. “Yep.”

“Your brother, Ian, is here,” the receptionist said.

“Send him back, Celine,” Dec said, surprised by the impromptu visit. He gathered up the files he had spread over his desk and signed a few letters waiting in the file from his assistant, then walked to his office door and opened it.

His older brother smiled as he strode down the hall. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, dressed instead in a faded pair of jeans and a blue work shirt. “Hey there,” Ian said.

“Come on in. What are you doing in town?” Dec asked.

Ian flopped down into one of the chrome and leather chairs in front of Dec’s desk, heaving a deep sigh as he did. “Just hanging out,” he said. “I’m working this weekend, so I figured I’d take the day off.”

“So you came to Providence? Just to hang out? On a Friday night? Sounds like you’re here looking for women.”

“No, I had other stuff to do,” he said.

“Care to elaborate?” Dec asked.

“Stuff,” Ian insisted. “I had to drop a friend off at the airport. Hey, thanks again for that help with the forgery case. I haven’t talked to you since I saw you and Marcus for breakfast last weekend.”

“No problem,” Dec said.

“So what are you up to? What’s going on with that case Trevor Ross gave you?”

“Which one? Eden Ross or Dr. Devine?”

“Both,” Ian said.

“Eden Ross finally contacted her father and she’s all right. And my job with Dr. Devine is done. She had a stalker problem, but the Providence P.D. arrested the guy earlier this week. He confessed.”

Ian stretched his legs out in front of himself and clasped his hands behind his head. “Sounds like you haven’t had any problems staying celibate.”

“Have you?” Dec asked.

Ian shook his head. “No problems. I mean, I have to tell you, it’s tough. The more you try to keep from thinking about women, the more it seems to happen. But, when I’m feeling it, I just-relieve the pressure.”

“That’s important,” Dec said. “In fact, I just heard that it’s really medically necessary for a guy to do it every week or so. Did you know that?”

Ian gave him an odd look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Masturbation,” Dec said.

“Well, don’t talk about that! I don’t wanna hear it. You’re supposed to be thinking pure thoughts if you have any hope in hell of making it through this.”

“Jaysus, Ian, sometimes you can be such a wanker.”

Ian stood. “Come on. I’ve got an hour to kill. I know a great pub just a few blocks from here. McSorley’s. I’ll buy you a pint. You know, we were supposed to get together every week and discuss this whole experience. I haven’t heard one word from either you or Marky. Seems we’re all pretty busy.”

Dec nodded. “Maybe we should make plans,” he offered, hoping that the idea would go nowhere.

“Yeah,” Ian said. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

They walked out of the office together, but when they got to the receptionist desk, Celine called out to Dec. “Declan, I have Rachel Merrill on line two. She says it’s important. Very important. She sounds a bit upset.”

“Who is Rachel Merrill?” Ian asked.

“A client. Let me just go back and get this call. I’ll meet you at McSorley’s in a few minutes.” Dec hurried back down the hall to his office and picked up the phone, punching in the button for line two.

“Rachel? Hi, it’s Dec. What’s up?”

“You have to help me.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I’m at home. Yesterday, someone keyed my car at the university. And then, today, I got home from lunch with Daniel Ellsworth to find my car covered in red paint.” She drew a shaky breath. “The car was in my garage at my house. They just walked into the garage and threw paint everywhere.” He heard a sob over the phone. “I’m scared, Dec. Should I call the police?”

“Are you in the house right now?”

“Yes.”

“Can you turn on the security system?”

“It’s not finished,” she said. “They’re waiting for some part that was missing.”

Dec cursed, then raked his hand through his hair. “All right. It’ll take me a few minutes to get there. Hang up and I’m going to call you back on my cell phone. I want you to stay on the line until I get to you.” He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, then noticed the two missed messages from Rachel. He’d turned the phone off in a meeting earlier that afternoon and had forgotten to turn it back on. How long had she been locked inside her house, terrified?

“All right. Hang up now. I’ll call you back just as soon as I get to my car,” he said.

Dec headed back out to the lobby. He stopped at Celine’s desk and asked her to call McSorley’s and make his apologies to Ian. Then he shoved the glass doors open and headed to the elevator. As he was driving out of the parking ramp, he punched in the number for Rachel’s home phone, then hit “send” the moment he got out on to the street.

She picked up the phone after the first ring. “Hi,” she said.

“Tell me exactly what happened,” he demanded.

“I told you. I just came home, opened the garage and saw my car. It was covered in clear red paint. It-it looks like blood. And there are words written on the back window.” She took a ragged breath. “Die Bitch. Did they let him out of jail? Why would Jerry do this? They must be watching him, aren’t they?”

“Rachel, Jerry is still in jail. He didn’t have enough money to post bail.”

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“I don’t think Jerry Abler is the guy.”

The other end of the line went silent. “Please hurry.”

“I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” Dec said. “I want you to go upstairs and pack a bag. Keep talking to me, all right?”

Fifteen minutes later, Dec pulled into the driveway of Rachel’s house and hopped out of the car. She met him at the back door, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. “Come on, come on,” he murmured, running his fingers through her hair. “It’ll be all right. I’m here now. You’re safe.”

“I thought this was over,” she said, trembling. “You said it was over.”

“I thought it was. But we’ll figure this out, I promise.” He glanced around her kitchen. “Where’s your bag?”

She pointed to her suitcase, sitting in the hallway to the foyer. “He must be watching me,” she said. “He knows I’m back home. He’s been at the university and at the station. He’s everywhere now. He knows everything about me.”

Dec crossed the kitchen and grabbed the bag, then took her hand. “Baby, he probably has known for a while. He’s just getting bolder. You were out of town, he couldn’t see you and he got mad. He wants you to know that you can’t get away from him.” Dec kissed her forehead. There was no way to reassure her, at least not until he got her out of this house and someplace where she’d feel safe. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Are we going back to Maine?”

“No, we’re going to my place.”

She nodded, pasting a tight smile on her face. “Your place. I’ll be safe there.”

Dec stepped outside and checked to make sure there was no one around, then led Rachel to his car. He tossed her bag into the backseat, then ran around to the driver’s side and hopped in. As they pulled out of the driveway, he stared in the rearview mirror, watching for any traffic behind them. Then he grabbed up his phone and called the office. Celine picked up.

“Hey, it’s Dec. I want you to get a hold of Davis and tell him I want that security system at the Merrill residence up and running by sunset tonight. I don’t care if he has to charter a damn jet to go pick up the part, I want it done. Or his ass will be providing security for charity events in Antarctica.”

He flipped the phone shut and shoved it back into his pants’ pocket then glanced over at Rachel. She looked so vulnerable, her hands clutched in front of her, her face pale. He cursed himself for his part in all this. He should have suspected the arrest had come all to easily. Even Rachel hadn’t believed they arrested the right guy.

“When we get back to my place, I’ll make you some dinner and then you can curl up on the sofa and watch a movie.” He forced a smile. “I have a big-screen television.”

A tiny smile curved the corners of her mouth. “What is it with guys and their televisions?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” Dec said, trying to draw her into a conversation. “I’m sure it’s something sexual. Maybe instead of whipping out our dicks and measuring them, we just buy a big-screen TV instead. By the way, mine is fifty inches.” He paused. “It’s a plasma screen.”

Rachel giggled at the joke and Dec reached across the back of her seat and furrowed his fingers into the hair at her nape, gently turning her toward him. “I’m going to like having you around again.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you put that paint on my car, just so you could break the four-day rule.” She drew a shaky breath. “But I know better.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“Yesterday, I came out to the parking lot at the university to find that my car had been keyed. Scratched up one side and down the other. A really deep gouge.”

“Why didn’t you call me then?”

Her lower lip trembled as she fought back tears and she bit it in an attempt to keep her emotions under control.

“It’s all right,” Dec said. “I know you’re scared, but this is good. He’s coming out into the open. He’ll be easier to catch.”

“I thought I was being paranoid. I can’t look at anyone the same anymore. Even Daniel and Simon.”

“What about Daniel and Simon?”

Rachel took a deep breath. “Daniel admitted yesterday that, at one time, he’d hoped we might have a-a future. And he also said that he thought Simon had a crush on me.”

“He what?” Dec cursed, a flood of jealousy nearly overwhelming him. “Is there any man who isn’t in love with you? Rachel, these are motives here. You should have told me.”

“I didn’t know until yesterday,” she insisted. “I mean, it was surprising, but we’ve been friends for years. I once had a little crush on him, too, but our timing was never right. Besides, he couldn’t have done this. He was with me when it happened. And Simon was teaching classes all morning.”

“You’re sure of that?”

She nodded. “As far as I knew, Jerry Abler was the guy and he was in jail. I figured the scratch on my car was just some random vandalism. I called the campus police and they filled out a report. They said they’d take a look at the videotapes and see if they could figure out who did it.”

“There are videotapes?” Dec asked, his interest suddenly sharpened.

“There are cameras all over campus. They all feed into campus security.”

“All right. I’m going to call over there and make sure I get a chance to see the tapes. They might have missed something.”

“Do you think he wants to kill me?” she asked.

She blurted out the question so quickly that he knew she really didn’t want to hear the answer. Dec shook his head. “I don’t think so. He wants your attention, that’s all. And he’s using the language he needs to get it. He wants you to be frightened because in some twisted way, he thinks it will bring you closer to him. It’ll give him control over you.”

Dec took her hand and wove his fingers through hers, then drew her wrist up to his lips. “Hey, I also have a really big whirlpool tub in my bathroom. I could make you a nice bubble bath when we get home.”

“That would be nice,” she said.

They passed the rest of the ride in silence, but Dec knew Rachel’s mind was going a mile a minute. He wanted to distract her, but until he could take her into his arms and kiss her, there was nothing he could do. He thought about pulling over and drawing her into his arms, but then realized it would be best to get her home first.

They drove around another fifteen minutes before Dec headed back to his house. He watched the street carefully, then pulled the BMW into the garage and closed the door behind them. He turned off the ignition, then immediately leaned over and took Rachel’s face between his hands. “It’ll be all right, baby. I promise.” He kissed her gently and she seemed to melt into him, her fingers grabbing hold of the lapels of his suit jacket and holding him close.

He kept kissing her, softly playing at her mouth until she drew back. “All right?” he asked.

Rachel nodded.

Dec helped her out of the car, then grabbed her bag and showed her into the house. The cleaning lady had been there the day before, so he knew everything was tidier than it usually was. She followed him through the dim interior, her hand tucked in his. “The television is in the den,” he said.

“I’m more interested in a hot bath.”

“I can do that for you.” He led her upstairs and showed her the bedroom. “Why don’t you get undressed and I’ll go start the bath.”

“Stay with me,” she said.

Dec cleared his throat, then nodded. “All right.” Rachel began to remove her clothes as if in a trance, not really noticing that he was there at all. He opened her bag and found the silk robe she’d worn up at the cabin and when she was naked, he wrapped it around her, then gave her a hug. Any desire he had for her was now overwhelmed by a need to soothe and protect her. The woman standing before him wasn’t the Rachel he knew. This was a woman who was terrified of what her life had become. And it had been partially his fault that it had gotten this bad.

They walked to the bathroom and Rachel sat on the edge of the tub while he filled it. He didn’t have any bubble bath, so he dumped some liquid soap into the tub and it seemed to do the trick. When the tub was high enough, he turned off the taps and stepped back. “The button for the jets is right there. But with the bubbles, you probably shouldn’t turn them on or you’ll be buried.” He paused. “I’ll just leave you.”

“You can stay,” she said. “I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

“All right,” he said.

“You can watch,” she murmured. “Some men find voyeurism very exciting.”

She said the words without her usual scholarly tone and Dec wondered if she even realized what she’d said. He sat down on the toilet and watched as she dropped her robe and stepped into the tub. She hesitated for a moment as her foot got used to the temperature of the water, then slowly put the other foot in and lowered herself into the bubbles.

God, she was beautiful, Dec thought. He wanted to capture that moment, the moment when she stood with her back to him, her arms held out at her sides, her fingers delicately extended. She looked like a painting by one of those French guys, with every curve of her body washed in a soft light, every detail just slightly blurred.

He held his breath as she arched back, her head resting on the edge of the tub, her breasts just breaking the surface of the water. Once again, Rachel had been right. Watching her was incredibly arousing, but even more so was the fact that he wasn’t supposed to do any more than watch.

When he was around Rachel, nearly every thought in his head was sexual. It made him more aware of her as a woman, aware of the power she held over him. Dec released a tightly held breath and closed his eyes. This was pure torment and he was loving every minute of it.

RACHEL SANK DOWN INTO THE warm water, her eyes closed, the tension slowly seeping out of her body. This was exactly what she needed. How could Declan possibly have known that? How did he always seem to know what would make her feel safe or happy or relaxed? Though the connection between them was strong, it wasn’t just sexual. They seemed to share a deeper understanding of each other.

Right now, she knew he was watching her. He wanted to touch her, not to seduce her, but to assure himself that she was all right. In the car, he couldn’t seem to stop touching her and she was glad for it. At the moment, it had been all she needed to keep from dissolving into hysterical weeping.

Rachel opened her eyes and glanced over at him, only to find Dec sitting with his eyes closed and his brow furrowed into a frown. She hadn’t noticed until now, but he seemed a little tense as well. “Would you like to join me?” she asked.

His eyes opened and he blinked. “What?”

Rachel held out a bubble-coated arm. “Come on. This is a big tub. I’m sure you know that two can fit.”

“I’ve never had a woman in that tub,” he said. “You’re the first.”

“I’m honored,” Rachel teased. “But I’d be happier if you came in here with me.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. Declan stood and walked over to the tub, then slowly shrugged out of his suit jacket, tossing it over the edge of the sink. Rachel watched him undo his tie, then unbutton his dress shirt. She hadn’t realized how different he looked in a suit, older, serious, more conservative. Though she liked the look, it wasn’t really the Declan she knew.

He stripped down to his boxer briefs, then stood watching her, his thumbs skimming beneath the waistband as if he hadn’t thought twice about accepting her offer. And then, he shoved the boxers down, kicked out of them and stepped into the tub.

Dec winced at the heat of the water, but quickly grew accustomed to the temperature. He grabbed her hands and pulled her forward, then moved to sit behind her. Rachel settled back against him, her hips nestled between his legs.

“Wow,” Dec murmured. “This is kinda nice. It’s perfect for two.”

Rachel closed her eyes and tipped her head back. “Hmmm.” She’d gone from the depths of fear to the heights of absolute calm in the course of an hour. This was exactly what she needed, the warm water swirling over her naked skin, a long-limbed man holding her against his body. It was the best kind of therapy for anything that ailed her.

“I guess I don’t make much of a voyeur,” he said. “I don’t have the patience to just watch.”

“You’re not exactly supposed to be invited to watch,” she said. “You’re supposed to do it secretly. That’s part of the thrill.”

“Aren’t voyeurs just Peeping Toms?”

“All Peeping Toms are voyeurs, but not all voyeurs are Peeping Toms. Some people get sexually aroused by watching. There’s nothing wrong with that if it’s done in a safe and legal environment. It’s a well-recognized paraphilia.”

Dec growled, then kissed her neck playfully. “I love it when you talk sex to me. But what’s a paraphilia?”

“It’s sexual arousal in response to objects or situations that don’t have a possibility of reciprocal sexual activity. But it also refers to sexual practices out of the mainstream.”

“Like what? Like getting dressed up in your girlfriend’s skirts?”

“Yeah, if you’re turned on by the clothes. Then there’s fetishism, which is arousal from a body part, usually non-sexual. Like the foot. That’s a popular one.”

“I have a hard time with that one,” Dec said. “I mean, my feet are stuck inside my shoes all day long. They’re about as sexy as my earlobes.”

“I think your earlobes are really sexy,” Rachel said, glancing back at him. She reached beneath the water and grabbed his foot, then held it up. “This is a beautiful foot.”

“But do you find it sexy?” he asked.

Rachel decided to try something she never had. She brushed the soap off his foot, then leaned forward and kissed his instep. Slowly running her tongue along the arch, she stopped when she reached the toes, drawing his big toe into her mouth and sucking it gently.

Dec’s breath caught and for a moment, he stiffened, then let out a low groan. “Oh, fuck,” he murmured.

“I think your feet are very sexy,” she whispered as she continued to suck on each toe. She’d always read that men’s feet were particularly sensitive to oral stimulation, but she’d never had the opportunity for any real-life research. From Dec’s reaction, she knew that the research had been correct.

“See how this works,” she said.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “You don’t have to convince me.”

Rachel giggled, then let his foot drop gently back down into the water. This time, when she leaned back, she felt his growing erection slide up along her spine. For such a swift and intense response, Dec must have enjoyed the toe sucking more than she’d anticipated.

“Now what?” he asked in a seductive voice. “Teach me more.”

Rachel slowly rolled over until she faced him, her body still caught between his legs. “There’s a lot of other things to explore if you’re interested.”

“What about your first date rule?” he asked, capturing her mouth for a quick kiss.

“I’ve been thinking that might be an arbitrary rule,” she replied as she nuzzled his chest.

He bent down and grabbed her bottom lip between his teeth, giving it a gentle nip. “I completely agree. Especially if it’s going to stand in the way of my education.”

Rachel slowly rose and stood in front of him, running her palms over her soap-slicked skin, teasing at his desire. He watched her for a long time, his gaze moving up and down the length of her body. She stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel from the rack, smiling as she walked out of the bathroom, the towel wrapped around her body.

Rachel wandered into Dec’s bedroom. He’d set her bag in the doorway, but this time she knew his choice had been purposeful. He wanted her to share his bed. She tossed the bag on the bed and opened it, then pulled out a pair of summer pajamas she’d packed. The short-sleeved shirt and the little shorts had kittens all over the fabric and she dried off and slipped into them.

“Man, those are sexy.”

Rachel glanced up to find Dec standing in the doorway to the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. “You like them?” she asked.

“Better than Victoria’s Secret any day.” He ran his hands over his belly. “So, do you want something to eat?”

Rachel shook her head. “I’m fine. But I’m not sure I’m up for a movie.”

“We have our date tomorrow night, we’ll see one then.”

“Our date,” she said. In all the chaos of the afternoon, she’d forgotten about that. She’d missed her hair appointment and hadn’t found anything to wear yet.

Dec pointed to the bed. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to grab my pillow. I’ll sleep on the sofa in the den.”

“No,” Rachel said, shaking her head. She crawled onto the mattress, rising on her knees as she raked her hands through her damp hair. “You’ll sleep with me.”

“All right,” Dec said. She watched as he shifted on his feet, knowing what was going through his mind, making certain he knew it was an invitation and not an excuse. They both knew they couldn’t spend an entire night in the same bed without touching and kissing. And that would lead to many more pleasures, pleasures neither one of them wanted to deny anymore.

She wanted to fall into bed with Dec right now, to strip off all his clothes and pull him on top of her. Losing herself in a haze of desire would be exactly what she needed, the touch of his body distracting her from all the other worries plaguing her mind. “Are you coming to bed?” she asked.

“In a few minutes,” he replied. “I just want to call the office and have them go over and get those videotapes from university security. And then I’m going to send someone over to your house and see if they can pick up any evidence from the garage.” He stepped up and slipped his arms around her waist, then gave her a slow, sensual kiss, his hands running over her body. When he’d had enough, he kissed her neck. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She drew back the covers, then crawled beneath them. As she snuggled into his soft down pillows, Rachel smiled. Of all the places they’d lived together, she liked this one best.

She rolled over on her stomach and stared at the things scattered on his nightstand. A bottle of vitamin C.A photo of Dec and five young children, Dec standing with his arms outstretched like the branches of a tree and the children swinging from them. A pile of change and a matchbook from a Providence night club. She picked up the matchbook and peeked inside, relieved to find it blank.

Curious, Rachel took her search a bit further and pulled out the drawer of his nightstand. It was filled with an assortment of small items, pens and pencils, a small flashlight, a bottle of aspirin. She pulled out a small black book and flipped through it, then saw that it was “his” black book. It was filled with phone numbers, each accompanied by the name of a girl. “Mandi M.,” she murmured. “Tori K. Kari W.”

Rachel had made an unofficial study of girls who had names that ended in “i” and she’d come to the conclusion that they were usually blonde, gorgeous and possessed a larger than average pair of breasts. She stared down at her own chest and sighed. She liked to think of herself as sexy, but next to girls like that, she paled in comparison.

Rachel set the black book back inside then pulled out a string of condoms. At least he was prepared, she mused. But had he put those in the nightstand just recently or did he keep a steady supply on hand? Rachel had never asked him about past girlfriends or lovers. In the beginning, it hadn’t been any of her business and now, it didn’t really matter. She was the woman in his bed, the woman he wanted here.

She closed the nightstand drawer and curled back up beneath the covers. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds of Dec moving around downstairs and she smiled. Once again, he’d made sure she was safe. As long as she was with him, nothing could hurt her.

THE HAND CAME OUT OF nowhere, clamping down on her mouth. Rachel tried to open her eyes. Maybe they were open and it was just so dark she couldn’t see. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t scream. The hand blocked whatever sound she tried to make.

Twisting against the grip, she fought frantically for air, but it was no use. She felt herself blacking out and rather than experiencing a sense of release, her panic only increased. This was how she was going to die, suffocated, second by second, losing her grip on life. She’d nearly resigned herself to her fate, ready to let go.

And then suddenly, the hand was gone. Rachel bolted upright and gasped for breath, her heart slamming in her chest. He was there beside her and with a soft cry, she scrambled across the bed to get away.

He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s all right. You were having a bad dream.”

The soft light from the hallway illuminated his silhouette and for a moment, Rachel thought the panic would overwhelm her. But then she recognized Declan and her pulse began to slow. Emotion surged inside her and she fought back a wave of tears. These wide swings between utter fear and blissful safety were beginning to wear her down.

Dec drew her into his arms and pulled her back down to lie beside him, gently stroking her back and kissing her face. “Better now?” he asked.

She nodded, nuzzling into his warm, naked chest. Rachel lay there for a long time, listening to the strong rhythm of his heart and letting his strength seep into her. She wanted this closeness. In truth, she needed to feel closer.

Pushing up on her elbow, she stared down into his face, the features just visible in the dim light. He watched her silently and without thinking, she crawled on top of him and began to move. Her hips rocked up and down against his crotch and Dec moaned, arching into her body as if inviting her to continue.

There was no conscious decision to seduce him, just an unspoken agreement that this was the time and place. She felt it, in her soul and deep inside her body, an undeniable need to ease the ache there. She had to have him-now, not later. Bending forward, Rachel slid down over his hips, moving lower and lower until she straddled his thighs.

He was already hard, the outline of his erection evident beneath the soft cotton of his boxer briefs. Rachel rubbed her hand back and forth over the ridge and Dec moaned, twisting beneath her touch. His eyes were closed and she knew he’d have a hard time fighting the pleasure she was giving him.

She pulled the waistband of his boxers down to reveal his hard cock. Wrapping her fingers around it, she slowly began to stroke him. But it wasn’t enough to just touch him, she needed to taste him as well. Taking the tip into her mouth, Rachel flicked her tongue over the head of his penis. She seemed to connect with all the right nerves because Dec jerked beneath her, then moaned again, softly whispering her name.

She took her time pleasing him with her mouth and he grew even harder, his erection straining against her hand. Rachel grabbed the boxer briefs and pulled them off, sliding down with them until she reached his feet.

Grabbing his foot, she pressed a kiss into the curve of his instep, then moved to his toes. But when she took his little toe into her mouth and began to suck, Dec pulled his foot away. “If you do that, I’ll come right now,” he warned her.

Rachel laughed softly, then crawled back on top of him. “Have I discovered a weakness?”

He reached up and brushed the hair away from her face, groaning as he tugged her head back. “You’re my weakness,” he said, his voice ragged.

Bending toward him, Rachel kissed him, lingering over his mouth the way she lingered over his penis. “I need you,” she murmured. “I need to feel you inside of me.”

Dec smoothed his hand over her cheek, turning her face until he could see it more clearly in the dim light. “Are you awake?” he asked.

Rachel nodded. “Yes. I know what I’m doing.”

“Are you doing this because you’re afraid and you want me to make you feel safe?”

“I’m doing this because I want you,” she replied. “Nothing more.”

Dec pulled her back down into another deep kiss, his mouth capturing hers, plundering hers with his tongue. “I want you, too,” he said, a desperate edge to his voice. “God, I want you so much it scares me.”

Rachel reached for the hem of her pajama top and tugged it over her head, then tossed it on the floor. She’d always let her partner take the lead in the past, believing that men gained more pleasure from controlling their partner in sex. But tonight, she felt as if this was her awakening, a time to take what she needed.

Dec reached up and cupped her breasts in his hands, teasing at the nipples until they were hard peaks. They’d waited so long for this that she’d expected this moment to be frantic and wild. But instead it was quiet and gentle, two people intent on savoring every sensation.

Rachel slid her legs along his, until she lay on top of him. His penis pressed against her belly and she rubbed against it, rising up every now and then before dropping down again. Though it was such a simple act, it made Dec even more aroused and he clutched at her backside, urging her to move at his direction.

“I’m so close,” he said. “From the minute you touched me, I felt like I was nearly there.”

Rachel smiled. “I’m glad I have that effect on you.”

“Oh, you do,” he murmured. He reached down and slid his hands beneath her boy shorts, bunching the lacy trim in his fists, then slowly worked them down her legs. A few moments, later, they joined his boxer briefs on the floor.

The feel of their naked bodies stretched out together set every nerve in Rachel’s body tingling. His hands skimmed over her backside, then up to her shoulders and back again as he kissed her. It was good that they’d waited, Rachel mused. Though it might have been a wonderful physical release a few days ago, Rachel felt as if they’d somehow grown closer since then.

She brought her knees back up around his hips, letting his cock nestle between her legs. And then, she drew forward and he was probing at her entrance. Rachel held her breath, enjoying the feel of him nearly inside of her.

“Oh, God,” he murmured. “Don’t do that to me.”

But Rachel didn’t listen. She slowly lifted herself up on her knees, then sank down on top of him. He slid inside her, inch by inch, but before she could bury him completely, Dec grabbed her hips and stopped. “We should use a condom,” he said.

“Umm,” Rachel murmured, her mind focused on the feel of him inside of her. “All right. That would be good.”

Dec gently lifted her up, then twisted beneath her to grab a condom from the bedside table. He struggled to tear open the plastic packet and when it finally did, he gave it to her to smooth over his stiff shaft.

“Now?” she murmured, crawling back on top of him.

Dec groaned, pressing at the damp spot between her legs. “Now.”

This time, she came down all the way, until he was buried deep inside of her. Rachel sighed and then smiled. She’d imagined how this might feel, but it was so much better. He was thick and hard and he filled her completely, his warmth, his strength, his courage.

She began to move above him, drawing him in and out of her body in a slow and easy rhythm. Dec watched her, his gaze fixed on her face, his expression intense. But what began quietly, soon turned into something much more desperate and passionate.

As Dec’s pleasure began to increase, he grabbed her waist and flipped her beneath him. Bracing his arms on either side of her, he continued to move but now he controlled the tempo and Rachel found herself losing touch with reality.

Through a hazy desire, she watched his face, tense in an attempt to maintain control, the clenched jaw, the closed eyes, the focused expression. But she didn’t care. She wanted him to lose control, to give it up to her in the same way she’d made herself vulnerable to him.

He drove into her hard again and again, then stopped, leaning over her and kissing her deeply. “You’re making me crazy,” he said. “I want you too much.” He slid down on her body until he could catch his arms beneath her legs, then began to kiss her belly.

A moment later, his mouth was on her, his tongue teasing at her clitoris. Rachel knew the feeling, knew how intense the orgasm would be and how quickly it would come. But this time, she wouldn’t give in to it. She’d wait and share it with Dec.

He brought her close again and again and she fought the pleasure. And when she could fight it no more, Rachel put her hands in his hair and tugged him back up along her body. “I want you inside me when I come,” she said.

He filled her again, still as hard as he was before, and began to move. But this time, Rachel let go, surrendering to the wild sensations that coursed through her body. She wasn’t sure it would happen, but as he increased his tempo, she felt herself spiraling upward. There was no stopping it and Rachel shifted beneath him, finding just the right spot to bring her the rest of the way.

Her orgasm hit her like a surge of electricity, gripping every nerve in her body for just one unbearable second. And then Rachel tumbled forward, falling into it, the rush of pleasure, the shocking spasms and the overwhelming satisfaction.

She hadn’t realized that Dec had found his release at the same time until her mind regained some sense of reality again. He was gasping for breath, driving into her, and Rachel sighed, running her hands over his chest.

There had been nothing bizarre or kinky about it. It was perfectly normal sex. But at the same time, it was the most extraordinary sex she’d ever experienced. Because it was with a man who touched her heart and her soul. She was falling in love with Declan Quinn and there was nothing she could do about it.