“Why?” he asks, his eyes full of sorrow, “Why do you believe in me?”
“Because you’re the only person who’s ever seen me for who I really am,” I whisper, “And you’re still here with me.”
“Of course I am,” he says fiercely, “I’m not sure...if I could stand to be anywhere else.”
“Good,” I say, a smile creeping onto my lips, “Because I know I couldn’t.”
“There are a lot of things I can’t give you, Kassie,” Declan says, cupping my chin in his hand, “Stability, normalcy, love...”
“You can give me plenty,” I say, running my hands down his broad back, “You know how to give me everything I need.”
I step back from his fierce embrace, shucking off my brand new leather jacket. With my eyes on Declan, I spread the expensive garment on the ground, lowering myself onto my back before him. A grin lifts the corners of his lips as I prop myself up on my forearms, spreading my legs wide.
“You’re incredible, Kassie,” Declan breathes, stepping to me.
“And I’m all yours, too,” I smile, “Any way you want me. Show me how you want me, Mr. Tiberi.”
With a low groan, Declan drops to his knees between my spread legs. With a flick of the wrist, he pops open the button of my jeans and tugs the denim off my body. He brings his mouth swiftly to mine, kissing me deeply, urgently. I feel his tongue glide deliciously against mine as I rip open his belt buckle and take his member in my hands. He’s already hard as a rock for me. And I fucking love it.
He slides my panties down my thighs as I tug on his briefs, revealing that gorgeous cock to me once more. He brings his hand to my wet, ready sex, rolling two fingers over my throbbing clit. He rubs and flicks me until I’m teetering on the edge, still working his cock with both my hands. I’m just about to lose it when he grabs me by the hips and flips me. I gasp as I land on my hands and knees, and arch my back as I feel his manhood press into me from behind.
I’ve never had him this way before, and the illicit rush of it is almost too much. I lean back into him, impaling myself on his thick, stiff member. A howl of ecstasy escapes my throat as he rams into me, deeper than I’ve ever felt him before.
“That’s so good...” I moan, looking over my shoulder at him.
“You like it?” he growls, thrusting into me again.
“Oh god, yes,” I cry, letting my head fall back between my shoulders.
“Then you’re going to love this,” he smiles, running his hands across my firm ass, around my quivering body. I feel his fingers glance against my hard clit once more, kneading in delicious, delirious circles as he rears back and slams his cock up into me.
I scream out my bliss in the endless starry night, coming hard as Declan fucks me from behind. I’m sure they can hear me clear to Vegas as I moan and cry out, reveling in the feel of Declan coming inside of me. That hot, surging rush, the way he collapses against me afterwards, spent and satisfied.
We fold into each other there beneath the stars, our lips locking in wordless understanding. I have more questions than ever after the events of tonight. But I’m more certain than ever that I don’t much care, as long as I can hold on to this person who’s come barreling into my life. As long as Declan is here, I know I can stand not knowing what’s in store for us. Or what part I’m to play in his life.
Only after we’ve recovered some do we climb back onto Declan’s Harley and cruise off toward Sin City once more.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
My days with Declan waver between ecstasy and anxiety in the weeks to come. One moment, we’ll be wrapped up in each other’s arms, carefree and absorbed in our own world. But the very next instant, it’ll occur to one of us that there are things outside our haven that could ruin everything. I haven’t pressed Declan for any information about his spat with Lorenzo, but we both feel the tension of knowing that their disagreement has yet to be resolved. As far as Declan knows, I’m just reacting to his own distracted state. I don’t want to upset him any further by revealing how much I really know.
But despite the strained circumstances, life goes on. We’ve made tons of progress with the website this summer, and I truly think it will be a huge success. It’s not just the idea of having a business of my own that’s so appealing about this project, either. Building a platform like this, that will help people avoid dire financial straits, is my way of finally dealing with what happened to my family. CrowdedNest is more than just a pet project for me. Maybe that’s why Declan chose to hire me over everyone else who applied for this internship.
Or maybe I was just his favorite Eastern European beauty. Who’s to say?
Our visits to the Forty-Five Club are as frequent as ever, but their nature is shifting, too. Declan and I are getting more comfortable with acting like a pair, but there’s been a lot of dust kicked up by Lorenzo’s visit. Every time we stop by, it seems to be for some back room meeting between the brothers that I’m not privy to. There’s some club business going on that has to remain secret, but it’s killing me not to know. It almost makes a girl want to become an old lady, just for the sake of being kept in the loop.
Of course, that’s not an option. Declan’s made that much pretty clear. But despite that fact, it’s impossible not to dream about what it would be like. What would my life be like, if it was joined with Declan’s? More exciting, that’s for sure. But am I really up for the challenge of being a Dante’s Nine woman, through and through?
This is my own secret, my desire to stay by Declan’s side. No matter how many times we decide not to fall in love, no matter how forbidden it is...I have to be honest with myself. I’ve never fallen in love before, so I can’t say for sure what it feels like, but I suspect that it’s happening to me now. I can’t imagine life without Declan, the man who turns me on, knows my heart, understands me. I don’t want to be with anyone else. I’d do anything for him.
And what is that, if not love?
Just before dawn on the first of August, I wake up in a cold sweat. I look around wildly, unsure of where I am. Relief floods my heart as I brush against Declan’s sleeping body and recognize his room around me. My sleep was haunted by my reoccurring nightmares, the familiar terrors of my family’s death. I was back inside the foul, toxic house I grew up in, coming upon Rosie’s lifeless form for the thousandth time. I haven’t had one of these bad dreams since arriving in Vegas...why are they plaguing me now?