He was making sure she wanted it, too.
“Yes,” Tess said. Wrapping her hand around his, she raised her arms up, taking her shirt with them. They got a little tangled at the top, with their linked hands and the general logistics of getting her shirt all the way over her head, but finally, she managed to toss the thing to the floor, then reached down to give Declan’s T-shirt the same treatment.
“Okay, wow,” she murmured, her fingers gliding over hard, corded muscle and dark swirls of ink. “You’re really…”
A thousand words wanted to fill in the blank, none of them good enough.
“Beautiful,” he said, only his eyes were fixed on her. Under any other circumstances, she’d have thrown her head back and laughed. Declan was gorgeous in about seventy different ways, his body practically Photoshopped into her kitchen, and here he was, calling her boring cotton bra filled with her post-pregnancy breasts beautiful. For just a breath, she was tempted to cover up, to cross her arms over her not-as-perky-as-they’d-once-been breasts and reach for the light switch as fast as her reflexes would allow.
But before Tess could fully give in to the urge, Declan said, “Tess, stop.”
The words threw her just enough to loosen the siren song of her self-doubt. “What?”
“Come with me.”
He’d laced his fingers through hers and made it halfway through the kitchen before she could cough out a laugh. “Where are we going?”
“I want ta show you something.”
Declan moved silently through the condo with Tess less-silently in tow, stopping only when he got to her room. “You’re quite determined to think you’re not beautiful,” he said, stepping in to face her at the foot of her bed. “But I meant it when I said I see you, Tess. I see your smart mouth.”
He kissed her, deeply and just enough to make her knees consider giving out before pulling back. “I see these capable hands”—he skimmed his palms down from her shoulders to capture both of her hands, his fingers moving hypnotically over hers—“strong and sure, like you.”
“Declan,” Tess whispered, but he shook his head, his gaze on her as real as any touch.
“I see this sexy body, the way you feel with every part of you. You’re beautiful here”—he slid his fingertips up her arms, stroking his way over her collarbone—“and here”—his touch lingered on the center of her chest just long enough to press over her slamming heart for a beat, then two—“and here. And even if you go back to not believin’ it tomorrow, just for tonight, I want to show you what I see.”
This time, when he kissed her, Tess gave in to how good it felt. When Declan parted her lips and stroked his way deeper, she felt the possibility that her mouth was brilliant, not brash. When he ran his hands over her body, his touch loaded with purpose as he shaped her shoulders, her rib cage, her spine, she was tempted to believe she was as strong and sexy as he’d said she was.
And when he dropped to his knees in front of her, the reverence on his face made her feel beautiful.
The corners of Declan’s mouth hooked up into a dark and sexy smile, turning the heat that had just flared to life between Tess’s thighs into something else entirely. He didn’t waste time with anything like talking as he made fast work of the button and zipper on her jeans. Her panties turned out to be black cotton bikini briefs—not so bad—but the way Declan looked at them sent another sharp thrill through Tess’s belly. Curling his fingers around both the open edges of her jeans and the top of her panties, he dragged the fabric down. His muscles bunched and flexed in the soft light spilling in from the hallway and the streetlights slipping in past the blinds, the dark ink covering his shoulders, arms, and back contrasting her pale, undecorated skin. The sight of him, with his powerful body low between her legs, was enough to make Tess’s breath catch hard in her chest. She’d never really done anything that could be considered particularly racy or creative in bed. Not that she hadn’t wanted to—God, the things she’d read in some of those romance novels were only the tip of the hey-now iceberg that her imagination dished up. But her ex had liked what he’d liked, which was to say blowjobs and his own release, and not a whole lot else. The thought of Declan literally on his knees, wanting to pleasure her for the sake of his own pleasure, was almost too foreign to grasp.
Except that it felt so fucking good, Tess didn’t care. She wanted it, no matter what.
Even if it made her vulnerable.
Declan guided her out of her jeans, one step, then another, keeping a gentle hold on her hips to steady her. He looked up just for a second, his gaze searching for hers in the shadows, wordlessly asking if she was still sure. Tess nodded—she’d never been so sure of anything in her life—and Declan kissed a path over her hip, reaching around to the backs of her thighs to hold her firm as he slid her legs apart.
He rocked back slightly, his eyes fixed on her core. “You’re even prettier than I imagined you’d be,” he murmured, his voice on her skin like honey. But she didn’t have a chance to reply before he’d reclaimed the space between them, gliding his tongue over her pussy with one long lick.
Some sound left Tess’s throat, a cross between a cry and a moan. A dim, far-off part of her brain warned that she should mind her volume. But Declan’s growl in reply vibrated against her hypersensitive folds, and in that moment, she didn’t care how she sounded. All she wanted was more sensation, more contact, more everything.
And Declan didn’t wait to give it to her.
With his palms firm on the backs of her legs, he held her close as he explored her sex with his lips and tongue. Slow tastes alternated with fast, hard movements, the friction from both ramping up her need. Tess dipped her chin and boldly watched as Declan searched and tasted and took. Her pussy grew slick with both anticipation and pleasure, and she chased both with her hips, tilting forward and back in time with his ministrations. Without breaking stride, he shifted, wrapping one arm around her waist to keep their bodies in contact while freeing his other hand to slip a finger deep between her legs.
“Oh, my God, don’t ever stop doing that,” Tess demanded. But if Declan responded with words, she had no idea what they were, because her thoughts had all taken a serious back seat to the sensations ricocheting through her needy, greedy body. She kept her eyes wide open, heat sizzling deep in her belly as he withdrew his finger just long enough to thrust right back into her aching core again and again. Adjusting his speed and pressure to the tune of her sighs, he worked her body flawlessly, testing and teasing until he discovered a spot inside of her so sensitive and sweet that she cried out. Tess dropped her hands to his shoulders—more, more, more—her hips moving faster and her heart tripping in her chest. She slid her hands up to cup his face, holding him exactly where she needed him most, watching hypnotically as he buried his finger in her pussy and his tongue against her clit. The combination of tantalizing pressure and hot, slippery friction sent a demand from some unnamed place in her belly, and Tess’s breath escaped on a moan.
Widening her stance and thrusting against him shamelessly now, she pumped her hips to increase the contact of his mouth with her now-throbbing clit. An orgasm ripped through her with barely any warning, bold and bright and so intense, she couldn’t do anything other than feel. Her fingers scrabbled against Declan’s shoulders, nails scraping at the same time her back arched and the rest of her went still. Her release went on and on, yet his hold remained unyielding and his touch unrelenting until every last wave of pleasure had faded.
Finally, he stood, one arm thankfully still anchored around her because, dear, sweet Lord, her legs were untrustworthy AF right now. “See? I told you you’re beautiful.”
Tess laughed without expecting to, but God, it felt so, so good. “I’m pretty sure that was just a byproduct of your skill.”
“I’m pretty sure I’d do it a hundred times more just ta watch your face while you come,” Declan said, kissing her with surprising softness.
Tess kissed him back, harder. “Well, then. Who am I t
o rain on your parade?”
The heat between them rebuilt as they tangled together again, his magical, magical tongue twining with hers and her arms knotting around his shoulders. She wasn’t naked only by the technicality of her bra, which—whoops—Declan made fast work of with one twist of his wrist. Funny, she didn’t feel awkward that he was still in his jeans and whatever he had on beneath them while she wasn’t wearing so much as a stitch. But the orgasm he’d just given her had flipped some sort of internal switch that reminded her of her usual boldness, and she kissed Declan again before running her hands down the rock-hard plane of his chest.
His muscles jumped when Tess coasted lower, letting her fingers rest on the button of his jeans. Unable to resist temptation, she dipped lower for just a stroke, and okaaayyyy, yeah, his pants needed to hit the floor, like, right this freaking instant.
It was a plan Declan was blessedly on board with. His hands worked in tandem with hers, going through the unbutton/unzip motions with a few economical moves. His dark gray boxer briefs hung low on his hips, framing the chiseled muscles leading down to the impressive erection pressing an outline against the fabric covering his body, and Tess released a shaky breath.
“You’re beautiful, too,” she said, the words little more than a husky whisper. Some emotion she couldn’t quite label whisked through his eyes, glinting dark green among the shadows, and even though it was gone in less than the span of a breath, she didn’t hesitate.
She dropped to her knees in front of him.
“Tess.” The word was a warning, all gravel and sin, but neither one was going to deter her.
“Declan.” She strung a path of feather-light kisses along his waistband. His exhale betrayed him, just the slightest bit broken, and Tess realized, then, how hard-fought his control was.
“It’s okay if you need to let go a little. Just for tonight,” she said, her hands stilling at his hips. “I promise, I have you.”
Declan’s eyes went wide. But then he nodded, the tension in his body loosening, and she didn’t wait. Slipping her fingers beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs, she lowered them. Tess had never felt like there was a particularly high pretty-factor when it came to penises, although, she’d admit, she could probably chalk that up—at least in part—to occupational hazard. But Declan’s cock was as perfect as the rest of him, and she wrapped her fingers around him, moving against the weight of his length in her palm.
“Tess,” he said, his tone entirely different this time. He thrust into the loop she’d created with her fingers, and she adjusted her rhythm accordingly. She slid her unoccupied arm around his waist, her opposite hand continuing to work his cock in steady strokes. A breath burst out of him, and the arousal that licked through Tess’s body in response both surprised her and turned her way the hell on.
She pressed her lips softly to the crown of Declan’s cock, and his exhale shifted into a raw, needful grunt. “Fuck.”
The dark and dirty swear made the space between Tess’s thighs instantly hotter. He widened his stance over the floorboards, flexing his fingers into a tight ball before letting them open ever so gently over the curve of her shoulder. She swirled her tongue over him again, then again. A hiss escaped past his lips, and Tess shifted back, just enough to look up at him. Standing in front of her, with his taut muscles and sinuous ink and wild, pent-up need, he was so beautiful, Tess lost her breath.
Tightening her hold around his hips, she dropped her mouth back over his cock. She worked him in slow, long strokes, chasing each glide with her fingers. Declan’s muscles flexed under her touch. The hand on her shoulder moved to knot in her hair, the weight of it on the back of her neck just heavy enough to send another bolt of need between her legs.
Tess’s arousal built right alongside his, and she stroked faster, taking his cock as deeply as she could once, then again.
“Ah.” Declan’s voice broke, low and sharp, and he followed the sound with a Gaelic word Tess didn’t understand. She pulled back to repeat the motion again, as many times as it took for him to fall over that bright edge of release the same way she had, but Declan pulled back and scooped her to her feet before she could even fully register his movements.
“But—”
“No,” he bit out, guiding her over the rumpled sheets of her unmade bed. “As much as I like the idea of coming in that smart mouth of yours”—he paused to kiss her, nipping her bottom lip as he lay down beside her, skin on skin—“the first time, I want to be here.” He stroked his way down her belly, his fingers gliding between her legs with ease. “With my cock buried deep inside your wet, perfect pussy.”
Tess moaned, her nipples tightening at both the thought and the contact. She widened her thighs, each sweep of Declan’s fingers sending sparks of pleasure flying through her body. But she wanted him inside of her, too, filling her up and fucking her hard, and she reached for his hip with every intent of having exactly that.
Declan shocked her by reversing the momentum of their bodies, grasping her hips and rolling her on top of him instead. Tess’s face must have betrayed her surprise, because he looked up at her, his gaze locking tight.
“I want to see all of you, Tess.” His hands coasted over her thighs. She shivered as he continued up her waist to her rib cage, the path making her realize exactly how plainly he could see her whole body from his vantage point. She should feel self-conscious, she knew. Her C-section scar and not-tight tummy were on full display. But Declan wanted to see her because the sight of her, just as she was, turned him on—the evidence was right there in his stare, and she could feel it in his touch.
So, she let him. Easing back, she angled her hips over Declan’s. She gasped at the contact of his rock-hard cock against the sensitive folds of her pussy, rocking back and forth and letting the sensation of him, so close and so hot, pulse through her.
“You like that, then?” he asked, thrusting his hips in a slow glide. The underside of his cock found direct contact with Tess’s clit, and a moan collapsed past her lips.
“Yes. Oh, fuck, yes.”
The dirty word, which Tess hadn’t quite meant to let loose, seemed to turn Declan on all the more, making him pump harder. “You like taking what you need.”
Not a question, and not untrue. She might not be used to being so brash in bed, but God, right now, she loved it. “Yes.”
Declan’s hands found her hips, moving her in time to the rhythm she’d created. “I like being what you need. Go on, love. Take whatever you want. I’m here to give it to you.”
Tess made the adjustment to fit his cock inside of her with one, single motion. Her pussy was so slick that he filled her with ease, even as the fit was breathtakingly tight. The sudden pressure turned her senses sideways for just a second.
And then, all Tess felt was recklessly, deliciously good.
“So tight,” Declan bit out, his huge, powerful hands resting on her waist. “Ah, Tess. You feel…”
The rest of his sentence fell away as they started to move together. Declan met every roll of Tess’s hips with a thrust, one of them giving as the other took, both of them utterly equal. Tess got bold enough to try different variations with her speed and the angle of her body, each one daring her closer to the edge. But she wanted more—she wanted everything, right now—so she grabbed one of Declan’s hands and put it right above the spot where he was buried inside of her.
He didn’t hesitate or hold back. Pressing hard, fast circles over her clit, he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her tight as she thrust over and over.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful like this.” He pushed deep, filling her pussy completely. “Let me give you what you need.”
With that, Tess was lost. She gave in to the release building within her, her orgasm spiraling up from low in her belly. She came with a keening cry, her inner muscles pulsing with so much intensity, the rest of her body went still to balance it. Finally, she gave in to the looseness in her limbs, her chest falling over Declan’s and h
er cheek fitting against the crook of his shoulder. After a handful of heartbeats, though, Tess registered the feel of her change in position, heat rekindling in her veins at the pressure of Declan’s cock, still so hard inside of her.
He let go of a ragged breath that coasted down her spine. She replied wordlessly, canting her hips in slow, hard movements. Her nipples beaded at the friction, then grew even tighter as his hands gripped her hips and held her still so he could arch into her with even more force. Tess didn’t relent in her constancy, taking each thrust and wanting the next one all the more. Declan’s motions grew faster and more focused, his fingers curving over her hips and around her ass to pull her wide as he fucked her, and the tremor it sent through her made her cry out.
“Declan.” Tess brought her mouth to his ear, their bodies flush. “Let me give you what you need.”
His hold on her became unrelenting as his hips pistoned up and down, his cock so fully buried that no space remained between them. With one last thrust, he went bowstring tight beneath her, his arms knotted around her as he began to shudder, his muscles rippling under her touch. Tess rode out every exhale, every whisper of her name, until they lay together, motionless on her bed sheets.
Some amount of time passed, although, whether it was a heartbeat or an hour, Tess had no fucking clue. She waited for reality to arrive, bringing with it a swift kick to the teeth.
But the only thing that happened was Declan gently disengaging their bodies, tucking her in at his side as he kissed the top of her head, and even though Tess knew she shouldn’t, she let herself linger in the absolute bliss of his arms for just a little longer.
18
Declan had always been shite with words. As soon as he’d hit puberty and properly grown into his body, his quiet nature had come off as gruffness. It hadn’t been an issue with his mam, who had known him so well she’d understood, nor had it worked against him once she’d passed and he’d enlisted. But now, lying here with Tess all warm and soft and naked in his arms?
Beyond Just Us (Remington Medical Book 4): A Single Parent Marriage of Convenience Romance Page 15
