by Erika Wilde
“Your lunch date is here,” Paige announced, doing nothing to hide the fact that Declan could hear her, even when he moved away from the covered doorway so he was no longer blatantly spying on them.
“I’m almost done,” he heard Summer say, along with more whirring noises from the sewing machine. “Just a few more stiches.”
“I would not keep a man like him waiting for long,” her boss replied in a teasing voice.
“A man like him?” Summer questioned, as a few click-clicks of the sewing machine disengaged the material.
“Big. Strapping. Gorgeous. Confident. Sex on two legs. A panty dropper.” Paige lowered her voice on those last two adjectives, but not enough, and Declan bit back a grin.
Summer giggled. “Stop lusting after my guy. You have your own.”
“So true,” Paige replied humorously. “I have to admit I was a bit standoffish when I first met Declan just now, but he seems like a nice guy and I like him. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“He is a nice guy, so you should,” Summer replied, defending him in a lighthearted tone. “And I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Summer pushed the curtain aside to walk through, wearing a cute dress that swirled around her legs just below the knee, and as soon as she saw him in the shop, her entire face lit up with unmistakable happiness. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so elated to see him, and her exuberance made him feel far more than he should.
“Hey.” She walked up to him with a bounce in her step, and since she was wearing a pair of flats, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, while he had to resist the urge to lay a hot, deep, passionate one on her.
“You two kids have a nice lunch,” Paige said as she joined them out in the main area of the store.
“We will,” Declan replied before Summer could.
As he took her hand, they walked outside, and it occurred to him that he had no idea what kind of food was in the area or what she was in the mood for.
“Where would you like to go?” he asked.
She pointed down the street. “There’s a small café on the corner that has everything from burgers to salads. It’s close by, so we don’t have to spend time driving anywhere.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They strolled in that direction, and a few minutes later, they arrived at a quaint restaurant. Summer opted for a table outside beneath an awning and out of the direct sunlight, and once they’d ordered their drinks and meal, Declan took a sip of his diet soda and leaned back in his chair.
“Paige has a very interesting line of business,” he commented.
“A very successful business,” she clarified with a grin. “It started out as just a small made-to-order shop for corsets and is quickly becoming one of those recognizable brand names for beautiful, sexy lingerie. Her internet orders are insane, and we can barely keep up with custom orders, even with a few extra seamstresses helping out.”
“Is that what you are?” he asked curiously, not clear on what her job description was. “A seamstress?”
Smiling, Summer swirled her straw around in her iced tea. “I’m like Paige’s right-hand woman and I do a little bit of everything. Selling product. Handling merchandising. Designing new things with Paige’s input. I sew, do most of the alterations, and stitch the beadwork on custom orders, sometimes until my fingers want to fall off. The list goes on,” she added with a laugh.
Even though it sounded like she had a lot of duties, she listed them all with a joyous sparkle in her eyes. “You enjoy your job.”
“I do,” she agreed.
The waitress came by and delivered their orders—a club panini for Summer and a brisket and bacon burger for himself—and they settled in for a few bites of the delicious food.
“How did you learn to sew?” Declan asked, keeping up the line of questioning because he liked discovering all these fascinating nuances about her, which was quite an anomaly for him considering he normally kept his interactions with women superficial and physical. Yet here he was, wanting to soak up everything about this beautiful, sweet woman so he could store it all away to remember later.
“My grandma Mimi taught me,” she said after swallowing a bite of her sandwich. “I already told you that she raised me, and financially she didn’t have much, so she was great at improvising. She’d take me to the fabric store, where we’d buy remnants of material that were on clearance, then take them home and we’d make something together for me or my dolls. By the time I was twelve, I knew how to make dresses and tops and pants with my own patterns.”
He licked a smear of barbeque sauce from his thumb, almost halfway done with his burger. “What else did your grandma teach you?”
“Hmm, let’s see.” A fond smile touched her lips, while a light breeze ruffled through her soft-looking hair. “I learned how to knit, and I made over two dozen scarfs and blankets that we ended up donating to a homeless shelter. She taught me all about gardening and how to nurture plants and flowers. She introduced me to my love of reading with frequent trips to the library. And most importantly, she taught me manners,” she added ruefully.
He chuckled. “Yes, manners are always important.”
She finished one portion of her panini and picked up the other half to eat. “Mimi was a big believer in the Golden Rule and treating people fairly and with respect. And to always be kind to someone, even if they were grumpy or grouchy, because you never know what they’re going through to make them that way.”
He saw all those generous traits in Summer. She was so bright and cheerful with a positive attitude, despite growing up with a mother who’d chosen drugs over her own daughter. She was a ray of sunshine, when Declan was used to a world that was dark and dangerous, where any kind of altruistic gesture could get you killed. Where you were always on guard and mostly saw the worst of humanity.
“Oh, and cooking!” Summer’s enthusiastic tone pulled Declan from his dark thoughts, which he was grateful for, because sometimes he fell into that black hole and found it difficult to climb his way back out. “Oh, my God, Mimi was a fantastic cook. She made most of our meals from scratch and then would take things like leftovers from a few meals and create this delicious dinner that was so good. She’d always tell me that someday I was going to have a husband, and the best way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, so I needed to learn to be a good cook.” She rolled her eyes at that. “Not that I ever believed my cooking would make a man fall in love with me.”
Finished with his burger, he wiped his fingers on his napkin and took a drink of his soda. “I’m inclined to side with your grandmother on this one. Men are basic creatures. Good food, hot sex . . .” He shrugged playfully. “Those two things alone would make me a very happy man.”
She cast a flirty grin his way. “So, I think we already agreed on the hot sex part,” she murmured in a low voice in deference to the other customers sitting outside with them. “Do we need to make an addendum to that deal and add home-cooked meals to the arrangement?”
“I think we should,” he teased, then found himself admitting something more personal. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a home-cooked meal. I’m used to military chow halls and MREs when I’m on a mission, and when I’m home, it’s mostly fast food or restaurants, and it’s just not the same as when I was growing up and my mother made me my favorite things to eat.”
She pushed her nearly empty plate to the side, her pretty features softening. “If I were to make you something for a dinner, what would you like? What is one of the things your mother made for you or the family that you absolutely loved and haven’t had in forever?”
“Pork chops,” he said automatically. “With mashed potatoes and gravy.” He groaned at the thought, even though he was full after eating his lunch. “Chicken and dumplings. Country fried steak. So many things it’s hard to choose.”
She drank the last of her iced tea and sat back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. “I have an
idea. While you’re home for the next few weeks, let me make you some of the dinners that you can’t get while you’re overseas.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, even as a little voice inside his head contradicted that statement.
“I want to.” She lifted her chin a few inches, letting him know that she’d made up her mind and wasn’t going to change it. “I’m used to fast food and microwave meals, too, since I live alone. I never cook anymore because I don’t have the space in the kitchen in my tiny studio apartment, and it’s silly to make a big, elaborate meal for one person, so I’d love to make a few dinners and share them with you.”
A sinful grin curved his lips. “In exchange for sex?”
“You’ll get no argument from me there,” she murmured, though her gaze was sultry and seductive as she leaned closer to him. “As long as it’s really dirty sex.”
He laughed huskily, more than willing to accommodate her request. “Then consider it a deal, kitten, because that’s what I do best.”
Their waitress came by and picked up their plates, and after the two of them declined dessert, the young girl returned with the check. After Declan paid for the meal, along with a generous tip, they left the restaurant with about ten minutes to spare until Summer’s lunch hour was over.
“So, what else do you do when you’re on leave?” Summer asked him as they casually strolled hand in hand back toward Paige’s shop.
Declan exhaled a deep breath. When he thought about his time off, there was nothing memorable that came to mind. He usually hung out at home while Rick was at work. Ruminated about certain things too much. Wasted hours futzing around on the computer and internet, amusing himself with stupid shit he found. Went to a few places with Rick in the evenings and weekends. Had a one-night stand or two, to ease his sexual needs, depending on his mood, because going to a bar to pick up a woman was sometimes too much damn work.
“Not a whole lot,” he said, which summed up his lack of activities and just how boring his trips home actually were. He wasn’t the party-animal type like some of his comrades were.
She blinked at him in surprise. “Do you at least watch or catch up on shows or movies that you’ve missed while you’re gone?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not really. I honestly don’t know what’s good or worth watching.”
“Oh, I do.” Her eyes lit up enthusiastically. “There are so many great shows and series to binge watch on Netflix. You’re missing out.”
Reaching the boutique, he stopped them a few feet away from the door and turned Summer toward him so he could slide his hands around her waist and pull her close. “Maybe you’ll have to introduce me to them.”
“Mmm. Maybe I will,” she said with a bit of sass.
“See you tonight?” he asked, wanting to make sure that was still the plan.
She nodded and looped her arms around his neck, pressing her soft breasts against his chest and her thighs along the length of his. “Be at my place at six,” she said, standing on her tiptoes and feathering her lips sensually across his, giving him a taste of what he’d craved since leaving Summer at her apartment last night. “And I’ll entice you with your first home-cooked meal and we’ll watch a few episodes of Schitt’s Creek together.”
He’d meant to thread his fingers into her hair and take that playful kiss of hers to a deeper level, but the name of the show she mentioned completely distracted him. “Dare I ask what it’s about?”
“It’s hilarious. And I think you need something that will make you laugh more, especially before you go back on assignment,” she said and slid her hands down to his chest. “Thank you for lunch. I’ll see you this evening.”
With a quick, unexpected move, she flitted out of his arms before he could stop her, as if she’d purposely meant to tease him with the brush of her body and the sultry slide of her lips on his that left him wanting so much more.
With a flirty finger wave at him, she opened the door to the shop and disappeared inside, leaving him to figure out what to do with the rest of his afternoon.
Chapter Eight
Summer couldn’t believe that one week with Declan had nearly gone by already. As she tidied up around the boutique the following Friday evening—making sure silky lingerie was folded neatly in drawers and other more expensive items were hung properly—she thought about the routine they’d settled into. Her newly adopted daily schedule hadn’t been planned—at least not on her part—but Summer had to admit that it was oddly convenient for all parties involved.
After inviting Declan to her place the previous Monday night for a home-cooked meal, then to watch a few shows, it quickly became apparent that her little studio apartment was way too tiny for anyone other than herself. She didn’t have room in her kitchen to move around or counter space to place items, nor did she have the pots and pans and utensils she needed to prepare a more complex dinner. Even before she’d started cooking, she’d nearly burst into tears out of pure frustration.
That’s when Declan had taken pity on her and suggested that they bag up the ingredients for his pork chop dinner and take them to his place to make, where there was a stove and oven that was big enough to accommodate everything, a kitchen she could dance around in if she wanted to, and a table they could sit at without knocking knees.
He’d also pointed out that the thin mattress on her Murphy bed was equivalent to what he slept on in the barracks, and when he was at home, he wanted to sleep in comfort on his pillow-top—while making it clear she’d be with him all night long. Which meant she was now living with Declan for three weeks.
The arrangement wasn’t a hardship. After packing a small bag with clothes and her toiletries and knowing she could go back for anything else she might need, she moved into Declan’s bedroom with him. She thought that Rick might object or be put out, but he seemed fine with the arrangement and never made her feel awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, their conversations were friendly and flirty, the latter of which had always been a part of Rick’s personality.
As for their daily routine, Summer started the morning by making breakfast for both men and herself, which she figured was the least she could do in exchange for staying there. Same for dinners. Rick left early for work, and Declan took advantage of that extra alone time with her—in bed, naked—before she had to leave for the shop, and so far she’d walked into work every day with a blissful smile on her face from the multiple orgasms Declan made sure she had before taking her to the boutique.
Declan insisted on driving her to work and picking her up, and during the day, he’d found a way to keep himself busy by deciding to finally work on the old motorcycle he’d stored in the garage but had never taken the time to fix. It gave him purpose and something constructive to do, and he seemed to enjoy repairing the bike.
In the evenings, she loved cooking dinners for Declan and Rick, both of whom appreciated and raved about her flavorful, homemade meals. The next few hours were spent cuddling on the couch with Declan while watching shows on Netflix—comedies, thrillers, or dramas, depending on what they were in the mood for. Sometimes Rick joined them, and other times he went out for the night or did work for Noble and Associates on his laptop.
Then there was bedtime . . . and Summer was incredibly grateful that Rick’s room was on the other end of the house. While she wasn’t about to scream in pleasure while Declan used his mouth and hands and cock to make her come, she knew her soft gasps and moans couldn’t be heard unless someone was standing right outside the door, deliberately listening.
The arrangement was certainly unconventional, yet strangely normal and domestic feeling.
Finished with rearranging things in the showroom and realizing that Declan would be waiting out in the parking lot to pick her up, she went behind the front counter to grab her purse.
“I’m leaving for the night, Paige,” Summer called out to her boss, who was in the back inventorying some bolts of fabric. “I’ll lock the door behind me.”
&nbs
p; Paige poked her head out from the workroom and grinned at Summer. “Have a fun weekend. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Summer laughed. “That leaves the field pretty wide open.”
“Deliberately,” Paige said with a waggle of her dark brows. “Go and enjoy your time with Declan.”
Before walking out the door, Summer took a moment to put some lip gloss on and spritz her favorite fragrance on her wrists and neck, a little excited about tonight since Declan had informed her this morning that when he picked her up after work, he was taking her somewhere fun and very naughty.
She had no idea what his surprise was, but she loved that he was taking the initiative to do something different. To be spontaneous and whimsical, which she knew was the opposite of his more rigid and controlled personality.
First, he took her to a nearby restaurant for a quick dinner, insisting that she needed a break from her cooking for him and Rick all week, which she appreciated. Once they’d enjoyed a relaxing meal, they got back into his truck, and she couldn’t deny the anticipation she felt over finding out where he was taking her next.
When he pulled into the parking lot for Sugar and Spice—the upscale adult boutique that her friend Raina owned and Summer had told him about—she was definitely surprised, though the shop certainly contained a plethora of fun and naughty items.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, not sure what, exactly, he had in mind.
He gave her a sexy, toe-curling grin. “Rick is spending the evening at The Players Club, which means we have the entire house all to ourselves. I thought it would be fun for us to pick out a few things to play with tonight.”
Excitement trickled through her at the thought of finding something new to try with Declan. “Any hard limits I need to know about before we go inside?” she teased.
