I smiled what I hoped was a sexy smile, tucking my hair behind my ears in preparation. “I was planning on it.”
He fell silent when my hands landed on his ripped abdomen, my fingertips finally getting to explore every crest and valley formed by his muscles. His stomach dipped, and his thighs trembled under my touch, but he didn’t say anything and closed his eyes to take a deep breath instead.
Focused on exploring him with my eyes and my tongue, as well as my hands, I took in every line of dark ink that decorated his skin. There was a dragon on his side, five stars shooting up from his hip, and Latin script above his right peck.
When I leaned down to lick my way from the hollow of his throat to his navel, he let out a loud groan. I smiled against his skin. “Getting to be too much for you?”
“Nope,” he bit out, his hands gripping the pillow beneath his head as if he was fighting against the urge to touch me.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to fight the same urge and touched him as much as I possibly could. My fingers eventually closed around his thick shaft, doing its best impression of set concrete, and he growled as he thrust his hips.
“Fuck, Raeanne,” he breathed but still didn’t rush me.
I sat back on my heels to watch him as I stroked, feeling need slamming into me like a freight train once again. Giving in to the desire to taste him, I brought my mouth down and didn’t stop until it met my hand around his base. He hissed, hips jerking into my hand.
He tasted like musk and man, everything about him in this moment making me ache to feel him buried deep inside me. I worked him as best as I could for as long as I could before abruptly stopping and looking at him with wild eyes. “Condom.”
“Wallet,” he breathed out, looking like he was wound so tightly that he didn’t move—couldn’t move. To his credit, he’d kept his word about letting me do whatever I wanted to. I was the one who couldn’t wait any longer, and I was already one spectacular orgasm ahead in this game.
The guy has the self-control of a saint or a superhero. I had yet to decide which, but I would have to do it later.
He grunted when I rolled the condom onto him, the sound followed by a low hiss when I hooked my leg around him and lifted myself up to straddle him. Opening his eyes when he felt my dripping center above him, he ground out a warning. “I might not last long, but I promise that you won’t be disappointed in my recovery time.”
“Otherwise, I could just get the party restarted without you,” I teased as I lowered myself onto him, seeing as his eyes grew impossibly dark.
“I would love to see that,” he groaned. “Yeah, we’re definitely doing that sometime.”
I would have flushed at the thought of anyone else watching me touch myself, but imagining Declan and what he might look like if I did got me somehow even hotter than I already was.
It turned out that he needn’t have worried about lasting because I didn’t either. My entire body was one big nerve ending, and it didn’t take much before I was convulsing around his glorious cock and feeling him shaking beneath me.
Catching me in his arms when I collapsed as the waves of pleasure receded, he lifted my chin and kissed me while we both came back down. I nestled into his side eventually when he came back to bed, after he’d disposed of the condom and cleaned me up.
“I’m glad we’re going to be spending the night together,” I murmured against his chest, my arm draped over his stomach and his hand in my hair. “It’s really nice, even if it is in a hotel.”
He hesitated for a beat, and I wondered if he was going to come back with another joke. He didn’t. “Yeah, I’m really fucking glad we’re finally spending the night together too.”
My heart did somersaults over his response, and that was when it hit me. I was starting to have true feelings for this man. True feelings that ran deep into my soul, my very being. As I drifted off to have a nap in his arms, I wondered when I was going to pluck up the courage to tell him.
Chapter 33
Declan
“Declan,” Wayde called from the doorway of his office at the Big Brother hall a couple of days after Raeanne and I returned from our trip. “Have you got a minute?”
I frowned when I realized that he was actually asking this time, not barking orders at me or glaring at me like I was the biggest fuck-up ever to have entered this hallowed hall. In fact, he wasn’t even just not glaring. He was actually smiling. At me. Huh?
“Sure thing,” I replied, jogging up to him from the basketball court where I’d been talking to one of the other Big Brothers.
Raeanne had texted me that she and Lawson were running late, so I wasn’t worried that he would get here and think that I wasn’t around. My heart did this strange flipping thing whenever I thought about her after that night we’d spent together.
If I’d thought I’d been addicted to her before, I was well and truly an addict now. She pushed me closer to the edge than anyone I’d ever known, yet she did it in a way that made me want to be pushed, to test my limits to see how far we could go, and I didn’t only mean sexually.
The sex was fucking hot, sure. She got me harder than I thought I could get and made me come like a damn water pistol, but it was more than.
After round number two late that afternoon when we’d been away, we’d taken a shower together and then gotten dressed for dinner. There was a restaurant on the property, and we’d walked there hand in hand as the sun set over the ocean, which had possibly been the most romantic moment of my entire life.
And instead of freaking the fuck out about it, my mind had jumped straight to how I could top it in the future. It was insane, but it was also so much fun and it felt so damn right that I couldn’t bring myself to feel even a little scared of it.
What I was more than a little scared of, however, was what was going to happen once I told her the truth. I’d decided to hang onto my balls and just do it this coming weekend. Raeanne had some shoot booked tomorrow, but the day after that was fair game. It was also D-day.
As I walked into Wayde’s office, I realized he had my file lying open on top of his desk. “What’s this about?”
He grinned at me, the first genuine grin from him that I’d ever seen aimed at me. “Have a seat.”
Nervous energy suddenly coursed through me. The fact that he had my file with him was worrying, but the grin meant that it couldn’t be all bad. Unless he’d finally gotten what he wanted and had gotten me kicked out of the fucking program.
At this point, I’d go to jail if that was still what he wanted. As long as he let me come back after I got out, as long as I got to keep Lawson as my little brother.
My legs felt numb as I walked to the chair he’d indicated, but I managed to make it without falling on my ass. I inclined my head toward the file, crossing my arms over my chest. “Is there a problem?”
Wayde’s eyes shone with amusement. “Not this time, but I guess I haven’t given you much reason to believe that getting called into my office could be a good thing.”
“Yeah. Historically, it’s only meant trouble, but I can’t think of anything I’ve done this time.” Well, except fucking my little brother’s mother. But we’d been pretty discreet, so I didn’t think it was that. Plus, I didn’t know if it was against the rules, but I doubted it. It had nothing to do with the program.
Wayde shook his head. “That’s because you haven’t done anything wrong, but you have done a bunch of stuff right.”
He pulled the file closer to him and picked up his glasses from the desk, sliding them onto his face as he began studying the paperwork inside. “You’ve proven me wrong, Declan. I went over your attendance record and all the other administrative records I keep, and you’re one of the most dedicated Big Brothers we’ve had in this intake.”
A slow grin spread on my lips as pride swelled in my chest. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He returned the grin and peered at me over the rims of his glasses. “I’m happy with what you’ve done in your time here, and I�
�ve told the judge and the prosecutor the same.”
My heart leaped. This should have been great fucking news, but it suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. “What did they say?”
“I told them I didn’t think you needed any more time here, and they agreed with my assessment. They’re willing to let you out of the last two weeks of your punishment. It’s not much, but two weeks off is better than nothing.”
I blinked at him, unable to formulate words for a minute. Two and a half months ago, this was the last place I’d wanted to be. I’d have given just about anything to be told that I wouldn’t have to stay for the full three months, but now it felt like I’d just learned that my execution date had been moved up.
Disappointment ripped through me, crushing me before chewing me up and spitting me back out. There was also a healthy dose of fear in my stomach. It wasn’t an emotion I used to be very familiar with, but that had certainly changed in these last few weeks.
How was I supposed to explain to Lawson and Raeanne that I was suddenly leaving the program? He would be devastated if I left, and so would I.
The quality time we got to spend together had become one of the highlights of my week every time we came here. It couldn’t just be over.
I’d been planning on telling them the truth in a couple of days anyway, but now suddenly, my timeline no longer felt like my own. If I told them and Raeanne didn’t forgive me for lying, which was a very real possibility, then my time with Lawson would be officially over after today.
As it was, we only planned on spending two hours together today. That wasn’t nearly enough time, but Lawson had to get home to do his homework, and Raeanne had to finish editing the photographs of a shoot she had done last week.
Their daily lives were continuing, but it felt like I’d had mine ripped clean away from me. Wayde must have noticed that my reaction wasn’t as jubilant as he’d been expecting because he frowned and cocked his head at me.
“Is something wrong? If you’re worried about your little brother, don’t be. There are some volunteers from last month’s intake who would be great with him.”
That was when it hit me. This was a volunteer-based program. It wasn’t how I had gotten involved, but it was how I could stay involved. At least for now. “Nothing is wrong. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me, and it’s great that I don’t have to come here for two more weeks, but I would like to stay with my little brother. Is that okay with you?”
“You’re not leaving the program?” Wayde looked pleasantly surprised, which was a good sign.
I shook my head. “I’d like to continue on as a volunteer with my little brother.”
“Well, okay then. This is wonderful news. I must be honest with you, Declan, I never expected things were going to turn out this way, but I’m glad they have. Lawson’s very lucky to have a Big Brother like you, despite my original misgivings about you.”
“You weren’t wrong to have them.” If I were to find out that there was a potential criminal about to enter the hall as a Big Brother right now, I’d sure as hell not let Lawson anywhere near him. “I’m glad things have worked out the way they have as well. In fact, there was something else that I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”
Wayde frowned, curiosity quickly taking the place of surprise on his face. “What’s up?”
For the next twenty minutes, I explained my idea about the contemporary library to him, and by the time I was done, he was beaming. Excitement was radiating from his body, and when he shook my hand to see me out, he pumped it like I’d just won an Olympic medal.
“You’re a true blessing, Declan,” he said when we reached his door. “I can’t believe how wrong I was about you.” He wasn’t the person who I wanted to hear those words from, but since he’d hated me from the get-go and I’d still managed to win him over, I was hoping that I had a shot of doing the same with Raeanne.
When I walked out of his office, I checked my phone to find a message from her waiting for me.
Raeanne: I’m so sorry. We’re not going to make it there today. Lawson literally JUST told me about a project he needs to have done by tomorrow. Headed to the library now.
My heart sank to my shoes. I really fucking hoped this wasn’t some kind of omen. Just as I was about to offer to meet them at the library to help with the project, my phone buzzed in my hand.
Dread coiled in my stomach when I saw that it was my mother calling. We hadn’t spoken since that fateful dinner, and as of yesterday, I wasn’t even living on the compound anymore.
All throughout my move, I’d expected one of my family members to come to me, to try to talk me out of it. None of them had.
I figured that it was because they wanted me gone as much as I wanted to be gone, so I’d taken it in stride. Why was she calling me now, though?
Trepidation rolled through me, but there was no point in ignoring her call. She’d keep blowing up my phone and send out a damn search party to haul me back so she could say whatever it was she wanted to say.
“Mother,” I said by way of greeting when I answered, my tone clipped and formal.
“There you are, darling.” She sounded so relieved that my eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I sent someone to request your presence at the main house this afternoon, but I’m told you’ve carried out that ridiculous threat and moved.”
“Yes, just like I told you I intended on doing. I’m not coming to the house this afternoon, Mother. I have a prior engagement that I must attend to, so why don’t you tell me whatever it was you needed to say over the phone and we can get it over with?”
She released a sigh, but it was more a sound of suffering than of exasperation. “Must you treat me so coldly, darling? We had a disagreement, but we’re still family.”
“Sure.” It wasn’t like I could deny it. “Why are you calling?”
“You need to be at the house tomorrow afternoon promptly at noon. I won’t take no for an answer. We’re having an article done about the family, and along with some pictures taken for the feature.”
“You can have your pictures taken without me,” I said, my voice flat and void of any emotion. As far as I was concerned, I was the odd one out in that family anyway. Might as well make it official by staying out of their photos.
“Oh, come now, darling. Surely, you won’t embarrass us this way? Your father and I have done everything we could for you, yet now you’re turning your back on us when we make this one simple request of you? It won’t take more than a couple of hours. Please, darling. Don’t force us to have to lie about the reason for your absence.”
I ground my teeth together because her guilt trip was starting to wrap itself around my soul and wouldn’t let go. She was right. They never had asked me for much, and I was caught up in enough lies as it was. I really didn’t want to be part of another.
Sighing as I felt my resolve to decline crumble, I closed my eyes and committed to the very last thing I wanted to be doing when I should have been focusing on my relationship with Raeanne and Lawson.
“Okay, I’ll be there, but I really can only stay for a couple of hours.”
Little did I know that after those couple of hours, there wouldn’t be anywhere else for me to be.
Not anymore.
Chapter 34
Raeanne
“When you reach the top of the hill, you’ll see a black, wrought-iron gate and mile-high walls covered in ivy. That’s the house you’re looking for.” Tessa once again hit the print button on her laptop and swiveled around in her chair to grab the map from the printer. “It’s pretty simple to get there, but call me if you get lost. They’re expecting you at noon, so you’d better get going within the next couple of minutes. You really can’t be late.”
“Fine.” I let out a disgusted snort when I glanced down at the map and saw the size of the estate these people lived on. It looked to be bigger than our entire block, and it was occupied by only one family. “Are you sure you can’t come with me?”
&n
bsp; “Nope, sorry.” She flashed me a sympathetic smile. “The date that they gave me for the interview was yesterday, and I got everything I needed from them. This appointment is only for the photoshoot. If I go with you, they might think I’m trying to sneak in a follow-up interview. The mother is quite a sensitive little flower. I wouldn’t want her thinking I’m trying to ambush her precious family. I got to meet her and the illustrious father as it was. None of the kids could make it apparently.”
My lip curled at her description of them. “You really think it would be that big a deal for the journalist to accompany the photographer to the shoot for her own story?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” She shrugged. “As far as they’re concerned, the main part is done, and the shoot is just a technicality to put a neat pin in the whole thing.”
“Urg.” My mouth turned down at the corners. “They sound terrible, and now I have to go spend time with them alone? It’s like my worst nightmare come true.”
“They’re pretty snobby and really not the most fun company I’ve ever had, but all you have to do is to take pictures. You probably won’t even have to talk to them except when you’re directing the shot.”
“True, but I’m still not looking forward to it.” I’d had dentist appointments that I’d looked forward to more. “But okay. I guess you’re right. It’s only for a few pictures. Then I’m out of there.”
“Good girl.” Tessa smiled. “Also, try to keep that sneer under control while you’re with them.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I resisted sticking my tongue out at her. “You got it. I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises. People like them really do disgust me, and a sneer is only a natural expression of disgust.”
A natural expression of disgust that, try as hard as I might, I couldn’t hide once I got to the house. The grounds were huge, and the castle near the edge of the cliff was nothing to be scoffed at either. A mile-long driveway led to a rounded gravel path in front of the massive wooden front doors.
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