Shit, here we go...
*****
Two hours later, Raven has relived her trip to everyone and each time she tells a story, I learn something new. Her girlfriends have crowded her, and I can’t even get close enough to pull her in my lap. Kendall winks at me on my third attempt to sit next to her. Those bitches are doing this on purpose. Charlie smirks at me every once in a while. If I wasn’t scared of her completely kicking the guys out, I would physically move her from the seat next to Raven.
The guys are mostly interested in stories of her corporate and private investigations. Robbie is working for James on a project and thinks her newfound knowledge can help him. She smiles proudly, and I know how happy she is to be recognized.
She jumps up suddenly yelling to the room, “I almost forgot. Did you guys get a package I shipped last week?”
“Yes, I put it in your room.” Ella answers.
“I’ve got something for all of you. Stay right here!” She gets up and goes into her room. Finally! A chance to get her alone. When I get to her, she’s cutting into a large box that explodes with bubble wrap.
I don’t care there’s a room full of people next door. I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss down her neck until I reach her shoulder. I nip with my teeth and then lick to sooth the bite. I spin her around to face me and crush my mouth to hers. I’m desperate to taste her. She groans in my mouth, which has me hard in an instant. I lean down further and caress her ass, pulling her as close to me as possible.
A throat clears behind us, and I pull away. We’re both breathless, and her face has a slight redness from my scruff. I look over my shoulder and see Harper smiling sweetly at me. Her look tells me she knew she was interrupting, and she’s gloating.
“I came to see if I can help with anything.”
Raven starts laughing and pulls away. She goes back to the box bringing out gifts.
“No, thanks Harp, I think we’re good. Be right there.” I can’t help the edge to my voice.
“Don’t be mad, Declan, it’s better me than Charlie. At least I don’t scream or shout.”
I shrug because she’s right.
Raven hands both of us some packages and then we go back to the living room. I free one arm and claim her around the waist.
“I’ve been patient enough, If you don’t find a place for us to sit together, I’m gonna end this party.”
She beams at me and leads us to a small chair in the corner where I situate her in my lap. She hands gifts out to everyone. Raven has done a great job picking out souvenirs specific to each person. The guys mostly get t-shirts, but each girl gets something different. Abbi squeals when she unravels a charcoal sketch. To me, it doesn’t look like much but I don’t pay attention to art.
“Dec, I have your present still in my room. I want to give it to you privately.” Raven whispers in my ear.
“You are my present, but I’ll take anything you want to give me privately.” I nibble on her earlobe and tighten my arms around her.
“For the love of Christ, can you two please quit? There’s a room full of people here.” Charlie yells.
Raven giggles and adjusts away from me; I growl at Charlie.
Robbie looks like he wants to kill me, but Jimi and Tripp laugh.
Charlie starts playing with her phone and texting someone.
“Rave, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?” Charlie asks.
Raven follows her, and I have a feeling this is not good. I wait a minute before I follow, picking up wrapping along the way, so I have an excuse to go into the kitchen. By the time I get there; all the girls have gathered, and Raven is sitting at the table with her head in her hands.
The tension is thick and I can tell something is wrong.
“He feels really bad. They all do. You weren’t here this summer. It was awful. You need to forgive them and go back to the way it was. Let them stop by.” Charlie pleads.
“Charlie, I’m not ready yet. It’s not that I don’t forgive them, but I’ve got a lot going on right now and I’m not ready to see them and play nice.”
“Rave, he means a lot to me and I need you two to get along.”
“Give me some time. I just got home.”
“He and the rest of the guys have been texting all night. Like it or not, they’re not going away.” Her voice is raised, and the guys in the other room crowd around to see what’s going on.
Kendall, Harper, and Ella are standing to the side.
“Charlie, let’s drop it for tonight. Declan already told me tonight’s not a good night. Maybe we can–” Abbi is interrupted.
“No! I’m not going to drop it. When does fucking Declan get to make all the decisions? Just because Raven forgave him and jumped back into his arms? What about her friends? Where the fuck is Finn–huh? Did Declan ban him because he was jealous about Paris? Get the fuck over it. He’s a part of your life. Don’t tell me it was his choice to spend the night with his parents and not his friends.”
Whoa! What the fuck is wrong with her?
There’s a collective hiss around the room, and it falls silent. Raven sobs, and Robbie and I both go to her. I know now that no one but Raven, Finn, Robbie, and me know the whole story. Charlie has no idea what she said would break Raven. My rage fills me, but Raven is more important right now.
“Charlie, I suggest you stop right now before you say something you regret. Go to bed and sleep off whatever shit you’re spewing. Tomorrow you can talk more.” Robbie says to her.
“What the fuck is going on? All I asked was for her to forgive my boyfriend and let him come celebrate with us. Then I mention our good friend, who’s suspiciously missing, and all the sudden I’m the bad guy. We all know Declan is jealous of Finn.”
Something in me snaps, and I turn my attention to her trying to calm my anger, but it’s not working. “Listen here, bitch, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut. Blake knew tonight wasn’t his chance to apologize, we discussed it. I’ve seen you drunk texting him all night, so you probably brought it up. As for Finn, I owe that man more than I can ever repay him. He’s the sole reason Raven is with me tonight. Am I jealous? Fuck yes because I know Finn’s a better man than me. But as for why he’s not here–you want to know why? Because he stayed in Paris to work and do a semester abroad, and it broke Raven’s fucking heart to leave him there. So you want to know what the fuck is going on–that’s it.”
The room stays silent for a few seconds until Raven starts shaking again. I pick her up and take her through the crowd of people to her room. I lay her down on her bed and hold her close until she calms down, and her breathing slows down. There are voices in the other room, and it sounds like Charlie is crying, but I don’t care. It’ll be a cold day in hell she ever talks like that to Raven again.
I grab my phone out of my pocket and shoot off a text to Blake
Me: where are you?
B: Around the corner. Waiting on permission to come in.
Me: Come get your drunk girlfriend who just ruined the whole fucking night. Don’t come in this house right now. I will have Abbi take her to the front porch.
B: What the fuck happened?
Me: Long story but get her out of here.
Then I send a message to Abbi to meet Blake on the front porch with Charlie.
I hear the front door open and close and then a knock on Raven’s door. Robbie opens slightly to check and see if it’s safe. When he sees her asleep on my chest, he walks over and sits on the end of the bed.
“Not sure I approve of you calling Charlie a bitch, but I liked the other stuff you said. I know Raven’s suffering in her own way, and Charlie had no right to say those things. As for Finn being a better man, you’re wrong. He’s one of the best men I know, but he’s not whom Raven fell in love with. Maybe if you weren’t ever in the picture they would have connected, but it’s too late now. Please don’t fuck up again, this time, I really will have to beat your ass.”
“I don’t plan on ever letting her d
own again. To be honest, we both suffered for no reason. It was my lack of communication and her unwavering support of Sayge that caused this heartache.”
“In all honesty, Declan, I know your band is going to succeed. You have what it takes, and your sound is in demand. But please take into account what the fame will do to a relationship. The travel, the shows, the temptation, it’s all going to be there.”
“I know, but Robbie, I’ve never loved anything like I love your sister. Not even my music. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.”
“Okay, man, next time I’ll bring tea and we can talk about our periods.” He shoves my shoulder and gets up to leave.
“Hey, Robbie?”
“Yeah?”
“Just to clarify, would it be considered a fuck-up if I convinced Raven to fly to Vegas and marry me as soon as possible?”
He smiles at me. “Don’t know if it will be considered a fuck up as much as a death wish.”
I laugh as he shuts the door behind him.
Chapter 12
Get it Over With
Raven
I listened to the conversation between Robbie and Declan last night but was too hurt to join in. I pretended to sleep until long after Robbie left. I’m not sure what time it was, but Declan rolled me over and helped me get dressed for bed. I think he knew I was awake, but he held me until I did fall asleep.
His body surrounds mine, and he pulls me as close as possible. I wiggle against him and feel him grow hard against my ass.
“Careful, baby, there’s still a house full of people out there.”
“Ummm, we can be quiet.”
“I don’t think so, why don’t we take a shower instead.”
“Okay, are we quieter in the shower?”
“We will be today.”
We get to the bathroom, and he turns on the shower while I brush my teeth. I fall into the routine we shared before I left. There’s a knock at my door and throw on my robe to answer.
Kendall and Harper are there and hand me two cups of coffee. Tears burn my eye again thinking about last night.
“RJ, we’re here for the weekend. We have a lot of time to talk. But Tripp is trying to make breakfast, and we wanted to warn you.” Kendall says.
“Please don’t let him burn down the kitchen. I’m going to take a quick shower, and I’ll be right there.”
I hurry to the bathroom and hop in the shower where Declan is waiting for me. I let my eyes roam his body where there are clearly more defined muscles. His arms are bigger, his abs are tighter, and his waist is cut all the way to his groin. He catches me checking him out and pulls me to him.
“The way you’re staring at me makes me wonder if we can be quieter in the shower.”
“You’re fucking hot. I like looking at you.”
He starts to wash my hair, and I take the opportunity to lather him with his shower gel. The smell is woodsy and fresh and heightens my arousal. When he finishes rinsing my hair, I run my hands up his chest and latch my arms around his neck. I rub against him and feel his erection on my stomach. He groans and bends down catching my mouth with his. Our tongues dance together, and I hop up, knowing he’ll catch me. His hands grasp my hips, and he backs me up against the tiled wall. Not breaking our kiss, he lowers me onto him. He fills me completely in one stroke. I squeeze him tightly, knowing he loves it. Without words he makes love to me slowly, every once in a while swiveling, so he hits me at a new angle. I break the kiss, tilt my hips and bury my face in his neck.
“You feel so fucking good, please don’t stop.” I pant in his ear.
I lean back slightly, instantly missing the warmth of our chests pressed together. Trying to hold onto my release a little longer, I watch where our bodies are joined moving in sync.
“You’re so tight at this angle, it’s driving me crazy. Come for me. I need you to let go. I can’t hold on.”
He starts pumping faster, and I run both my hands up into his hair. Laying my forehead against his, I stare into his eyes. They’ve changed to a darker shade of green and are full of passion. It hits me at once, and I bite down on my lips not to scream. He explodes in me at the same time chanting my name. We stay wrapped in each other for a few minutes, catching our breath. The water is starting to turn cold, so he sets me down to clean up. He showers off quickly to give me the remaining hot water and jumps out.
When I finish, he hands me a towel and leaves the bathroom. He returns fully dressed, and I give him a questioning look.
“I figured I should go out there first so it looks like you are showering alone. I’ll tell them you’ll be there soon.”
“Are you scared of my brother?”
“Yep, and he has three back-up helpers. It would suck to get beat down after such an incredible morning.” He winks at me, grabs our coffee cups and leaves.
I take my time getting ready, and since I’m alone, the scene from last night plagues me. I’ve never seen Charlie that pissed off with me. We’ve had some spats, but she was angry. It was intense, and she directed it at Declan and me. I knew she would be upset I wasn’t ready to see Blake yet, but to throw all that trash at Declan makes me curious.
I join the others in the kitchen as the smoke detector goes off. Tripp jumps back from the stove and Declan rushes over to help. A frying pan goes flying into the sink and the kitchen smells like scorched bacon. Gabe and Jimi are at the table laughing, and Robbie comes up behind me to asking what the hell happened. I open the back door and start fanning some of the smoke outside. Robbie opens some windows.
All the girls come out of the bedrooms waving their hands to fend off the smell.
I double over laughing and Tripp glares at me with no amusement at all.
“What the hell? Who knew bacon grease could catch fire?” he yells to no one in particular.
“I warned you, Raven, this could have been avoided if you didn’t take so long in the shower.” Kendall laughs with me.
I calm down and catch my breath. “Who doesn’t know how to cook bacon? I thought I was safe long enough to get cleaned up. Tripp you are officially banned from breakfast duty.”
“I was trying to be nice. Obviously my talents lie in the bedroom and not in the kitchen.”
“Ewww, that’s wrong on so many levels.”
“It’s not too late to find out for yourself, Baby Girl.”
“You do realize I am standing right here,” Declan growls at him. This causes a round of laughter from everyone except him.
“Okay, looks like we’re going out for breakfast.”
Robbie asks me to ride with him, and I know he wants to talk privately so I tell Declan we’ll meet him there.
“Is everything okay?” He looks worried and somewhat sad.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about last night. The whole thing with Charlie and then the thing with Finn. You seemed really upset.”
“I am upset; I’m not sure what set her off like that but it sliced me up when she started talking about Finn. I can’t help but feel a sense of guilt. He is one of my best friends; he’s family, and I hurt him.”
“RJ, I have no idea either. That’s between you two, and only a very few of us know the reasoning behind Finn’s trip to Europe. Hell, it took Gabe and Tripp weeks to figure it out. It’s not my business to tell you what to do, but I would be careful what you tell your friends. Finn’s got a sense of pride, and I wouldn’t want him hurt.”
“That’s the thing Robbie, I feel terrible. I tried. Believe me, I tried. He and I had some amazing experiences. He was my rock; some days he was even my foundation. I love him so much, but I’m ruined. I’m in love with Declan. Even with all that happened, Finn still held me at night knowing we would not go any further. And when he didn’t come home with me, my heart broke. Not because I wanted him pining for me, but because I miss him.”
“Raven, he knew the score. We talked about it before he left. I know he explained what happened after you got kidnapped, but what he didn’t tell you is that he ca
me to me. Then when you decided to leave for the summer due to the circumstances, he came to me again. I didn’t encourage him to follow you to Europe, but I didn’t discourage it, either. Your happiness is what I worry about, and I know Declan makes you happy. Finn’s loves you, I know this, but he doesn’t love you like Declan does. I see it and so does Finn. He called me and told me about the chance to stay back and not come home. At first, I assumed it was because of you, but then he explained this awesome opportunity. He may not have won your love as he hoped, but that isn’t why he didn’t come home with you. He still cares about you in a special way, and I hope you don’t let it ruin your friendship.”
“Really? I wasn’t the reason he stayed behind.”
“No, he really is excited about this job. And since school is so flexible, he can still work towards his degree. He’ll most likely be home for all the holidays.”
“That makes me feel better but I still miss him.”
“Yeah, me too. This is a good opportunity for him though.”
“So what do you think I should do about Charlie?”
“That girl is crazy. I think you should both sit out for a little while until things calm down. She made a fool out of herself throwing Finn in your face. She’s probably embarrassed.”
“Yeah, I’ll let her cool down for at least a day.”
We pull up in front of the restaurant and see our crowd at a large table. Declan saved two seats next to him. I know he’s curious what we talked about, but there is no way I’m getting into it with all these nosy ears around.
During breakfast, we tease Tripp endlessly about his culinary skills. He finally concedes he’s a terrible cook and promises to only make toast and coffee from now on. Even with all the laughter and banter, there are missing pieces.
“Hey guys, do we have any plans tonight?”
Everyone shakes their heads no.
“Why don’t we go to The Steamroom? I’ll cook dinner first.”
“Sounds like good times, I’ll even help with dinner.” Harper agrees.
Surviving Page 8
