by Anthology
But he wasn’t feeling too crazy at the moment. More like sated and exhausted, after the two rounds of intense fucking they just experienced. She’d been insatiable, attacking him the moment they walked into the house, tearing her bra and shirt off and pretty much jumping him in the foyer.
He’d somehow taken control of the situation, backing her against the door and fucking her right there. She’d screamed his name when she came and then dragged him back to his bedroom, where he brought her to another orgasm with his mouth. And then his cock.
Three times tonight. That made four orgasms total for Reagan today. Damn, she was lucky to have him. Almost as lucky as he was to have her.
Smiling, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, whispering against her skin, “It won’t be long.”
“It’s going to feel like forever.” She tweaked his nipple with her fingers, making him grunt. “I wish I could go with you.”
“Who says you can’t come visit me?”
“No way.” She shook her head, her hair brushing against his face and making his nose twitch. “I don’t know if I can get the time off.”
“I’m sure you could.”
“I can’t afford the plane ticket.”
“I’d pay for it.” They could go ’round and ’round all night—he’d always have an answer to her argument, and she knew it. He didn’t play fair because he didn’t have to. When it came to Reagan, he’d take care of her every need, no matter what.
“I’d just be in your way the entire time.”
“Not at all. I’d love it if you could come visit me.” He kissed her temple, let his lips slide down to her cheek. “Think about it. Maybe you could come for a weekend.”
She smiled, her eyes sliding closed. “Maybe.”
“Probably.” He kissed a path to her lips and she turned her head toward his, their mouths meeting, opening, tongues sliding together. “Just say yes, baby.”
“Maybe,” she said again, a low murmur against his lips. “I’ll see if I can get a few extra days off at work.”
“Take a week off if you can. We can explore the city.” His new movie was filming in Montreal, a city he’d never been to before. Not that he’d get much time to check it out. The filming schedule was tight. He knew he was pushing it, encouraging Reagan to visit him when he probably wouldn’t have much time to devote to her, but at the moment, he wasn’t thinking much beyond his own selfish needs.
And his selfish needs were fixated on having Reagan with him as much as possible.
“That sounds nice,” she said, her voice sleepy sounding. She’d resumed touching him again, her fingers light as they traced gentle paths across his chest, and he closed his eyes as he began to scratch her back. “Did you know Luke asked Andrea to marry him?”
His eyes popped open at that question. Staring up at the ceiling, he murmured, “Really? What did she say?”
“Yes, of course. He wants to take her ring shopping, wants her to pick it out because she deserves to have the perfect ring and he was afraid he’d somehow mess it up. So he gave her a necklace with a giant diamond dangling from it as an engagement gift,” Reagan explained.
“Huh.” Sounded like something Luke would do. He may be a big, bad, tough football player out on the field, but he was a total teddy bear when the uniform came off. He’d had a serious thing for Andrea from the moment he first met her. The man was head over heels in love with the woman and had no problem letting everyone know it.
Declan could relate, but marriage? That seemed so permanent, so final. Yeah, he’d been thinking a lot lately about making Reagan his in a more permanent sense. She meant a lot to him. He was in love with her and couldn’t imagine his life without her. He’d even thought about the E word—as in engagement—but…well.
He always chickened out. Pushed the thought out of his mind. He had so much going on with his life and so did Reagan. Could they fit an engagement and eventual marriage into it? Did they want to?
“She finally showed us the diamond necklace. She was embarrassed, can you imagine? It was so beautiful.” Reagan sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.
“You want a diamond necklace, baby?” He’d give her a thousand of them if she wanted. Anything to make her happy. Hell, he had one stashed in a drawer that he picked up last week at a fine jewelry store on Rodeo. He’d tagged along with a friend who was shopping for a birthday present for his wife and the next thing Declan knew, he was buying something too. He just hadn’t figured out when the best time would be to give it to her yet.
“No. I’m not saying that.” She shook her head, her hair brushing against his neck, catching on the stubble that lined his jaw. “That diamond necklace is changing her life. Andrea gave her notice at both her job and her apartment. She’s packing everything up and moving to Seattle in less than a month.”
“You’ll miss her.” He didn’t bother to word it as a question. He knew she’d miss her friend. She adored Andrea.
“Terribly, but I’ll go visit her. I hear Seattle is awesome.”
“We can go together. I’d like to go visit Luke.” He slipped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close, thankful the conversation deviated from the marriage stuff. Sometimes he thought he was ready but when shit got serious, he panicked.
Best not to mention it at all.
“What time is your flight again tomorrow?” she asked after she yawned.
“Seven. I have a car coming to pick me up at five.” He grimaced when he glanced at the clock. It was already past midnight. He had his alarm on his phone set for four-thirty, and that was going to come extra quick. He could sleep on the plane, but damn, he was going to be dragging ass for most of the day.
“That’s awful.” She dropped little kisses across his chest. “You’ll text me when you land? Call me when you get to the hotel?”
“You know it.” He leaned down as she tilted her head up and kissed her again because he couldn’t resist. “I love you, Reagan.”
“I love you too,” she said softly, all the love she had for him shining brightly in her eyes.
He swallowed hard, smoothing his hand over her hair before he brought her in close, tucking her face in the spot where his neck met his shoulder. He could sleep like this with her for hours.
Forever.
She woke up when he first left, the sensation of his warm, firm lips pressing a kiss to hers, breathing a soft, “Goodbye, baby. I’ll miss you.”
Without thought, she sat up, her arms outstretched, and he leaned into her embrace, kissing her cheek, her neck, smelling so good, tasting even better. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and acted like she never wanted to let go.
Which she didn’t, as embarrassing as that was.
But eventually, he disentangled himself from her grip and kissed her again on top of her head before he made his escape, whispering, “Get some sleep, love,” before he snuck out of the room.
She didn’t remember falling back asleep. She almost wondered if she’d ever been fully awake when Declan left, and that filled her with sadness when she finally, really woke up. The sun was out, his bedroom flooded with light from the crack in the curtains that covered the giant sliding glass door, and she rolled over onto her side, yelping when she hit something sharp.
Rolling back over, she sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes as she glanced around the room, taking in the stillness, the utter quietness that enveloped her.
She missed him. Wasn’t used to being at his house without him. She planned on taking a shower, yanking off the sheets and putting them in the laundry room for his housekeeper to wash, and then she was out. She didn’t like being here without him. It didn’t feel right.
Shoving the comforter off of her, she was about to push herself out of the bed when her hand landed again on something sharp. She grasped the object in her hand and pulled it out from beneath the covers to find a narrow black velvet box with a stiff gold bow on top of it, a tiny card tucked beneath the bow.
; Giddiness filled her heart, and with trembling fingers she plucked the card from the box, opening it slowly. She wanted to make this moment last.
What could he have left for her?
She read the note, tears blurring her vision, and she wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, frustrated with herself. Why was she being so emotional? It was ridiculous, but oh, his note. It was simple, but he knew just what to say.
So you won’t forget me while I’m gone.
Love you,
Declan
Sniffing loudly, she set the tiny notecard on the edge of her knee and reached for the box, cracking it open as carefully as possible.
What she saw nestled inside made her suck in a sharp breath.
It was a necklace. But not just any necklace—it was a diamond necklace. The chain was thin and silver—or maybe that was white gold? Or, God, maybe even platinum? That seemed more Declan’s style. He didn’t go half ass with anything he did, always spending a lot of money on gifts, clothes for himself, furniture for his house, anything that he desired. Anything she desired too.
She knew, she could tell, that this necklace he’d given her was of the finest quality.
The diamond pendant was a princess cut, so large it looked almost unreal. She withdrew it from the box and held it up to the light, letting the chain dangle from her fingers so the pendant swayed back and forth. Twinkling so brightly she squinted when it hit a particular spot in the sunlight.
He’d given her a diamond necklace. Where did he get it? And when would he have found the time to get it? She’d told him the story of Andrea and Luke only hours ago. She assumed that was why the necklace appeared—because she told him about Luke’s gift for Andrea.
So what did this mean? Was it a promise? Or was it just…a gift that happened to be a diamond necklace?
She wasn’t sure. And she didn’t want to read too much into it either. Glancing at her phone, she saw it was past nine. Surely her friends were up. And she was going to send them a group text so it wasn’t like she’d wake their lazy asses up.
Declan gave me a gift.
The text was sent before she could second-guess herself, and within seconds her phone was ringing, Andrea’s name flashing on the screen.
“What was it?” she asked when Reagan answered.
“You’ll never believe it,” Reagan started, and Andrea interrupted her:
“An engagement ring.”
“No. Not even.” Well… “It was a diamond necklace. And oh my God, it’s gorgeous. The stone is so big it looks fake!”
“So what does this gift mean?” Andrea asked.
“I don’t know. I have no idea. He just…left it here for me to discover after he was gone. What could he mean by giving me a diamond necklace? I told him what Luke did for you, and I feel like it’s some sort of sign.” Yeah, she did, but then again…she just had no clue. That was what drove her crazy. He was on a plane flying across the country and she was left sitting in his bed naked, clutching a diamond necklace close and babbling to her friend like an idiot.
“Was there a note with the necklace?”
“Yes. It said, ‘So you won’t forget me while I’m gone.’ Like I could,” she practically snorted, clutching the necklace in her hand, the diamond’s edges cutting into her palm.
“Aw, that’s sweet. How romantic.” Andrea sighed. “You two are perfect for each other.”
“Says my sappy friend who’s so madly in love with someone she just agreed to marry him.” Reagan sighed too. “I can’t believe you’re getting married!”
“Please, you’re rushing things. Just say engaged. Who knows when the wedding will happen? There’s so much to plan it makes me overwhelmed. I’m just excited about the next adventure in my life. Moving to Seattle, moving in with Luke.” Andrea paused. “I think you’re about to go on your next adventure in life too, you know. With Declan.”
“You really think so?” She sounded hopeful. Too hopeful. But she was talking to Andrea. Natalie would give her grief, but Andrea wouldn’t. She’d understand.
“I do,” Andrea said firmly. “Now snap a pic of that necklace and send me a text. I want to check it out.”
Reagan laughed. “Will do. Want a tit shot too?”
Andrea laughed harder, then groaned, muttering under her breath about a tequila hangover. “No thanks. I already saw your tits last night.”
Chapter Nine
Six weeks later…
Reagan slipped her key into the lock on Declan’s front door, slowly opening it and peeking inside. Within his home, it was quiet and dark, the hum of the refrigerator the only sound, and she closed the door behind her, wrenching the lock back into place.
She crept through the house like a criminal, not wanting to disturb a thing. It was obnoxiously clean, the wood floors polished to a shine, the giant rug in the middle of his living room fluffy from a recent vacuum. The scent of lemon lingered in the air and she was sure the housekeeper had been here most likely this afternoon, getting everything perfect for Declan’s return.
Anticipation rode her hard as she rushed down the hall toward his bedroom. The voicemail Declan left her earlier this morning had been a very specific request.
I want you naked and in my bed by six o’clock tonight. Can you do that for me, baby?
She’d texted him back that she could. Oh, how she could. His plane was supposed to touch down at LAX at approximately 4:45 p.m. She was so excited to see him she could barely stand it. It was almost five-thirty now. He’d be here in little over a half hour as long as nothing held him back.
Her phone dinged at that precise moment, and she checked her messages to see a text from Declan. Was he a mind reader? She was starting to think so.
I’m in Los Angeles. In a car. On my way home to you.
Smiling, she clutched her phone as she stared at what he’d written her. Since arriving in Canada, he’d been the epitome of the perfect long-distance boyfriend. Sending her plenty of texts and photos of where he was filming throughout the day. Long phone calls at night, some of them ending in a more sexual nature. Once, he’d sent her a dick pic, a photo that had sent a bittersweet yearning rushing through her, and she missed him so bad.
Bad enough that she’d made arrangements to see him over a quick three-day weekend. He’d been able to take a little time off to spend with her, but really she’d only had him during the nights, though she’d taken advantage of that sliver of time with him.
A smile curled her lips as she remembered the way they’d heated up between the sheets those nights. Yeah, she’d totally taken advantage of that time, and so had he.
But he was back, and she was so thankful. She never wanted to be apart from him for that long again, though she knew her thoughts were ridiculous. It came with the territory of his job. She had to get used it.
She kept thinking back to what he said to her, though, her second night in Canada, both of them sharing a giant hot fudge sundae Declan had ordered from room service at one in the morning. They’d sat naked in bed, spoon-feeding each other vanilla ice cream drenched in hot fudge, when he’d said, as casually as he pleased, “You could quit your job and spend all of your time with me, you know.”
The laughter that had fallen from her lips had seemed to hurt his feelings almost, which was weird. He wasn’t what she would call overly sensitive, not by a long shot. So she’d clamped her mouth shut and told him, after she offered him an extra big bite of ice cream smothered with fudge, “That’s the craziest idea you’ve ever come up with.”
“Something to consider.” He’d shot her a look, his hair a mess, scruff lining his cheeks and jaw, the tiniest dab of hot fudge in the corner of his mouth. At that exact moment she knew if he asked her again, at that very second, she would’ve said yes. No hesitation. She’d give up whatever she was doing to be with him. Not because he demanded her to.
Because she wanted to be with him as much as possible. Maybe she could work as a nurse on set with him. Not like she wanted to give
up her job, but she loved Declan so much, she wanted to be with him as much as possible. They’d figure something out.
She knew they would.
Entering his bedroom, she set her purse and overnight bag on the dresser closest to the door and started shedding her work uniform. She’d gotten off shift early, making arrangements to trade schedules with one of her fellow nurses so she could ensure she’d be here when Declan came home. She also had tomorrow off so she could sleep in and spend the day with him.
She tore off her top and kicked off her pants, gathering her scrubs and tossing them into the empty hamper that sat in Declan’s giant walk-in closet. Just being in there, she could smell him, his scent, his cologne clinging to his clothes. Breathing deep, she closed her eyes, savoring the smell, her belly trembling in excitement because she knew she’d see him soon.
After she stripped off her underwear, she grabbed her overnight bag and went into the connecting bathroom, starting up the shower and hopping in real quick so she could get all the work grime off.
Preparing for her man’s return, she thought amusedly once she finished her shower and dried off, slathering her favorite lotion all over her body, every nook and crevice she could reach. It was the one that made Declan always say he wanted to take a bite out of her when she wore it. She wanted to smell good. Wanted to drive him crazy with wanting her.
The spot between her thighs pulsed with need and she tried to ignore it. She was so tempted to touch herself, to take the edge off, but she refused. She relished the ache and the need. Only Declan could truly satisfy her. Her busy, fumbling fingers would only be a less than satisfying substitute. She needed more.
She needed Declan.
More than anything, she wanted everything to be perfect for his arrival. Yes, he’d requested she be naked when he found her in his bed, but she had a plan.
And she had a feeling he’d like it. A lot.
