Declare (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #4)

by Michelle Irwin

  My morning wood had turned into a full, raging boner, and I needed her. I made short work of my now-wet boxers. In the time it took to strip them off, she turned around and grinned at me. In two steps, I had her in my arms then claimed her under the water. I pulled her up and slid my cock into her ready pussy.

  “Fuck, baby,” I whispered into her neck.

  With my lips on hers, I pushed her against the tiles in the shower. A small squeal left her and her nipples hardened even further as the cold pressed into her back. I took one into my mouth and bit down gently. Alyssa gave a small cry of pained pleasure. Pinning her in place with a kiss, I pressed harder against her, slamming my cock into her and pushing her body flush against the wall. The sounds of our bodies slapping together under the water filled the room like a fucking symphony. Dipping my head, I ran my tongue up between her breasts, sucking in some of the water as it cascaded down.

  I wanted to enjoy Alyssa some more—the pace my body was setting was much too fast—so I sank to the ledge in the shower, pulling her down with me. She climbed on top of me and slid over my cock. Her hips rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. I used the extra freedom to explore her body more thoroughly with my hands. My fingers found her nipples and they danced there for a moment, pulling, rolling, and gently twisting them.

  She gave a delicious groan when my thumb brushed against her clit.

  I ran my hands around to cup her arse before pushing her hips down harder on me while pushing up with my own. I brushed her clit again, and she brought her eyes to mine. The love and passion I saw there filled me with confidence. It was exactly the boost I needed to face the day ahead—my first day back at Sinclair Racing.

  The day was going to go well, but I would miss the hell out of her. My time in Brisbane had spoiled me with late nights, sleep-ins, and lots of uninterrupted time with both of my girls. Getting back to reality was going to be tough.

  Wanting to enjoy the precious moments we had before real life came crashing into my day, I moved my thumb against her clit softly, no longer caring for my own needs or desires. I wanted to make her feel good. I wanted to show her how much I fucking loved her. While she moved her hips in a delicate pattern, I continued gently thrusting. My other hand cupped her face and guided her mouth to mine. I pushed my tongue forward to meet hers and closed my eyes, relishing her body’s response to my touch.

  Her hips swivelled against my hand and dick as she found her way to her climax. I kissed her long and hard until she was unable to contain her orgasm any longer, and she dropped her head back to moan softly into the water. When that happened, I simply moved my attention from her mouth to her breasts. Her hands clenched around my shoulders, and her nails dug into my skin. My tongue flicked across her nipple as my thumb grazed her clit one final time before she found her release around me.

  “Fuck, baby, you’re so beautiful when you come.”

  She dropped her head to my shoulder as she came back down to earth. Once her breathing was almost back to normal, I stood, pulling her up with me. I kissed the tip of her nose and smiled at her. I turned to grab the shampoo, but when I turned back with a dollop in my hand, Alyssa grabbed hold of my dick and began to stroke lightly. All thoughts of actually getting clean in the shower flew out the window as I got lost in her touch. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the glass of the shower wall.

  The next instant, I felt her warm mouth close around me, and I whimpered with pleasure. I felt my balls tighten almost immediately. My fingers found her hair, running back and forth through her wet locks as she sucked my length in and out, and my knees grew weak as the sensation overwhelmed me. The intensity was too much for me to bear, and I soon grunted as I found my own release, collapsing back against the wall.

  “Wow!” I panted. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning to you too,” Alyssa said, a huge grin on her face.

  “So, do I get a wake-up like that every morning for work?”

  She swiped at my shoulder with her hand playfully before answering, “Maybe not every morning.”

  It was the best start to the day I could have asked for. I was feeling so blissed out that nothing could bring me down. We finished our shared shower and got dressed before waking Phoebe up. She was starting at her day care in preparation for Alyssa’s return to work the following week. The reasoning was that it was better to have Phoebe get used to full days while Alyssa was available to pick her up early if it was absolutely needed.

  Thankfully, Phoebe had been excited about her new “school” when we told her about it. So excited, in fact, that she’d picked out her outfit while I was unpacking the car. Apparently, she’d pulled one outfit out of her suitcase. Then another. And another. Finally, she had worn herself out so much that she couldn’t make any more choices and had fallen asleep. That was where Alyssa had found her the night before.

  After we woke Phoebe, she picked a new outfit. Then, an hour and three more last-minute clothing changes later, we finally had her wrangled and in the car.

  She chatted animatedly while I drove, and Alyssa held my hand in the passenger seat.

  Truly, life couldn’t get any better.

  We arrived at the day care earlier than we had planned, which turned out to be a good thing as Phoebe sobbed into Alyssa, refusing to let her go. All of the previous night’s excitement had fizzled away and only fear remained. Finally, one of the caregivers had to simply pull Phoebe away and try to distract her with some toys, while I tugged Alyssa away.

  Once we were back in the car, Alyssa sat staring at her hands. “I shouldn’t have left her there. She’s going to hate it. They’re not going to look after her properly. They . . .”

  “Alyssa, baby, shhh,” I whispered, trying to infuse my voice with as much calm as I could. “She’ll be fine. We looked at the options, remember, and Eden checked it out for us. We picked this one because they had the best caregivers.”

  “But—”

  “No buts. She’ll be fine.”

  She gave a little nod before turning to me. “Okay. I’m all right now. Thank you.”

  We drove on to Sinclair Racing headquarters. As soon as we pulled into the car park, I was the one who needed to be calmed. The building loomed into view and my hands began to shake.

  Pull yourself together, fucktard.

  My thoughts did shit all to calm me. I let out an uneven breath as Alyssa and I climbed from the car after I had parked it. With my hand shaking, I dropped my car keys into her hand.

  “You’ll be fine,” Alyssa whispered, kissing my cheek.

  “Of course I will,” I lied.

  “I’ll be back later to pick you up.”

  I nodded. “Promise me you won’t go pick Phoebe up early,” I said.

  She looked at me innocently. Too fucking innocently.

  “Promise?”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, but nodded. “I promise.”

  I pulled her to me and kissed her tenderly. I filled my mind with her scent and the feel of her touch so I could get through the day without her by my side. This was us, living in the real world. I walked up to the glass doors, pausing briefly to take a deep breath. I reached for my security card to gain access, but then I remembered I didn’t have it anymore. Danny had destroyed the old one and had refused to give me a new one until I actually started back at work.

  After sucking down one more breath, I pressed the buzzer and waited for security to come to the door. It was the height of fucking embarrassment, waiting for someone to escort me in. I swore that if anyone even so much as smirked at me, I was going to beat their fucking arses.

  Luckily, the security guard was quick and didn’t seem to find my situation amusing in the least.

  “Declan,” he greeted me with a nod. He led me straight into his little security office, snapping a photo of me for my new pass. Within minutes, he’d printed the card.

  When he handed it to me, I cast my eyes over it quickly. After a moment, I looked again, because there was so
mething unexpected on the pass. “Wait . . . there’s a mistake here,” I said.

  Under Employment, it had, Mechanic/Driver.

  The guard cast his eye over the page in front of him, and then looked at his computer. “Nope, that’s what I got.”

  Maybe it was a practical joke, but there wasn’t an ounce of amusement in his voice.

  “But it says driver,” I said, my voice pitching slightly higher than normal. I tried desperately to shake the hope that maybe, just maybe, Danny had already changed his mind and was letting me back behind the wheel of a ProV8.

  “Yep, that’s what I was told,” the guard said. “If there’s a problem, you’ll have to take it up with the boss man. I’ve got instructions to take you straight to him anyway.”

  After giving a small nod to let him know I’d heard, I stared at the card in front of me. The word “driver” was printed in letters so small they may have seemed insignificant, but they leapt off the card and danced in front of my eyes with such promise that I couldn’t help but grin.

  As I followed the security guard to Danny’s office, I clutched my security pass tightly. I slipped my hand, pass and all, into the pocket of my jeans. I silently dared anyone to try to take that little piece of plastic from me.

  Driver. I could still see the word emblazoned in front of my eyes; six little black letters that meant so much.

  The guard left me at the door to Danny’s office, and I knocked to get permission to come in.

  “Enter,” Danny called from his desk.

  I walked into the room with a newfound purpose. Driver.

  “Declan Reede,” Danny started, a small but welcoming smile crossing his features. “I trust everyone is settled in at home.”

  I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Danny raised an eyebrow at me. I wondered if he could sense my excitement and my willingness to toe the company line if it meant I could be back in the hot seat. Or maybe he was just relieved that there hadn’t been any new scandals despite my plans for New Year’s.

  “Liam is very excited to have you on board,” Danny said. “Although, I have to say you are the oldest first-year apprentice we’ve ever had.”

  I nodded, afraid that talking would break whatever magical spell or good mood Danny was in.

  “I also have some news, Declan, concerning your position here.”

  “Yes?” I forced out around my nerves and building excitement.

  “I’ve decided to run another car this year.”

  My mouth involuntarily crept into a grin. Another car. Three V8s—three drivers. I swallowed down the huge bubble of excitement building in my middle. With thoughts of being back in the car again racing through my head, I had to remind myself to breathe.

  Already, I could smell the rubber and hot bitumen. Could feel the vibration of the car on the track. Sense the heat in the cabin. It was all so familiar and I wanted it all so desperately. Danny continued to talk, but I was lost. My mind filled with the track, with the music of the machine, and with the hum of the crowds trackside at an event. It pulsed through my veins and hummed in my ears. Perfect.

  “. . . of course, your pit duties will take precedence on race day,” he finished.

  “Huh?” I asked, confused because I hadn’t listened to the first part of his conversation. My mind raced over the possibilities of how I could be in the pits and on the track at the same time. It didn’t make sense.

  “I don’t want you losing that unique touch that makes you such a skilled driver,” he said. “But I also think the time with Liam will serve you well. Understanding how the cars tick can only help in the long run.”

  I nodded, wishing I could ask him to repeat himself, but knowing that admitting I hadn’t been paying attention wouldn’t be the best move right now. Not within the first hour of being back on board.

  “So?” Danny asked. “Do you want to see your new car?”

  I grinned. “Fuck yes!”

  “I have to say, Declan, you’re really surprising me,” he said as he pointed me out of the office toward the garages. “I wasn’t sure how you would take this. I was a bit worried, in fact, but you seem to be very understanding.”

  “I get to drive again,” I said. “That’s all that matters.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. That sort of mature attitude is going to take you far.”

  As soon as we reached the shed, Liam came over. His palms were greasy, but he stuck it out for me to shake regardless. It was clearly a test, so I met his eye and shook his hand anyway. I had worked on my karts when I used to race them, and serviced my own cars at home, so I wasn’t exactly afraid of a bit of grease.

  “Welcome aboard, kid.” He chuckled, slapping me on my back.

  “Thanks, Spanners,” I said, using the nickname his crew had given him. Drivers and the team management almost never used the nickname, but I figured if I was going to be working alongside him, I should get used to it. After all, it would seem like I was brownnosing to use his real name. It would be easier to be accepted if I acted like I belonged in the pits. More than anything, I had to be one of the boys if I wanted to find my feet there—not that I’d need them for long if I was going to be back in the driver seat.

  “That reminds me,” he said. “We’ll have to think of a nickname for you too, kid.”

  “Try squirt,” Morgan called as he made his way over to us. “It always worked for me.”

  “Fuck off,” I hissed at him. That nickname had been nothing but trouble for me over the years.

  “Aww, is ickle squirt angwy about his nickname?” Morgan asked in a mock-baby voice. He slapped me on the back. “Seriously though, dude, welcome back.”

  “Fuck you very much,” I replied through gritted teeth.

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble fitting in with the boys down here with that attitude,” Liam said. “I never really doubted that too much anyway, or else I never would have agreed to Danny’s suggestion. I wouldn’t want to put a cat among the pigeons.”

  I nodded, but was largely ignoring him because I saw Danny pull out his key card to get into the end shed. The new car was obviously in there. I wondered whether it was a brand-new VFII Commodore or one of the old VFs rebuilt. Not that I minded either way; I was just happy to be back.

  I stood anxiously behind Danny as he pushed open the door. The car was red and almost bare, with only a handful of sponsor stickers. Based on the placement, I guessed they were the series sponsors stickers and nothing to do with the team. But worse, so much worse, was that it was not the car I was expecting.

  Not even close.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shouted as I took in the car. To say it wasn’t what I expected was a goddamned understatement. To say the sight of it pissed me the fuck off would be, too. “What the fuck is that?”

  Danny turned to me, surprised. “That’s the new car. We’re trialling the series this year, as a privateer for now. If it’s successful, we’ll run it again next year with sponsors.”

  “But,” I said incredulously, “it’s a fucking Mini!”

  “You’d be surprised how much the crowds are getting behind these cars,” Danny said. He shot a pointed glance at Liam, who left the room without saying another word. In fact, Liam looked almost relieved for the opportunity to escape.

  Oh, fuck.

  Danny shut the door and locked it so that we were completely alone before he turned back to me.

  “Why didn’t you give me this reaction up in my office?” he asked with a voice of ice and steel.

  Fuck. I’d fucked up again.

  “That’s why I met you up there first.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me in front of everyone? Because I guarantee you, Declan, that will not work out well for you. Not as far as a position here goes at least.”

  “Shit, no, fuck,” I said, trying to backpedal as fast as I could. “I just, uh, well, I-just-thought-it-would-be-a-V8.” The words tumbled from my mouth as
one jumbled mess.

  “A V8?” He was incredulous and his eyes flashed with something akin to disbelief.

  I swallowed down the rising tide of oh fucks and holy shits that bubbled to my tongue.

  “After everything I told you about sponsors and racing when we discussed you coming back, you seriously thought I’d put you back into a V8 already? Do you have any idea how much those things cost to run? To fix? I can’t do that without sponsors, and no one is willing to put their name anywhere near your reputation at the moment.”

  “So, who’s paying for this car then?” I asked, confused.

  “I am.” Danny’s voice was still cold. Hard.

  Fuck!

  “I thought you’d appreciate the fact that I was trying to ensure you still had some time on the track and would be able to keep your skills honed, even if it isn’t in the car you wanted. But if you’re satisfied with wielding a goddamned wrench for the rest of your life, then suit yourself.”

  I needed to do some serious backpedalling, and a shitload of grovelling. “No, fuck, I mean thanks. I get it. I was just . . . surprised.” I looked at the Mini again and winced.

  Why a Mini? Why couldn’t I just go back to a fucking production car or some shit? Even as the thought struck me, I knew the answer. It was also a test. My life until I got back behind the wheel properly was no doubt going to be a series of fucking tests to see if I had the mettle and maturity to be driving again. Until I’d proven it without a doubt, Danny wouldn’t let me near anything more expensive.

  Well, if that was what they wanted to do, I would just have to man the fuck up and deal. At least I would be back racing competitively again.

  Even if it was in a fucking Mini.

  THE REST of my first day back at Sinclair Racing passed relatively smoothly. Most of the mechanics seemed to be willing to accept me—even if they did choose the nickname Spark Plug for me because I was replaced so easily when the spark went out of my career. Fuckers.

  The only dark patch on my day, besides the fucking drama with the Mini, was Hunter Blake, the fucking psycho who’d replaced me in the driver seat and seemed to have made it his objective to give me hell. And not in a “find me a left-handed screwdriver” way, like the boys in the sheds.