by Mara Jacobs
“You went to a hotel alone after that ordeal?”
He didn’t think it wise to mention the offers he’d had for beds from the women still at the party. His agent was only in town for Declan’s last game, and staying at a hotel himself. Declan reached for Marlee’s hand. “Yes, I went to a hotel. Alone. It was four in the morning, my house was a wreck, I had nowhere to go for the next few nights, and the one woman I wanted was home alone in her bed without me.”
It had been an overwhelming day on all accounts. His last game as a professional athlete, a loss—which Declan never easily put from his mind in all the years he had played—meeting Marlee, and the fire. Yet it was thoughts of Marlee that kept him from falling asleep for several hours after he’d checked into a Brookline hotel. She was so different from most of the women he knew, and yet something about her seemed so comfortable, so familiar.
“I’m so sorry. What a horrible thing to have happen.”
“Thanks. Like I said, I’m just thankful nobody was hurt. The damage could have been a lot worse. Actually, if it had to happen, the timing of it was pretty good. I’m meeting this week with the insurance people, the contractors, and the cleaning crews, and then next week, while I’m in New York, they’ll be able to do most of the repairs. It should be all ready by the time I’m back.”
“But you won’t be living there much longer, will you? I mean, you’ll be moving to New York, right?”
Declan had thought that scenario through several times. It hinged, of course, on him being offered something from the networks. “I’ve decided to keep my house. I really like it, I’ve been in it nearly six years, and I’ve put a lot of work into it to get it just the way I want it. I’ll get an apartment in New York, or Connecticut if I get on with ESPN. I’ll be traveling a ton anyway, so I might as well have a home base here, right in the good ol’ Beantown. I can be at Logan in forty-five minutes on a good day, with all the lights in my favor.”
“I don’t blame you, it’s a great house. And though I only saw a small part of it, I really liked it. It reminded me of mine—on a much larger scale, of course. But kind of what I’d do with my dream house if I had an NFL salary.”
“Thanks. I’d like to say you’ll get to see every square inch of it, especially all four bedrooms”—Declan gave her a devilish smile—“but it’s not going to be up to visitors for some time now.”
What neither of them said, but both of them thought, was that by the time Declan’s home was again presentable, they would have gone their separate ways.
“Right. To work, then.”
By mutual agreement, they both parted and went to their respective corners.
Chapter Six
An easy flow between them came for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Marlee ran through her entire lecture while Declan watched, wrote notes, and, she surmised, feigned interest in a subject that couldn’t possibly hold any interest to him.
After she was done, they rotated the large TV so they could sit in the comfortable talk-show set chairs and watch the playback. They turned the chairs so that they both faced the TV. Declan moved his chair so that he was close enough for their legs to touch.
She paused the tape at each point where she wanted to relate what she was saying to football. Declan would give her an idea and she’d mark it in her notes. He had some very good ideas, and she was a bit unsettled at his grasp of the content. She had toned it down a little due to her upcoming new audience’s lack of expertise, but, as it stood now, until she did more editing, it was still pretty heady stuff, with lots of statistics.
Declan became excited and was incredibly helpful when Marlee gave him her itinerary of scheduled lectures. “Duke is your first stop? Duke in mid-January? Marlee, you’ve got to talk about basketball there, not football.”
“I know even less about basketball than I do football.” As Declan brushed aside her objection with a swift wave of his hand, she continued, “You don’t seem to understand. If I go in and make a mockery of my speech by adding too much sports talk, and it’s obvious that I know nothing about it, it will highly negate my credibility. And I need that credibility to help get some good funding passed.”
Declan ignored Marlee and said, “Look, I’ll write it all out tonight, the basketball phraseology as compared to the football. Then I’ll mark on your itinerary which stops you should use the football and which ones the basketball, okay? It’ll be fine, Marlee. Look at how quickly you picked up the football stuff. We have it interspersed cleanly throughout your lecture; all you need to do is practice it a few times, then learn the basketball parts and get those down. Piece of cake.”
Marlee knew it would be. She had great memorization ability, and it had served her well whenever she had to do a lecture circuit. She had her speeches on cards and written out long-hand, and, of course, a visual presentation to go with it, but she seldom glanced at anything when she spoke. She was, after all, an expert on public speaking.
She would just simply become as familiar with the football and basketball jargon, and the incorporations would be flawless. Today was only Monday, she had the rest of the week to work on it. And to work with Declan, she reminded herself.
Thank goodness she was so polished at public speaking. Being in a small room with Declan after he had bestowed that passionate kiss upon her was more distracting than a room of two thousand people. It had taken several minutes for her heart rate to return to normal and her body to stop aching. She had covered by taking an inordinate amount of time setting up the video equipment and the podium stage.
“Thank you. I really do appreciate your help with this. I know it’ll be much better than if I just threw in some football terms.” She was disappointed that he had said he’d work on it tonight. She had hoped that maybe they’d be spending the evening together.
“You’re welcome. Listen, I know it’s early for dinner, but we skipped lunch and I’m starving. Let me take you out somewhere. I’d love to cook for you, Marlee, but my kitchen…”
Marlee could almost see a wince as he remembered the current state of his home.
“Do you cook often?” Marlee couldn’t wrap her mind around the vision of big, bad football player Declan in a kitchen.
“All the time. I love to cook. I had my kitchen specially designed. It was great.”
She smiled at him, picturing him in the kitchen. He smiled back, and then his gaze dropped to her mouth. Remembering their earlier kiss, she licked her lips.
He let out a low growl, then said, “Come on, I need something to eat, and I need to get my hands on you.” Having near the same thoughts herself, she quickly headed for the coat rack and began throwing her notes into her satchel.
They had a fast bite to eat at a diner just off campus, one of her favorite places to pick up something on her way home when she didn’t feel like cooking.
She was amazed at how many times Declan was interrupted for autographs. She knew he was a star athlete, but had not put it in everyday terms before. Young Boston College coeds openly propositioned him, and to Marlee’s delight he politely brushed them all off.
Marlee was stunned to realize one of the girls was a student who had four-pointed her theory of speech course last year. Marlee had assumed that the studious girl had a better head on her shoulders than to openly make a pass at a man she didn’t know. But then, was Marlee any better? She quickly let that thought drop from her mind. Declan had made the pass at her, right? She was merely responding in kind. Right, girlfriend, tell yourself another!
Every time they had more than a few minutes of uninterrupted time, Declan would turn the talk to their immediate, and incredibly strong, attraction for each other. He was as blunt as he had been the previous night, telling her how attracted to her he was. He found the subject curious and wanted to deeply explore it. The topic flustered Marlee, but if she was honest with herself—and she had decided that throughout this little fling she would need to be honest with herself or risk being hurt—she was also very ar
oused. Declan’s casual comments of what he’d envisioned them doing earlier, as she stood behind the podium, seeped into her body, making it both languid and tense.
“I know it’s the speaker who is supposed to envision the audience in their underwear, but darlin’, it was definitely the other way around today.”
“Don’t laugh, I’ve used that technique.” She was trying to deflect the subject, but Declan wouldn’t allow it.
“Maybe it has something to do with yesterday being my last game, how uncertain my future is, and how stable and secure you seem to be. I don’t know. I really don’t want to analyze it to death, Marlee, I just know that I want you. Badly.” As Marlee opened her mouth to comment on that, Declan cut her off. “And I know when attraction is mutual, so don’t deny what we’ve got going on, you’re hot for me too.”
“You’re preaching to the choir, Declan.” Marlee ducked her head to avoid Declan’s impaling gaze as she confessed her mutual desire.
“So, you agree there’s this incredible chemistry between us? You seemed to go back and forth last night.”
“My perception on the subject did fluctuate enormously last night.”
“There you go again with the big words. Marlee, can you just say that you want my bod?”
“I want your bod.”
“Check, please.”
They were silent as he drove them to her house, except for the few times Marlee needed to speak to give him directions. Declan didn’t speak for a couple of reasons.
He didn’t want to break the hypnotic spell they both seemed to be under since she’d told him she wanted him. He knew it, of course. Could tell from the sparks that had flown between them since they first shook hands at Cole’s introduction. It still felt great to hear her say it. Declan’s cock had leapt to attention at her pronouncement. And hadn’t subsided one little bit.
The other reason he didn’t speak was that he didn’t want Marlee to change her mind. He knew this was something new for her, being with a man like Declan. At least he thought it was. He wasn’t naive enough to know that a woman who looked like she did and was as confident as she was wouldn’t have a bevy of suitors around. But he envisioned them all as pipe-smoking, elbow-patched, jacket-wearing intellectuals. Not someone who would encourage Marlee to engage the tigress Declan was now certain she was capable of becoming.
And yet she was still single, and seemingly not involved with anyone. Whatever the reason for that, Marlee was unattached right now and he was going to take advantage.
He thought if there was conversation in the car, not only might the spell break, but she might just talk herself out of it again. Declan couldn’t bear the thought of not getting to finally touch Marlee, so he kept his mouth shut and drove.
Fast.
Marlee had no intention of backing out, but she didn’t want to talk too much about it, either.
She wanted Declan. She wanted whatever time she could get with him, even if it was only for the week.
Who was she kidding? She wanted him because it would only be for a week. Anything more would be a disaster. They were too different, and she didn’t want to waste time pursuing something that had no shot of survival.
Not again.
But for now…the idea of Declan alone, naked, with that glorious body exposed for her inspection and pleasure…
The thought alone made Marlee shiver.
At her final direction, Declan turned into her driveway and turned off the engine. She tried to see the house and area as he might. It was a nice, quiet street, lined with older homes that had been lovingly kept up. Besides being close to work, she adored the Chestnut Hill area, and her smaller home.
“Nice neighborhood.”
“Thanks.”
He went around and opened the door for her. He took her hand as they walked up the shoveled sidewalk to the front door. She tried to keep her pulse calm and steady, praying he wouldn’t feel her excitement through the clasp of her hand.
She dug her keys out of her bag and turned her back to Declan as she placed it in the lock. He placed his hands on her waist as she tried to unlock her front door. Her movements were jerky and tense, and it took her a couple of tries to get the dang thing unlocked.
“Nice house,” he murmured into her neck as he gently kissed the soft skin just below her ear.
“Thanks.”
Finally getting the door open, she waved him through, then entered herself. She turned back to the door to lock it and put the safety chain on. She turned on the light switch, but while her hand was still on it, Declan placed his hand over hers and turned it back off. He slid her bag off her shoulder and let it drop to the floor, causing a heavy thump that didn’t seem nearly as loud as the beating of her heart. He plucked the keys from her hand and they plinked as they fell to the floor. He placed her hands on the door, above her head, almost as if he were a cop and was making her assume the position.
She’d assume any position he wanted, and maybe even a few she’d think up.
He placed his hands on top of hers, then slid them down her arms, as if checking for weapons. She felt his weapon as he pressed his hard arousal into her back. He put her hands down to her sides for only a moment so he could slide her coat and then her suit jacket off, which he promptly threw aside. He then put her arms back on the door, and slid his hands down them again. This time when he reached her shoulders, he swept to the front of her silk blouse.
“Nice room.”
“Thanks.”
Marlee knew Declan hadn’t seen one iota of her house before he’d turned the lights out, but she acknowledged the compliment all the same. His hands felt amazing on her body as he started to undo the buttons of her blouse. He untucked it from her slacks to get the last two buttons undone. She was so anxious she almost ripped the thing apart herself. Marlee expected him to put her arms down again to get the blouse off, but he didn’t. Instead, he placed one hand across her tummy and the other across her breastbone and kissed her neck.
Finally, to feel his touch on her skin. Ever since their kiss this morning, it seemed like she’d been waiting an eternity to feel that connection.
No. Not an eternity. The thought once again drove home to her that she’d only known this man a little more than a day. She chose not to think of that, but to concentrate on his kisses that were so warm and soft on her neck. He moved up and kissed her earlobe, gently sucking it into his mouth.
“Nice neck.”
He returned his attentions to her neck, which was barely holding up her spinning head.
“Thanks.”
She arched her back just a little. Just enough to give him better access to her neck and to also grind her behind into his erection. He let out a small groan and moved his hand up to cup one of her breasts, prompting Marlee to exhale a groan of her own.
He cupped a breast fully. She was busty and spilled over his hands. Declan kneaded the breast, and his other hand, joining in the fun, cupped her other breast. Always such a sensitive place for her, they firmed and hardened at his touch. His fingers brushed over her front clasp and stilled, as if finding treasure. One sure flick of his fingers and he had her unsnapped. As if being set free after a long incarceration, her breasts willingly fell into his waiting grasp. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and relief to finally be touched like this by him.
He took his hands away from her breasts for only a second. He put his thumb and index finger from each hand just inside her mouth. She gently sucked in his digits, making them wet. He took them away and returned them to her now bared breasts. Her breath quickened as his wet fingers sought out her already hard nipples. As he rolled them between his thumbs and forefingers, Marlee gasped and ground herself into him again. This time he was ready for her, and did some grinding of his own.
“Nice tits.”
“Thanks.”
He was squeezing the nipples now, pulling them out, mimicking a suckling motion with his hands. His mouth was still hot on her neck, sucking there. She knew he was pr
obably leaving a mark. Part of her loved the thought of that. Of being branded by Declan.
His chest was molded to her back, as if he was trying to get as close to her as possible. Which was A-okay with her. Through the fog in her brain, she could hear his breathing become labored, which seemed to propel her own desire higher. She pushed back into him, and he began stroking himself against her backside.
Marlee gasped. Declan moved his hand from her breast and down her stomach. Undoing the button and zipper of Marlee’s slacks, he guided his hand downward. He nudged aside her satin panties. She knew the silky material was wet with her arousal. He eased his fingers down to cover her.
“Nice mound.”
He touched her coarse hair and then slipped his fingers inside her folds. God, she was so wet for him. And he seemed to be feeling the same intensity that was coursing through her body.
“Thanks.”
Marlee could barely get the lone word out. She knew she was close. The way Declan touched her…His fingers continued to circle her nub. Her hands, that had been only resting on the door, now braced her weight, and she used the leverage to press back into him. She leaned her neck back, now able to take in Declan’s scent as he nuzzled forward, to the front of her neck.
He smelled like man. No other way to describe it. Pure, strong, virile, aroused man.
