by Mara Jacobs
They looked at each other, their gazes meeting. Declan’s look seemed confident, as if he had just confirmed something to himself. Marlee’s was a little stunned, finding it hard to believe that she and a football player could really have the same style, goals, and interests, right down to the same taste in ice cream.
“God, I love this stuff. I like to put mine in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up.” He raised his eyebrows at her, as if to get her consent, and she did a “be my guest” gesture toward the microwave.
“You’ll find that fifteen seconds on my microwave makes it just soft enough for the spoon to go easily through, but not soupy.”
He grinned at her over his shoulder. “God, what a woman. I can’t believe no man has snatched you up yet. Oh, that’s right, you don’t like sports…that must be it.” He put the ice cream in and tuned in fifteen seconds on the microwave, then turned to her. He leaned up against the counter, his hands resting along the marble counter top at his hips, and watched her with a teasing smile on his face.
She moved to his side to get a spoon from a drawer and gave him a good-natured jab to his ribs with her elbow. When he groaned louder than necessary and feigned pain, she teased him back. “I thought football players were supposed to be tough. Can’t take a nudge from a little ol’ girl?”
He pivoted and stood behind her, his hips pinning her to the counter. He reached around and fondled her breasts through her shirt. His shirt, she reminded herself. He’d said liked seeing her in his shirt, and she loved wearing it, smelling Declan on herself.
Her breasts were full and heavy and he lifted them as he squeezed. “Darlin’, there ain’t nothing little about you. Especially these.” He tweaked her nipples as the bell from the microwave dinged, and for just an instant Marlee thought her sensitized breasts had signaled their readiness.
He bent his head to her neck and nuzzled aside his scarf then licked her skin. They had both worked up a healthy sweat during sex, and she knew she probably tasted of salt and sweat. Of passion. The thought of tasting Declan in turn made her forget about the ice cream.
He ground the beginnings of an erection into her ass.
“Nah unh. No way, mister, keep that thing away from me. Not until I get some sustenance.” Marlee could reach the microwave from where Declan had her pinned in. The container was still very cold to the touch, but the consistency was just as she had described. She sliced her spoon through the confection and reached it over her shoulder for Declan. “I will be nice and let you have the first bite.”
“I intend to have the first and last bite, Marlee, and not necessarily of ice cream.” He cleaned the spoon of ice cream and moved back to his original spot against the counter. Marlee turned around and leaned her behind against it as well, so they stood side by side. All the better to share.
Marlee held the pint while Declan took turns spoon-feeding her and then himself. It was no accident that his arm brushed across her breasts each time he reached for more. Their moans of ecstasy as they consumed the ice cream echoed the moans they had made upstairs a short time ago.
“Okay, switch. Give me the spoon. Holding this thing is freezing my hand.” Marlee reached for the spoon handle and pushed the pint at Declan. He took the ice cream and grudgingly gave her the utensil.
“Crybaby.”
“Oh yeah? Feel how cold.” Marlee lifted her frigid fingers, intending on placing them on Declan’s cheek. At the last moment, her hand detoured and she placed them instead on Declan’s bared nipple. He instantly stiffened and let out a groan.
“Oh God. I don’t know if that feels incredible or horrible. But Christ, don’t stop.”
Marlee had no intention of stopping after she saw how it affected him. She pivoted to stand in front of him. Face to face. Due to Declan’s height it was more like face to chin, but Marlee had her sights set lower anyway.
She continued to stroke his nipple with her cold fingers as she kissed his neck. She quickly moved her way down his neck and collarbone, planting light kisses along the way. He smelled of musk and man, and it was heaven. How can anyone who looked so good smell that much better? She took a small step back to gaze at this astonishing specimen of physical supremacy. His chest was incredible. Broad, strong, leading to exceptional shoulders.
She had wondered in the restaurant the night they’d met if his shoulders could possibly look as good naked as they had underneath his crisp white shirt. They did. His chest was heavily sprinkled with hair that was both soft and coarse, and she reveled in the texture of it. The hair covered the great expanse of his chest, and then tapered off into a fine line down his six-pack abs and beyond, to the fly of his jeans. All in good time, Marlee. You’ll get there, but enjoy the trip down.
She scooped another spoonful of ice cream and fed it to Declan as her mouth latched on to his other nipple.
“Mmmm, good. Ice cream that is,” Declan said.
“Darlin’,” Marlee said, mimicking Declan’s drawl, “in about ten minutes you’re not even going to be able to figure out which end of that spoon goes in your mouth.” She gave a playful bite to his nipple as her hands moved down his sides, over his impossibly hard stomach, to rest at the top of his jeans. The metal of the cold spoon she held brushed across his side and he shuddered.
“Big talk.”
“Oh, I can talk big, all right. What words do you want to hear come out of my mouth, Declan?” Marlee had never been verbally bold with a lover. She had responded to Declan’s whispered intimacies, but she’d never instigated them. She had assumed that talking dirty during lovemaking just wasn’t something she was comfortable with. Now she realized she hadn’t done it because she had never had a partner whom she trusted so much.
During their earlier session, Declan had whispered all the things he was doing to Marlee and how it made him feel. What did they call that in the sports world? Play by play? If the way Marlee had responded to it was any indication, Declan would go far in broadcasting. He certainly was there already as a lover.
She didn’t allow her mind to contemplate how many women on whom Declan had perfected this craft. For once, the off switch in her mind worked and she gave herself up to the perfect sensations that being with Declan gave her.
“Tell me you want me, Marlee.”
“I want you, Declan.” To prove her point, Marlee reached her hand into Declan’s jeans and clasped his erect penis. Steel. And it was all hers for the rest of the week. She could almost feel Declan’s heart beating by just holding his penis. It was obvious to Marlee that the desperate wanting went both ways. It gave her the fortitude to go on.
“What else do you want to hear from me?” she asked.
Declan tilted her chin to meet his gaze. “Tell me how my cock feels, Marlee.”
Marlee felt her moistness begin. Just hearing Declan say things like that to her made her wet. She was shocked at how easily he could arouse passion within her. She wasn’t wearing any panties beneath his shirt, and she felt slick at the tops of her thighs.
“Your cock feels happy to see me.” As Marlee said the word “cock” out loud, he hardened even more and she gently squeezed his shaft. Feeling him jerk in return put a small grin on her well-used lips. Lips that were swollen and red from his kisses.
“Oh, it is that. Definitely.”
Marlee fed another spoonful of ice cream to first Declan and then herself. The spoon was in her right hand, her left hand firmly grasping him, her thumb brushing over his tip.
“What else? What else do you want to hear?”
“Tell me what you’re going to do to my cock, Marlee.”
“I can’t, Declan.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m about to have my mouth full.”
She took the pint of ice cream from Declan’s hand, and, with the spoon, went down to her knees. She placed the ice cream on the floor beside Declan’s foot, well within her reach. She stuck the spoon in the ice cream to allow both hands freedom.
She put
her hands just inside the waistband of Declan’s jeans, then slid them down, bringing his jeans with them, careful to ease his full erection out of the well-worn material. His freed penis rose from his hair as if at attention. She pushed the jeans down to Declan’s ankles, but when he made to step out of them, she stilled his legs.
She wanted him just like that. At her mercy, as she’d been their first night together, when he had given her such an intense orgasm up against the door. She ran her hands up his heavily muscled thighs. In the back of her mind ran the thought that she’d never have a lover that was so toned, so rock hard, so, so…Declan.
She reached down and scooped up a spoonful of the ice cream. She smeared small amounts on his testicles.
“God, Marlee.” He hissed. He reached for her head, but she brushed him aside.
“Hands on the counter, Mr. Quarterback. I’m calling the plays now.”
Declan placed his hands on the counter, his fingers curling around the marble edge. His sac was heavy and tightening as Marlee licked it clean of the rich ice cream. She took the spoon and dabbed more of the sweet substance there, and also at the tip of his penis, where a drop of his milky fluid had formed. The white cream of Declan blended in smoothly with the Häagen-Dazs. She lowered her head once again to lick Declan clean. Her tongue darted out like a kitten at a bowl of milk.
She could feel his eyes on the top of her head. She looked up as she moved her lips from his balls to the head of his shaft, meeting his deep green eyes. As she took him into her mouth, she watched as his pupils totally dilated, turning his eyes almost jade.
God, he was gorgeous. And for now, he was hers. The thought jarred Marlee. She’d never been possessive before, not even with Justin. But then, she had never had her mouth around Declan Tate’s hard cock before, either.
That changed everything.
Her tongue whirled around the engorged purple head, taking the ice cream off in one swoop, but she kept going. The rough texture of her tongue played along his ridge and she tapped it against the underside and felt his shudder.
Oh, Declan, you are so close. I love that I can do this to you. How many women have you had in your lifetime, and me, Marlee Reeves, can make you respond so intensely.
The confidence that thought gave her bolstered her onward. She leaned back onto her haunches and again made eye contact with Declan. He made to move, but, at her raised brow, kept his hands on the counter. He watched as she reached for the pint of ice cream. She took a medium-sized spoonful and held the utensil in an extended reach for Declan. He leaned down and took the bite. She then took a larger spoonful and set the container back on the floor.
As Declan watched her, she put the entire spoonful in her mouth. She then put the empty spoon back into the now nearly empty pint. She sat with the mouthful of ice cream. She didn’t touch him in any way, but kept her eyes locked with his. She saw the question in his eyes, and she gave a slight nod of reassurance, as if to say, “Relax, I know what I’m doing.” Even though she had no idea what she was doing.
As the seconds went by, her cheeks deflated as the ice cream melted in her mouth. She could almost see him thinking, Her mouth must be ice cold. Then she saw the moment in his eyes when he got it. He realized her intent just as Marlee swallowed the remaining ice cream, placed her hands on his thighs, leaned forward, and took Declan fully into her mouth.
He gasped. “Marlee, good God, that feels…incredible.” The cold, sticky cavern of her mouth as she took in all of him sent a shudder through his gorgeous body.
He reached for Marlee’s head, and came into contact with his scarf that was still around her neck and draped across her breasts. He grabbed the scarf on both sides of her and pulled up. It slid to the back of her neck and lodged at her nape. He pulled again, bringing her entire head even closer to his body.
Marlee had turned her mouth into a tingling, cool, sensation-driven vacuum. She sucked hard on Declan’s shaft and brought her hands back to his balls to squeeze and caress. Her tongue, so cold, began to thaw from the intense heat of Declan’s erection. She continued to swirl as she moved her head up and down his shaft.
He wound the excess material of the scarf around his hands. “Marlee. Darlin’. I’m gonna come.” He tried to lift Marlee’s head by tugging on the scarf, but she was having none of it. She clasped one hand around his iron-hard thigh and wrapped the other hand around the base of his shaft, stroking him quickly as her sucking motion increased, quickened.
Declan tried to protest again, but the jerking spasms of his body took over instead. He groaned, and swore, and bucked into Marlee as she milked him dry. The explosion seemed to shake him to the core.
After several moments, his grip on the scarf loosened and it fell back onto Marlee’s chest. He looked down at her just as she extricated her mouth from around him.
She took another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and swallowed it. Then another. She looked up at Declan and smiled.
“You know, women would do this much more frequently if there was always ice cream attached. No pun intended.”
Declan reached for her, pulled her up, and kissed her deeply. His tongue dove deep into her waiting mouth. She tangled her tongue with his, sucking it softly as she had just done to a different appendage.
She tasted ice cream and Declan and she wasn’t sure which was sweeter.
Chapter Twelve
Thursday morning their work at the studio went smoothly. Declan taped his same spiel again, with new scores that Marlee got online. His hand usage decreased until it was unnoticeable. She hadn’t given him much other advice; she said he hadn’t needed any. It was her saying that which led him to believe he could actually do this without making a fool of himself. Marlee wouldn’t lie to him just to make him feel better. He wasn’t even sure Marlee knew how to lie.
“You’re perfect, Declan. You didn’t really need my help. The professionals in New York would have caught the hand thing in a minute. You definitely got the short end of this partnership.”
Knowing what she meant, but playing dumb, Declan said, “Oh, I don’t know—seems to me I was on the receiving end last night in your kitchen.” There was a devilish grin in his eyes, as there always was when he teased her. And he teased her a lot. He thought at first that he was shaking loose her buttoned-up veneer, and he was. But he’d soon realized that Marlee had a playful side all her own, and it didn’t take much prodding from Declan to bring it out. His ego allowed him to think that he was the man who could bring it out most easily.
“Actually, if you want to get technical, I was the one who did the receiving.”
He hardened with arousal as he thought about Marlee draining him dry. She was standing at the newscaster set, resting her great ass against the corner of the desk, her long legs (again covered in jeans, much to Declan’s delight and Marlee’s chagrin) stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Today she was wearing a maroon cardigan. Not as tight as yesterday’s sweater, but the buttons held some possibilities.
She took his breath away. She had an effect on Declan that he’d never experienced before. Even when she wore her hair up with the severe suits, he was more attracted to her than any other woman. But when she was like this, all warm and fuzzy in jeans and a sweater, her auburn waves gently framing her oval face, it made Declan think about moving up his future’s timetable.
Maybe he didn’t have to know for sure what his future held before he pursued a long-term commitment. It wasn’t like he was hurting for money and wouldn’t be able to support a wife and kids. He would never be idle; he wasn’t the type. And who was to say that even if he got the broadcasting gig he’d like it, or be good at it, and still want to be doing it in a couple of years? He could conceivably be going through a professional upheaval the rest of his life, trying several different things. Waiting until he had it all figured out would never work in that case. Besides, if he did go through a variety of choices, wouldn’t it be better to have a supportive wife and children to come home to for balance?
He’d never played it safe on the field, so why was he doing so now? If his father’s untimely death had taught him anything, it was to live each day to the fullest. He’d always thought he was doing just that; his life was plenty exciting. But living to the fullest was no longer about sports accolades and sex with pretty young things. Nearing forty, Declan knew he longed for a family like the one he grew up in. He could be hit by a drunk driver, like his father had, tomorrow. Did he really want to put off pursuing a family until his professional life was settled?
Especially when Marlee was in his life now. Did he want to take the chance of letting her go only to hope to meet someone else that he’d care about more in a few years? Who are you kidding? You’re never gonna meet someone you care about more than Marlee.
The revelation shook him. Of course. It seemed so clear. He loved Marlee. Letting her go now would be like punting on first down—it made no sense.
Something seemed to shift inside Declan. He hadn’t felt this sense of complete clarity since he’d thrown his first touchdown pass in Pop Warner football.
As swiftly as the warmth of his newfound feelings had come, they blew away again faster than the Boston winter winds across the Charles River. Marlee didn’t love him. Seemed perfectly content with their one-week arrangement.
He had a few more days to make Marlee see the light, make her realize that they’d be good together. Either that, or he needed to get her out of his system entirely. He’d always been known to do his best work in the fourth quarter—they hadn’t dubbed him the Comeback Kid for nothing.
He was determined to win her over, yet he had lost enough games at the buzzer in his lifetime to know nothing was a sure thing. If this didn’t work out, and Marlee walked out of his life for good on Sunday, he’d have to accept that.
