Beau laughs while the others simply smile. “You know him pretty well already,” Beau says.
“It was just a hunch.” I kiss the baby’s cheek and take a deep breath, enjoying her baby smell. “And you’re the most precious thing in the world.”
She grabs my cheek and giggles.
“How old is she?” I ask.
“About five months,” Gabby replies and takes her daughter from my arms. “And thanks. We think she’s pretty great.”
“My shoes!” Charly exclaims, pointing at my feet.
“Excuse me?” I glance down at my favorite red heels.
“You’re wearing my shoes!”
“I knew I recognized you!” Gabby adds with a smile. “Charly owns Head Over Heels in the Quarter.”
“The fabulous shoe store!” I nod enthusiastically. “I love that place.”
“I sold you those shoes,” Gabby says.
“Since when do you sell shoes?” Rhys asks with a frown.
“It was a long time ago,” she replies, waving him off. “And they still look amazing on you.”
“They’re my favorite.”
“I have all the new fall shoes in,” Charly says as she finishes chopping the greens. “The girls are going to come by after closing next week. You should come too.”
“Oh, I couldn’t—”
“Yes. You could,” Van says with a wink. All of the Boudreaux are bossy. But I grin and nod.
“You’re right. I could.” I glance at Declan, to make sure this doesn’t make him uncomfortable, but he just smiles and kisses my forehead as he passes by and hugs his mama.
“How can I help, Mama?”
“You always ask when it’s all done,” she says and shoos him away. “You’ve done that since you were a boy.”
“I have to warn you,” Beau says. “Declan’s not a great cook.”
I simply nod and smile as I remember having cereal in bed just yesterday morning. “I’ll take that under advisement.”
“Hey, stop trying to scare her off,” Declan says and slips his arm around my shoulders.
“It’ll take more than bad cooking to do that,” I immediately reply.
“He’s also not good at laundry,” Eli adds.
“That did it.” I move to walk out the door while everyone else laughs, but Declan catches my arm and twirls me back to him, plants his lips on mine, and right here in front of his mother, lays a kiss on me that makes my toes curl. “Okay.” I swallow. “I guess that makes up for the laundry.”
***
“That was fun,” I say as we pull away from the inn into the dark Bayou. It was surprisingly easy. As rich and intimidating as the Boudreaux family can be, I found them to be welcoming and funny.
“They liked you,” Declan says.
“It was mutual. Thanks for taking me.”
He kisses my hand and rests our hands on his thigh. “That place,” he says and points to a colorful plantation house, “is Laura. Another plantation here in the Bayou, it was one of the first built.”
“Are you giving me a tour? In the dark?”
“It’s not my fault that you women can talk for hours on end about shoes,” he says defensively.
“If I’d known I was going to get a tour, I would have cut it short,” I reply.
“Well, this will give you a start.” He points out different homes and tells me stories about the families that originally homesteaded them.
“You know, if you ever lose your night job, this might fit you perfectly,” I say when he pauses. “You know your history.”
“A lot of this could be bullshit,” he admits. “I’m just telling you what I’ve heard.”
“Isn’t that what most tales are?”
He’s headed back to the freeway now and I turn the music up, singing along with an old Goo Goo Dolls song. “I met Johnny Resznik once,” I inform him.
“Really? Do tell.”
“It was at a Goo Goo Dolls concert. I got VIP tickets and got to pose for a photo with him.” I giggle and shake my head. “So, I didn’t really meet him, but I did get to touch him.”
“He’s a nice guy.”
I turn in my seat and stare at Declan. “You know him?”
“I’ve just met him a couple of times when they recorded in Memphis.”
I sit back in my seat and stare straight ahead. “You know Johnny Resznik.”
“I’ve met him,” he corrects me.
“That makes up for the lack of cooking skills.”
Declan lets out a loud, surprised laugh. “I’m glad.”
“Besides, I like your cereal breakfasts.”
He sends me a naughty grin. “How about dessert?”
“We had dessert at your sister’s house.”
“I could go for second dessert.”
I wrinkle my nose. “That’s a thing?”
“Oh yes. It’s a thing.” Just as we enter the city, he pulls off the freeway and turns into the parking lot of a divey little diner. “And this place has the best peach cobbler in Louisiana. Wait here.”
He jogs inside, places his order to go, joins me again and then lays the warm box in my lap.
“It’s hot.”
“Yes, ma’am. And there’s a pint of vanilla ice cream in there too.”
We’re not far from his house, and he pulls into the driveway and escorts me to his door.
“I guess you’re not dropping me off at home.”
He turns the key in the lock and grins knowingly. “You’re a good guesser. Let’s go this way,” he says when I would head back toward the kitchen. “I haven’t had a chance to show it to you yet. I just finished it the other day.”
He opens a door, and my jaw immediately drops. “Oh, Declan.”
Chapter Eight
~Declan~
Her eyes are wide with wonder as she wanders around the music room, the dessert, and me, long forgotten. I hang back and gaze about the space with her, proud of the finished product. The walls are painted a soft grey with one wall lined with old grey barn wood. Antique brass instruments are hung on the walls, and the instruments I play are on stands, placed throughout the room.
But her eyes are glued to the piano in the corner, where wide windows look out over the back yard.
“You have a baby grand,” she breathes and gently runs her fingertips over the top of it.
Every move, every sound she makes is pure sex. I want to boost her up and take her right here, on this piano, but I have to reign myself in.
“Can I play it?” she asks without looking back at me.
“Of course.” I sit in a chair, giving her space, surprised that she plays. Not that I should be surprised; I never asked her. She opens the keys, settles her bottom on the bench the way she’s comfortable, and then begins to play a song that I played at the bar a few nights ago.
Funny, I was thinking of her when I played it. But that was on the guitar. The piano makes it softer, more romantic. She’s humming as she’s playing.
Jesus, I’ve never seen anything sexier than Callie in this very moment. I’d wondered how I would feel about having her around my family. Would it be awkward? Uncomfortable? I’d never taken anyone to family dinner before, but it was none of those things.
Callie was gracious and friendly, despite being nervous, which she’ll deny, but her sweaty palms didn’t lie. She charmed my family almost as quickly as she charmed me.
Even Ailish went right to her, and if seeing Callie holding a baby wasn’t a kick to the balls, I don’t know what is. How can I barely know this woman, and already be thinking of something… permanent?
I don’t do permanent.
While she plays, I pull the cobbler out of the bag, open it and the ice cream, and help myself. Good music and good food. I could live on this alone for about a week.
Suddenly, she stops and turns around.
“Hey! Don’t eat it all!”
“Don’t stop now, sweetheart. I’m getting food and a show. I’m never on this end of i
t.” I grin and take another bite, but she gets up and joins me, kneeling between my legs. “Oh, you want me to share?”
Her lips purse as she tries not to smile. “Yes.”
“Okay.” I scoop up a tiny piece of cobbler and hold it up for her. “This is all you get.”
She sticks that suckable lower lip out in a pout. “But I played you a pretty song.”
“Okay.” I add just a tiny bit more. “There you go.”
She eats it off the spoon, then takes the utensil from me, loads it up with a huge bite of cobbler and ice cream and holds it up for me to eat.
“Delicious.”
“See? I was generous.”
I nod and return the favor, then lean in and lick a drop of ice cream off the outside of her lips, making her purr in that sexy as hell way she does that makes my cock come to full attention.
Next thing I know, she’s taken the whole damn thing and is running out of the room and toward the stairs.
“Mine!” she shouts and squeals when she hears my footsteps behind her. I could easily catch her, but I let her run, enjoying the way her ass moves up the stairs. She runs into the bedroom, to the bathroom, and shuts and locks the door.
“Does this mean you’re not sharing?” I ask calmly, enjoying the fuck out of her.
“Not sharing,” she confirms, panting. “Mmm, it’s so good.”
“Callie?”
“I’m sorry, Callie’s not here.”
I chuckle, pull my pocket knife out and get to work on the lock. It’s easy to pick. Her eyes widen when I open the door. Her mouth is stuffed full of cobbler.
“I think you should share.”
“I mox daf,” she says around the food.
“I know you locked it,” I reply, advancing on her. “I unlocked it.”
“Rude.”
“Yes, you are.” She smirks and is about to put the last bite in her mouth, but I catch her wrist in my fist and quickly take the bite instead. “You’re also a dessert hog.”
“It’s your fault for only getting one.”
She wipes her mouth on a towel, stands, and smooths her hands down her shirt and jeans. “I’ll be going home now.”
I simply grin at her prim declaration. “No. You won’t.”
“No?”
I shake my head.
“What am I going to do then?”
I take her hand, the grin still firmly on my face, toss her over my shoulder, and slap her ass with a loud whack.
“Hey!”
“Did that hurt?” I ask, carrying her down the stairs.
“No. Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“You’re not taking me to bed?” I love that her voice sounds disappointed. I want her to crave me. To need me. Because I sure as fuck need to be inside her any chance I can get.
“Not yet.”
“Declan!” The frustration in her voice makes me laugh, and then she’s laughing with me. “You’re such an ass.”
“Yep.” I stop out on the back porch and set her down, then turn her to face the yard. “I wanted to show you this too.”
“Wow.” The yard isn’t huge, but the privacy fence keeps it quiet and free of prying eyes. “When did you do this?”
“I had it done last week while I was working on the music room. I’m not a landscaper, so I hired it out.”
She nods, steps off the porch and walks into the yard. She’s barefoot, and doesn’t even think twice about stepping into the grass. “I love the pond back here.”
“I’m going to stock it with koi,” I reply, walking a few steps behind her, my hands in my pockets. Why am I so nervous about this? Why do I so desperately want her approval? It’s not like I’m doing this for her. It’s for me, and, at some point, it might turn a nice profit.
Regardless of the reasons, I do want her to like it.
“It’s really beautiful, Declan. The crew you hired did a great job.” To my utter surprise, she sits down, right on the bare grass. “Sit with me.”
“Whatever the lady wants,” I reply and sit next to her, leaning back on my hands. We’re both looking up at the sky. “Even with the light noise of the city, you can see the Big Dipper.”
“I bet the stars are amazing out at the inn,” she murmurs. I glance over at her and take in the angle of her jaw, the curve of her neck as she continues to look up. Her shoulders are hunched up from leaning back on her arms. “I’ve never experienced a family like yours, Declan.”
Her voice is suddenly soft, and not a little sad. I want to wrap her up in my arms, but I also don’t want her to stop talking. “Most families aren’t like mine,” I murmur, eyes trained on the skies above.
“I didn’t think they really existed,” she says and I feel her turn her blue eyes to me. “I don’t know what it’s like to have that many people love me. And I don’t say that to sound pathetic, it’s just an anomaly to me.”
“I get it.” I shrug and pull my knees up, rest my elbows on them. “Having a big family is both a blessing and a curse.”
“How so?”
“There’s always someone else to blame when Mama gets mad,” I say with a grin and tug on a piece of her soft blonde hair. “The bad thing is, you can’t get away with anything. People are always telling on you.”
“When you were kids?”
I smirk and shake my head. “All the time. They’re all a bunch of pests.”
“And you love them.”
“Every last one,” I agree and sigh. “I’m sorry that you didn’t have the comfort of a loving family, Callie.”
“My dad loved me,” she says, carefully choosing her words. “And Mom did too, but when she passed away, Dad just couldn’t deal with it.”
“So you became the parent,” I say softly, and she simply nods. “You have Adam.”
“I do, and he couldn’t be more of a brother to me if we shared blood. I’m loved, Declan, I’ve just never seen the Waltons up close and in person.”
I laugh at the comparison and decide she isn’t far off.
“I didn’t know you were a twin,” she says.
“We are three minutes apart,” I reply, thinking of Van. “She’s older.”
“And you’re close.”
“We are,” I reply, nodding. “We were even roommates in college, along with Kate.”
“Eli’s Kate?” she asks, surprised.
“She was our Kate first,” I say and play with a strand of her hair. “She’s one of my closest friends.”
She’s staring at the sky again. The pulse in her throat is steady and delicate, and I can’t help but trace my finger over it softly, just to feel her skin.
“You’re beautiful.”
She rolls her head over to look at me with soft blue eyes. “You’re not too shabby yourself.”
“I want to fuck you, right here, under the stars, but I don’t have any condoms on me.”
She frowns. “I have the birth control covered,” she replies, still looking me in the eye.
“Do we trust each other?” I ask. I’ve never, ever, had sex without a condom, and the thought of doing this with Callie… well, it would knock me off my feet if I were standing up.
She nods, a smile teasing her mouth.
“So, can I fuck you, here under the stars?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
***
She’s still sleeping. She’s warm and sweet, and snores like a lumberjack.
Bless her heart.
The sheets have slipped down to her waist, leaving me with a gorgeous view of her chest. Her breasts aren’t large, but they’re firm, and the nipples are small and pink. I brush my thumb over the tip and watch in fascination as it tightens.
Callie’s legs shift, she rubs her nose and opens one ocean blue eye. “’Mornin,” she mumbles.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Did I snore?” she asks right away.
“Not bad,” I lie easily. “And even if you did, it just means that y
ou slept well, and that’s good.”
She frowns, her eyes still closed, and rolls toward me. “Need a shower,” she murmurs.
“Let me hold you for a minute first,” I whisper and wrap my arms around her, hugging her close. Her legs scissor between mine as she holds on, her nose buried in my chest. “You feel good.”
“Mmm,” she purrs. God, that purr of hers almost undoes me. “You’re warm.”
“Are you cold?”
“No, you’re just warm.”
I grin and plant my lips on her head, breathing her in. This not-so-little moment is one that I was talking to her about before. This is when I feel the most settled, where my spirit is calm, and the chaos of life is outside.
It’s the closest thing to bliss I’ve ever experienced. It’s even better than performing, and I didn’t know that was possible.
“Hungry,” she says against my skin.
“Get in the shower,” I say, pulling back. “You’re covered in grass stains.”
A slow, satisfied smile spreads over her gorgeous face, and I’m tempted to roll on top of her and take her again.
Jesus, I can’t get enough of her.
“I didn’t mind getting the stains,” she says, then rolls away and gives me a prime view of her naked ass as she saunters into the bathroom. “Find me food!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply and pull on a pair of basketball shorts before padding downstairs to the kitchen. I really am a shitty cook, so it looks like we’ll be eating cold cereal again, which she doesn’t seem to mind, but it still feels lame. I should be able to provide a heartier breakfast than this.
As I move about the kitchen, the melody of the Adele song that Callie played on my piano last night is stuck in my head, so I decide to go play it. It’s a beautiful ballad about being in love, and making the one you love feel it. It makes me think of Callie every time I play it.
The music room is washed in rich, gold sunlight this morning. I love this room. I sit on the bench and begin to play, and when the song is over, I start at the beginning and play it all over again.
The music washes over me, and I’m awash in Callie. Her smile, her laugh, her scent. Her skin.
God, her tattoos are beautiful. I want to know what they all mean, why she chose them, and why are they only on her left arm?
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