by D. Kelly
As they shimmy away, I lift the ice pack off Declan’s hand. He must have hit Bobby harder than I realized. His knuckles are bruising, and one of them is popped open and bleeding a little. I bring his hand to my lips and kiss him carefully.
“Are you okay? I don’t think it’s broken or anything.”
“I’m fine. It’s just a little sore, but it was worth it to lay that fucker out once and for all.”
“What about the kiss? Was that worth it?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe you should kiss me so I can be sure I’m still playing for the right team.”
He weaves his fingers through my hair and fuses our lips together. Our tongues meet in an explosive dance. The music and the club fade away, and it’s just the two of us and our ignitable passion. He moves my hand to his dick and he’s hard as a rock. Groaning, I pull back from our kiss.
“Yup, pretty sure I’m still Team Holly.”
“Tell me the truth and I won’t be mad. You felt nothing when you kissed Baxter?”
“It was like kissing anyone else for the first time. A little awkward, until we found our groove. I got more of a rush from knowing we were pissing Bobby off, though. It wasn’t bad, and I could even see enjoying it if it were someone other than Bax. I’d do anything for him, but as far as sexual favors go, kissing him is where I draw the line. I was more worried I was hurting you.”
“Nah, I knew what and why you were doing it. It was hot in a strange kind of way. Baxter is a little too close for comfort. If you’d been kissing Zander, I could have been really into it.”
“You’re such a dirty girl.”
“What can I say? Sage must be rubbing off on me.”
“I was hoping that was my influence rubbing off on you.”
Declan is borderline drunk and staring at me with salacious eyes. “Come dance with me, Declan James, and then take me home and make me scream your name.”
“Okay, but you have to walk in front of me. Otherwise, everyone is going to be staring at my dick.”
“Well, if there were ever a place to show off your impressive cock, this would be it.”
Laughing, he pulls me close, my back to his front. “The only place I want to show off my cock is in our bedroom.”
We stumble into our apartment drunk and laughing. While I lock up behind us, Declan heads into the kitchen.
“I’m going to get us some ibuprofen and water, and you should go into the bedroom and get naked.”
Following his request, I take it one step further. As I walk toward our room, I strip as I go, leaving a trail of clothes for him to follow. When I’m fully naked, I lie down on my stomach and wait for him to come in. It doesn’t take long.
“Damn, Holly.” He whistles appreciatively as he puts the water and medicine on the dresser. I’ve got my head turned toward him so I can watch him undress.
In record time, he’s kicked off his shoes, shrugged out of his shirt, and dropped his pants. While he slowly peels off his boxers, I watch in fascination. Taking his glasses off, he places them on the nightstand, but my eyes are on his beautiful cock standing at attention.
The bed dips as he climbs on and lays his body over mine. Nothing has ever felt more right than the firmness of his body against my soft curves. Dipping his fingers between my legs, his lips caress the side of my neck. The warmth of his breath trails over my skin while his tongue dances along the curve of my shoulder.
As his fingers trail through the wetness between my thighs, I hiss as he teases my most sensitive spot.
“Declan.” One whispered word is all it takes before he slides a finger inside of me.
“Yes, love?” The huskiness of his words floods me with need.
“More, baby, I need more.”
A second finger slides in as he brushes my hair away from my neck. He sucks my skin into his mouth and it feels heavenly.
“So good.” My body arches against his fingers, trying to pull him deeper, but his body is holding me down. I’m at his mercy. “Please, Declan.”
A third finger works inside of me, and I release a cry. “Is this what you want?” He bites my shoulders and nips across my back. “I think it is. You’re fucking drenched, love.”
“You, baby,” I gasp between thrusts. “I need you inside of me. I’m ready, please.”
He pulls his fingers out one at a time and growls. “I fucking love it when you beg, Holls. Do it again.”
“Declan, please fuck me.”
The tip of his dick is poised at my entrance. He’s careful as he nestles himself inside, but once his head is in, he laces his fingers through mine while holding my hands above my head. In one swift move, he slams into me and it’s pure sensation overload.
“Ahhh … don’t stop, baby, don’t stop.”
“Shit, Holly, nothing feels as good as your pussy gripping my cock.”
“Declan …” I warn, even though I’m almost beyond caring.
“Come on, love, your pussy is a beautiful thing. Be proud, Holly.”
I can barely keep my eyes open. Each time he thrusts inside me, they roll back into my head. He’s positioned at the perfect angle to stroke my g-spot, and I’m not sure I can hold back much longer. “Oh shit, God, ah … yeah … right there, baby.”
Each calculated thrust comes harder and faster. I’m gripping him tightly, but I’m teetering on the edge of a blissful freefall.
“Fuck, Holls!”
“Come with me, please,” I cry before losing my breath as he slams into me harder and harder.
“Declan!”
“Holly!”
I’ll never get tired of feeling his pulsing release inside of me. Birth control pills are the greatest invention ever.
His lips are immediately against my skin, and I release a contented sigh. There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.
When he pulls out of me, he rolls us over and kisses me sweetly.
“That was so fucking hot. I’m pretty sure Sage and Baxter probably heard us through the walls.”
“Whatever, they can be jealous then. I don’t even care right now.”
“Love you, Holls,” he says as his eyes flutter closed.
“I love you, too,” I mumble as I fall into my own contented sleep.
thirteen
Declan
It’s been about six weeks since Holly and I started dating again. Other than the issues we had with Stephan and Justine, things are going great. No sex yet, but we’ve had no other arguments, either. Holly had her lunch with Stephan and explained it was well and truly over, and I fired Justine.
I took Holly’s advice and hired Baxter to be my PR guy. Justine was pissed, but once I signed the paperwork for the Slammed Inc. show, she was fine. She just wanted the last little piece of my money if she wasn’t going to get my cock again. We parted with well wishes for each other, and I’ll hopefully never see her again.
“Hey, Dec, your box just came,” Baxter says, bringing the box inside.
“Perfect, I need that for my date with Holly tonight.”
“Did you order sex toys to stroke the slow-burning flame you guys have?”
“Shut it, asshole. There’s nothing wrong with going slow.”
“If you say so. It all seems boring to me. You live in separate apartments and you’re not having sex. In fact, your last date was dinner with your parents. Are you twenty-five or forty-five?”
To hear him say it, we do sound boring as fuck.
“Maybe I’ll take her to The Scene next week. A night of dancing could lead to some fun.”
“You mean to some fucking, and hell yeah, it can. What are you waiting for, anyway? I’ve heard that girl scream down apartment walls while you’ve fucked her with your massive man muscle. I don’t think she’s going to turn you down.”
“We’ll see. I just want her to be sure. I don’t want to push her into something she isn’t ready for.”
Baxter sits down across from me with a stack of paperwork in his lap. “Is there such a thin
g as being ready? I understand you two are working through things, but this is Holly we’re talking about. Out of all the people reuniting in the world, the two of you are the ones I thought would jump headfirst into the deep end. No hesitation, no lost time to worry about.”
While he works, I think about what he said. Maybe the problem is we can’t get out of our own heads. The two of us should take a trip—somewhere we won’t be distracted or interrupted by the outside world.
A little while later, as I’m researching beachfront rentals and lakefront cabins in the mountains, trying to decide on a course for our getaway, Baxter gasps.
“More dick pics?”
“Not even close,” he replies, and I turn around to see him frantically texting on his phone.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or am I going to have to guess?”
There’s a knock at the door, and when I answer it, I’m faced with a concerned Holly. “What’s going on?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Baxter, what the hell are you freaking out about?”
“Sit down and read the email I have pulled up.”
We sit next to each other on the couch and Baxter passes us his laptop. As my eyes begin scanning the words, my stomach plummets.
“Nope, not reading this.” As I let go of the computer, Holly balances it on her lap.
“Declan, you have to,” he says.
“No, I don’t.”
Holly squeezes my knee and looks at me with sympathy. “Do you want me to read it to you?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Dear Declan,
My name is Candace Barnes, and I live in Phoenix Arizona. Last week, my son Thomas was home for the weekend and brought you to my attention. Tom is eighteen and a freshman at UC Riverside. While Tom was visiting, he watched your debut show on the Slammed Inc. social network.
You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not making much sense yet. This is a difficult email to write. Nineteen years ago, I met a man, your father, Adam James. He was charming and charismatic and swept me off my feet and into the most exciting love affair of my life (at that time). A few months into our relationship, I found out I was pregnant. At the time, I was only eighteen myself. I was inexperienced in the ways of the world. I had been homeschooled and came from a strict Christian family.
When I found out I was pregnant, your father tried to do right by me. He helped me find a job, got me into my own apartment, even helped me enroll in school. It was everything I could have possibly wished for. He traveled a lot for business, and we never lived together, but I never wanted for a thing. Our age difference wasn’t a big deal to me; the love we had was more important than the fourteen years separating us.
One day, when I was about eight months pregnant, I was visited by a woman. To this day, I still don’t know who she was. Back then, I thought she’d wrecked my life, but today I think of her as my angel. She saved Tom and me from a horrible situation. The woman told me Adam wasn’t who I thought he was. That he had a wife and a seven-year-old son, but that wasn’t the worst of it. He also had other women he was seeing. Although, as far as I know, he had no other children.
When I confronted your father, he admitted all of it was true. He didn’t seem bothered by how upset I was. In fact, he was almost dismissive. He confessed your mother was the love of his life and even though he loved her, he didn’t have the capability of remaining faithful. Adam swore to me you were his only child. When I told him I wasn’t interested in sharing him with another woman, that was the last I ever saw of him.
I never knew your name, nor your mom’s. Not once did I research him or try to find him again. He sent a cashier’s check each month and always seemed to know when we moved. We’ve had a good life. I married a wonderful man and have three other children. As I watched my four kids grow, the one regret I always had was that Tom never got to know his brother.
I’m sure this is a lot to take in, and I apologize for reaching out this way. Having survived an ambush by a stranger myself, I thought an email would be better than a visit. When Tom was home, he was riveted by your show. He explained some kids from school raved about your videos and your channel and convinced him to watch this new one.
After watching your video, he came to me with red-rimmed eyes and asked me to watch it. Right away, I knew who you were. It’s striking how much the two of you look alike. You both have Adam’s eyes, dark hair, and the need for glasses, though Tom chooses contact lenses. Between your shared looks, and the same last name, I knew it was time to come clean and tell Tom the truth about Adam … and you.
I feel like I owe you an apology, Declan. The same one I owed my son. Even though I knew about your existence, I did nothing to try to facilitate a relationship between the two of you. I never told Tom he had a brother, and he’s quite angry with me for it. In all fairness, I didn’t know if your parents were still together. Breaking up a marriage wasn’t high on my list of priorities. I felt guilty enough for the affair, even though I didn’t know I was the other woman, or one of many other women. I didn’t want to blow up your world, or your mother’s, the way mine was. Sometimes, Declan, ignorance is bliss. Before I knew about Adam’s lifestyle choices, I’d been happy. I wouldn’t ever want to be the cause of taking that away from someone else.
I’ve no right to ask you for any favors, but Tom would like to meet you and get to know you. He’s an amazing young man who is hoping to become a doctor. I’m attaching a photo of him so you can see the resemblance, as well as the only photo I have of Adam and me that was taken while I was pregnant. You don’t know me, and you have no reason to believe me, but I hope you do.
Tom wanted to seek you out, but I convinced him to let me try to contact you first. I’m not sure which is worse: for you to be living in a happy family and I’ve just killed your perception of that, or for you to have known about the man your father is all along. If you’d like to talk to me, or directly to Tom, our contact information is enclosed. I know it’s a big thing to ask, but I would appreciate it if you could please reply with your intentions. I can hold Tom off if I know definitively that you may or may not be open to a relationship, but if you don’t answer either of us, he’ll likely track you down. I hope that doesn’t come off like a threat; he’s a determined eighteen-year-old boy who wants to know his family and legally doesn’t have to listen to his mom anymore.
If it’s worth anything, I’d like to know you, too. My home is always open to you if you’d like to get away and get to know an extension of your family.
Kind Regards,
Candace
Time passed slowly after Holly read the letter. We looked at the pictures, and then I shut down. Without a word to her or Baxter, I came to my room and laid down. I’ve been here ever since. It’s becoming dark in my room, so I know the day has slipped past, but I just can’t find it in myself to care.
When the front door closes, I wonder which of them has left. It doesn’t take too long to get my answer when Holly slides into bed with me. With an easy grace, she wraps her arms around me from behind and holds me.
“You don’t have to talk to me, but I’m not leaving you alone.” Placing a kiss against my neck, she tucks her chin into the crook of my neck and shoulder.
I’m so fucked in the head right now, and even though I want her with me more than anything, I’m terrified. My shoulders tremble, and the sobs I’ve been holding in for hours escape.
“Oh, baby, it’s all going to work out, you’ll see,” she says, trying to soothe me.
When she releases me, a wave of panic floods through me, but she only moves long enough to face me. Brushing away my tears with her thumb, she kisses my cheeks lovingly.
“Declan, we’re going to get through this together. Remember when Dawn showed up with Heather? I was so angry, but you got me through it. What’s your biggest fear about this whole thing?”
“That I’m just like him.”
Her shocked expression rapidly turns to anger. She scoots closer,
cups my cheeks, and kisses me with all her heart. “You are not like him. We are not our parents.”
“All the women, Holly, you don’t know that’s the case.” Fuck, I’m so torn up over this I just want to throw up.
“I do know, Declan, because I know you. You are the same man who nursed me through chicken pox when I was fifteen. The same man who danced with Baxter at prom more than me because he didn’t have a date. The same man who helped me shower, went to all my classes and took notes, fed me, and dressed me when I broke my arm.”
“Those are just things, Holly.”
She sighs in frustration. “No, that’s love. So was the time you rented out the pizza place where we had our second date so we could celebrate our first anniversary of living together in candlelight. How about the time you came to my apartment to beg me back because we made a huge mistake in breaking up? Or the time you broke up with me because you thought I needed to experience more before we could be happy together.”
“Exactly, Holly!”
“Baby, I’m not making light of that situation at all. You did something that was inherently against everything you wanted because you thought I wanted it. Who does that?”
“Me, apparently.”
She answers with a smile. “That’s right, you do. Come on, Declan, we’re just getting started. We could nip this in the bud right now and come out relatively unscathed. Is that what you want? Do you want to go fuck another seventy-eight women?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Do you want me to go fuck another five guys?”
Is she trying to piss me off?
“If anyone else touches you, the outcome won’t be good for them.”
“The only person I want touching me is you. You’re it for me, Declan. I’m done fighting it, I’m done going slow. You’re the only man in my heart, and you’re the only one who ever will be. For the love of God, admit to yourself that you’re not him, you could never be him, and make love to me.”