“Only eighteen percent us?” He fakes being wounded, and I laugh.
“Okay, that might be wishful thinking on my behalf. I know the girls are going to be bringing it up a lot. I’m just hoping Ava will be too penis stunned to think about much else,” I say, not sure if I want to laugh or wince.
“Penis stunned?” Declan chortles. “Is that even a thing?”
“With the way Ava goes on about their sex life, I think so.”
Declan grimaces. I doubt he will ever volunteer to go to one of our catch ups now.
“What are you going to say about us?” He sounds edgy, and I don’t know why.
I consider my answer, not even sure I know what to tell the girls myself.
“What do you think I should say?”
“Declan!” Zander’s voice booms from down the corridor, and we both glance down toward Zander’s office.
He is standing at his door, his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes narrowed and gazing at us both. He does not look happy.
“Shit, didn’t he just get laid nonstop over his honeymoon? How can the man be grumpy right now?” Declan mumbles, straightening up from my desk and nervously pulling on his jacket.
“Zander is always grumpy,” I point out, leaving out the fact that I will likely know just how much he got laid after I’m done with lunch with Ava.
“Yeah, and now he wants to interrogate me about what I’m doing with you. This is not going to be fun.” He gives me a small smile, but before he takes a single step, Ava breezes past us, giving me a wave and a wink while Jensen sleeps soundly in her arms.
“I got this, guys,” she tells us.
At first, I have no idea what she is talking about. Did she notice Zander’s intense stare aimed at us and she’s going to be on our side? Or are the blinds about to be shut, and she’s going to remove his bad mood by giving him some office nooky? I would hope not, since Jensen is right there, but I also wouldn’t put it past them. They did take the poor kid on their honeymoon.
We watch Zander smile at them both, his grouchy demeanor disappearing instantly. Then he gives both a kiss as they enter his office.
The door is left open and the blinds are untouched, so I guess that rules out Ava getting him in a better mood through sex.
“So, back to my question, what should I tell the girls when they ask me about us?” I redirect us while Declan shifts back to leaning on my desk, his relief at the few minutes reprieve clear.
“What do you want to tell them?”
“That it’s none of their business. That I never pry into their relationships.”
Declan snorts, and I glare at him.
“Fine, I don’t pry into their relationships much, and that what we have or don’t have is between us.”
“What don’t we have?” he immediately asks, his body shifting so I have his full attention.
“Well, how about the obvious?” I roll my eyes. When he doesn’t seem to catch on, I give him as exasperated sigh. “Sex, Declan. We make out, and okay, we might have gotten each other off, but no sex.”
“I thought you understood that.”
“I do. I did. I think we have, at the very least, proved that there is something between us and it’s worth exploring. I don’t see why we should abstain now. If we were complete strangers, just getting to know each other, then a couple weeks isn’t unusual to wait for sex. But we’ve known each other almost twenty years!” I hiss, attempting to keep Zander and Ava out of this conversation. “I’m horny, and you’re basically hard twenty-four seven.”
Declan coughs to hide his embarrassment over that and does a quick look around to see if anyone is close enough to overhear.
“And I think we’re ready to get down and dirty.”
Declan clears his throat as he does a quick adjustment of his pants. “You don’t exactly have to talk me into anything. If you’re ready, then I’m ready.”
I refrain from jumping up and down, but only just.
“Great, then tonight, let’s do dinner and then sex. Or sex and then dinner. Or maybe sex, more sex, dinner, then sex again,” I announce, loving how Declan’s face goes redder with each suggestion.
“Sash.” His voice sounds hoarse, and I can’t help laughing at how uncomfortable I’m making him.
“Actually, why wait? Let’s have office sex. Zander and Ava have it here all the time. You have an office, let’s break it in. I mean, can you imagine you sitting at your desk with me naked, spread out over it?” I ask, smirking when he has to adjust his pants again.
“Sash …” His voice is a grumble now as he straightens up from leaning against my desk then leans down over me, resting his hands on either side of my chair.
“Oh, you want to do it here at the front desk? Well, that could be fun—”
I don’t get more out since Declan seals his lips over mine. His kiss is so deep, so powerful that I barely remember my own name, let alone whatever the hell I was just teasing him about.
With his arms wrapped around my back, he lifts me out of the chair and presses me against him. Unsurprisingly, he is hard. But annoyingly, he’s making me incredibly wet.
“We have got to stop meeting like this,” Cynthia’s amused voice interrupts us.
We reluctantly pull away from each other, and when I turn to face Cynthia, Declan wraps his arms around me and pulls me back against him, leaving his erection pressed against my back. I appear to have placed him in a bit of a state.
We are both breathing a little heavily, and my thoughts are slow to filter back through.
“Earth to you guys? Are you alive in there? Or did you both just suck your brains out of each other’s mouths?” she questions.
“Very funny, Cynthia. I was actually just wondering if you were going to tell Ava about your little crush on that waitress you had lunch from four times last week?”
“I do not have a crush!” she quickly denies, but her eyes become shifty. She’s a little embarrassed to have been called out on it, yet she also looks incredibly guilty.
She’s been with Vanessa for two years now. Two miserable years. Okay, miserable for us, but maybe not for her. However, it’s obvious to everyone, including Cynthia now, that her and Vanessa aren’t meant to be. And while Cynthia would never cheat, I do know that the fact that someone else has caught her eye is helping her realize that she needs to end her relationship and soon.
“Right, so you just really love their overpriced meals?” I push.
Declan squeezes his arms around me, his way of saying to let it go. And he’s right; I’m being a bitch and for no reason.
Okay, maybe because I’m a little nervous about how it’s going to go with Declan and Zander. And yeah, Cynthia and I need to talk, and that is making me a little anxious, too.
“Although, their pasta is pretty great, right?” It wasn’t, but it isn’t completely awful. It’s the only lifeline I can think of.
“Yeah, it’s delicious.” Cynthia takes it with a small smile and a sigh of relief.
Declan places a barely noticeable kiss over my head before he steps away from me. It feels nice, comfortable, and sweet to have that innocent touch from him, like we do stuff like that all the time.
“Listen, about last week …” She steps closer to me, and I meet her halfway.
“It’s okay,” I begin, wanting this fight over with.
“It really wasn’t. Vanessa and I had a huge fight the night before, and I took that out on you. I know you. I know you didn’t steal my bracelet. You weren’t even with me when I lost it. I was being irrational and that wasn’t fair.”
Any frustration I still felt over our argument immediately dissipates. “I don’t blame you for jumping to that conclusion. The bracelet was left there by someone for that reaction. I’m sorry to hear about your fight, though.”
“Thanks for saying that”—she sighs—“even though I know you’re not sorry to hear about me and Vanessa having problems.”
“I am.” I reach out and grab her
hand, squeezing it gently. “I don’t want you to have to go through that. I might not like Vanessa, but when you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Can we …? Is it okay if we don’t mention my little meltdown to Ava? I feel stupid enough and—”
“Of course. Whatever you want,” I quickly agree.
“Thank you.” She gives me a hug that feels nice as some of the weight lifts away.
“Let’s hit the road, girls,” Ava calls out to us, rushing to give us all hugs, which are uncharacteristically quick. “I left Jensen with Zander, so he won’t be able to strangle you with a witness.” Ava faces Declan for that last part, and I give him a reassuring smile before I lean over and grab my bag from my desk while the girls behind me squeal before shushing each other. Then they run toward the stairs that leads down to our staff parking lot out back.
I was certain Ava parked out front. Didn’t she come through the front door?
“Message me when you arrive, telling me where you’re at, and when you leave. Then come and find me when you return,” Declan demands, and while it irks me a little to need to do all that, I don’t have time to argue. The girls are already through the stairwell.
“Shit, what have they got up their asses that has them in a rush?” I murmur, pulling Declan’s arm so he leans over a bit before I give him a quick kiss on the lips, barely allowing myself a few seconds to hold before I rush off after them.
“Text me!” he calls out after me.
I just wave my hand at him before I hit the door and push through.
After rushing and nearly falling down the stairs, I come out on the other side and can’t even see them at first. Then I hear an engine rumbling and recognize it.
Zander’s car.
“You stole his keys!” I gape at them, seeing Cynthia in the back and Ava waving frantically for me to hurry up.
Well, that is definitely one way to keep him distracted and to go easy on Declan. I hope.
I rush to the passenger side, and as soon as my door is shut, Ava guns it out of the parking lot.
It takes Zander exactly twelve minutes to realize his car is missing.
I hope Declan was able to hold out for that long.
“Don’t worry; just as I walked in, I felt and smelled Jensen doing a poop. Zander is hopeless at changing diapers at the best of times. That will take all his attention.”
I laugh just picturing that.
“You are evil,” Cynthia tells her with a smile in her voice.
Ava is inspiring.
***
“Shit, Ava! Stop telling me this stuff!” I demand, covering my ears and closing my eyes for good measure. How the hell am I supposed to be able to look Zander in the eyes ever again?
“Fine, you want me to stop, then how about some details on what the hell is going on between you and Declan? At the wedding, you guys were awfully touchy-feely. I had to hold Zander back when you guys kissed on the dance floor!” Ava admits, and my mouth drops open in shock.
We both knew there was a chance we might have done something obvious at the wedding, but making out in front of everyone?
“What is Zander’s problem? Shouldn’t he be happy two of his best friends are falling in love?” Cynthia asks. I’m not sure if she meant it innocently, or if this is payback for telling Ava to come to Ravello for lunch.
“We’re not falling in love!” I immediately deny, then wonder if we are not. I panic for a second, but quickly shake it away. I need time to process that, and I don’t want to do it in front of my two best friends. “And Zander is happy … or at least, will be happy. It is just buried underneath a bunch of overprotective bullshit,” I say, hoping this is true.
“You’re not in love?” Ava butts in now.
“This is still new!” I defend.
“But you’ve known each other for, like, a bazillion years,” Cynthia brings up, and I want to poke my tongue out at her for the bazillion years comment. The girl is eight months younger than me, and she just can’t let that go.
“So? We’ve spent most of that time not liking each other. I’ve adjusted to liking him; I’m not ready to leap any further in.” I sound confident, but I’m not sure that’s true. Why wait? Why not take a risk and see what happens?
“Fine, whatever. I told you guys my stories; now I want to hear yours. How is Declan in the sack? With your explosive chemistry, I bet the angry sex is off the charts.” Ava, never one to hold back, jumps straight back into being inappropriate. I’m fairly certain, once upon a time, she used to be shy about this sort of thing.
I have created a monster.
“I wouldn’t know.” I try not to sound as miserable as I feel. “He wanted to hold off on sex to see if we’re compatible as a couple.”
The way the girls’ faces fall with disappointment is hilarious.
“So, you haven’t had sex? Nothing at all?” Ava is almost pouting as she says this. In a weird way, it is sweet the girls are so concerned for my vagina.
“We’ve maybe crossed a few bases off the list, but no home run. It’s driving me insane. I told him it’s time to go all-in tonight. I’m sick of being so horny, and it feels like it’s been forever since the wedding and we haven’t killed each other. That is a small miracle. Adding in sex is only going to make things better, not worse.”
“I don’t know … Sex complicates things a lot,” Cynthia says, her tone becoming distracted when the pretty waitress she has her eye on comes over to ask us if we need anything else.
It’s the third time she’s checked, and her eyes are usually on Cynthia when she asks.
Oh yeah, there is totally something there between them.
“Why? Because I’ve already seen Declan mostly naked, and he’s seen me the same way? We’ve gotten each other off plenty the past two weeks. How will having his penis penetrate me be any different?” I ask, and a little too loudly apparently.
“Fuck, Sasha! Too much information!” Cynthia hisses, glancing at a few tables around us where people are looking uncomfortable while doing their best to not look our way.
“If you had a problem with talking about this, then you wouldn’t have been able to sit through Ava talking about her honeymoon. And these people would have gotten up and moved already,” I point out.
“I agree,” Ava cuts in before Cynthia can respond. “Sex is just sex. It doesn’t have to complicate things, and it sounds like it won’t complicate things between you guys.”
“Thank you!” I smile at Ava just as her phone begins to ring.
“Zander,” she tells us, shaking her head at her phone. She is still smiling huge when she picks up.
I can’t help glancing over at my own phone.
I texted Declan when we arrived to let him know where we were and that we made it safely. He didn’t text me back, but given Zander’s annoyed words earlier to Ava, I’m not sure her stealing his car distracted him so much as just put him in an even grumpier mood.
“Yes, your car is fine. Are you even going to ask how I am?” she demands, then is silent when he replies. “So? Just because we’re talking doesn’t mean I haven’t been hit with some serious food poisoning, or my ears haven’t started bleeding from hearing about Declan and Sasha.” She winks at me, but quickly her smile drops at whatever Zander says. “Zander, what did you do?” she demands, and my own heartrate picks up.
Is this because she brought up me and Declan? Is Zander telling her it didn’t go well between them?
“Wait, you only just noticed his diaper needs changing!” She glances down at her watch. “He pooped forty-five minutes ago!”
I give Cynthia a smile when it becomes obvious that her annoyance is from Zander not wanting to change a diaper rather than something he’s said to Declan.
“So, I think I’m going to break up with Vanessa,” Cynthia blurts out to me.
“Really?” I try not to sound too happy. “For hottie waitress over there?”
“No.” She flushes when her gaze moves to the waitress, but she
quickly brings her attention back to me. “I’m doing it for me, because I haven’t been happy for a while.”
I reach out and grab her hand, proud she’s been able to make this decision and definitely for the right reason. “I think that’s the right decision. Do you need me with you?” I offer, hoping to give Vanessa a smug smile when Cynthia does the deed.
“No, I need to do this on my own. Vanessa deserves an explanation, and having you there will make it harder.” She gives me a sympathetic smile. “But I would like it if you could be there afterward. I don’t know how she’ll take it, and I’ll need help getting my stuff out.”
“You’re going to move out?”
Technically, they got the apartment they share together, but it was always Cynthia’s perfect place. A large office for her three computers with a window overlooking the busy street below. Wooden features, large living room, and a kitchen to die for. Cynthia loves to bake, and the oven they have is a baker’s dream. My oven just burns anything I try to cook. Well, that’s my excuse.
“I think it’s for the best. I’m the one leaving her, and to be honest, I’m not sure I could stay there now. Everything would remind me of her, and I definitely can’t afford the rent.”
Which is likely true. The place is swank with a full-time doorman and state-of-the-art security. Vanessa has a high paying job at some Fortune 500 company. She can afford the rent on that place and not even feel a hit to her salary.
“Do you have somewhere else lined up? You can always stay with me,” I offer, though that brings up the fact that I don’t even live at my house at the moment.
While staying with Declan has been nice, and adding in sex will only make that more incredible, I do need to eventually go back home.
Is my home even safe? Declan organized new security measures, as well as what he already did on Saturday. I now have a keypad, code, and he mentioned getting more motion sensors. This is on top of the security cameras, meaning anyone coming in or out of my house will have their image saved to a cloud Jerry will be monitoring.
I’m not sure that all isn’t overkill, but I didn’t have to pay a dime toward it, and I want whoever is messing with Declan and I caught. Therefore, I didn’t argue when Declan arranged for it all.
I Knocked Him Out (Love at First Crime Book 2) Page 21