“Let’s see what we have here.” She pushed back on the clothing I owned, taking her time to examine each outfit on its own where it hung on the railing. “No. No. God no.”
She looked at me over her shoulder eventually. “Do you have anything in here that doesn’t fall squarely into the comfortable and practical category?”
“No.” I shrugged. “I like being practical and comfortable.”
“Well, you manage to make yourself look good every day despite all that. There has to be something in here that can work for a date, though.”
As she went back to her task, I made myself comfortable on my bed and watched as she nixed nearly everything I owned. When she was nearing the dark corner of the closet right up against the wall, she made a sound of delight.
“This one.” She yanked a little black dress I hadn’t even known I had out and held it up to me. “It’s perfect. Why have I never seen you wearing it before?”
I eyed the smallish strip of material, trying to remember where it had come from. “I think I bought it when I was hired to photograph a gala a few years ago. I bought a dress for it, but I’m not sure if that’s the one.”
“Well, you should wear it more often.” Tossing it on the bed, she walked over to my dresser and started rummaging around in the drawers, coming back with my hairbrush, a comb, and the little makeup I owned. “How much time do we have before you meet up with him?”
I glanced down at the old watch on my wrist. The leather strap was wide but cracked in places. It worked fine, though. “About ninety minutes.”
“What?” she screeched, whirling around to face me. After sucking in a few deep breaths, she pointed in the direction of the bathroom. “Okay. Calm down. We can do this. You go shower. I’ll get set up in here.”
What she could possibly be so stressed about, I didn’t know. But I knew better than to question her.
A whirlwind of an hour and ten minutes later, I realized that perhaps it was time to start putting a little more effort into my daily appearance. If that was what most women went through to get ready, I was sorely lacking in the effort category.
It seemed exhausting to me, but it had been worth it. Even I had to admit that I looked good.
Tessa gave me an approving once-over, then slung her arm around Lawson’s shoulders. We had packed a bag for him, and they were ready to leave for him to spend the night at her house.
“My work here is done,” she said with a satisfied smile. “You look gorgeous. Now go, and for heaven’s sake, have some fun. Good luck.”
She didn’t give me time to reply before she shouldered Lawson’s bag and whisked him away with her. A shiver of excitement ran down my spine, butterflies whizzing around in my belly. I was really doing this. I was really going on my first date in eight years.
Whatever the night held, I was ready to follow Tessa’s advice and have some fun. Bring it on.
Chapter 17
Declan
My phone buzzed on my nightstand, interrupting me as I twisted my tie and knotted it. When I was done, I walked over and saw my mother’s smiling face on my screen.
I cursed under my breath, but I picked the phone up and slid my finger along the green bar anyway. If I didn’t answer, she would just keep calling. “What’s up, Mom?”
“Are you coming to have dinner with us tonight?” she asked, her tone clipped. “You missed New Year’s Eve dinner, so I’m expecting you to be with us on New Year’s Day.”
“No can do.” I cradled my phone between my shoulder and my cheek, using my hands to fasten my silver cufflinks. “I have other plans.”
A disapproving sound that was somewhere between a sigh and an indignant scoff came over the line. “They better be good ones if they’re making you leave your family alone on New Year’s Day.”
“They’re good ones,” I promised. I didn’t have time to argue with her or to point out how ridiculous it was that she was trying to guilt-trip me for not spending New Year’s Day with them when I was in my mid-twenties. “Enjoy dinner, Mother. I’ll catch up with you soon.”
Disconnecting the call as soon as she’d said goodbye, I pocketed my phone and made sure I had everything I needed before going to pick up Raeanne. I wasn’t exactly nervous about dinner, but I did feel a flutter of anticipation that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
That kiss last night had been hot as hell, and I was planning on doing everything in my power to get another. But that wasn’t all.
Raeanne was fun to be around. She was different from the majority of the women I’d known in my life, and I actually enjoyed spending time with her. Heeding Finley’s warning to be careful with her, I wasn’t planning on turning on the charm and trying to get her into bed.
That wasn’t what this dinner was about. Strangely enough, I wasn’t thinking about it as simply a means to an end to get into her pants later. I was legitimately looking forward to speaking to her and learning more about her and Lawson over dinner. After that, I should probably call a shrink to have my head looked at. Because it’s not right.
There was a part of me that still wanted to end the night in her bed, though. A part that was having a hard time accepting that we weren’t going with the usual routine. But I had that under control. I’d made sure of it before I’d gotten dressed.
Raeanne opened her door after I knocked, and as soon as I saw her, I knew that all my efforts to gain control of that part of myself had been in vain. She looked stunning, sexy as hell in a black dress that hit just above her mid-thighs.
She wore stockings for heat, but they were sheer and shimmery and only added to the allure of her body even as they hid more of it from view. The dress had a neckline that cut straight across the top of her cleavage, but lace over it covered her chest all the way to her neck and her arms down to her wrists.
The heels she wore, combined with the stockings and the length of her dress, made her legs look a million miles long, while the lacy fabric of the dress clung to each of her curves in a way that woke my dick right back up.
A slow smile spread on her red-painted lips as her gaze raked over my body the same as I had just done to her. “Well, hello there. You clean up nicely, Declan.”
“So do you.” I couldn’t keep the heat lighting fires in my veins from showing in my eyes, so I didn’t even try.
Raeanne hadn’t worn a lot of makeup every time I’d seen her, but the smoky-eyed vixen look she was rocking tonight made her eyes smolder and dance in the low light of the porch outside her front door.
With her usual natural look, she was gorgeous. I preferred that look, but this one definitely made her into a total knockout. A babe that would turn heads wherever she went.
Mentally shaking off the haze of “must fuck her now” that rattled around in my brain, I held out my arm to her just like the gallant gentleman my mother had tried her best to turn me into. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” She grabbed a small purse from inside, locked up behind her, and took my arm. “So, where are we going anyway? You said it was a surprise, but I’m assuming I can know now?”
“Nope.” I smirked, flexing my arm to bring her just a little closer to me. She complied with my unspoken request, smiling as our sides brushed together while we walked. “You’re just going to have to wait and see.”
The reservation I made was at an exclusive restaurant a chef I knew had opened over the summer. It was the talk of the town, the place everyone wanted to get into but very few people did.
She worked with only two other people in her kitchen, and every dish served had her personal touch on it. There were no more than fifteen tables in the restaurant a night, which meant booking was essential but also very often not possible.
It had taken calling in a favor with her to get the table for tonight, but I wanted to impress Raeanne. Thus far, she’d only seen me as a jeans-wearing Big Brother to her son, who played tactical board games with him and could talk about the subject matter of whatever book Lawson was reading.
Tonight, I wanted her to see Declan Hobbs, the man. Not the Big Brother, but the guy who could make her scream his name in five minutes flat no matter what. But I also wanted her to see who I was beyond all that, a guy only Finley really knew, but for some reason, I wanted Raeanne to get to know him too.
Her jaw was slightly agape as we were led to our table, her eyebrows raised as she looked around. “The Shellhouse? How on earth did you manage to get a table here?”
“I have a lot of friends. I wanted to make tonight special for you, so I made some calls.” It surprised me how easily the truth came out. “Surprised?”
“You could probably knock me over with a feather right now.” She took her seat, and I pushed in her chair before rounding the table to slide into my own. “It smells great in here. I have to give it that.”
“Anelle is a great chef. She doesn’t even allow the diners to choose their own food. You simply have to fill in a form declaring any allergies when you book, and she creates a special menu around that if necessary.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve read the reviews.” And she’d told me when she was still working on the concept for this place. I’d hired her to cater a party I threw in New York City, and we’d gotten around to talking. “By the way, I hope you don’t have any allergies. If you do, I should probably go declare them right now.”
“I don’t.” She smiled, and it was as captivating in the flickering candle and firelight in here as it had been in her living room last night. Although the fireplaces in the restaurant were modern and gaslit and the candles were held by crystal, the flames had the same effect.
Raeanne fidgeted with her fingers as she glanced down at the table setting in front of her. “I hope you don’t expect me to know what to do with all this.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not bothered by which knife you use.” I grinned. “As far as I’m concerned, a person really doesn’t need a different set of utensils for every course. It seems a bit pretentious if you ask me.”
The stiff set of her shoulders relaxed, and her mouth curved into a smile as she nodded. “I’m so with you on that, but isn’t that true about everything when it comes to rich people? They’re all so damn pretentious about everything all the time. A big fork works just as well as a smaller one, and a spoon is a spoon.”
“Exactly,” I said, but I felt a pang of dread hit me when I realized how she really felt about the kind of people I was always around. Hell, I was one of those people.
The disgust in Raeanne’s tone made it very clear what she thought about us, though. Fuck.
Without giving anything away, I wanted to know how deep those feelings went. “It doesn’t sound like you have much respect for rich people.”
“Why should I?” She shrugged, but something dark flashed in her eyes. “They don’t have respect for anyone else, and I’m sure as hell not going to respect people who treat others the way they do.”
Well, okay then. It was time to pull back. Clearly, there was something here I didn’t know about, but now didn’t seem to be the time to push it. I would figure it out sooner or later, and then I’d prove to her that I wasn’t like that.
Aren’t you? I ignored the doubt-filled voice in my head. I wasn’t like that. I respected Finley more than just about anyone in my life, and he didn’t have any money at all. So there.
I changed the topic swiftly. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”
Her cheeks grew rosy, something akin to embarrassment flashing in her eyes. “I haven’t been on a date since the night I got pregnant.”
“Wow.” And she’d chosen me to end that streak with? “I feel honored.”
“Really?” She waited for me to nod before a small smile ghosted across her lips. “Your turn. Tell me something I don’t know.”
There were so many things I could have told her, but now that I knew the disdain she felt for those in my circles, I decided to let her get to know me a little before dropping that particular bomb.
“I’m thinking about moving.” There was no way she could understand the significance of that statement. “Meeting you guys has made me realize that I need to re-evaluate a few things in my life.”
“New year, new you?” she asked lightly, but she’d unknowingly hit the nail right on the head. “The first few days of the year are always magical. They’re filled with so much hope and possibility that we all get lost in dreams of what the year might bring.”
“And then reality sets in and you realize that just because the sun set and rose on yet another day doesn’t mean your life is any different,” I said. “That’s not why I want to move. Trust me.”
“Why do you want to move, then?”
I shook my head. “Nope, it’s your turn.”
“Fine.” She pursed her lips and tapped her index finger at the corner of them as she thought. “Lawson—”
“Nope, that’s cheating. I thought tonight was about you and me, so your truths can’t be about him.”
She rolled her pretty eyes but nodded. “Fair enough. Okay, well, um, photography is my one real passion. It’s the only time I feel like I know exactly who I am, when I’m behind that lens.”
“This has gotten deep fast,” I joked. “But I like it.”
Raeanne’s shoulders rose and fell. “What’s the point in telling someone things about you if they’re not real things? Proper things about you that actually let them know who you are. Your turn.”
It was like she’d been reading my thoughts all day. It was a curious feeling that was unlike anything I’d ever felt, a connection maybe even. If I believed in such things outside of the bedroom, which I didn’t.
“I don’t know what my one real passion is. I envy people who do, and I want to find it, but nothing I’ve done so far has worked.”
She looked taken aback by my honesty, and it was my turn to shrug, even if I was as shocked as her by the words that had come out of my mouth. “What? You said to be real.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting you to be that real.” Our gazes held for a long beat, a rewarding kind of approval flickering in hers. “Maybe you haven’t been looking in the right places.”
“I’m starting to suspect the same thing.” The air felt different between us now, charged and heavier than it should have been. I couldn’t look away from her. It was like a spell had been cast over us.
But thankfully, it was broken when the waitress delivered our appetizers. Raeanne blinked in surprise, seemingly coming out of that trance at the same time I did. While we picked at our salmon and caviar, I decided to switch up the conversation again.
“How’s Tessa doing? Lawson’s told me all about her.”
Raeanne chuckled. “Of course he did. He loves her like a second mother. I’d have been jealous if I didn’t love and appreciate her so much. Other than nursing a monster of a hangover after last night, she’s good. Lawson’s with her tonight.”
“Tell her I said thanks for watching him.” I really meant it, too. I owed Tessa a favor for sure. “When I spoke to my best friend this morning, I was immeasurably thankful that we hadn’t partaken last night. I think he’s going to be hungover for the rest of the year.”
Just like that, the heaviness of the previous few minutes was broken, and we launched into an easy, lighthearted conversation about our lives and our friends while we ate. After dinner, we lingered for a while and ordered another coffee.
When I eventually took Raeanne home, she unlocked her door and then turned to face me. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yes.” No doubt about it.
I followed her into the house and practically felt the tension suddenly crackling between us. It was the same as it had been last night. Only this time, we were alone, and the knowledge seemed to be affecting both of us.
When Raeanne looked up at me again, her pupils were larger than usual, and her lips were slightly parted. A moment of indecision seemed to have her frozen, but she snapped out of it fast
.
Confidently closing the distance between us, she came to stand so close to me that I could smell that intoxicating scent of hers again. She met my eyes, bringing her hands to my chest to lay them gently over the top of my jacket.
“Do you still want to make tonight special for me?”
“Fuck yes,” I breathed, knowing and loving where this was going. In the next heartbeat, I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her against me as I slammed my mouth down on hers.
Raeanne wound her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck, moaning into the kiss as she rocked against me. Well, that escalated quickly.
But all Finley’s warnings and my own vows to be careful and to take things slow evaporated under her hungry mouth and with her hot body crushed against mine. Acting on instinct alone, I slid my hands under her thighs and held her up as I started moving down the short hallway I’d been in last night.
I broke the kiss as we reached the end of it. “Which room is yours?”
We were both breathing heavily, her lips already starting to swell from the force of our kisses. She jerked her head to the right. “That one.”
That was all I needed to know. Shifting her weight in my arms, I reached out and twisted the doorknob, then didn’t stop again until I laid her back on the bed. Even then, I only took a moment to look down at the raven-haired beauty beneath me before I was on her again.
And I planned on staying there until neither of us would be able to walk for the next couple of days.
Chapter 18
Raeanne
“I have to tell you something,” I whispered the next time Declan’s lips left mine. They landed on my neck, making it difficult to think as he kissed and nibbled his way to my earlobe.
His voice was rough and husky. “What’s up?”
Sucking in a deep breath when he traced the shell of my ear with his tongue, I forced myself to focus on what I needed to say. “It’s been a really long time for me.”
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