Selective/Memory: The Depth of Emotion Book 2 (The Depth of Emotion)

by Lorenzo, DD

  “Yeah, girl! You’re in for an exciting night!” Aimee agreed, winking at Paige and displaying a wicked grin.

  She followed immediately behind to close the door of the suite after them.

  They approached the party, and Aimee’s relaxed familiarity with most of the people in attendance put both girls at ease. She had introduced them to everyone, and before long, after a few drinks, conversations were flowing quite comfortably. Two handsome men were flirting with Paige and Aria, and when Aria saw Blake approach Paige, she thought nothing of it, as his presence was warranted by his position as a representative of Bella Matrix.

  Everyone appeared to be enjoying the luau. The food was expertly prepared and more than delicious. The planners had orchestrated the seating so that the landscape was their backdrop. It was more than indescribably beautiful, and the effects of the alcohol only enhanced the beauty surrounding them, in Aria’s eyes.

  As the mingling continued through hors d’oeuvres and dinner, traditional Hawaiian music meandered through the air, enhancing and continuing to embrace them in the Hawaiian island vibe. Guests of the party made their way to the tables for seating, where all remnants of their meal had been cleared away. Tiki torches lit a walkway and floral covered stage while steel drum and ukulele music tinkered from that direction in an inviting tune. The attendants were about to be treated to a floorshow filled with traditional music, song, and Hawaiian dance.

  Aria, Paige, and Aimee were joined by Blake and the owner of the swimwear company, Michael Stang, at their table. They were front and center for the show, enjoying the finest view and service as everyone knew who Michael and Blake were.

  The music mesmerized them as the songs set a carefree and enchanted mood. As they watched the skits and musical numbers, the part of the show that completely fascinated Aria was the strikingly beautiful island women and the various forms of hula dance. Graceful and elegant, their hands swept back and forth, mimicked the ocean waves as their pelvis and hips rocked seductively in time with the music.

  Unexpectedly, the dancers pulled a few of the guests onstage, and Aria was one of the selected. Once in front of the crowd, the chosen were invited to join the performers in a dance. The women stood near Aria and showed her the gentle arm and hand gestures, which she mimicked quite well. They then instructed her in the tempting hip movements. She was a very quick study, and within a few moments, she was dancing on the stage with one of the male performers, a very handsome and muscularly built, native Hawaiian gentleman.

  To the delight of the crowd who cheered and applauded for them both, they motivated each other with the sensuous movements of the dance. Aria smiled and laughed in appreciation, and the good looking man seduced her with the movements of his body, making her feel beautiful and sexy. She was enjoying herself, and she looked out into the crowd for her friends, who were enthusiastically cheering her on at the table.

  Attempting to regain her focus and return her attention to the dance, she glanced through the crowd. Pausing, for just one moment, she saw a man who looked a bit like Carter Sinclair turning toward the bar. Trying to focus for a better view—she suddenly locked eyes with heat and fire.

  Declan’s concentrated and intense stare rendered her motionless. Almost tripping, she was frozen on the stage, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Time stood still as everything faded away, and all she could hear was the beat of her heart. Her skin tingled, throbbing electrified, simply responding to his gaze. Though she had tried to forget him, and tried to convince herself that the feelings he invoked were under control, her body had other plans.

  Startling her by touching her arm, the man who had been dancing with her asked if she was okay. She nodded and turned to look at the table where she had been sitting. By now, Paige, Aimee, and Blake knew something had gone wrong and had followed her stare, determining the scenario.

  After Aria’s momentary disorientation, it was Aimee that became the object of her glared anger, as she shot her a hardened look and quickly ran from the stage.

  Angered and hurt, Aria looked for escape. She rapidly left the party, colliding with a few people in her haste to return to the suite. It was the only safe place she knew of that could provide some sort of sanctuary for her erupting emotions.

  Blinded by her tearing eyes, she bumped into someone as she made her way back through the door of the hotel. What she hadn’t noticed was that the person she had bumped into was Marisol…

  Pacing back and forth in the room, the cold tile underneath her feet felt in direct contrast to her flaming anger. She needed a strategy, a game plan, a response—something—and there hadn’t been time to form a practical one.

  From the moment her eyes found his in the crowd, rationale evaporated. Her thoughts were turbulent, overpowering her body. She shivered with excitement and fear, timid of the extreme and unexpected passion she’d just experienced. Lost in the jumble of feelings and responses that had currently mixed to become her thoughts, she barely heard the knock on the door of the suite.

  Anticipating that it was Aimee coming to apologize for placing her in such a precarious position, her anger flared like someone threw a lit match into a container of gasoline. Her tongue was coiled tightly like a whip, as she prepared to lash out and strike—and Aimee deserved it.

  With footsteps pounding to the door, she made her way quickly from the bedroom. Placing her hand on the door handle, shoulders back with a full attack stance prepared, she tried to think of something—anything—to say as she flung open the door.

  “You knew he was going to be here!?” she spat boldly at the violator.

  Everything went numb. All breath left her body as the shock of seeing him before her fully registered. She stood motionless, staring at him, unable to do a thing—and then he smiled…

  Every cell in her body reignited as she inhaled out of necessity, becoming raw and tainted with sexual tension at the sight before her eyes.

  “Yes, Aria…she did.”

  Time stood still as soft, weathered brown leather met icy blue…

  Declan used his shoulder, pushing through the partially opened doorway at the opportunity to touch her. He couldn’t stop himself. He knew her as well as she knew herself, and he saw the brief flicker of elation in her eyes when it penetrated that he was standing before her.

  His hand reached the back of her head, pulling her lips up to meet his, and she met him with an equal passion. It crushed them both with a desperation birthed of time and distance spent apart.

  Rationale tried to rise, but she was fighting herself, her body and mind, helpless as her heart gained command. In a weak attempt to protest, she pushed at his chest, but he held strong, consumed with the incapacitating passion.

  He desired her.

  She controlled him.

  He had attempted to deny himself; however, it was a losing battle. His grip never lessened as he pushed his body into hers, craving her as he imposingly drove against her, gently bruising her hips. She had tortured his dreams, and he felt incompetent to behave with any sanity. Her effect on him gnawed at his very soul.

  No longer resisting, she, too, fell victim to her wants and desires. She was thirsty for him and didn’t want to think at all—only feel. She had poured her heart out to him so many times in her letters, yet he wasn’t aware of a single anguished word. For now, all that mattered was holding onto him, and onto this moment.

  Her mind liquefied as he touched her. She’d missed the feel of his hands, and as they moved down her neck to her shoulders they incited sparks through her marrow. The feel of him made her moan, a sound that made him wilder, and as his mouth took hers, he kissed her harder, provoking the electricity to spark until it raged.

  He held her, leading her toward the wall and pushed the door closed. Pulling back from him just a little, she opened her mouth to protest, but he slowly filled it with the warmth of his tongue, teasing her again with desire. His hands and lips provided sweet torture as she was reminded of many nights she had endu
red alone without him, deprived of his strong touch and the heat of his mouth on hers.

  Aria had missed him.

  In the privacy of the room, she could think of nothing else but him and the hot blaze of desire. Months of anguish, neglected love, and painful hurt fell away with the few tears he kissed from her cheeks.

  Pulling back when he felt them, he stared into her eyes. At first, he couldn’t say a word, and then with each kissed tear, he made his way up to her cheeks, stopping to look into her eyes.

  “I was a fool,” he said, in barely a whisper, which caused another tear to fall from her eyes.

  Making his way down, he held her against the wall, kissing her neck, causing her to seize her breath and moan with pleasure. His strong arms held her and his hands fisted into her hair. She felt braced by his strength and never wanted him to let her go.

  He slightly pulled at the back of her head, tilting it up so he could view the blaze in her eyes. Holding her there, drinking in the sight that he had seen so often in his dreams, he silently conveyed his desire. He traced his fingers up the curves of her side, resting his hand on her throat, to feel the beat of her heart.

  She could feel him against her, growing more rigid and demanding, aching for her as badly as she did for him. Neither could breathe from the sexual tension that gripped at their chests, stealing the breath from their lungs.

  Her absence in his life had been excruciating, and the madness that the void had caused slammed into him daily with as much molestation as the vehicle that changed his life. Now that she was within his arms, he could think of nothing but devouring her.

  Aria’s hands teasingly ran the length of his back, gripping at his shoulders and hugging around his waist. She hadn’t realized until they were alone just how much she missed him.

  With her body pinned against the hard surface, she annihilated logic and surrendered to her desires. She wanted him to shatter her uncontrollable yearning.

  He aimed to devastate her for anyone but him.

  Giving one, brief moment to rationale, Declan tore his lips away from her body, struggling for breath as if he’d run a race.

  “Aria,” he said, looking into her eyes, “I told you once that you were mine. I was reminded of that when I saw you tonight.”

  She saw the emotion there, knowing it was unwarranted pain. He had nothing to fear from any other man.

  He searched her eyes for insincerity, but only found the turbulence he loved. The storm that raged within her had begun to flow throughout the depths of their blue.

  She gave him a look of sensuality and lust. What she saw in return was fire, fuel, and power.

  Breathlessly, she took his moment of pause, feeling compelled to say her peace after such a painful time, and to let him know how much injury he’d caused.

  “You hurt me!” she said, bursts of gold exploding with her words in the orbs before him.

  He softly gripped the sides of her face, worn eyes boring straight into her heart. Placing his lips to hers, he spoke the words into her, so that she could feel them, as well as hear them.

  “I know…” he said, in a voice that sounded like a wounded beast, desperate to be relieved of its pain.

  She wove her fingers into his hair and pulled his mouth closer to her, inviting him to love her. He was instantly a man reborn—drawn to what he sorely missed—a moth to a flame.

  Her response amazed him. The fire that raged within her was like none he’d ever known. Her passion was tumultuous—the lust was incomparable.

  Neither one doubted what would transpire. Their heat was all consuming. She gouged her fingers into his back, as if to convey a message, but her fire spoke a language of its own.

  No further comment was offered. He was done with idle talk. Kissing her, his tongue found hers as he took ownership of her. Sweeping his hand down to caress the curve of her shoulder, it continued to trail downward, reaching the small of her back. He pulled her close, crushing her against him.

  Her hands roamed over the cotton covering the hardness of his back and chest. She fumbled to remove his shirt, hating that it hindered her access. Finally impatient, she tore at the fabric, hearing the clicking sound of buttons hitting the floor. She was rewarded for her actions by the low rumble of his laughter.

  He pressed himself into her thighs, evidencing the effect she had on him as he grew more inflexible and pained. His hands proved to be as impatient as hers, reaching down and coming under the back of her dress. He enjoyed the moment, cupping her curves as his thumbs ran along the rim of her lace panties. Effortlessly lifting her, he tore the panties in two while effectively removing the dress, then he leaned back giving her a wicked smile.

  She sucked in her breath—his smile always did that—and as he gripped underneath her thighs, he spread and wrapped her around him as he pushed himself against her. He carried her into the dining room, laying her beautifully on the table. Her head fell back as she moaned with pleasure, dark curls splaying out in all their beauty, and his lips found her throat as he licked and tasted the delicacy of her skin.

  God, I missed her!

  She savored the sight of his beautiful tattoo. Attempting to gain some control, she tried to maneuver to take the lead, but Declan was always the master and didn’t relinquish his power. She moaned as his hand grazed the inside of her thigh, finding the places he’d claimed—and she felt dark, hidden locations that had been dry with the sadness of his absence, now soaking in desire at his return.

  He pulled back, moving her slightly to gain better access. He paused just enough to look at her expression. In return, she gave him the look that always snared and ripped his heart, and she heard his deep, rich baritone…

  “Beautiful…”

  She didn’t realize how she craved his voice. It was the sound, the tone that she missed. It was dark with gravel and ragged like rust, and to her, there was nothing like it that ever compared. The word he said with such emotion gave her a double pleasure, for it wasn’t just a description; it was both his name for her and a confirmation—and it made her crave him all the more.

  Aria had been deprived and malnourished of the life Declan added to her existence for far too long. Every want and need that she had denied screamed with his nearness, and her wantonness became unbridled as he kissed his way down her body. As senses of touch and smell engaged, she breathed him in, groaning, wanting him more and more.

  He growled into her flesh, blistering with desire of his own. His hands cupped, his thumbs teased at her flesh, and he inflicted sweet torture over and over as she spiraled upward. He wouldn’t let her go, using his hands, his mouth, and his tongue to bring her to the end of her coherency. When she could no longer hold back, she called his name, moaning as he catapulted her into blissful stars.

  He gave her a moment to breathe, she was still consumed by the result of his ministering touch. She let her eyes close, surrendered to the bliss. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, kissing her as he continued to touch and make her ready to ease his own cravings.

  He realized his life had been void of beauty since the time she had been gone. He loved her, and as much as he knew he should, now that he’d had her, he couldn’t let her go. He had to have her—no matter the consequences. Her lips were meant for his; he couldn’t risk losing her again. Seeing her with someone else had driven him completely insane. There was a force at this moment that compelled him.

  As she lay before him, he had to have her. She was an intoxication, and his appetite for her grew as it made its way from his core, pounding through his blood and making him granite hard with wanting and lust. Though he tried to convince himself otherwise, he had been dying each day he had lived without her.

  She allowed herself to enjoy the bliss of every touch, every caress, as she relaxed into his movements. She didn’t want this moment to end. As she felt his motions, she held him. There were no words; they were insufficient, inadequate, and unnecessary.

  His leg trembled as he pushed her back, holding
her breast and flicking her sensitive flesh. Determined to savor each and every moment, he took his time caressing, teasing, and tasting her beautiful body. This was the woman he loved, but so callously had allowed to suffer. He’d move heaven and earth to protect her, he was certain of that now. She set his passions on fire and quenched his secret desires.

  His lips were delicious torture and caused a renewed craving within her that made her instinctively tighten her legs around his waist.

  She loved the feel of him. Thoughts of being without him had occupied too many of her lonely nights, but the reality of this night would be certain to satisfy their needs. It was beyond passion, beyond reason.

  He’d made her strong.

  She was no longer the reserved girl he met at the beach, but the woman he’d made believe in her own beauty, sensuousness, and sexuality. As she felt him against her, she knew his body, his mind, and his heart belonged to her. She’d find a way to make him believe—and make him remember.

  The words were a ragged whisper. The ground she was holding solid now, shattered her emotions into an earthquake. She wanted to help his memory come back.

  Rising up, she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

  “I said this once before to you” she whispered in his ear. “Do to me what only you can…make me forget my name, …and make me scream yours.”

  His dark eyes brightened and danced with liberating delight. Weathered from distress, they lifted to form wicked little lines in their corners. His lips lifted, giving her a lustful little grin.

  “Now that’s my beautiful girl…” he quietly roared under his breath.

  Declan needed no further incentive. He gently pushed her back, reclining her on the table. The roughness of his palms trailed over her soft hips and stomach, inciting tingles and raising flesh once again.

  Her breath came faster as she heard the buckle of his belt being loosened, then heard his pants as they hit the floor. She felt his hands heating and exciting her skin to a fever pitch.