He pulled off her shoes, his fingers warm on her ankles. Sitting beside her, he took one of her hands in his and brought it to his mouth. After placing a kiss in her palm, he folded her fingers through his and leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
“Be sure about this,” he murmured. A small smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to offer to walk away again.”
“I don’t want you to walk away.” Pelicia stroked her fingers down his lean cheek. “You make me crazy—I don’t know if I’m coming or going around you.” She sat up and wrapped her hands around the back of his head. “But if I get my way, right now I want to be coming.” She pulled his mouth down to hers.
Declan seemed to hold back, letting her kiss him, returning the kiss, but gently, softly, as if he was afraid she’d crack if he touched her with the ferocity she craved. When she snaked out her tongue and licked across the seam of his lips, he drew back with a muttered oath. “Tell me you know what you’re doin’,” he muttered. “Tell me this isn’t just a reaction from everythin’ that’s happened.”
“I know what I’m doing.” Her emotions were topsy-turvy, and she needed him to put her world in focus. “It isn’t just a reaction from everything that’s happened,” she assured him. “Brenna’s dead…” She blinked back tears. She would mourn her friend properly when all this madness was over. For now, she needed to affirm life—and there was no better way than letting the man she loved become part of her.
And there it was—the thing she’d refused to admit to herself. She still loved Declan. And she was finally ready to start trusting him again, though not without some trepidation.
For now, however, there was this.
Pelicia brought her hands to her blouse and unbuttoned it, shrugging it off and dropping it to the floor beside the bed. Reaching behind her back, she unclasped her bra. Before she let it fall, she pressed a soft kiss against Declan’s cheek, his temple, then his lips. “Sully’s hurt. But you and I are here, and we’re alive. Celebrate that with me.” She slowly reclined, drawing her bra away and letting it fall to the floor.
Bracing himself on one forearm, Declan brought his hand up and lightly stroked first one soft breast and then the other. Tingles shot through her straight from her tightening nipples to her pussy. She moaned and shifted against the bed.
When he bent and took one pebbled tip between his lips, she lifted her hands to his head and sifted her fingers through his silky hair. She held on as pleasure cascaded through her.
He kissed a path down her torso. “Let’s get this off you,” he muttered, fingers flicking open the button of her slacks. She lifted her hips and let him pull both trousers and panties down her legs.
Leaving the material at the foot of the bed, he stared down at her. He slid one big hand slowly up her thigh until it reached the juncture of her legs. Stroking his fingers through her folds, he gathered her cream on his fingers and spread it over her clit.
Pelicia moaned and spread her thighs, opening herself fully to him. His warm breath wafted over her, then he tongued her, taking a slow, long lick from her opening to her swollen pleasure nub. She closed her eyes and fisted her hands in his hair again, holding him close.
“Delicious.” Declan swiped the flat of his tongue up her slit and then latched onto her clit. He began to suckle her. As she moaned and pressed against his mouth, he brought his hand up and speared one finger slowly into her drenched sheath.
Pelicia moaned and thrust up to meet his invasion, her hands falling away to clutch at the bedding beneath her. This was what she wanted, what she needed. Declan’s mouth feasting on her, his tongue tugging at her clit.
Her pussy spasmed, and she fought to stave off the orgasm. She wanted this to last, wanted to hold onto this moment. When he added another finger and scissored them inside her, stretching her, preparing her for his thick shaft, she lost the battle. She clenched around his fingers, a low cry leaving her, her body bowing with the climax roaring through her.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
She barely heard Declan’s muttered praise over the thunder of her racing heart. But she felt his mouth leave her clit and she whimpered, wanting more.
Then his tongue replaced his fingers, the pointed tip fluttering around and around her opening, ducking inside to flick against the sensitive inner walls, and she jerked and wailed his name. And it all started up again.
Feeling Pelicia’s body beneath his lips, tasting her on his tongue sent Declan’s arousal skyrocketing. His cock lengthened and thickened, painfully pressing against the unyielding metal of his zipper. His balls were tight with anticipation.
He wanted this woman like he’d wanted no other.
And as much as he needed to feel her sweet pussy clasping his cock, he needed to show her he wasn’t the same man as before. That he could put others ahead of himself.
That he would put her needs before his own.
He moved away from her long enough to toe off his shoes and strip off his clothing. Then he settled fully on top of her, nudging her legs apart, making a place for himself between the sweet cradle of her thighs. Lowering his mouth to hers, he nipped, he sucked, he licked, his tongue sweeping into her mouth. One taste led him to wanting more.
More than just her mouth.
Declan gave a low growl and kissed a path down her throat, lingering at the pulse hammering beneath her soft skin. He raked his teeth over the tendon at the side of her neck, careful not to break the skin, letting her feel just a hint of the wildness that lurked within him.
Pelicia gasped and arched, her groin pressing into his erection. The tight peaks of her breasts rubbed through the hair on his chest, making her gasp.
He bent and latched onto one nipple, drawing on her with slow, strong pulls. He brought up one hand and tweaked the other nipple, twisting and tugging on it with his fingers.
When her hips pumped against him, dragging his erection through her slick folds, he released her breasts and kissed his way down her slender torso. When he reached her sex, he drew back and stared down at her.
God, she was so damned beautiful, all strawberries and cream with her golden hair, her lips and nipples red from his mouth, and her pale, soft skin. Her long torso led to a little tummy and that graceful slit with its sparse shelter of springy hair.
Declan groaned and slid his hands over her inner thighs, up until his thumbs met across her swollen sex. Then he spread her, opening her to his gaze—a gaze riveted to the slick dark pink folds and shadowed opening of her body. He would never tire of seeing her like this.
As the scent of her arousal rose, his nostrils flared. This was his woman. His mate. With a hungry growl he bent his head and set his open mouth on her. The first swipe of his tongue through her cleft gave him a tantalizing taste of her spicy-sweet flavor, and made her cry out in passion. When he speared into her channel, her hands came up and clutched his head, her fingers lacing through his hair with a strong grip.
Declan lashed at her sweet pussy with his tongue, plunging into her with fast jabs meant to drive her arousal higher. She moaned and pumped her hips against his mouth, telling him without words that he was succeeding.
He wanted to feel her come, wanted to see her face as she took her pleasure. Sliding his hands under her ass, he lifted her so he could get a better angle. He fucked into her with his tongue, dragging her flavor deep into his mouth, flicking her clit back and forth with the pointed tip of his tongue before thrusting it into her channel once more. All the while he kept his gaze fixed to her face.
“Declan!” Pelicia arched and shuddered, her sheath contracting around his tongue as another orgasm roiled through her. Her eyes squeezed shut, her face darkening with pleasure. He kept the rhythm steady, keeping her arousal ramped high, not letting her come down until she’d careened into yet another climax.
She settled against the mattress, her chest heaving with her heavy breathing. She tugged on his hair and Declan let her draw
him up. Crashing his mouth over hers, he thrust his tongue between her lips, letting her taste her own essence. Her lips were soft but her mouth just as ravenous as his. When he finally lifted his head, both of them breathed heavily and her lips were swollen and red.
Now…now it was time to get inside her before he exploded. Their last coming together had started out in anger and pent-up frustration. But this time it was done—if not out of love, at least out of mutual respect and the desire to comfort and affirm life—and he wouldn’t deny himself any longer.
“Condom?” he managed.
“No.” Pelicia stroked one hand down his cheek. “I want to feel you inside me, Declan, just like before. I’m safe, you’re safe.” Her eyes sparkled with desire. “No latex. Just you.”
Declan drew in a sharp breath as his arousal kicked up another notch. He reared up over her and guided his erection to her entrance. As he slowly pressed forward he held her gaze with his. Inch by inch he fed his cock into her clinging sheath until his balls slapped gently against the curve of her buttocks.
Blood roared in his ears. The wolf howled inside, demanding to be set free, but Declan fought it back. He was more than his animal, more than instinct that urged him to pound into her, to take blindly. He would not rut on her like some wild beast.
But, God, she was so tight, so slick. So hot.
Sliding his hands to her back, he lifted her to him and nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent, searing his lungs and his memory with it. Then he lowered her back to the bed and braced himself on his forearms. He flexed his hips, starting a slow, steady rhythm. She arched against him, her breasts pressing against his chest.
He gently urged her to lie flat on the bed and leaned over her, closing his lips around one turgid nipple. He suckled her, reveling in the warm feel of her in his mouth, the fresh and slightly salty taste of her against his tongue. Releasing her, he tugged the up-thrust peak of her other breast deep into his mouth.
Still Declan kept up the lazy pace, sliding in and out of her with slow, deliberate glides of his hips.
Pelicia tossed her head against the pillow. Her hands went to his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin. “Faster,” she moaned. “Harder.”
Sunlight filtering through the gauzy curtains on her windows shafted across her face, lightening her eyes until they glittered like the ocean. He wanted to see them dark with passion, the pupils dilated until only a thin rim of blue remained.
He sped up his tempo. She whimpered, her hips undulating against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. No longer able to temper his lust, Declan reared up and plunged into her. Each stroke made him gasp hoarsely. Her snug inner walls, swollen from her earlier orgasms, held him so tight he had to fight his way past the clinging muscles.
“More!” Pelicia demanded. She gripped him with her thighs, arching against him. Her hands came around to grasp his biceps.
As he hammered into her with a fury he could no longer control, his blood roared in his ears. Hot need coiled in his belly.
Her cries spurred him on. He slammed into her, again and again, and she thrashed below him, crying out his name as she flew apart in his arms. Fire seared his cock. His balls clenched and he gave a shout, jetting his release deep inside her. He hung there, shuddering, grinding his hips against hers as wave after wave of ecstasy pummeled him. Finally he collapsed against her, completely drained.
Chapter 16
A short while later, Declan came to himself enough to move off Pelicia so he wouldn’t crush her. Lying on his back, he crooked an arm around her and drew her to his side, gratified at her contented murmur as she rested her head against his shoulder.
God, he loved her. She made him a better man. No, that wasn’t quite right. She made him want to be a better man. He didn’t want to go back to being without her—he didn’t want to go back to what he was.
He opened his mouth to tell her how he felt, but was forestalled by a knock from downstairs. Thinking to ignore it, he said, “Pel, I need to tell you something. It’s—” He broke off as the knock came again. He sighed. “Someone’s at the door.”
She stirred. “I didn’t hear any—” She broke off as the knock came again, loud enough this time that she heard it, too. She climbed off the bed with a muttered, “Bloody werewolf hearing.”
He frowned, ignoring that little jibe. “Pel, we need to talk.”
This time the knock at the door was more of a pounding, either by a fisted hand or a foot.
She paused. “Declan…”
More pounding.
Pelicia sighed. “Someone’s being persistent, that’s for sure. Can this wait, what you need to say?”
“Sure.” Declan slid off the bed, bent and picked up his boxers, not bothering to hide his irritation. “Whatever you want.”
She sighed. “Don’t be that way, Declan. Look, I’m sorry. It’s just…a lot.” She put her bra around her, closing the fasteners and twisting the bra around until the cups were in front. Then she slid her arms through the straps and fit the cups over her breasts. “And you being a werewolf isn’t as earth shattering as you admitting you should have handled things differently.”
Thinking she was being facetious, he almost gave her a mock laugh. But, realizing she was completely serious, he pressed his lips together and nodded. “Aye,” he replied.
What else could he say? He’d been an ass, he’d admitted it, and she’d welcomed him back. He wasn’t going to do anything to mess it up this time.
While getting dressed, he watched her do the same and the sight stirred his body to action. Halfhearted at best—hell, it wasn’t like he was eighteen anymore—but it still surprised him. He stepped into his pants and pulled them up then stood still a moment, staring down as he pulled up the tab to the zipper.
“Lose something?”
He looked up to see Pelicia, fully clothed with one hand on the doorknob, staring at him with eyebrows raised.
“No. I know exactly where everythin’ is,” he grumbled good naturedly. It was a nice change, having her playfully teasing him instead of giving him a hard time. “And it’s all in perfect workin’ condition, too.”
“You won’t get an argument from me on that one.” She grinned and opened the door, dodging his reaching hand. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, O’Connell. Someone’s at the door.” She left the room.
Declan swore under his breath. He grabbed his shirt and jogged after her, catching up to her about halfway down the staircase. “Let me check it out first, all right?”
“Okay.” She let him precede her. From behind him she muttered, “There is a constable on duty, remember?”
“Aye, I remember,” he countered with a glance at her over his shoulder. “And just because he was there thirty minutes ago doesn’t mean he’s there now.”
He cracked open the door. Upon seeing Constable Tremwith, he opened the door all the way and finished buttoning his shirt, leaving the tails hanging outside his slacks. What did the man want now? There were no more dead bodies and no one had taken any more shots at them. “Constable. What can we do for you?”
“You can let me in.” Tremwith’s gaze traveled down Declan, taking in his obvious hastily dressed body and bare feet with little more than a slightly quirked eyebrow. He looked up again and focused over Declan’s shoulder. “Pelicia, may I have a few moments of your time?”
“Sure.” Pelicia took a few steps forward. When Declan didn’t move, she smacked him lightly on the arm. “Let the man in, Declan.”
Without a word, Declan moved to one side.
Tremwith strode inside, taking his hat off and tucking it under one arm. When Pelicia gestured toward the drawing room, he headed that way.
“Can I get you some tea?” she asked as she followed him.
“No, thank you.” He waited until she sat down in one of the plump armchairs then he sat on the sofa. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come out and say it.” He glanced at Declan then put his somber gaze
on Pelicia. “I’m sorry to tell you that we found a body washed up on one of the north side beaches earlier. The driver’s license found in the wallet identifies the man, and I’ve just had it confirmed that it was…” He paused and leaned forward, hat clasped in his fingers. “I’m sorry to say it’s one of your guests, Pelicia. Andrew Montkean.”
“Andrew!” Pelicia’s lovely face whitened in shock.
Declan went to her side. Sitting on the arm of the chair, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. He looked at Tremwith. “Are you sure?”
The constable gave a short nod.
“How…” She cleared her throat. “How did he die?”
The constable pressed his lips together as if debating how much to tell her. Then with a small sigh he offered, “He was garroted—strangled with a cord of some sort from behind, the doctor thinks.” After setting his cap on the sofa beside him, he pulled a pen and a small notebook from the inside pocket of his uniform jacket. “When was the last time you saw Mr. Montkean, Pelicia?”
She reached up and linked the fingers of her left hand with Declan’s where his hand rested on her shoulder. Her skin was cool. “I haven’t actually seen him since the day he checked in.” At Tremwith’s questioning look, she said, “He always came in after everyone else had gone to bed and was gone before dawn the next morning. But his bed always appeared to be slept in, so I just assumed…” She glanced up at Declan, a stricken look in her eyes. “You don’t suppose…” She looked back at the constable. “H-how long has he been dead?”
“Less than a day,” Tremwith said. “The doctor thinks not more than twelve to fourteen hours.” He looked back and forth between them. “That would be two people—one staying here and one apparently visiting in the middle of the night—who have died in the last twenty-four hours.”
Declan scowled. “Thank you for pointin’ out the obvious, boyo. Just what is it you’re inferrin’?”
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