by Fable Gray
“Are there…other things?” I asked, venturing a few feet closer.
“What do you think?”
“I think…you’re faster than any human. So fast, I can’t keep up.” I licked my lips and took another step, close enough to touch him. I reached out and took his hand to trace my finger on his palm where he’d cut himself with the glass. “You can heal from a cut—maybe more.” I lifted my eyes to his. “I don’t know what else.”
“Does it scare you?” he murmured.
I shook my head. “It’s fascinating. I have so many questions, but I promised I’d only ask one more. For now.”
His fingers closed around mine. They were warm, overly warm, heating me up. That was another thing. He was always warm. Almost like he had a fever. I’d have to ask him about that too.
“What’s the other thing?”
I swallowed and forced myself to say it, even though I knew the answer. “Did you do something to my father that day of the accident?”
His pupils dilated, then went back to normal while his jaw clenched. It looked like he was exerting a great deal of control—control over what, I wasn’t sure.
“Do you really think I would have hurt him?” Declan asked.
I lowered my chin. “No. I don’t. I just…don’t know what to think.”
“I didn’t even see him that day. We were supposed to meet, and he didn’t show up. Runs in the family, I guess,” he said with a bit of humor in his voice. I looked up again. “He’d been working with me to figure out what was in the injection my father gave me—and what exactly it had done to me. I waited for him here, but he never showed up. Then I heard about the accident.”
“Then…how?” His fingers squeezed mine, and I hung on tight for the comfort. “Was it really just an accident or did something happen?”
“No, I don’t think it was an accident,” Declan said.
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
“He knew my secret. He knew my father’s secret. I think someone, maybe someone who works for my father, is trying to keep that secret a secret.”
Alarm bells rang in my head. “But if someone hurt him and they know he’s awake, they might—”
I cursed and turned to go for the front door. My dad might be in danger, and I was here at Declan’s house drinking coffee.
“Royal,” he said, catching up to me in the blink of an eye. “Hold on.”
“I have to get there. I need to tell the police. I—”
“Stop.” He shifted so he was standing in front of me, blocking my way. He reached out to set his hands on my upper arms, ensuring I heard him out.
“Let go. Declan, I need—”
His fingers squeezed slightly. “You need to take a breath. And you can’t go to the police.”
“Like hell!” I burst out, jerking away from him. He couldn’t stop me without hurting me, and I knew he wouldn’t do that. “You need to—Declan!”
In a flash, his arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me so tight, I could barely struggle.
“Royal,” he said, his breath warm on my ear. “You need to calm down.”
“Let me go. Declan, if you don’t let me go…”
But he didn’t release me, only gripped my arms together in one hand so he could wrap the other around my waist. “Running out of here isn’t going to solve anything.”
“It’ll solve the fact that my dad’s in danger, you ass—”
“Royal,” he snapped, making my teeth clench together. “Stop it. If your dad’s in danger, you’re in danger, and I’m not going to risk sending you off on your own.”
“You’re not the boss of me,” I muttered, but without much strength to it. He was right. Running off half-cocked probably wasn’t smart.
“I’m not trying to boss you around—I’m trying to keep you safe.”
Those words, coupled with the gentle way he held me, calmed me immediately. And after a moment, they embarrassed me because suddenly, I was so exhausted I just wanted to cry.
Tears burned the corners of my eyes. “Okay,” I said, then frowned when my voice wobbled. “I’m not running.”
He released me, only to turn me around and lift my chin so he could see my face. “Royal—shit, please don’t cry.”
He did the thing I wanted the most, which was to wrap his arms around me and hold me, showing just how safe he could make me feel. With Declan here, the world didn’t seem like such a scary place. Maybe I wouldn’t have to feel so alone dealing with my dad. Maybe there was something bigger for me to hold onto.
“We’re going to figure all this out,” Declan murmured, his lips brushing my ear.
I eased back to see his face. “You promise?”
His eyes searched mine, though I didn’t know what he was looking for. And he never said, just lowered his mouth to mine and promised me safety with a kiss.
Chapter 18
His kiss was like silk, smooth and rich, making me want to drop my guard. To simply give in for once.
“Declan,” I murmured.
His fingers found my jaw and tilted my head up. “I thought we were through with the questions.”
“It’s not that—it’s my dad. I have to make sure he’s safe.”
“It’s already done,” he assured me, then ran his lips across my jaw and moved lower, distracting me while he continued to speak. “The moment your dad had the accident, I made sure there was someone at the hospital day in and day out to watch over him.”
With my chin caught in his grasp, I could only stare. “You did?”
He kissed my lips and nodded. “I did. And when I got the call this morning that he woke up, I sent someone else. Your dad is safe.”
Gratitude flooded my heart, followed by a healthy dose of need. I put my arms around his neck, and he released my chin to hold me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“I told you we’re going to figure this out. We’re in this together. I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
A shiver raced through me at those words. Anything. That covered a lot of ground. But then, he’d told me he was falling in love with me. Being willing to do anything for me probably stretched a lot further than I expected it to.
But I felt the same as he did, even if my feelings weren’t quite on the same level. I wanted to protect Declan any way I could.
“Your secret is safe with me,” I assured him. “And you’re right. We’re in this together.”
His gaze heated. “That’s all I needed to hear. Hold on.”
“Wh—”
He hiked me up into his arms. I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist, then gasped when he moved at the speed of light. The world spun around me. In the blink of an eye, he’d brought us to a bedroom.
“Declan,” I breathed. “You have to warn me when you do things like that.”
“I did,” he murmured, his mouth close to my ear. “I told you to hold on.”
I was still clenching his shirt in my fists, hanging on for dear life. “Is this your bedroom?” I managed.
“It is.”
It looked like him. Dark wood and plush fabrics, a view that rivaled the one at his office. It was sparsely furnished but still managed to radiate charm and coziness.
“You don’t know how hard it was to stop myself from touching you at work. Every day I had to tell myself to stay out of that office. I knew if I went in there…” He shook his head.
“If you’d told me the truth, I still would have kept your secret,” I said.
“I know. But I don’t take risks like that, Royal. Not ever.”
“Then why now?”
His gaze traced my features, skimmed my body, which was still tight in his grasp, and then came back up to my eyes.
“You know why,” he said, voice husky. He lowered me so my feet were on the ground and stepped away. “It’s you. No one else could make me feel like this. We’re more similar than you realize—but you’ll see. If you give me time, if you can trust me, you’ll s
ee.”
Time. Trust. Serious words. Especially for a relationship that had started with lies.
“It’s a lot, I know,” Declan said. His lips curved. “So I won’t rush you. Right now, I just want you. Naked. Beneath me.”
A fever ravished my body, raking me from head to toe. I wanted him, too, more than I could say. With his hands on me, it would be easy to forget about the serious stuff. Just for now.
Declan toed off his boots, taking his time. It was amazing how slowly he could move when I knew what kind of speed was in his repertoire.
He had excellent control. He didn’t rush anything, only took slow steps in my direction so he met me where I stood, the backs of my thighs pressed against the tall bed, my body quivering in anticipation.
“It wasn’t hard to picture what you looked like underneath all those suits at work, but it still drove me crazy because I didn’t know for sure,” Declan murmured.
His finger traced my collarbone, just above the neckline of my simple cotton shirt.
“Even casual, I can’t take my eyes off you,” Declan said. “Or wonder what’s underneath.”
“Your suits cover a lot more skin than mine,” I told him with a smile. “But I have a pretty good imagination.”
He returned my smile. “I bet.”
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t salivating to see what was beneath his simple dark jeans and T-shirt. It clung to his chest and abs, the material stretching to accommodate his muscles. His thighs strained against the fabric of the jeans.
It was stuff dreams were made of. At least, the kinds of dreams I’d been having lately.
I reached out to grab the hem of his shirt. He lifted his arms, allowing me to remove it. Underneath, he was a feast of sculpted muscle. As perfect as a statue, but as real as I was.
And warmer.
“What are you thinking?” Declan asked, his fingers brushing my cheek.
“That you’re always really hot.”
He laughed, the sound warming me all the way to my toes. “That’s a nice compliment. An interesting one.”
“I meant that your skin is warm. Every time you touch me, it’s like you have a fever.” I reached out and slid my hands up his pecks. He hissed at the cold of my fingers but reached up to hold my hands in place before I could move away. “See? Even right now, you’re so warm.”
“It’s normal. My body temperature runs high. My father figured it’s because of my abilities. My immune system is constantly working harder than normal to keep me in top form. He did some tests…” Declan shrugged. “Science. Not exactly a turn-on.”
I grinned at him. “Speak for yourself.”
“Ah, that’s right.” Declan skimmed his fingers over my shoulders and then down my abdomen, making me shiver. He gripped the hem of my shirt and gently pulled it over my head as he talked. “A scientist just like her father. I haven’t seen that side of you yet.”
“The nerdy side?” I asked, trying to feel more confident about being exposed in front of a man who was on par with a god.
His gaze moved across my breasts, still covered in a simple white bra, so much fire in them I felt it between my legs. “If this is nerdy,” he breathed, “I don’t think I’ll ever be looking for anything else. You’re beautiful, Royal.”
My cheeks flushed. I’d been cold before but now I was practically sweating.
“Am I embarrassing you?” he asked, kneeling in front of me.
I blinked down at him, surprised by the swift movement. “It’s, uh…been a while.”
“Good,” he grunted. He tugged off my boots. “I don’t like to think about another man touching you.”
Compared to Declan, I had a feeling they were all going to seem like little children after this.
He seemed to know exactly what to do, how fast to go, where I wanted to be touched. Jealousy reared inside. That was probably because he’d had practice.
Dammit, Royal, shut it down. I didn’t need to be thinking about things like that unless I wanted to drive myself crazy. Besides, right now, we were just seeing where things went, right?
“Are you on the pill?” Declan asked, rising to his knees to undo the button on my pants.
“Yes. And I’m clean. And, well, like I said, it’s been a while.”
He lifted his gaze. “Good. I’m clean, too. I still get tested, but it’s probably not necessary.”
It hit me then that he probably couldn’t catch anything. If he could heal himself and he never got sick… My scientist's brain went nuts.
“That’s really interesting,” I told him, angling my head.
He laughed and started to pull on my jeans. “I see that. Let’s see if I can distract you enough that you won’t want to experiment on me for now.”
“You can try…” I joked, but then my breath caught when he whipped my jeans down my legs and pressed a kiss to my thigh.
I balanced my hands on his shoulders to step out of the jeans. I didn’t see where he tossed him before his lips were moving up my leg, stopping at the crease of my thighs.
“A nerd with curves,” Declan breathed, sliding his hands up to my waist. “I like this.”
His fingers curled in the lip of my panties and pulled them down. He exhaled at the sight of me. Between his obvious appreciation and the heat of his hands, I was burning up.
My legs shook as his fingers stroked up and down my thighs. Then he stood abruptly and undid the latch on my bra.
When he stepped back, desire and appreciation warmed his gaze. He licked his bottom lip and then smiled, meeting my eyes.
How the hell had I ended up naked and he was still half-dressed?
I didn’t have a chance to ask. He moved faster than lightning, scooping me up and setting me back down on the bed. My hair fluttered out and then I felt the coolness of the comforter on my back.
“I think you’re going to need to take your pants off for the rest of this,” I told him in a rough voice.
He chuckled like he knew how badly I wanted to see him. But he didn’t hesitate to unbutton his jeans. He slid them off along with his boxers in one smooth movement.
And then we were both naked.
He didn’t disappoint, and clearly, my imagination wasn’t as amazing as I’d claimed. He was even more remarkable in real life, his entire body toned and perfect. His chest was a feast of muscle, tapering down to a trim waist. Those muscular thighs made my mouth water, and what was between them…
“Declan,” I said, my body aching to have him on me. In me.
His cock was already thick and hard, veins wrapping the length like ropes.
“I had to wait the entire week for this,” Declan told me, climbing onto the bed like a tiger stalking its prey. “I’m taking my time.”
His warm hands slid up my legs and to my thighs, which were already trembling in anticipation of what he’d do next.
He parted my legs and ran one finger down my cleft. I was soaked for him, throbbing to the beat of my heart.
“Declan,” I said, an ache in my voice I’d never heard before. I hadn’t realized how badly I wanted him until I let myself stop and take a breath, let myself realize that this could actually happen.
Before, I’d been on a mission. Now, I was at his mercy.
Declan slid one finger inside of me. “Fuck, Royal. You’re so tight.”
I squirmed when he moved it. He knew just what to do. When he added another finger, I sighed, and then lit on fire again when his tongue flicked against my clit.
He swirled it on that sensitive bundle of nerves, driving me crazy while he drove his fingers in and out.
My breath caught, my body verging on exploding. “Declan,” I gasped.
Then my body bowed off the bed, the orgasm hitting me like lightning and electrifying my body. Declan didn’t relent, just kept tormenting me with his tongue and pushing those hot fingers inside of me, matching my heat.
“God, Declan—” I started.
He moved over the top of me in a flash, a
nd then his mouth was sealed on mine.
I drove my fingers into the back of his hair, grasping at the short strands. With the other hand, I ran my fingers over the bunched muscles on his back, loving the warmth and strength.
I rose up, losing myself in the kiss, trying to get even closer. I tried to push him back, tried to straddle him, but he was too strong.
He made a noise of disapproval in his throat before breaking the kiss. He locked one of his hands around my wrists and pinned them to the bed.
“Not this time,” he said in a voice rough with need. His eyes scanned my body while his knees locked around my thighs and his hand held me captive against the comforter. “This time, I want you this way. Beneath me. I want to give you this.”
“Declan,” I groaned. “Please.”
His lips curved, then he bowed his head to seal his mouth over one breast. I yanked in a breath, the words lost again as he sucked. He pulled at the nipple and nipped it with his teeth—hard enough I felt it in my core.
God, he was going to kill me with simple kisses. I was going to die in his bed with his mouth all over me.
I lifted my hips, pressing into his massive erection and knowing it was killing him to keep waiting.
But he only pinned me harder and moved to the other breast. I felt his cock sliding along my thigh and occasionally brushing me between my legs, where I was still so sensitive.
“Declan,” I said, pleading with him. “I can’t—”
“Almost,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.
He lingered like he knew this might be the only time we were together. I couldn’t think of anything else but the fact that he was driving me crazy and how much I needed him inside of me.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Declan murmured, shifting over the top of me.
My thighs instinctively parted wide for him. He eased between them, his weight welcome and intoxicating.
It was electricity the moment he entered me, hot and shocking. Like we were made to fit together.
“Fuck, Royal,” Declan hissed, slowing when he’d only entered me halfway. “You feel so good. So warm. I can actually feel you—it…” His rough voice trailed off and a thrill shot through me at having affected him so completely.