Deceive (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #2) (20 page)

“Are you ready?” I asked, with my lips against her neck.

“You don’t know how ready I am,” she replied in a breathy whisper that sent aches running through my body.

Damn the hour-long drive home.

ONCE THE car was enveloped in the darkness of the night, it was even harder to take my mind off Alyssa. In my peripheral vision, I saw flashes of her face lit by the headlights of oncoming cars. My car was filled with the heady scent of desire, with an undercurrent of sweet sweat from the race suits. Every breath I drew filled my mind with thoughts of Alyssa. She was making me mad with desire.

Even though the plan was to just drop her off at home after collecting Phoebe, I didn’t know how I would be able to do that without some way of relieving my tension. It would have been so easy to pull the car over to the side of the road and beg for something—anything—to help my situation, but I didn’t. Instead, I reminded myself that technically it was our first real date. At least, the first outside the vomiting disaster at McDonald’s or the friend-only shopping trip.

Surely it wasn’t right to fuck her mindlessly on the first date, no matter how desperately I wanted to.

We were halfway home when my phone rang. I answered it on the hands-free, relieved to be back in my car and where things were set up my way. It was Mum letting me know Phoebe had fallen fast asleep and that it might not be a good idea to wake her. After a quick discussion, the three of us agreed we’d leave Phoebe undisturbed at Mum’s because the next day was going to be a big one with the things I had planned. It was going to be big for all of us.

For the rest of the drive, Alyssa sat playing with her hair. Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I planned to drop her off at home before going back to Mum’s house to shower and sleep. I figured I could bring Phoebe around in the morning and collect Alyssa on our way out. It would mean being alone with Phoebe, but I was sure I’d be able to cope with that for the length of the drive from Mum’s to Alyssa’s.

When I’d pulled into Alyssa’s driveway, I climbed out of the car and grabbed her clothes out of the boot. Like me, she was still in her race suit.

I followed close behind her as she walked to her front door. Not knowing we’d be out as long as we were, she hadn’t left her porch light on, so the black beneath the eaves was almost absolute. I could only see a vague outline of her body. Yet, I could tell the she was regarding her feet with great interest.

“Well—” I started.

“Would you like—” Alyssa said at the same time, slowing raising her head to look at me.

“You go,” I told her.

“Would you like to come in for a drink?” I could see her eyes clearly despite the intervening night. They stared at me, pleading silently for something as she continued to play with the ends of her hair.

I nodded before raising my hand to still her motion. The movement drew me closer to her and I couldn’t resist the call of her lips. I dipped my head and drew her lower lip between mine, sucking on it for a second before rolling my tongue across the plump surface. In response to my touch, her eyes closed, and her breath hitched. My own breaths were unsteady, but it wasn’t like the gasping lack of oxygen of my panic attacks. This was a type of breathlessness I enjoyed. The type I only ever experienced around her. I stepped back away from her, ready to follow her inside. In the darkness, the memory of her taste lingered on my mouth.

With shaking hands, Alyssa pulled her keys from her bag and raised them to the door. The tremors grew more pronounced as she struggled to find the right key. Just like I’d done earlier in the day, I put my hand over hers to steady it. The thrill that passed between us was almost too much to handle. I stepped closer to her, pressing my front against her back. She leaned into me, and all thoughts of keys, doors, and drinks were forgotten.

The black of night surrounded us like a blanket, cocooning us in our own private world. With my free hand, I brushed her hair over one shoulder before I pressed my lips to her neck. She murmured my name as she moved her head to grant me better access.

Reaching around to the front of her, I slowly drew down the zip on her suit until I’d undone it completely. My hand crawled from the zipper to her stomach, working its way beneath her shirt. I moaned and increased the intensity of my kisses on the curve of her neck as my fingers found their way to her nipples.

The keys left her hand, but the jingle when they hit the ground was easy to ignore when her fingers reached backward to caress my hair. She guided me closer to her, twisting my face against her neck. Possessed with need, I licked, sucked, and nipped at the skin of her throat.

Pulling her closer to me, my hands worked with only one intention—nudity. I yanked at the arms of her suit, pulling them away from her delicate skin. I worked the back of her bra, releasing the clasp. My mouth only left her throat for the briefest of moments as I swept her t-shirt off over her head.

I gathered both of her hands in mine and pinned them against the door in front of us. With my lips exploring her shoulders, I dragged one of my hands down over her body. Inch by inch, I trailed my fingers over her arm, down her back and then around to caress her warm breasts. My fingers played with her nipples, and I watched every movement over her shoulder.

“Dec.” My name flew from Alyssa on end of a breathy moan.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to possess her, to take her the way I’d longed to since London. It was an almost unstoppable primal urge that built from deep within. Only she could stop me now; there was no way I could stop myself.

My free hand pushed down on her suit until it fell to puddle around her ankles. The almost non-existent moonlight seemed to search out Alyssa’s skin as desperately as I did and shimmered off her. The radiant beauty of it spurred me on. One word from her and I would have stopped, but all she offered were soft mews and moans as my fingertips and tongue explored her body.

My mouth moved from her neck to her shoulder and across her back as my free hand began to work on freeing me from my own confines. As I stripped off my suit, I released Alyssa’s hands, but she compliantly left them where I’d placed them. She didn’t turn or move except to push her body back against me. I wondered whether perhaps she was as concerned about breaking the spell as I was.

The moment I’d removed all barriers between us, I used my knee to spread her legs a little, grazing across her arousal in the process. She was warm and wet and ready for me.

Nothing could stop me. I needed her—I needed
us
.

I grabbed hold of my shaft and ran the tip down toward her heat. Her head fell forward until her forehead rested against the door. I could tell she had her lip between her teeth again by the way her moan was stifled. With an indrawn breath to stop my own desperate moan, I pushed forward into her, filling her completely.

It wasn’t the way I’d planned our first encounter of our new relationship, but I was powerless to resist her even one second longer. Bracing my hands on the door, each placed slightly above her head, I surrounded her. She moved her hands to intertwine her fingers with mine before pushing her body back to meet me as I thrust forward into her again.

“Fuck, Lys,” I murmured as I kissed her jaw, her cheek, everything I could lay my lips on.

I’d been waiting for the moment for so fucking long and there was no way I’d be able to make it last, especially not with the way she was pushing her arse back against my cock. I couldn’t care though. In that moment, I was selfish, taking her and possessing her with little regard for anything else besides my own desperate need as I took pleasure from her body in hard, fast thrusts.

I shook loose of one of her hands, and she laid her palm back on the door as she pushed into me again. My hand grazed along her body, desperately needing to touch every inch of her skin, to commit it all to memory as if this were a one-time thing.

She whispered my name reverently over and over and I couldn’t restrain myself. My hands wrapped around her body, and I lifted her against me. As she braced herself against the door, one of my hands came to rest against her throat; the other brushed her clit. Her head fell back onto my shoulder as I nibbled on her earlobe. My desire for her rose to heights I’d never imagined seconds before I came hard into her.

As I came, my breaths were nothing more than rough pants against her neck. I was hyperaware that she’d not been granted the same release, but I was spent. Releasing her from the hold I’d had her in, I braced my hands against the door again, and whispered her name repeatedly into her neck like a prayer to heaven.

My breathing began to steady, and the strength returned to my body. “Fuck, Lys, I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I’m not,” she murmured, as she twisted to kiss my cheek.

When I’d collected myself, I pushed off the door and slid my hands down her back, running my fingers across her hips and down the backs of her legs. Then I dropped to the ground to collect the keys, fumbling in the darkness to find them on the doorstep.

Finally, I heard the rewarding jingle as my hand brushed past them. I clutched them, desperate to get inside and show Alyssa that I wasn’t just a selfish arse by loving her properly all night long.

As I worked my way back up to a standing position, I ran my tongue across the back of her thighs and kissed the base of her spine. Then I placed the keys in her hands because I had no idea which key fit in which hole. She fingered through them quickly in search of the right one.

Her hand was steadier than it had been when she pushed the key into the lock. She stepped out of her suit and through the now open door. She turned back to me, her naked skin still reflecting softly in moonlight, and I knew I was done for.

I’d told her once that her body was her temple, and I was determined to worship there repeatedly and exclusively. Starting straight away.

Stepping forward, I swept her into my arms and kissed her with all the passion that burned through my body.

Lifting her over the threshold, I kicked the door shut behind us, leaving our discarded clothes where they lay on the porch, casualties of our lust.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: BREAKTHROUGH

I PUSHED ALYSSA further into the house, tasting her mouth and pulling her body against me as we went. We collided with the wall, and I ground against her. My fingers found their way into her, gliding in and out to a rhythm I’d long ago perfected. Her mouth opened wide as her eyes shut, and her head tipped back against the wall. My palm grazed against her clit as I pushed into her over and over. When I felt her tightening around my fingers, I withdrew them.

She whimpered softly. “Please,” she begged, pushing her hips forward.

“Soon,” I whispered against her hair as I kissed her temple. “But first . . .” I bent down, grabbed her around the waist and threw her over my shoulder. The movement sent a shockwave of pain down both sides my ribs, but I didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop me taking her and claiming her every way I could.

Laughing and squealing, she mock-protested in my arms as I carried her down the hallway. I pushed open the door to the bathroom and placed her on the floor in front of the shower. It was one of the old shower/bathtub combos, and ever since the first time I’d seen it the first night I’d stayed at her house, I’d dreamed of doing exactly what I was about to.

I turned on the water, checking it to ensure the temperature was just right. Once it was, I turned to look at Alyssa. She stood waiting patiently, playing with her hair. Confusion was printed on her features. With a reassuring smile, I offered her my hand and helped her under the water. After a day of sweating in the suits, being under the water felt like fucking heaven.

Without releasing the hold I had on her, I reached for the soap and washed her perfect body. I paid particular attention to her breasts, using my soft palms instead of the rough loofah on her delicate skin.

As the water washed away the soap, I pressed my mouth to her wet nipples, tasting her as I sucked the water into my mouth. I reached for her shampoo to wash her hair, but she swatted my hand away. Grabbing hold of her hand, I brought it to my lips.

“Please, let me make up for the front door,” I whispered against her skin. “I want to worship every inch of you.”

Panting with need, and with a quiver racing through her, she gulped and gave a tiny nod in response to my words.

I lathered up the shampoo in my hands before running my fingers through the length of her hair. Being so close to her; touching her so intimately, but yet so innocently, was driving me crazy again. I grew hard again, but I worked to contain myself. Pushing thoughts of claiming her again out of my head, I rinsed the shampoo from her hair and repeated the process with the conditioner. Alyssa moaned as my fingers raked against her scalp and again as they ran down her neck.

After I finished with her hair, I curled my finger under her chin and used it to guide her lips to mine. I kissed her lazily, taking my time to experience the sensation of the moisture on her lips and the difference in her taste under the warm water. My hands explored her body as I kissed my way down her chest once more. I spent some time circling there, nipping and licking the water from her skin.

With her eyes closed and her fingertips tracing through my wet hair, she murmured and muttered desperate pleas for me to take her.

I couldn’t . . . not yet. There was something I wanted to do first.

Wrapping my hands around the tops of her thighs, I pushed my face against her stomach, kissing an agonisingly slow trail down to her pussy. I licked my lips in anticipation as I watched small droplets of water from the shower touching her intimately. My tongue slid forward and collected the droplets into my mouth, barely grazing her skin in the process.

The guttural groan from above me was as sweet as an angel’s voice. I pushed forward hard with my mouth as I pulled her closer with my hands to taste her. I sucked on her clit, relishing the flavour of the water that cascaded around her. Her hands fisted against my scalp as she leaned back further into the stream. With my tongue, I swirled the water against her clit. She moaned as I stroked her pussy back and forth with the tip of my tongue, lapping up every droplet of water that trailed down her body. When I buried my tongue in her, I glanced up at her. Her eyes closed and she shook slightly in my hold. The sight was phenomenal and I wanted nothing more than to prolong her ecstasy.

Drawing away from her, I twisted her around to sit at the end of the bathtub. “Sit back,” I commanded in a whisper. Adjusting the angle of the shower, I let the stream of water rain down on her hips and thighs. She squeezed her legs tightly together. Her breathing came in shallow pants, and shivers raced through her. I knelt in front of her before pressing her knees to the sides of the tub, allowing the warm water from the shower to cascade over her pussy. She dropped her head back, her breath shallowing out further.

“Oh, fuck,” she cried.

With tender movements, I brushed my fingers around the tops of her thighs, eliciting a moan. When I pressed my fingers into her again, I worked them slowly, watching with great fucking interest as they slipped in and out of her entrance. My hard-on grew and demanded fresh attention. Desperate for more, I leaned down to press another kiss against her pussy.

“Fucking hell, Alyssa,” I said. “I want you.”

She shook her head before lifting it so that her eyes met mine. “I—I need you. So bad.”

I quickly assessed her current position. She was against the hard tub, her legs spread wide, and the water was starting to cool. It wasn’t a great position for some quality loving so I decided I would torture her with just one more move—for her own comfort.

I stood and turned off the shower before stepping out onto the bathroom floor.

She groaned in frustration, the sound drawing a laugh from me. I reached down and helped her up and out of the tub.

“I don’t want you getting sick,” I said as I wrapped a towel around her shoulders. She started to towel dry herself, but seeing the beads of water resting on her breasts and clinging to her pussy made me want to lick them off myself so I held up my hand to stop her.

“Just dry your hair,” I whispered, my voice low and hoarse. “I’ll get the rest.”

She smiled wickedly at me as she fluffed the towel through her hair. I watched excitedly as one of the beads of water on her shoulder collided with another, growing heavy. My eyes followed it as it made its descent down her body. Lifting my hand, I followed the path with my finger until it reached her thigh.

I grabbed the towel off Alyssa and wrapped it around her back, using it to pull her into the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and I gently pushed her to lie down with the towel beneath her. Kneeling in front of her, I collected the remaining droplets of water with my mouth, kissing, licking, and nipping her entire body. She was writhing beneath me before long, begging me repeatedly to take her already.

When I stood, she shuffled higher on the bed so I could lie down with her. I wrapped myself over and around her completely, pinning her to the bed, staring deep into her eyes as I entered her for the second time. A hiss left my lips as I slid into the warmth of her pussy.

Her eyes rolled back as she gave a fuck-sexy cry of relief and ecstasy. I moved with her slowly, unwilling to release her eyes, which were filled with a love and desire that damn near broke my heart.

How had I missed four years of this? I was a fool. A fucking arrogant fool. I was never going to get better than this . . . better than
us
.

I kissed her softly on the lips and proclaimed again how much I loved her.

“I’m yours,” was all she could mumble in response before her body clenched tightly beneath me. She cried out loudly again as she came hard. I continued to move so she could ride out her orgasm, but then I stilled. I wanted to remain in the moment forever.

I rose up onto my elbows and brushed her hair off her face. The depth of the emotions she’d shown as I’d taken her had burned through my lust and left the raw, exposed edges of my soul showing.

“I am so fucking sorry for everything I did to us,” I whispered as I brushed my hand through her hair. My voice cracked as I spoke.

She raised her hand to my face and wiped away a tear I didn’t even realise had fallen.

“I can’t say it’s okay, because we both know it’s not. I’ve been to hell and back, Dec.” Her own tears started to fall. “But I forgive you. I love you.”

I dropped my head to her chest so she wouldn’t see the tears that were now falling in earnest. Her heart thundered against my cheek, a reminder that she was there. It wasn’t too late to change. To fix things. The understanding that washed through me at the thought was overwhelming. A sob overtook my body, followed by another. I clung to Alyssa’s shoulders tightly as I sobbed against her chest. I never wanted to fucking let go again. I never would.

I HAD no idea how long I had clung to Alyssa before finally succumbing to sleep, but obviously at some point I had. Morning light streamed into the bedroom, I was lying on my back and her hand ran through my hair as I came to my senses. I lifted my hand, snagging hers and bringing it to my lips. She gasped at my sudden movement, and I smiled with her fingers still pressed to my mouth.

Raising my eyes, I glanced at my fucking beautiful angel. She was on her side, with her head propped up by her other arm. I released my hold on her hand, and it resumed its strokes through my hair.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” I said.

“Morning.” She offered a small smile before tucking herself into my side and resting her head on my shoulder. “I still can’t believe you’re here, like this.”

I held her tightly. “Believe it, because I’m not going anywhere, Lys. Not unless you send me away.”

“What about my family?”

For a moment, her words concerned me, but then I understood the one thing that might win them back to my side. I curled my finger under her chin and raised it so she could look at my face and see how serious I was. “Do they want you to be happy?”

She nodded. “Of course they do.”

“Well, do I make you happy?”

She smiled and it was so blistering and filled with genuine happiness that I’d want to kick my own ass if I ever made her lose it again.

I lifted my head and kissed her softly. “Then we’ll work it out.”

“I don’t know how you can have such blinding optimism after the week you’ve had,” she said.

“I guess it’s just easy to be optimistic when I’ve got a fuck-hot woman in my arms.”

She slapped my chest lightly. “And here I thought we were having a moment of honesty.”

“I am being honest.” I stroked my hand lightly up and down her side. “Are we really going to do it today?” I murmured, silently praying Alyssa knew what I meant without me having to say the words out loud.

She was quiet for a while, making me wonder if perhaps she hadn’t understood. Just when I was about to clarify, she spoke. “It’s up to you. I just don’t want to tell her anything if you are going to disappear again.”

“I’ve told you—”

She pressed her fingers to my lips to stop me from repeating what I’d said so many times since I’d started trying to win her back. “I know,” she said. “And
mostly
I believe you. It’s just—” She sighed. “—I guess history has taught me to be on guard.”

“I know, Lys. I told you last night though, I’m sorry for all the shit I’ve done. Here’s the thing though, my life hasn’t been all roses and sunshine. I know it’s nothing compared with what you’ve had to deal with, but I don’t want to go back to it. At the time, I guess I thought I was doing okay, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t sleep, had nightmares most nights, and took copious amounts of sleeping tablets just to be able to function. I had panic attacks that I had to keep hidden from everyone or risk my job. Now, having you in my arms like this . . . sleeping like I did last night . . . it just makes me see how bad I really let things get.”

She planted a soft kiss on my chest. “Let’s not get into the past now. You’ve got something planned for us for today, right? Let’s just go pick up Phoebe and get this show on the road.”

I smiled and nodded. “Sounds good, although . . .” I trailed off deliberately.

“Although what?” she asked, the corners of her eyes pinching together with suspicion.

I rolled myself onto my side before pushing her over onto her back and climbing between her legs, resting my pelvis against hers. “Although I can think of something I wouldn’t mind doing before going.”

She grinned at me. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

“You.” I captured her lips as my hands began to wander.

A LITTLE over an hour later, we pulled up in front of Mum’s house. The kamikaze dive-bombing butterflies were back in my stomach as I thought about what the day would bring. To Phoebe, I would start the day as Mummy’s friend, but I would finish it as her daddy.

Just thinking the word brought a lump to my throat. I didn’t know how we were going to tell her. Didn’t really know if we even should so soon. But I wanted to do it. I wanted her to know, even though it scared the shit out of me.

Alyssa and I had discussed it while we’d showered and dressed. We discussed it again in the car on the way from Alyssa’s house. Still, we were no closer to a decision. Instead, we agreed to simply wing it. To tell her together when we both thought the moment was right.