Positive/Negativity (8 page)

She nodded in confirmation.

“I hired a realtor to do the research for me, I checked out whatever he found when I was around D.C. or New York, and that’s when this place came up. I liked it when I saw it. When I left to go on another shoot, I hired a painter, told him the colors, and it was done when I came back. Then I went to a decorator, looked through a book, and told them what I was going for. They put this together. It was really more of a necessity. To really say it briefly; I needed a house, and I wanted to live
here
. This is the house. I live
here
. End of story.”

“Well, they all did a good job. It seems to reflect you. You look like you ‘fit’ here. It isn’t always easy to find people who’ll see your vision.”

“I guess, for the most part, they reflected what I wanted in this house. Of course, the bed was mine. I picked that out.” I crooked my eyebrow at her suggestively and gave her the most wicked smirk I could possibly muster.

She blushed. I just
loved
that she did that.

Declan was so powerfully, sexually charismatic as he arched that eyebrow and talked about his bedroom. His intensity was one of the things I was beginning to love about him, but it was the thing that almost made me decide not to see him again.

The night he left The Blackjack, he left me speechless, breathless…and scared. At first I was excited and attracted to him like a moth to a flame, but that was what frightened me. Moths get burned, and I didn’t want to put myself in a position to be scorched. Being near Declan that night proved that he could make me forget my convictions. Women were ready, willing and able to meet his every need when he was on the road. Being gorgeous and charismatic was a cocktail that they would have found irresistible. I would have, if I hadn’t examined myself. I wasn’t the type of woman he was used to, and I didn’t want to be. I valued myself enough that I deserved to get something more from a man than just sex, and I was willing to try and find
that
person. I could have gotten a physical release from a “BOB”. I didn’t need a man for that. I wanted more than a physical relationship, and I presumed that he only wanted to take me to dinner with that end result in mind. When he called, and I refused, I could sense his shock through the phone. He wasn’t a man that received “no” for an answer very often. Extending a polite regret to him, I honestly thought that was the last I would hear from him. When he continued to call, his persistence won me over. Looking back, I’m glad he didn’t give up. We started slowly, with walks and coffee, which graduated to movie dates and time spent together. Throughout the past few weeks, our time together was fun for both of us. I was getting to know the
real
Declan, and I
loved
his company. We were good together and were building a relationship.
TTT

Damn him!
Actually, he pointed out his bed, and my mind went back to the beach. His kiss stole breath from my lungs. He was scrumptious, and I
love
dessert! To say that he was a good kisser wouldn’t be accurate. There are no words to articulate how he made me feel when he kissed me. He was the most mouth-watering and the most handsome man I’d ever seen. His charms were wearing me down day by day. His arms and legs were so massive and muscular, and I could just imagine being entangled in them. I had gotten glimpses of his tattoos, but I’d never seen him without his shirt. His kisses had gone from delicious to decadent to powerfully sinful, and there was lots of touching, writhing, and rubbing involved. The one thing that endeared him to me was that he never, ever pushed me beyond where I wanted to go, especially after our first date. It showed me that he cared about
me
; about what
I
wanted. He didn’t make it all about him. That was so rare these days.

Before him, I hadn’t been in a relationship for quite a while. I had even begun to wonder if guys excited me anymore because I hadn’t found anyone appealing. I have no doubt that all my girl parts are working just fine with him! When he entered my mouth with his succulent tongue, I felt clenching and tightening in areas where attention had long been neglected. When he placed his hand behind my head, the feeling intensified into a hot, searing ache, and if he hadn’t stopped, I’m not certain I would have. I now felt comfortable and trusting of him. He was drawing a direct, burning, and raw desire from me that he used his tongue to transmit, and it was…
electrifying.

Good Lord!
How did he do that?
I forgot where I was for those few minutes, and all I could think of was the sensations that were firing, like spark plugs, inside of me. With him looking at me, with that lush, dominating mouth of his, his dark hair, that slight stubble on his chin, those thick muscles in his neck and shoulders…talking about his bed—well, I’m finding it hard to concentrate. I need to change the subject…

“So, did you have everything inspected when you moved in? The electrical? The plumbing? The roof? The heating? The air conditioning?”

“I had my realtor hire a home inspector to make sure that everything was in working order.” They said it was, with a few minor things to repair, but I knew I wanted the house.”

“It’s a great house. There’s nothing better than falling asleep listing to the ocean, except waking up to hear it again and watching the sunrise…
With you next to me, naked. OMG! Stop it!
I’ve always loved being at the beach. It makes me content.

I watched Aria’s face as she spoke about the ocean, and I witnessed a smile and then a veil of serenity come over her. She had to be the most genuine human on the planet. She couldn’t disguise her feelings if she tried. She’s completely transparent, which hopelessly attracts me to her.

I was so used to being in the company of people who manipulated others. They put on personalities the way you’d wear a mask. She was refreshingly none of those. With her, what you saw was what you got.

…mentally chastising herself for staring at him so boldly, it occurred to her that Declan wasn’t like any man she had ever met—he was “
More
”…

T
Back in Your Arms Again – The Mavericks

TT
Love You Gently – Usher

TTT
Mercy -– Duffy

TTTT
One and Only – Adele

“Hi there, big guy!”

My pace quickened when I saw him. I hadn’t been with him in a few days. I had gotten a few leads from a realtor in the next beach town down the coast, so I drove down to check out the buildings. Seeing Declan made my heart skip a beat and gave me butterflies in my stomach. He was smiling at me and walking toward me a bit faster. I presumed the feeling was mutual.

I handed him a bag full of groceries. The man didn’t have much food in his refrigerator, and since I was spending more and more time here I wanted to contribute. He liked to dine out quite a bit, just casual places, but seemed to enjoy whenever I’d cook something for him. I had spoken with him earlier and asked him if he’d like me to come over and make lunch for him. I could feel his wholehearted, favorable endorsement of that idea through the phone. The logic for his hasty approval was because I learned that he didn’t like to cook. When he did venture into the kitchen, he had a very limited menu; pancakes, spaghetti, and sandwiches. That’s all. Not a gourmet bone in this man’s gorgeous body. Nope. Not one.

When I told him that I was making homemade chicken salad for him, he broke into a big smile. He said he especially liked tomatoes on his sandwiches. It seemed like such a little thing but it was just one of the many small things that I was learning about him. Funny thing was I found that it made me happy to make him happy, so if he liked tomatoes, I’d give him tomatoes.

Aria was spending more and more time at my house, and I was enjoying every minute of it. It was a comfortable thought to think of her being here on a more permanent basis. I thought about her if our schedules didn’t permit us to be together because I longed to be. I had gone to New York for work several times, but it was mostly for two or three days. When I was away, my thoughts were always of her. I couldn’t wait to get back home to her.