The Love He Craves (The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan Book 2) (25 page)

“Playing hard to get really worked well for you, Nyxie honey,” Joseph said, and turned to his date. “I guess it’s too late for me to try that.” He gave Ari a sheepish smile.

“That’s okay. I don’t really like games. I’m more of a lay your cards on the table kind of man.”

“Really, why don’t you just lay your cards down now?”

Ari’s eyes met Joseph’s. “You have a pretty good chance of getting laid tonight, but little chance of anything long-term.”

Joseph made a big show of sighing dramatically, but Nyxie suspected he was disappointed.

“So what happened?” Joseph said, turning back to Declan. “Did you talk her into seeing you quarterback the big game?”

“Nope, she didn’t go and we lost at the state semifinals.”

Emily leaned in. “And so you thought the best revenge would be to marry her and make her miserable the rest of her life.”

“Do you want me to tell the story or not?”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s not much more to tell. I tried to give her roses on Valentine’s Day. She disappeared into the bathroom and wouldn’t come out. The last time we spoke in high school, there were some girls making fun of her after school. I told them to leave her alone, and asked her if she was okay. She said she was and I tried to talk to her, but she said she had to go. That was the extent of our interactions at school.”

“That’s it?”

“I don’t even think Nyxie really remembered me from school. Eight years later, I take out her brother’s spleen and less than two weeks later, I married her so she wouldn’t run away from me again.”

Declan smiled widely at the others at the table but no one was smiling back; all eyes were on Nyxie. He turned and found her wiping tears from her eyes. “Nyxie, God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“No, I-I didn’t know I could trust you. I thought you were like everyone else.”

Rather than stand up to take her into his arms and draw more attention to her tears, Declan scooted his chair back and opened his arms to her. She moved into his lap in an instant, her arms between their bodies.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t nice to you.”

“Nyxie…baby, you were an injured bird. You weren’t avoiding me to be mean, you were protecting yourself. I didn’t take it personally. I just didn’t know how to get close to you without scaring you.”

It took Nyxie over a minute to get her emotions under control. “I’ve ruined the whole party haven’t I?” she asked as he used his napkin to wipe her cheek clear of her runny mascara.

“No, no one thinks the party is ruined.”

Emily and Joseph were quick to add their assurances.

Declan put his hand on her waist and moved her position on his lap, freeing his erection from an uncomfortable position. Her vulnerability always did it to him.

“Do I need to take you home?” he asked, encircling her with his arms and lacing his fingers behind her. He looked deeply into her eyes, trying to ascertain the answer for himself.

She sniffled as she shook her head. “No, I’m okay.” She leaned against his chest, tucking her head under his chin, and basked in his arms.

“Good.” He stroked her hair and planted small kisses on the crown of her head.

“Jeez, Deck, in one fell swoop, you have completely destroyed my image of you,” Emily said. “I always thought you were a tolerable asshole, and now I can see you’re just a big softy. I always figured you wanted to go into geriatrics so you could kill off any annoying patients without too many questions. Now, I see you have an affinity for society’s most vulnerable and forgotten.”

“Shut up, Emily,” he said, his annoyance evident in his brusque tone.

“You may have to send a wedding invitation to that kid who hit Cody for bringing you together,” Joseph said.

Nyxie raised her head and looked at the nurse. “I don’t think so.”

She reached around and pulled Declan’s hands away. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Nowhere, I just thought I’d turn around and face everyone else.”

He let her go long enough for her to turn around, then pulled her against his chest and into his erection. Nyxie wiggled her bottom and he softly bit her shoulder next to the spaghetti strap of her little black dress.

“So, Ari, tell me how you and Declan know each other,” Nyxie asked as she crossed her legs and began bouncing her foot. She knew he’d feel the movement of her bottom against his cock. Asking Ari to talk also drew attention away from their side of the table.

“We were roommates in medical school,” he began. “I was hoping he was gay, and asked him if he wanted to share a place. For a straight guy, he was pretty cool about me bringing men over, but it got old really quickly when my dates kept hitting on him, and asking if he’d like to join us for a three way.”

Nyxie continued to grind her bottom slowly into him. He hid his movements of pressing into her by picking up his fork and cutting off a piece of his untouched dish of peach cobbler. He fed her a bite, then took one for himself, until she pushed his hand away. “If I eat any more, I really am going to throw up,” she whispered, turning and grinding her bottom harder.

He ate the bite on the fork and set it down. His hands moved to her hips and he squeezed slightly. When she ground against him again, he pushed her slightly forward. “I like peaches because they are yellow,” he whispered into her ear. When her hips rotated again, he placed one finger on the nape of her neck. “But my favorite fruit is an apple because it is red.”

It took the slight touch on her neck to make her realize he was safe-wording her. A moment later, he tapped her thigh twice and she knew he was telling her to uncross her legs.

Chapter 24

Rather than finding the speeches boring as she expected, Nyxie discovered they provided a real insight into the program Declan hoped to join, and by association, a small insight into the man she had married. She was as proud of him for all of his hard work to get to this point, as she was when Cody brought home good grades on his report card. But she found herself confused that they had passed him over, when there seemed to be such a great need with the oldest of the Baby Boomers in their seventies and so many more approaching their senior years over the next two decades.

When the gambling began, everyone could have gone to separate tables with the chips that Declan provided, but by tacit agreement, they all found a Texas Hold ‘em table in the corner that, because no one else had sat down, would hold all of them.

Nyxie pulled out her phone and took a picture of the table, and dealer. She asked if he’d take a picture of all of them while they were still friends.

“I can’t wait to tell Cody about this. Before the girls came to live with us, we played Texas Hold ‘em a lot.”

“Well, Ari and I played our fair share in medical school,” Declan countered, to let her know he was no novice at the game.

Everyone began playing conservatively and Nyxie noticed how closely Declan watched everyone.

“Looking for tells?” she asked after about ten minutes.

“Of course.”

“Do I have one?”

“Yeah, you do this adorable thing with your mouth. The corners turn up and you bare your teeth.”

“Are you telling me I smile?”

“You mean that’s not a strategy to distract me from my own cards? Did I ever tell you how much I love your smile?”

“Jeez, Stryker, get a room if you’re going to seduce your wife,” Emily said.

Nyxie put her hand over her mouth. “I hate my smile. I’m all buck-toothed like a rabbit.”

“I like your little overbite. It makes your smile unique. And don’t even think of contradicting me on this or I might have to punish you.”

He said it in such a light, playful tone, that anyone would think he was just joking, but Nyxie knew he was not.

She pulled in her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled, making her overbite more pronounced. “You’re the one who has to look at my buck teeth, not me.”

“God, that makes me horny,” he said, and jumped off the high stool he sat on. He came at her so fast and hard, her stool tipped backwards making her squeal as the sensation of falling caught her off guard. She quickly realized, he had complete control of the situation. She gave into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Between the burst of adrenaline when she felt herself falling, and the embarrassment over his very public show of affection, and all those wonderful sensations his kiss evoked, Nyxie was breathing hard and her sex was throbbing with want when he put the chair back down on four legs.

She laughed as he pulled away.

“There’s that smile I love.”

Nyxie tried to suppress it as her attention was caught by people at other tables who were watching them. Declan saw her eyes dart away and turned toward the other people.

“Newlyweds,” he said to the strangers. “Not even three weeks yet.”

“Congratulations!” one said back, and suddenly there was a chorus of congrats and best wishes.

Declan took Nyxie by the hand and began shaking the hands of people congratulating them, and introduced himself and Nyxie. They met doctors, City Council members, and a woman from the Junior League, who invited Nyxie to join if she was interested in volunteering.

“Come on, Stryker. Can we get back to our game?” Ari asked.

Declan held Nyxie’s hand to steady her as she climbed back onto the tall seat. He looked into her eyes and smiled until she smiled back at him. “I love you,” he said.

“Let’s see if you still love me after I’ve taken all of your chips from you.”

“You think you can beat me?”

“Like a redheaded stepchild,” she said challengingly.

Despite having the largest stake, Joseph was the first person to lose all of his chips. He seemed to think he would eventually win a hand if he kept bluffing.

Emily Saunders had nothing but bad luck all night. When she would finally get a good hand, someone had better cards.

Declan was the second person to find himself with no bank. He played cards as if he was playing football. Once he had a half-decent hand, he became overly aggressive. Nyxie and the others quickly figured out that he couldn’t resist a raise even if he had nothing more than a pair of twos.

Nyxie found herself surprised at how well Declan hid the effects of the alcohol he consumed. Although he slowed down his consumption after she took his keys, he did not stop. She wondered how much his alcohol level contributed to being the second person to go bust.

By the time the auction began, Emily had lost all but $55 worth of chips. Ari had slightly less than $200, and Nyxie had the rest of the chips from their table.

“Don’t bid on any of the trips,” Declan said. “A lot of those have to be taken in a certain timeframe and I’m already making arrangements for my vacation.”

Nyxie leaned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you have another Willa out there?”

“I’m honeymooning with my wife and her kids.” Declan looked suddenly perplexed. “That didn’t come out right. A honeymoon for you and me, and a vacation for the kids—but altogether—separate rooms and all that.”

“Declan, you take my winnings. I don’t know what to do with them.”

“You pick out the things you like the best and keep bidding until you run out of money.”

Declan ushered her up to the small stage where the auction items had been placed on display. There were several trips including a seven-day cruise and one week vacations to Puerto Vallarta, New York or Las Vegas, all donated by local travel agencies. Art galleries had donated two framed Georgia O’Keeffe prints as well as several others. There was one that was so ugly, Nyxie knew no one would bid for it. She thought she would put in a bid if no one else did, in case the artist was local, because she didn’t want the artist’s feelings hurt.

She paused in front of a small illuminated display case where jewelry was locked away. A pair of pearl earrings caught her attention. The setting had an Art Deco feel to it—intricate metalwork with a small dangling flower, appeared to be holding a teardrop shaped pearl in it, like a bell.

“Those earrings are really pretty,” she whispered.

“The teardrop pearls or the diamond studs?”

“The pearls. Do you think they’re real pearls? I didn’t know pearls grew in any shape but round.”

“I’m sure they are.”

Nyxie looked at them a little while longer and shrugged.

“I don’t know why I care. It’s not as if I have my ears pierced.”

“You can get your ears pierced, Nyxie. Heck, I could do it for you if you want, but we have to get some sterile hypoallergenic studs.”

“Where do you get those?”

He chuckled. “At the mall. At all the places that will pierce them free if you buy the earrings.”

She nodded. “I don’t know. I hear it hurts—a lot.” They shared a knowing look.

There must’ve been fifty gift cards for boutiques and service industries around town.

“I could get the car wash gift card and the oil change gift card,” she said, liking the practicality of gift cards for something she could use—especially for services to maintain the car he had given her.

“And what are you going to do with the rest of the $1,500? I can’t imagine those will sell for any more than double the face value—if that.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him. “I really wish you would bid for me.”

“I would bid on that choker in the jewelry case,” he said, then leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You’d have the most beautiful collar when we play. I’d love to see you dressed in nothing but that and a pair of restraints.”

The idea of anything tight around her neck, especially when she was tied up sounded more than a little terrifying to Nyxie, and she suspected he not only grasped that fact, but was also using it as a way to make her bid.

When the auction was over, Nyxie left the event with the pearl earrings and the two Georgia O’Keeffe prints that Declan suggested she should get and give to Emily because he thought a future gynecologist needed pictures of vaginas for her wall. Emily had refused them, but Nyxie was happy to keep the framed prints, as she liked the pictures. But once Declan had pointed out the resemblance to the female anatomy, Nyxie mentally vanquished the pair to her bedroom wall.

Declan pouted a bit as she drove him home in his BMW, but she managed to get them home with the car undamaged and no one hurt.

“Am I spending the night here?” Nyxie asked, as he helped her out of the car and walked to the trunk to retrieve the artwork.

“It’s your hard limit. I can’t touch you unless you change the rules, and I can tell you I’m too impaired to wield the crop anyway. I’m afraid I might accidentally hurt you.”

“I don’t think I want to have sex with drunk Declan, but I’d still like to stay with you.”

He held the door to the mudroom open and waited for her to enter first. “I want you to stay. As a matter of fact, no more separate bedrooms unless you’re being punished.”

“Does that mean you’ll be over every night when you get off work?”

She could almost read his thoughts as his expression changed. “Not ready to play stepdad to my kids yet?” she asked.

“It’s not that I dislike Lotus and Reina,” he said hesitantly. “I just have so much going on right now—especially if I change to internal medicine. God, I hope I don’t have to start my residency over again.”

“You’ll be back to eighty hour weeks?”

“Probably.”

Declan retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator, popped the lid and began drinking it in large gulps. He stopped about halfway through, and retrieved a pair of Tylenol and took them with the remainder of the water.

Nyxie reached up and placed her hand softly against his face. He looked tired at the prospect of going back to the exhausting resident schedule.

“What time do you have to be at work in the morning?”

“Eight.”

They left the artwork leaning against the wall downstairs and headed up the two flights to his bedroom.

As Nyxie undressed, Declan picked up her shoes and carried them into his closet. “You can leave these at my place. I have a feeling you’ll wear them in this room more often than anywhere else.”

Nyxie pulled her little black dress over her head. “May I borrow a T-shirt to sleep in?” she asked as she folded the dress and set it on the leather bench at the foot of the bed.

“No,” he said with a grin. “Absolutely not.”

“You’re such a man.”

“Thank you.”

Declan picked up her recently folded dress and began reading the inside tag. “Dry clean only. I’ll leave this with my tux. Sonia will take care of it.”

“Don’t throw that down the chute. I need it for my walk of shame.”

“For your…?”

“I have to wear something to go back to my side in the morning.”

Declan refolded and set the dress back down on the bench and stepped into the bathroom to put his clothing down the chute. He emerged wearing nothing but a smile and a half-erect penis.

Nyxie, still wearing her bra and panties, pulled back the covers. She tried to ignore his magnificent body because she knew she’d want to have sex with him. With her propensity to be passive aggressive, she knew the reason she didn’t want to have sex with him was that she wanted to punish him for getting drunk.

With a sigh, Nyxie removed her bra and panties and slid between the sheets. The lights turned off, and soon Declan joined her under the covers. She rolled away from him, giving him her back. He moved up behind her and spooned her. Soon his arms were around her, one arm under her head and neck, the other slipping under her arm. He clamped his hands around her wrists, reminiscent of the position they were in the first night they slept together at the hospital, just days after Cody’s accident.

“Did you have fun tonight?”

“I did.”

“You sound surprised.” Declan released one wrist and reached for her hair to smooth it down as a couple of strays kept tickling his face.

“A lot of things surprised me tonight.”

“Such as?” he asked as he continued to stroke the baby-fine texture of her hair. Most women he’d known with black locks tended to have a heavier grain to their strands. He loved the way if felt so silky to his touch. Burying his nose in it, he inhaled the scent from her new shampoo. It was light and floral, and smelled like heaven.

“Like the way no one seemed bothered that Joseph and his date were both men.”

Nyxie closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of Declan playing with her hair. She emitted a little moan, and her body stretched of its own accord as the relaxing sensation made her sleepy.