Fighting for You (8 page)

Looking around them, she had to admit that things seemed a little different from where they were sitting as opposed to those around them. “Maybe he just likes us?”

“Oh yeah, he likes one of us for sure and it’s not me.”

She didn’t know what came over her at that particular moment, it was the equivalent of laughing at a funeral, but suddenly the whole situation just seemed funny. She threw her head back and started laughing. She laughed until there were tears coming down her face and Declan handed her his napkin while he stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “I’m . . . sorry,” she choked out, “the irony of it all just got the best of me.”

“Are you going to share the joke or leave me hanging here?”

Ella settled back in her chair and decided to throw it all out there. After this disaster of a meal, what did she have to lose? “It just seems funny that the waiter was apparently the one that I impressed tonight, which was not what I intended.” When Declan started to open his mouth, she held her hand up for him to let her continue. “Suzy helped me pick this outfit out because I wanted to look sexy for you. I want to make love with you, Declan, and I can’t seem to get that across to you. I don’t know if you just don’t want that from me, despite the way that you kiss, or if you think I don’t want it from you, but I do. I dressed tonight to get your attention. I feel about as uncomfortable as I’ve ever felt in my life, and that’s saying something. I did all of this for you . . . but you didn’t even notice it.”

“Oh fuck me, Ellie, I noticed it. I’ve been out of my damn mind since I picked you up earlier, hadn’t you noticed? The only thing that’s wrong with me tonight is the raging hard-on that never seems to leave me since we started dating. For once, I was trying to do the right thing and give you time, but you’ve made it so difficult. I’ve swallowed my tongue over and over tonight watching that bastard of a waiter fall all over you while you charmed him as you do everyone else. Not notice you? Ellie, tonight you’re mine and nothing is going to stop me, not even me.” With those words, Declan stood, pulled his wallet out and dropped two large bills on the table. “That should take care of it.”

Still in shock at his heated promise, Ella allowed him to pull her from her chair and hurry her out of the restaurant.

“My coat,” she said as they practically ran out the door.

“Screw the coat; I’ll buy you another one.” After that the trip home was a blur. The only thing she could remember was the feel of Declan’s hand resting on her thigh as they made their way to her apartment and then, finally, he was over the doorstep and into her apartment.

Chapter Ten

As soon as Declan swooped her up in his arms, Ella wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oh, God, baby. You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do this.” His lips slid along her neck and across her throat as his hands moved under her short dress to grip her ass.

She heard a muttered oath as he discovered the bare skin there thanks to her new thong purchase. Maybe dental floss underwear wasn’t so bad after all. She slipped her hands into his thick, springy hair and pulled his lips up to hers. When his tongue staked claim on her mouth without the usual control that she could feel beneath the surface, she moaned in surrender. Finally, their moment had arrived. She knew without him putting it into words that there would be no more waiting unless she suddenly lost her mind and pushed him away . . . not gonna happen.

As he stumbled into her bedroom, he cursed as he slammed his shoulder into the doorframe in his haste to make it to the bed. She didn’t know why he even bothered, at this point she felt like the whole bed thing was overrated. The floor, the couch, or the wall would be okay with her. She loved that he wanted everything to be right and she knew instinctively that was for her. As he gripped her waist to lower her to the bed, she hung on when they were eye to eye. Running a hand tenderly down the side of his face, she whispered, “Don’t hold back with me, Declan. Just show me what you like.”

With a husky laugh, he kissed her sweetly before saying, “There is nothing you could do that I wouldn’t like Ellie. I’ll try my best not to hurt you.”

Ella had to wonder how much of that promise was literal and how much was figurative. She stayed on her knees as he lowered her to the bed.

As he started to shrug his shirt off, she put her hand over his, halting his progress. His eyes flared as she said, “Let me.” She slowly rose to her feet on the bed, holding on to him for support. She smiled as he tried to contain his wince as she teetered for a moment before finding her balance. Maybe it would have been a better idea to stand beside of him on the floor. Soon his fear of her falling was replaced with a sharp breath when she slid her hands beneath the hem of his shirt and ran her fingertips over the smooth, taut skin of his stomach. What was the term that all of the books used—six-pack abs or was it a twelve pack? Whatever it was, Declan had them. Above his naval was a thin line of hair leading to his chest. She was surprised that Declan had such a sparse amount of hair. Of course, it could be because she was still using her hands to see. She didn’t need the light to know when she found the erect nub of one of his nipples. She flicked her fingernail lightly over it and smiled when his body clenched in approval. Growing impatient to see the treasure beneath the shirt, she grabbed the ends and proudly pulled it over his head without strangling him with it. Without thinking, she let out a whistle and said, “Whoa baby, you are hot! You make Daniel Craig look like Pee-wee Herman.” When Declan started laughing, Ella realized she had yet again voiced her thoughts out loud.

He pulled her against his chest and hugged her tight. “Ellie, baby, you kill me. I’m worrying about scaring you and you are ogling me and comparing me to James Bond. You are truly one of a kind and before you ask, I do, indeed, mean that as the highest form of compliment.” He eased her back down on her knees, probably because he was afraid she was going to ruin the moment and cut a cartwheel off the side of the bed.

It was her turn to catch her breath as he tugged the hem of her dress from under her knees and locked his gaze with hers to assess her reaction. He started slowly pulling it over her thighs. He met with no protests from her as the dress continued up, exposing her stomach, then her breasts and finally he pulled it gently over her head. She sat before him on her knees in nothing but her black, lace thong and the matching push-up bra that Suzy had insisted every woman must have. From the look on Declan’s face, she definitely knew what she was talking about. Almost reverently, he reached out to trail a hand up the curve of her hip and the side of her waist. He looked up in surprise when she started giggling.

With a sheepish expression, Ella admitted, “I’m slightly ticklish.” Her giggles were soon forgotten as he reached around behind her to deftly unsnap her bra. Her girls, as Suzy called them, were proudly on display and beginning to pucker under Declan’s hungry gaze. She was shocked to hear her own wanton moan as he cupped them in each hand and flicked a fingertip over their hardened nubs. When he took one of the peaks into his mouth, she felt her knees start to buckle and was grateful to be on the bed. She clutched his head against her breast and fire raced through her body. He lowered her backward onto the bed and came down on top of her. He settled a thigh between her legs and, with his arms, held his full weight above her. As he took her other nipple into his mouth, she clenched her thighs around the leg resting against her sex, desperate to relieve the throb that had settled there.

He pulled back to sit on his haunches and she whimpered in protest. As he brushed his hand against her tiny panties, he whispered, “Shhh, let me take care of you, Ellie.” Before she had time to form a protest, if she even had any desire to, he had her panties down her legs and his eyes were glowing as he took his first full look at her naked body.

She knew that she should be embarrassed or scared, but frankly, she was breathless with anticipation of what he would do next. She wanted to shout her gratitude when he went straight to her core, the area that was alive with need for him. She might never have had sex, but like most single women, she had masturbated for years and was familiar with the needs of her body. She knew exactly how good an orgasm felt as it rolled through her body and she was desperate for that release now.

Declan’s fingers parted her glistening folds and she moaned as he stroked the nub underneath. “Mmmm,” she moaned, “please don’t stop.”

Even though she hadn’t expected an answer, Declan said, “I won’t stop, Ellie, I couldn’t if I tried. You are so damn beautiful.” As she smiled over his words, he slid one finger inside of her and she clenched around it in surprise. She felt deliciously invaded as she moved her hips to deepen the pleasure. As she adjusted to the presence of his finger, he slid in another one and she felt a slight twinge of discomfort that was quickly swallowed by the feel of his fingers rubbing insistently over her clit. She felt herself climbing and climbing and was surprised to find that the moans that filled the bedroom were coming from her. When she felt a third finger join the other two inside of her, the mixture of pleasure and pain pushed her over the edge and her body shattered and convulsed. She started to protest as soon as his fingers left her body. She heard the sound of clothes being shed and the rip of paper. Suddenly, something bigger rested at her wet entrance.

Startled, her eyes flew open and she saw him position himself between her thighs. He groaned, but stayed still as she rubbed herself against him. He lowered his body over hers and she shivered at the first feel of his hard body against her soft contours. His mouth took hers in a kiss so hot and carnal that she was sure it must be illegal in at least half of the country. While she was concentrating on the feel of his tongue tangling with hers, she felt the tip of his shaft slip into her tight passage. Her stroking fingers gripped his shoulders tightly. Each time he pulled out, he eased back in a bit further on each thrust. The feeling was uncomfortably tight, but not exactly painful. Since he had left his pants on while he was stroking her, she hadn’t seen what they were concealing, but he felt enormous between her legs.

She could feel shudders racking his body as he attempted to hold back and go slowly for her. She felt her body start to slowly loosen and accept his possession. The sensations were now incredible as she locked her legs around his hips and tried to force his full possession. He groaned in protest until she whispered in his ear, “I need you Declan, please, now!” With a muttered oath, he surged forward until he was completed seated within her body.

The breath left her lungs in a whoosh as she went completely still. “Look at me, Ellie.” Her eyes flew open as she heard the concern and the regret in his voice. “Baby, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

When she didn’t immediately answer, he started to withdraw from her body. Startled, she locked her legs tightly around his waist saying, “I’m fine Declan, don’t stop. It just . . . feels so good, I’m afraid I’m going to explode if I move and I don’t want it to end.”

Declan’s laugh turned into a groan when she started moving against him, testing the feel of his full weight inside of her. The intimate joining of their body was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. All of the initial discomfort and pain had been replaced by sparks shooting from nerve endings that she didn’t know existed. When he started a slow, easy rhythm, she eagerly met him thrust for thrust. She could sense that he was still holding back, afraid to release the full power of his desire onto her.

Her body was reaching for the crest she could feel just out of her reach and she moved against him impatiently, demanding the strong pace that she knew he was trying to deny her. When he uttered a loud curse, she knew she had won. His body pumped against hers, plunging into her depths again and again. Her head rolled back in bliss and waves of pleasure wracked her body. When his fingers applied firm pressure to her clit, she flew over the edge and heard him as he followed her shouting, “Ellie!”

Afterward, Declan’s weight was heavy on her small frame, but she didn’t want him to move. She could feel him still intimately joined with her and she marveled at how complete she felt. He shivered as she idly ran a hand down his back. When he raised his head to look at her she smiled saying, “How long before we can do that again?”

His big body started shaking as he laughed at her enthusiasm. “I was going to ask if you were okay, but it looks like I have my answer.” After a light kiss on her nose, his expression turned serious. “Did I hurt you, Ellie?”

Ella was tempted to tease him, but he looked so concerned that she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “It was uncomfortable at first, but then it was awesome! Since I’m a real woman now and all that, I think we should order a pizza to celebrate and then go back to bed and do it all over again.”

Declan chuckled and gave her a long, thorough kiss before slowly separating from her body. “That sounds like a plan, baby. I’ll call in the pizza and we can grab a quick shower while we’re waiting for it.”

If not for the impending arrival of the pizza man, Ella was sure she could have overcome his concerns of her being too sore and had her first shower sex experience. As it was, they had both taken far too many liberties with the bar of soap and were breathing heavily when they finally emerged from the steamy bathroom. They sat cross-legged on the floor and devoured the delicious, spicy, pepperoni pizza and then returned to the bedroom to make love at a much slower pace than the first time. Declan was right, she had been sore, but within a few moments of his possession, that had been forgotten as desire took hold of her body.

***

A shrill scream woke Ella from a sound sleep and she looked sleepily around the room trying to locate the source. What she saw made her want to pretend to go back to sleep.
Holy shit, am I dreaming? Please let me still be asleep!

After blinking a few times, the figures of her mother, her father, and her sister remained firmly in place in front of her. She cringed when she looked down and realized that she was still sprawled out on a now awake, but obviously confused Declan. “What the hell . . . ,” he began before she clamped a hand over his mouth.

Her hysterical mother finally shook herself out of the daze by saying to her father, “Bob, go call the police, now!”

Her father appeared to be looking anywhere except at her and the bed.

And if she wasn’t mistaken, her sister was actually ogling bare-chested Declan. “I wouldn’t bother, Dad,” Crystal said with a smirk, “Premarital sex might be a sin, but the last I heard, it wasn’t illegal.” Giving another long look at the way Ella was tangled around Declan she added, “And I think we can rule out the whole against-her-will thing.”

“Crystal!” Her mother huffed, “What has gotten into you?”

Everyone in the room turned to look at Ella’s sister when she joked, “I think that’s a question for your other daughter, isn’t it, Mom?”

Ella couldn’t believe that her perfect sister had just made an off-color joke and, even if it was at her expense, she had to admit that at any other time it would have been pretty funny. She felt Declan shift under her and knew that some kind of explanation was in order.

“Ellie—”

She took pity on him knowing that he was at the worst disadvantage; naked in a room full of strangers. “Um . . . Declan these are my parents and my sister, Crystal. I . . . didn’t know they were coming today.” Then turning her attention away from him, she pulled the covers up to her chin, covering both her and Declan and turned back to face her family. “What are you doing here and how did you get in?”

Her mother averted her gaze from the bed and said, “I have that key you gave me for emergencies and since you didn’t answer your door, we thought you might need some help.”

“It looks like she’s got this one covered, Mom,” Crystal snickered. Her comment set off another round of scolding from their mother, and their father looked like he wished he was anywhere else. Declan’s head was going back and forth between them like he was watching a tennis match. She thought he was probably in some type of shock over the whole ordeal.

She almost jumped out of the bed when Declan suddenly bellowed, “Stop! You might be Ella’s family, but I have had enough of this! You barged in here without her consent and now you are standing in her bedroom arguing amongst yourselves with us as your captive audience. Now please leave. Ella will call you later—if she wants to. But for now, we would both like you to stop invading our privacy. Your daughter is an adult and I’m sure she would like the courtesy of a phone call before you decide to drop by the next time.”