McKenzie, Cooper - Saving Chloe (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

When his cock pressed at her entrance, Chloe heard a high, keening sound drown out the music, but it took a moment to realize it came from her. Then Declan wrapped his hands around her hips and began to move in and out of her fast, hard, and with purpose. The movement dragged her sensitive nipples on the blanket beneath her, adding another layer to the stimulation that was threatening her very sanity.

When Declan reached around one hip and pinched her clit, Chloe screamed as her orgasm roared over her with the power of ten trains. So caught up in her own completion, she barely felt him thrust a few more times. He leaned over her and bit into the flesh where shoulder met neck. She felt him suck hard as he thrust as deep as he could twice more.

“Mine,” he roared into her shoulder as his release pulsed into her cunt. The pain in her shoulder and the fullness in her ass combined with Declan’s declaration to roll her into a second, even stronger orgasm, consuming everything in her, including consciousness.

Chapter 11

Declan woke to find his arms empty of the woman he’d claimed as his mate just hours before. Sitting up, he looked around and found that not only was Chloe missing from his arms and his bed, but her clothes were gone from the floor. Reaching out with his mind, he felt her distantly and knew she was no longer even in his home.

“Mate, where are you?”
he sent out telepathically, wondering how far apart they could be for their mating bond to work.

“Declan? Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, mate, it’s me. Now where is my naughty mate?”

Remembering her promise of cookies to Jasmine, he knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. When she didn’t answer, he rolled out of bed, grabbed his pants off the floor, and pulled them on. He didn’t bother with a shirt or shoes as he stalked through the house, out the front door, and across the street. It was still dark, but daybreak was not far off.

When he reached her front door, he wasn’t surprised to find it locked. Thank goodness his mate had some sense of self-protection, even if it was only her body and possessions.

“Come open the front door, Chloe.”

It was a full minute before the door opened. “Declan, why aren’t you sleeping?” She did not wait for him to answer, as something in the kitchen had begun to beep.

Declan followed her inside, wondering how harshly he should spank her for leaving him in the middle of the night.

“I woke up and found my mate had gone AWOL,” he said grumpily.

He watched her deftly pull one tray of cookies from the oven and slide the next one in before setting the timer.

“I’m sorry. I woke up, and you were sleeping so deeply I didn’t want to disturb you. I decided to make these cookies now so you didn’t have to be bothered by my promise to Jasmine,” she explained as she transferred the cookies from the baking tray to a towel on the counter, where a dozen cookies already sat cooling.

“Why do ye feel ye must honor yer word ta such a woman?”

“She’s my friend, and I agreed to do this for her,” Chloe explained.

“And how often does she make such demands?”

Chloe shrugged without answering.

“Chloe?”

“Okay, this is the third time since I’ve moved in. She can’t cook, and I like to, so I really don’t mind.”

“From now ye’ll say no to the greedy wench. She’s using ye for anything she can get, and I’ll wager she never does anything nice for ye in return, does she?”

That question stopped Chloe in her tracks. She blinked and turned to look at him. “No, she doesn’t. But she’s always broke and—”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s not yer friend, little one. She’s a human vampire, who is sucking ye of anything and everything ye have ta offer.” Declan growled the worlds softly. He clenched his fists as he fought the urge to find the female human vampire and slap her silly. “From now on I want ye ta just say no to anything those Porch People demand of ye. Ye don’t have ta explain why, just say no once and stand firm.”

He watched at Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know if I can.”

Standing, he crossed to stand in front of her and took her in his arms. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll be with ye from now on. If they don’t like yer answer, they can take it up with me and ye can tell them that. Of if need be, jest tell them ye have ta talk it over with me before making any decisions.”

Declan closed his eyes and sighed as she snuggled closer into his chest, rubbing her cheek back and forth over his chest. They remained like that until the timer beeped again. While she dealt with getting the last batch of cookies ready and into the oven, he returned to the chair he’d been in before.

“When yer finished here,” he said casually, “we are goin’ in yer bedroom, and I’ll be paddlin’ yer behind.”

* * * *

Chloe turned and stared at the man, stunned by his announcement. Shifting her feet apart, she planted her hands on her hips. If he wanted her to start standing up for herself, she’d show him she could do so right now.

“Do you really think I’m just going to bend over so you can spank me? I don’t think so, buddy. You’re supposed to be keeping people from hurting me. Besides, I don’t get off on pain.”

Though her words were strong, her tone was timid as always. And a shiver went through her at the thought of being turned ass up over Declan’s lap as he spanked her.

Her skin grew goose bumps when Declan smiled at her. It wasn’t a friendly, loving smile. No, this was the smile of a predator who’d spotted his prey. Even his eyeteeth were peeking out, telling her he was in full vampire mode. “Darlin’, this is punishment, not pleasure.”

“Punishment for what?” Her voice quivered with uncertainty. Never before had anyone cared enough to punish her for overextending herself. They just asked her to do more and more instead. Yet here was Declan, a man she felt such a bond to, telling her that he was going to spank her because she had not wanted to bother him with her obligation.

“
Fer
leavin
’ without wakin’ me ta tell me where ye were goin’,” he replied with the grin of a confident and cocky male. “I’ll not have ye running around without me at least knowin’ where ye are. It’s for yer own protection, darlin’.”

“But a spanking? I’m not a child.”

“Little one, I’m six hundred years older than ye, so yes, yer a child.” He stood and crossed to her, once again wrapping her in his arms. “I’m an important person, and there are people who might want to hurt you if they think they could get away with it. Those Porch People of yours are just mosquitoes compared to some of the enemies I’ve made over the years.”

Chloe didn’t respond except to stiffen as he shared a little more of his life.

“If I have ta, I’ll hire bodyguards to keep ye safe, but I’d rather just guard yer delectable body meself,” he said.

She didn’t fight when he took her arm and pulled her back across the kitchen. When he sat down and pulled her to lie belly down and ass up over his lap, she knew she’d been tricked.

“Declan, no!” she cried when he flipped her skirt up and rubbed a hand over her bare ass cheeks.

“Chloe, yes,” he stated simply as he lifted his hand.

The spanking was fast and harsh, but surprised Chloe by turning her on, even as she cried from the fiery pain of it. Once he’d finished, Declan again rubbed his hand over her ass.

“There now, yer spankin’s done. From now on, I don’t want ye leavin’ our bed without waking me up. Understand?”

“Yes, oh high lord and master,” Chloe snarked.

When the timer sounded, he helped her stand and returned her skirt to its proper position. “Go tend ta yer cookies.”

She yelped when he slapped her ass one last time. “That one’s fer the back talk.”

Once she finished baking and cleaning up the kitchen, she gathered enough clothes for a few days. Then Declan led her back across the street to his house and his bed. They had such hot make up sex that when the doorbell sounded two hours later, she woke up but could not gather enough energy to leave the bed.

“Shhh, darlin’. Stay and rest. I’ll deal with it,” Declan said. He kissed her forehead then rolled from the bed. She sighed and watched through half-closed eyes as he pulled on pants and stalked out of the bedroom.

* * * *

Declan jerked the front door open and stared at the woman standing on the other side of the storm door. Thank God he’d installed the damn thing despite the objections of the local historical-preservation committee. If they had their way, he’d still be living with single-paned windows and a wood door with locks a child could pick. During the last renovation, he’d put in double-paned windows with screens and metal doors, front and back, to help with energy efficiency. If the “hysterical” society wanted to take back the plaque they’d placed on his house nearly forty years before and take the place off their “old and decrepit” house list because of it, they were welcome to. In fact, he’d almost prefer it if they did. Then maybe they would leave him the hell alone.

Jasmine looked startled for a moment. Then she blinked and frowned at him. “Is Chloe here? She’s not at home, and I need to talk to her.”

Declan picked up the plate of cookies his mate had fixed for the woman. Pushing open the storm door, he shoved them at her. “Yes, she’s here, and no, you can’t. Here are the cookies she made. Do yerself a favor and go away now.”

Jasmine’s frown deepened. She took the cookies then grabbed the screen door. Opening it wide, she began to walk toward him.

Declan remained squarely in the doorway, not moving even when her ginormous boobs got within an inch of him.

“Excuse me, I’d like to go in and speak with Chloe.” She put a hand on his chest and pushed.

Declan didn’t move. “No. You and those Porch People have sucked enough from her already. Ye’ll not be takin’ anythin’ from her today.”

Jasmine took a step back and looked at him, her expression smoothing to become strangely blank. “Whatever do you mean by that?”

“She’s only been in the neighborhood a few months, and ye’ve near about drained her. Time, energy, and money, ye’ve been steadily sucking at her like a pack of human vampires. Did ye know she had ta work all night Friday and then again yesterday because ye Porch People wouldn’t leave her be ta do the work she needed to finish?”

Jasmine tossed her head. “That was Winston and Ray,” she said. She cocked her hip and crossed her arms, looking as if she was ready for a fight. “I’m not like that.”

If she only knew what she faced, Declan thought to himself.

“No, you just drink her wine and soda and never buy any. You ask her to make cookies, knowing she doesn’t have it in her ta say no. You stop by and visit almost every day to bitch about yer life and all that’s goin’ on, or ye talk about past events again and again. If ye ever do bother ta ask about her day, ye don’t let her talk without breaking in a half-dozen times until she gives up tryin’ ta talk to ye. And when she says ‘Not today, I’m busy,’ ye don’t listen and leave her be as a true friend would. Yes, woman, ye are a human vampire, possibly the worst of the lot.”

Jasmine looked stunned for a moment. Then he watched as her hackles rose.

“Did she tell you that? I don’t do that. If she didn’t like spending so much time with me, or if drinking wine with me was such an imposition, why didn’t she say so?”

Declan ground his teeth as he fought down the urge to shake the woman until her head fell off her skinny neck and rolled down the street. Before he could explode, a soft, warm hand ran down his spine.

“I’ll talk to her,”
she said through their link.

“Are ye sure, darlin’. She’s a mite riled.”

“Just don’t go anywhere,”
she replied.
“I have plans for you once she goes away.”

Before he could respond, Chloe pushed, forcing him to take a step to the side so Jasmine could see her. She smiled up at him when he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to lean into him.

“Jasmine, what do you want?” she asked. “Especially so early in the morning?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay to make the cookies,” Jasmine said, sounding hesitant for the first time since Chloe had met her.

“As you can see, I’ve made them. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m taking Declan back to bed so we can love on each other until there’s nothing left of us but a puddle of goo in the middle of the mattress. Enjoy the cookies,” Chloe said with a smile, just before she pushed him sideways and closed the door in the woman’s face.