Surrendering (37 page)

“Well, there’s no question I want us to be together, but we need to think about our families too.”

“I could meet you wherever you are on Christmas Day.”

“What about Christmas Eve?”

“We generally have dinner at my parent’s house on Christmas Eve. The Blacks are invited. Then we get up on Christmas Day and open presents. Once that’s over, I can drive to wherever you are.”

“Am I invited on Christmas Eve, or is it closed to outsiders?”

“Declan Collins, you’re hardly an outsider. Do you want to come?”

“Yes, I want to be where you are. Let’s run it by my dad first, but we can leave your parents and head to his house in the early afternoon. The girls will probably spend the night with him so he won’t be alone, and we can choose between a late lunch or an early dinner.”

“Are you sure? Will he be upset?”

“Not at all. We might need to switch it up next year so he gets Christmas Eve.”

My heart melts. He’s making plans for next year with me already. As always, he reads my face and pulls me into him. Unfortunately, I can’t have sex for about three more days because of my monthly visitor, so I reach between us and rub him through his boxers. He’s already hard, but continues to swell with my touch.

I climb on top of him and lower over his body. I start by kissing his collarbone down to his nipples where I suck gently. My hands move to the waistband of his pants and drag them down. He kicks them off and I to run my fingernails up and down his entire length. Kissing a path down his body, I stop when my lips meet my fingertips and I can see him in his entirety. I circle his crown with my tongue and bite on the barbell. Alternating between sucking and nipping, I play with his tip until he hisses.

“Sparkle, you’re killing me. Please stop teasing.” He begs.

I lower completely down over him and alternate between sucking fast and slow, trying to taste every inch of him. He puts his hands on my head and massages my scalp as I move. I position myself where I can take all of him and he moans when he hits the back of my throat. With his entire cock in my mouth, I massage his balls. The sounds he’s making are turning me on.

I look up at him and see raw desire in his eyes. He’s watching me take him and gripping my head to guide my movements. His apa scrapes against my teeth and he breaks our stare. He throws his head back and whimpers.

“Shit, Raven, I need to pull out.”

I shake my head and grip his ass with my free hand. He fills my mouth with salty liquid and I stop moving to run my tongue back over his tip. When he’s done, I slide back up his body, kissing his tattoos. He pulls me by my armpits up to him. He cradles my face and stares into my eyes. I will never tire of his piercing green eyes.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

“Many reasons, but I’ll give you the top two. One, I missed you incredibly. And two, you want to make plans for next Christmas with me.”

“You have no idea, do you? I guess I still have to prove to you how much you mean to me. As soon as you give me the green light, I’m going to go back to my daily goal of worshipping Ravenel James Hayes until she knows exactly how I feel about her.”

“Dec, I love you too. I was just surprised you were already thinking about next year.”

“Raven, I’ve come to the conclusion that love may not be strong enough a word for how I feel about you. I’m starting to understand why my dad never remarried after my mom died. I’m not sure I could ever get over it if anything happened to us or to you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen so let’s not think about it.”

He doesn’t answer; he just kisses me until I fall against him breathless.

*****

My whole group felt great about the presentation we finished. We decide to get a beer to celebrate. I send a text to Declan to let him know, but don’t mention where we are. I know he’s tired from playing at a new bar last night and he has a show tonight as well. We raise our beers to toast and cheer about the end of our first semester as MBA Students. We discuss our holiday plans and the courses we’re going to take next spring. I’m not surprised to find out that we’re all taking the same classes. On our second round of beers, my phone starts ringing in my purse.

“Hey there!”

“Sparkle, why didn’t you answer your phone earlier?”

“It was in my purse and I must not have heard it. What’s up?”

“You tell me.” He sounds aggravated.

I wave my finger at my friends and step away from the table for some privacy.

“Now where’re you going?” He asks.

How does he know I got up? I start looking around the bar and find him leaning against the wall at the entrance watching me with a grin on his face. I shake my head and hang up as he walks up to me.

“What in the world are you doing here?” I laugh at him.

He pulls a stool up next to me at our table and shrugs. “Thought I would join you guys and buy a round to celebrate your semester.” He nods to everyone at the table, acknowledging them.

“That sounds good to me. Thanks, man.” Kyle says and motions for the waitress to get us another round.

The conversation keeps going and Anna comments on the festival Sayge played at a few weeks ago. This engages Declan in to the conversation and he answers all their questions about his band.

“We usually play at The Steamroom on Thursday and Saturday nights, unless we’re doing a special gig- like the festival. If you guys ever come in, you’re welcome to come backstage as my guests. Raven comes as much as she can with her schedule. Just ask for me or her and we’ll get you backstage.”

“That’s so cool!” Mari jumps up and down in her seat.

“Yeah man, thanks. Brent and I may be there tonight.” Kyle tells him.

Anna doesn’t say anything, but I swear I see attraction to Declan in her eyes as she stares at him.

“Baby, you ready? I have a surprise for you at home.” He asks me as he gets off his stool. He throws twenty dollars on the table and holds his hands out to help me into my coat.

“Bye guys, have a nice break if I don’t see you before next semester. Merry Christmas!” I tell them as I follow him out to the car.

When we get home, there’s a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and an arrangement of lilies on the table.

He takes my coat and hangs it up then leads me to the kitchen and pours us a glass. He toasts a ‘congratulations’ before drinking.

“Sweetheart, if this is how you celebrate the end of a semester, I can’t wait to see how you celebrate graduation.” I smile at him.

“Already thought about it. You just need to graduate and then you’ll see.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

He shakes his head and leads me back to my room. He takes me into my bathroom and starts the tub.

“Are you trying to distract me?” I ask when he pulls my sweater over my head and snaps my bra open.

“No, I want to take a bath with my girlfriend and show her how proud I am of her. Then I want to make love to her before I have to leave.” He has my jeans pushed all the way down and I step out of them. He picks me up and puts me into the warm water. I pour some of my favorite bubbles into the stream and the room quickly fills with the aroma of lavender. Declan settles in behind me and pulls my back to his chest. He runs kisses along my exposed neckline. I relax into him and he massages my shoulders as I whimper under the pressure. He turns off the water and I feel his erection against my thigh. I wiggle against him in jest, trying to get him to play, but he adjusts and continues to rub my back.

“Baby, this is all for you. You’ve been working really hard the last few weeks. Let me pamper you for a little while.”

“What if I want to pamper you too?”

“You do, every single day I’m with you.”

I stay quiet and let him rub the knots out of my back. Every time he hits a sensitive spot, I moan in appreciation. I finish my champagne and rub my hands along his legs, tracing patterns as I go.

“Dec, you know I feel pretty lucky to have you too. I’m completely, utterly, and shamelessly in love with you.”

He stops and sits up straight. He grips my hips and turns me to straddle him. My legs wrap around his back. And in one quick motion, he’s in me. I arch my back and buck my hips, taking him deeper. He groans and I throw my head forward, grasping his face with both hands to kiss him. I can’t stop my body from surging back and forth. His hands grip my ass hard as he tries to slow me down, but I keep moving. I move my hands through his hair, down his neck, and grip his shoulders while rocking with as much power as I have. He moves one hand and fingers my nipple until it’s pebbled and throbbing. He breaks our kiss and lowers his head. As soon as his tongue touches my skin, my body starts convulsing. I tighten my muscles around him and he nods his head against me. I slam down on him one more time and he wraps his arms around my naked waist, screaming into my neck. This sets me over the edge and I muffle my cries against his collarbone. Our hearts are beating together and my breathing finally gets back under control.

“Safe to say, making love is off the agenda this afternoon,” he says against my skin.

“What do you mean? I think we just did.”

“Sparkle, that wasn’t my idea of making love. I’m pretty sure you just fucked the shit out of me.”

I feel blood rush to my cheeks. I did attack him.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed. It was hot. I’m getting hard again just thinking about it.” He moves against me and pulls the drain to let the water out.

I get us a couple of towels and we dry off. I reach for my robe, but he stops me and leads me back to my bed. He throws our towels on the floor and wraps himself around me when we lay down. I run my fingers over the tribal designs on his chest and shoulder.

“Are you ever going to tell me what these mean?”

“Nothing to tell, really. The tribal design is something I spent time scribbling until I got it the way I wanted it. Originally, it was an arm design, but I drew it too big. I couldn’t figure out where to cut it so I transferred the whole thing. The small symbols on my torso are both my mom and my signs. She was an Aries too.”

“I like them all. You have talent.”

“So you’ve mentioned.” He looks down at me provocatively and I laugh at him.

*****

Christmas Eve at my parents is one of my favorite holiday events. Declan and I arrive early so I can help my mom prepare dinner. Her house is always decorated elegantly and she has three Christmas trees placed throughout it. We walked in and I smell the familiar pine scent mixed with cinnamon. My dad greets us both with hugs and handshakes and then offers to show Declan his room for the night. Declan goes tense and I hold back a laugh. He didn’t really think my dad would let us sleep together, did he? He nods his head and takes my bag as well. I’m sure my dad will show him my room.

I find my mom in the kitchen and start helping her by setting the table. Declan comes back to greet my mom with a kiss on the cheek and compliments the house.

My parents have warmed up to him immensely considering he’s my first and only real boyfriend. They even showed up at my little party last weekend and followed us to The Steamroom. My mom kept telling me how attractive she thought Declan was even though she never liked facial piercings before. My dad didn’t say much, but he did tell Declan the music was good- which was a huge compliment in itself.

Declan and I set up the bar area and put the hors d’oeuvres out. Robbie arrives late as usual and completely flustered. I know he just finished his Christmas shopping so I laugh in his face. He throws a cashew at my head and begs me to wrap my parents’ gifts. I agree to do it if he’ll help Mom finish dinner.

I hear Declan come into the room, but I don’t look up. He moves my hair over my shoulder and kisses my neck as I tie the bows onto the gifts.

“Do you want to tell me why we have to sleep in different rooms tonight?”

“I probably should have mentioned that before, huh?” I say shyly.

“It would have been nice, but I understand. However, I’m almost twenty-six years old and I finally have a Christmas present I want to wake-up to tomorrow morning. You need to figure out a way to make that happen while still respecting your parents.”

“I think I have an idea; just hang in there. But note, we will not have sex in my parents’ house tonight.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He stops kissing me and takes the gifts downstairs.

After wrapping the presents for Robbie, I freshen up and meet everyone in the living room. Declan has already met Finn’s parents and all the men are standing around talking. I join the women on the sofa and Mrs. Black comments on my bracelet. I tell her the story of my birthday and she looks at my mom with a starry glance.

We move to the dining room and Robbie helps my mom bring out all the food. Before we eat, my dad gives a prayer thanking God we are all here safe and healthy. He even thanks him for new friends and I squeeze Declan’s hand under the table. When Dad’s done with his prayer, we all say “Amen” and dig in.

After I’m fully stuffed, and the men clear the dishes, we go to the living room for the present exchange. The Black’s always give us something small and we do the same for them. I get my gift for Finn and my parents exchange the normal bottle of wine and Christmas ornament. Finn gives Robbie a bottle of Jack and hands me a box.

Finn opens his gift and whistles at the shirt. I ordered him a vintage t-shirt from his favorite all- time band. He has loved Widespread Panic since high school. He pulls me down on his lap and tickles me until I threaten to pee.

When I open his gift, I lose my breath. He’s taken a black and white photo of Robbie’s and his dog tags and had it matted and framed. Tears sting my eyes as I look at both of them and realize they understand the meaning of this to me. I lunge at both of them on the couch and hug them tight.

The Black’s stay for another hour before going home to get ready for their family Christmas tomorrow.
My parents say goodnight and head upstairs. Robbie and Declan decide to watch
The Christmas Story
marathon. I beg for something else, but I’m overruled. Since I have to watch the movie for like the thousandth time, I lay across the sofa with my head on Declan’s chest and my feet on Robbie’s lap. He grunts, but doesn’t move. I fall asleep to Declan and Robbie howling over the movie while Declan gently runs his fingers through my hair.