Surrendering (29 page)

I nod against his lips. He moves his hands up my back and snaps the clasp on my bra, easing it off my arms and throwing it on the floor. He moves his hands down to my hips and starts to lower my panties. Then he flips us so he’s on his side and I’m on my back. He pushes my underwear the rest of the way off and pulls the sheets around both of us. I don’t want to think about how he knows all these swift moves to get us naked and in the right position so fast.

“Tonight is about both of us. I spent the day worshiping your body. But tonight, I want you to know how much I worship you.”

His words give me goose bumps and he notices. He runs his mouth from my ear to my collarbone and across my chest. He makes his way up the other side, paying close attention to my neck. He positions himself over me and covers my mouth with his while he pushes into me. I feel every inch of him entering me. As he slides further, I use my muscles to draw him up and arch my back for better access. Once I wrap my legs around him, he’s all the way seated in me.

I stare into his eyes and see the same depth of emotions I am feeling at this moment. Tears form in my eyes. He rubs his thumbs under my eyes to wipe them before they fall. Our lips meet and merge together. Our tongues swirl while our bodies move. He flips me over so I’m on top and he urges to move faster. He knows I’ll come quicker in this position. When I’m close, he lifts his whole body up and takes my hardened nipple in his mouth. “Oh God!” The movement sends me over the edge and I continue to gasp in his ear. I know he isn’t done, but he won’t let himself go first. I’m still coming down when he gently rolls us over and continues to move in and out of me slowly. His strokes are gentle and sweet. I look up to find him staring at me with an unreadable expression. His gaze travels over my face and chest before he starts whispering in my ear.

“You are so beautiful; I never thought I could feel like this. You unravel me. I am yours in every way. Please come with me.”

Running my hands up his torso and chest, I nod. The repetitive motion of his even slow glides has me ready again. I tighten against him with each stroke. He quickens a little, but allows the slow burn to grow in each of us. I pull back my hips as he withdraws and then I slam forward to meet him. He screams my name as he explodes, taking me with him.

When we finally regain our breath, he touches his forehead to mine. We’re both glistening with sweat, but I don’t care. This is the most beautiful moment we’ve ever shared.

“Declan, I love you.”

“Baby, like I said before, that makes me a lucky man.”

*****

Declan

I am one lucky son of a bitch. This girl is made for me. She gives as good as she takes and I’m not sure what I did to deserve her. Between all of my escapades and fucked up times, she’s the breath of fresh air I need. Sayge has had a lot of fun through the years and we’ve made a good name for ourselves. But Cooper and I’ve talked about the pathway to moderate success. Our band is a dime a dozen, especially around this area. Nashville is a hub for musical talent.

We met Jay on luck- pure luck- and we asked him for his help. At the time, we had nothing holding us back – no girls, no kids, and no responsibilities. Our families understood. The four of us made a pact to stay together and start our climb. I know music festivals and outdoor openings weren’t going to give us our rise to fame, but we agreed when the time was right we would follow the path. First we start with local audiences, and then we move to the travel scene. This includes whoever and wherever will have us. We play our music, we energize the crowd, and we seduce with our sound.

Pretty soon, we’ll have a decent following and maybe we’ll be able to record an indie record. Never leaving behind our love for Nashville, the local scene, or the local crowd, but all the while trying to get our music to the people. We want people to love music the way we love music- the riffs, the solos, the emotions that go into a song when you finally piece it all together.

If the next few months go as Jay says, we need to prepare to be on the road all the time. Small gigs, small venues as a sideshow, small crowds; we don’t care. At least I didn’t care until I met Raven. She won’t graduate for another year and a half. She’s determined to get her MBA and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I’m not sure how I can be away from her. She has become a huge piece of my heart. I know she’s
The One.

Chapter 29

Thanksgiving

I’ve been preparing for Thanksgiving for days. Since I came home from dance on Monday, I’ve spent every night making dishes that can be either frozen or refrigerated until Thursday. My mom gave me her southern dressing recipe which took me three hours. Who knew boiling eggs, chopping vegetables, and baking breadcrumbs could be so tedious. Ella opted for stuffing the turkey, but I had to explain this recipe was Robbie’s favorite dish ever. I also made several casseroles. The Collins family was responsible for desserts, rolls, and drinks. I thought this was best because they don’t like to cook that much and they could buy most of it from the local specialty store.

Robbie talked me into deep-frying the turkey. I love fried turkey so I agreed and kept that to myself until the last minute.

Apparently Mr. Collins thought the idea of dinner at our house was great. Declan has been busy these last few days with the band. They’ve been going over their sets. We leave for Atlanta next Friday for their first performance. I’ve already texted Ken, Harper, and Charlie and they promised to be there.

My birthday is on Saturday night this year and we haven’t talked about how we’re going to celebrate it. Since Sayge is playing a special show Friday night, I assume Declan has Saturday night free. He hasn’t mentioned it, but I’m going to suggest we stay in and celebrate at his house alone.

It’s 4:00 and there’s a knock on my bedroom door; someone’s early.

“Come in.”

Robbie steps in and looks around the room, which looks like a tornado hit. “What the fuck happened?”

“I tried on a few outfits. No need to panic.” I start to clean up my mess on the bed and the floor.

“You look awesome as always, Baby Girl,” he says hesitantly. He’s hiding something.

“What’s going on, Robbie?” He looks around before finally looking into my eyes.

“RJ, Dad called today on the secure line at the house. He’s uncovered some serious shit with his friend’s company. I’m not sure of the details yet, but he’ll be home on Saturday night. He wants protection on you until he’s able to get the authorities involved. Finn is coming over later tonight to talk, but he doesn’t know anything either. Dad is assigning protective detail until probably Monday. Tonight included. You need to tell your roommates.”

“Dammit! You don’t know anything?”

“Not yet, but he wants to make sure you and I have a great Thanksgiving. He also wants you to have the best birthday weekend ever. Whatever happens next, we’ll deal.”

“Weirdly, I’m okay with this. Did you bring your gun?”

“Yep, until I see who’s assigned to you.”

“Did you bring mine?”

“Nope, same reason.” He stated matter-of-factly

“ROBBIE HAYES!!!” I scream. “Why not?”

He shrugs his shoulders and gets up to leave. “See you in a few. I think I heard your lover boy drive up.”

I throw a shoe at the door as it closes. It swings wide open again and Declan is standing there with a smirk on his face, “Should I duck?”

“No, baby, you should run; tonight should be interesting.”

*****

When Mr. Collins arrived, he greeted all of his children with hugs. He’s an older replica of Declan. He is fairly tall with dark hair and the same Collins’ green eyes. His smile reminds me of the girls because it lights up his face.

Declan pulls me up to him and introduces us. “Dad, this is Ravenel Hayes.”

I reach out my hand, but he ignores it and sweeps me up into a hug. He squeezes me tightly before letting me go.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Collins. Please call me Raven.”

“And please call me David- or Dad, whichever you please.” He looks at Declan and winks, “You sure did pick a beauty son. She’s a looker.”

My cheeks flush with embarrassment, but before I can slink away, Declan puts his arms around my shoulders and kisses my forehead. “Told you, Dad.”

Robbie walks in from the kitchen carrying a beer. He notices David and extends his hand, “I’m Robbie Hayes, RJ’s brother.”

“David Collins, nice to finally meet you. My children tell me you’re a Marine.”

“Yes, sir, in the flesh. Though now I’m home.”

“Good place to be son. Glad you’re home safe.”

His words mean so much to me and my eyes immediately flood over with tears. I came so close to losing him and for him to be ‘home’ is a miracle. Robbie notices and his eyes go soft. He knows how much his and Finn’s injuries rattled me. He tries to break the tension, “Hey, waterworks, why don’t you play hostess and get everyone a drink. I think we need to talk before I fry the turkey.”

“Okay, what would everyone like?”

The door opens and closes behind me as Finn walks in. He gives Robbie a bro-hug and faces the room. I wasn’t expecting him for a few hours. “Finn, what are you doing here so early?”

“Well Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Baby Girl.”

Shit! I’m so rude. I push out of Declan’s arms and go to Finn to give him a hug. “Happy Thanksgiving! I’m glad you’re here. I was just surprised. How did you get away so early?”

“Well, I ate earlier today with my family and decided I didn’t want to miss your cooking debut. And with all that’s going down, I wanted to be here.”

Declan clears his throat and looks at me wearily, “What’s going down?”

“Okay, here’s the plan. After the girls get cocktails for everyone and we’re all comfortable, I have some news. Well not news, but a situation.”

I take Abbi and Ella’s hands and rush to the kitchen. I want everyone to know what’s going on at the same time. Finn introduces himself to David as we take out the beer and wine.

When we return, everyone settles in with a drink and I start telling them what I know.

“Well, here’s the scoop. It seems that my dad may have discovered something with a client of his that could be a big deal. He’s still working on the project, but until he’s through, he’s putting a guy on me throughout the weekend for protection.” Declan goes statue-still beside me.

David asks me, “Raven, can you explain a little more about what’s going on? I don’t really understand.”

I can’t because I don’t know anything else. I look to Robbie and Finn to help me out. Robbie takes my hint.

“I’m not sure how much any of you know about my dad’s business, but he has worked all forms of security. He’s not a private investigator, but has one on payroll. He not only handles general security, but other forms of security such as: corporate espionage, inside trading, ransom demands, fraud, all of it. He’s well-known in his business and there is a good chance if he discovers any type of federal corruption, he will call in the proper authorities. When something big happens, people figure out quickly it was him that found it. He’s not hiding behind the scenes; he’s not protected. To him, that makes his kids vulnerable to attack. I don’t know what’s going on with this specific case, but he called and said we need protection through Monday. Finn and I will meet with him on Sunday to see what’s going on. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but better to be safe than sorry.”

The doorbell rings as he finishes his story. I go to answer it because I think it’ll be my bodyguard. Will is standing at the door and I squeal with excitement. I love William Turner. We call him Will because his dad is named William also. I jump up to hug him and he embraces me.

“Raven Haven, lookin’ good girl. How are you?”

“Great!” Then I pause. “Are you my bodyguard for the next few days?”

“That I am. I got my assignment this afternoon. I also heard you were cooking so I guess I lucked out.”

“Come on in. I want you to meet everyone.” I grab his hand and pull him through the doorway. When I turn around, the whole room is quiet. Declan looks like he’s about to explode and Robbie is laughing silently.

Finn gets up first to greet him and Robbie follows. They’ve known each other for a long time and have worked some jobs together. I feel a hand wrap around my waist as I’m yanked into a rock hard body. Declan is so tense that I would have bounced off of him if he wasn’t holding me so tight.

Robbie makes the introductions around the room and stops when he gets to us. “And this, Will, is Raven’s boyfriend, Declan.”

Will’s eyes widen in surprise, but he comes back well. “Nice to meet you, Declan. You’re a lucky man.”

As if on cue, Declan rubs his hands down my arms and grasps both of my hands. “I know.”

I need to lighten the mood. “Okay, so now that everyone has the scoop on what’s going on, I’m going to set out the appetizers and finish my meal. Robbie, check on the oil because it’s going to take a while for the turkey. I was a little overzealous when buying the thing.”

I tug Declan along so he can help in the kitchen.

When I’ve checked on the items in the oven and stirred my peas, I pour another glass of wine. Declan still hasn’t spoken. He’s fidgeting with his watch and I see a tick in his jaw.

“Sweetheart, come here.”

He looks at me and steps over.

“What’s wrong?”

He blows out a breath before he answers. “Babe, I’m not sure how to handle all this. Are you in danger? And who is that guy assigned to you? Seemed like more than a bodyguard to me.”

I see the worry in his eyes. “I don’t think I’m in any danger. This has only happened a few other times in my life. My dad is protective and this must be a big client. I won’t know more until he gets back. As for Will, he’s an old family friend. His dad still works for my dad and I’ve known him a long time. He’s more Robbie’s friend than mine.”

“He’d like to be more.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He would never. He’s a man-whore and the guys would never let anything happen. He’s purely a friend and a protector.”