Waking Up (6 page)

Leaning in close he whispered in her ear. “Don’t make a sound. We’re exposed to the whole city, not to mention any of your neighbors enjoying the night air. If you hold perfectly still and stay quiet, they’ll never know what we’re up to.”

Ciara nodded her agreement. Her face was flushed and her eyes wide with desire. Declan longed to trace her face with kisses but that would have to wait until later. His lady didn’t want a long, slow lovemaking. She wanted him to fuck her brains out.

He was happy to oblige.

Declan bent her lower over the railing until her ass was sticking in the air, framed by the dark silk of her robe. She moaned as he pushed her legs a little farther apart, opening her up even more.

“Bad girl, I said not to make a sound,” he whispered in her ear before taking the lobe between his teeth. Gently, he stroked her ass, then quickly slapped both cheeks, lightly stinging them.

She gasped and thrust her butt higher in the air. He didn’t need any more invitation to drive his cock into her waiting pussy.

She clamped around him like a vice and he suspected he’d played the game a little too long. Muffled whimpers came from her and he saw she had the sleeve of her robe clamped between her teeth.

“You have to be quiet, remember?” He pulled out until only the very tip of his cock brushed against her.

She nodded her head. He could see her white-knuckled grip on the railing and her robe stuck to the sweat clinging to her skin. His hands weren’t exactly steady as he grasped her hips and drove his cock home. He slammed into her, the globes of her ass cushioning his hips as he thrust harder and faster. His balls swung against her softness, ratcheting the need higher and higher.

He didn’t just want to fuck her. He wanted to
possess
her. Whatever she’d done before,
whoever
she’d done before, he wanted to erase them from her memory. He didn’t know what the future held for them, but he wanted her to remember him.

After years of loving and leaving women, he knew this one was imprinted indelibly on his soul, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until she was equally marked.

Ciara let out soft sobs as she pushed back against him. He could feel her pulse throbbing and her breath came out in tortured gasps. Barely holding back his own orgasm, he reached around until he could trace her clit.

It took just the lightest touch to send her over the edge. Her inner muscles milked him so hard he exploded into her. Wave after wave rolled over him and he thought he’d never stop coming. His legs shook, depleted of all strength.

“Hey! Keep it down up there!” Someone shouted from the balcony below them.

Ciara let out a muffled laugh and straightened up. The movement dislodged his cock from her tight sheath.

“Let’s go inside. I could use another glass of wine.” Her face was wet with tears but he didn’t have time to examine her more closely before she slipped into the living room.

“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He seemed to be asking that a lot.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked with an incredulous lift of her brow.

“You have tears on your face.”

“Do I? I don’t remember crying, except maybe at the end. It’s all a little foggy.”

He captured a lingering tear on his thumb and licked it away. “I’ve faced far too many women’s tears in my lifetime. I don’t want yours staining my soul.”

The truth of it shook him to the core. She had faced enough sadness in her marriage and he would damn Morrigan to eternity if his curse added even one more tear to Ciara’s life.

“These are happy tears. Or at least tears of release, not sorrow. Come on, let’s take the wine into the bedroom.”

Ciara felt his eyes on her ass as she led him to her bedroom. The silk robe caressed her sensitized skin, giving her aftershocks from her recent orgasm. God, that had been incredible. The heat of Declan’s skin combined with the night breeze and the risk of discovery had been an explosive combination.

When she’d joined him on the terrace, she’d been angry more with herself than with him. Why did she let the subject of infertility get to her so badly? Just because she couldn’t have a child didn’t make her any less of a woman, damn it. It had taken her months to get over feeling inadequate after her divorce and she didn’t like how quickly she’d gotten defensive when Declan had brought up the possibility of her getting pregnant.

She’d wanted to reclaim the feeling of feminine power she’d had before, and seeing him standing there like a freaking god spurred her on. If ever a woman wanted to feel feminine, Declan was the man to do it. He’d fucked her brains out and left her weak as a day-old kitten.

His tenderness afterward had shaken her though. How did he go from demanding lover to wiping the tears from her eyes in seconds? The juxtaposition staggered her.

Maybe it was the link they shared through his goddess mark, but he seemed to know exactly what she was feeling, what she needed without her having to explain it to him. He responded to her unspoken desires, both physical and emotional, without hesitation. It was like they’d been together for years, yet it had only been a few days.

Crap. Had she only known him two days? It felt like she had known him forever.

Somehow she couldn’t imagine her life without him part of it. It was like a weird addiction or something. The more she was with him, the more of him she wanted.

God, what was wrong with her? Could she be any more cliché? She was totally falling for him and she’d only known him two days. Damn it, she was smarter than that. It wasn’t like she’d never been in love before.

In theory, she and Michael had been perfect for each other. If they couldn’t make it work, how could she risk falling for a thousand-year-old Celtic warrior? One who needed a baby to release him from his curse? It was ridiculous and her brain spun as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

How could her heart dive in deep when her brain had sworn never to test those waters again? Something about him pulled her heartstrings and she was helpless to resist. Maybe it really was his goddess interfering, or maybe she was just a sucker for a gorgeous guy with a sob story. Either way, she was hooked.

And because she couldn’t get pregnant, he would be forced to live with his curse no matter what he felt for her.

She lit some of the candles she had scattered around the room. In their soft glow, she dropped the robe in a puddle around her feet and climbed into the queen-sized bed.

“We should talk. I feel like I know your body perfectly, but until this afternoon I didn’t even know your last name.”

“Then you’d better put that robe back on, because talking’s hard to do when I see your naked body.”

“I’ll pull up the sheet.” She patted the spot next to her. “Come on in and cuddle with me for a bit.”

He set their wine glasses on the nightstand and slid into bed next to her. She ran her hands over his chest. He had a long, faint scar that ran from just beneath his armpit over his ribcage and disappeared in the line of hair on his belly.

“I didn’t notice this before. How’d you get a mark like that?”

“Spear thrust. I blocked it, but the tip skidded along my ribs before I could kill him. It wasn’t that big a deal. If the spear had hit me in the gut like he’d intended, I’d have been dead as that was before my run in with Morrigan.”

“So none of the wounds you’ve gotten since the curse have left scars?”

“Not a one. They heal almost instantly unless it’s something like beheading, then I need a few days in bed.”

“You were beheaded?” She gasped in shock, then punched him when he laughed at her.

“Just kidding. I’ve been stabbed and shot but never beheaded. Healing from a near-fatal wound is
…
uncomfortable.”

“I’ll bet. So is Declan your real name or did you just take that because it sounds sexy?”

“It’s my given name. I’ve used many others in my time, but for some reason I come back to the one my mother gave me every hundred years or so.”

“That makes sense, in a weird sort of way. What did you do for a thousand years?”

“Everything. For a while I lived in complete debauchery, traveling from country to country and bed to bed. I drank oceans of wine and ale. I’ve been in more battles than I can count and I’ve gambled away fortunes. None of it made me as happy as I’ve been with you tonight.”

Her heart flipped over in her chest. “Really?”

“Really. For the first time in what feels like forever I can be honest. You know my secret. I don’t have to hide anything from you. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my chest.”

“But I can’t—”

“Shhh, let’s not worry about anything but this moment. Something I’ve learned is that the future eventually takes care of itself. Let’s enjoy now.” He eased the sheet down until she was naked to his eyes. “I can’t get enough of your curves. You’re so lush and welcoming, and all mine.”

“I should probably lose a few pounds,” she said weakly. She sure as hell didn’t feel chunky when he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her.

“Bite your tongue. You’re perfect.” He traced his fingers across her breasts, lightly teasing her nipples before stroking the sensitive lower curves.

She shivered as his fingers trailed lower across her abdomen. Lowering his head, he ran kisses over her belly and licked her navel. His warm breath teased the curls of her pussy and she squirmed with the sensual torment.

Her thighs fell open as he made his way along the crease of her upper thigh. His soft hair brushed along her legs, adding more sensations to the mix. Fluid gushed between her legs as she waited breathlessly for him to touch her clit.

Declan knelt between her wide-spread legs. She knew she should be embarrassed as he looked at her spread wantonly open to his gaze, but she was too aroused to care.

“You’re so beautiful.” He bent his head and feasted on her pussy.

Ciara arched her hips off the bed, pushing closer to his amazing mouth. His tongue swirled around her clit and thrust into her waiting passage. Blood roared in her ears as fire consumed her. Every nerve in her body seemed to be focused in between her legs as his lips and tongue stroked. Every. Last. One.

He shoved two fingers inside her and thrust them in the same rhythm as their lovemaking. Her head thrashed on the pillow as the world seemed to explode around her. And still he licked her, until she begged him to stop.

“Declan! Inside me. Please!” she almost wept.

Kissing his way up her body, he captured her mouth in a surprisingly gentle kiss before easing his length inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting to get him as deeply inside her as possible.

“Let’s take this one slow, for a change.” He slid out inch by inch until just his tip was still inside her, then slowly eased back inside until his cock was seated to the hilt.

Ciara ran her tongue along his neck as she unwrapped her legs from around him. Matching his rhythm, she pushed up as he came down, grasping and milking him with every frustratingly slow stroke.

Remembering what he’d done to her, she trailed her fingernails along the cleft of his ass. His butt flexed with each thrust and she felt his muscles move against her hand. Boldly, she pressed her finger against the delicate tissue between his cheeks.

“If you keep teasing me, we aren’t going to be able to take this slow and easy.”

“Promise?” She reached around until she could fondle his sac and run her fingernail along the patch of skin leading to his ass.

He gripped her hips harder and thrust faster. Flush with success and desire, she lightly bit his nipple, then licked away the pain.

“Ciara,
a Ghrá
,” he practically growled in her ear before lifting her hips and pounding into her.

With every thrust, she wound tighter and tighter until she thought she’d explode. Declan’s face above hers was fierce in concentration and sweat beaded along his brow.

“With me. Come with me,” she gasped as the tide started to overwhelm her.

He let out a roar as she spasmed in completion. Her body melted into mush and he collapsed on top of her. Aftershocks still shook her when his chest rubbed hers.

“
A Ghrá mo Chroí
,” he whispered as he rolled off her.

Within seconds, she heard deep, even breaths.

He’d destroyed her then fallen asleep.

Ciara grabbed a handful of tissues from the side of the bed and sighed deeply. Apparently, men hadn’t evolved that far in a thousand years. There was no way she could sleep now. She was way too churned up. Her body was boneless but her brain was working overtime.

It was time to face facts. She’d fallen ass over teakettle in love with him. As illogical and insane as it was, it had happened, and there was no backing out of it now just because it didn’t make sense.

If she wasn’t mistaken, he had feelings for her as well. Maybe it wasn’t love, but she was sure there was more than lust there. So where did that leave them? They cared for each other, she could totally see her life with him, but she couldn’t break his curse. She’d get old and flabby and he’d still be gorgeous. Could she live like that? Was that fair to him? If she truly loved him, shouldn’t she give him the freedom to maybe find someone who could have his child and break his curse?