Page 100 of Always Be an Us

"That's it, baby," Declan murmurs darkly into me. "Come for me."

A band snaps and the explosion sets off. I collapse against the seat, my entire body shaking. I bite my lip to keep from yelling, and bite it so hard that I'm pretty sure I draw blood.

But despite the intense orgasm, I’m not limp or weak. I’m filled with renewed energy as I join him on the floor, kissing him wildly and tasting myself on his lips.

I pull back briefly and meet his half-mast eyes.

"Now," I tell him. "It's your turn."

***

Declan is gone for most of the next day. With the delay in the construction, there are a lot of moving parts that need to be dealt with. And he goes around seeing to all that while I stay home with Amelia.

Being alone with Amelia is a little awkward at first. She doesn’t say anything while I make lunch, and she mostly replies to my questions with one-word answers. I chuck it up to her just trying to focus on homework, but a part of me is scared that I irrevocably damaged our relationship.

But then, when I sit opposite her to eat, she suddenly looks up from her iPad and says, "So now that you’re seeing my dad, are you going to be sleeping over all the time?"

My face heats. God, I hope she didn’t hear anything last night.

"Um, no," I tell her. "Someone broke into my place, they’re still trying to figure out who did it, which is why I’m here."

"Oh," she responds.

"But I can leave and find someplace else if you want me to. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable."

She shakes her head almost instantly. "No, I like having you around. It’s just weird seeing my dad like that. So...in love."

I nearly choke on my bacon. "Your dad’s not in love with me."

"He’s not?" she frowns. "Then why are you dating?’

"It’s, uh..."God, how do I explain it to a teenager?"It’s complicated. Like I said. We’re still getting to know each other."

She frowns and shakes her head. "Adults are weird."

"Yeah."

"At least y'all aren't as sappy as Madam Thornley and her fiancé. They're disgustingly in love. If I wasn't so intrigued by her recollection of the hotel, I don't think I could read that diary."

I nod. I can’t exactly remember the exact details, but I remember her many ramblings about how in love with Victor she was. And from his letters, Victor felt the same way.

Emma's homework takes up most of the day, during which I spend some time sketching. It's just as well–Declan has strict instructions for us to remain at the hotel till his security detail gets here. Once she's done with homework though, I try to entertain her at home.

We mostly talk about Laketown lore and call Grandpa on the phone. Dr. Han thinks he should be getting released soon, which puts me in a predicament because I haven't yet told him about the break-in.

I don't want Grandpa to worry, so I told Rick not to mention anything, but with his upcoming discharge, it seems we might need to have that conversation soon.

I'm already dreading it. Then again, knowing Grandpa, he might just make a joke out of the whole thing. I just hope we catch the culprit before then.

Later that evening, Amelia and I go to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

Then we watch TV well into the evening until Amelia goes to bed.

She leaves Madam Thornley's diary on the couch before she retires, and I pick it up, tracing the loose binding and the worn corners of the book. Even though it's nearly nine p.m., I don't feel sleepy at all. Declan already texted to let me know that he would be home late, but I didn't think it would be this late. And I find I'm having some trouble sleeping without him here.

I sigh and I crack the book open. Maybe I can read this to get my mind off things.

Madam Thornley's diary is pretty thick, consisting of several pages of bleeding ink detailing her stay at the hotel. It also has excerpts of letters from her lover, V, which she posts every now and then.

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