Page 124 of Cross Check Hearts

I collapse onto her in the aftermath, my forehead resting against hers. We steal kisses from each other as we try to catch our breath, our bodies still shuddering from the aftershocks. Hannah’s heterochromatic eyes look up at me, hazy with satisfaction, and I can’t help but kiss her again, savoring the taste of her on my lips.

I pull out gently and help her clean up, then crawl back onto the bed beside her and pull her tight against my body, one arm wrapped around her. We lie together in exhausted, sated silence, and after a few minutes, Ralph leaps up onto the bed and begins pawing at my jersey. Her little paws work methodically, kneading the fabric with intense focus. Then she circles around twice before settling down right on top of it, creating a little nest for herself beside Hannah and me.

“Aw, I think she likes it,” Hannah says as Ralph starts purring, her little body vibrating with contentment. I reach out to scratch behind her ears, and her purring instantly deepens, sounding like an idling engine.

“I think so too. Guess that means I’ll have to crochet a matching one for her next.” I smile, picturing Ralph in a tiny Aces jersey, claiming her territory just like her mom claims me.

Hannah laughs softly, the sound washing over me, and it hits me right in the chest. Every day, for as long as fate or the universe will let me, I’m going to do my best to make her laugh like that.

Because every day with this woman is a fucking gift.

Epilogue

Hannah

I wake up with a jolt as something warm and wet grazes against my clit. My eyes shoot open to find the covers partially thrown back and Declan settled between my legs, eating me out like I’m his breakfast. His broad shoulders keep my thighs spread wide, his strong hands gripping my hips as he works his mouth over me with hungry precision. The sight of his head between my legs and the muffled noises of appreciation he’s making send a ripple of heat straight through me.

“Good morning,” he murmurs against my pussy.

The vibration of his deep voice sends a zap of heat straight up my spine, and it feels so good that I can’t even form words to respond. My hand instinctively reaches down to grip his hair, encouraging him to continue his delicious assault.

“This is—oh fuck—so much better than an alarm clock,” I murmur, then gasp as he scrapes his teeth lightly over my clit.

“Good.” He laps at me again. “This is how you deserve to wake up every morning.”

He slips two fingers inside me, fucking me with them as he continues to work my clit—but when I start to tip my head back in pleasure, he slaps my clit lightly, making me suck in a breath as pleasure and pain burst through me. He knows I’ll use my safe word if I need it, and I love how that gives him permission to be rough and dominant with me, knowing I’ll take control and stop things if I ever need to.

“Watch me,” he growls, and I obey instantly, tilting my head back down to meet his amber-flecked eyes.

He maintains eye contact as he withdraws his fingers and then delves his tongue deep into me instead, making my body arch up off the mattress. I grip the sheets as he slowly withdraws only to plunge back in, fucking me with his tongue while his thumb circles my clit with devastating precision, using my piercing to make it feel even more intense. The dual sensation has me writhing beneath him, my body already tensing as an orgasm starts to build.

“You taste so fucking good, hummingbird,” he murmurs against my wet flesh. “So sweet and ready for me. Spent all night dreaming about this, but nothing is as good as the real thing.” He slides two thick fingers inside me to replace his tongue, curling them to hit that perfect spot while his tongue flicks rapidly against my clit. “I could stay down here all day, making you come on my tongue over and over.”

God, he always knows exactly what to say. He can get me off with his dirty words just as well as he can play my body with his hands and mouth, as if he’s perfectly in tune with me and all of my trigger points. Each stroke of his tongue, each curl of his fingers is precisely calibrated to drive me wild.

“Look at you,” he whispers, his hot breath teasing my sensitive flesh. “So fucking beautiful when you’re about to come for me. You are, aren’t you?”

I nod, still holding his gaze just like he demanded, and satisfaction flashes through his eyes. He increases the pressure of his tongue, drawing tight circles around my swollen clit while his fingers pump steadily inside me.

“Give it to me, hummingbird,” he commands, his voice low. “Let me taste you. Come all over my fucking face like a good girl.”

As if unwilling to wait another second, he wraps his lips around my clit and sucks, and the sharp burst of pleasure hits me so hard that it sends me soaring over the edge. I release the sheets and wind my fingers in his hair again as I come, my body bucking against his mouth as a ragged cry tears from my throat, my pussy clenching around his fingers in pulsing waves.

He doesn’t let up, drawing out my orgasm until I’m trembling and gasping his name like a prayer.

“Declan,” I moan, tugging at his hair when the sensation becomes too intense. “Oh my god.”

When it’s over, he lifts his head, smiling up at me, his hair a mess, his lips and chin glistening with my arousal. The possessive look in his eyes as he deliberately licks his lips makes my spent body perk back up again, and I shake my head at him, laughing breathlessly.

“You’re an animal,” I tease.

“Youranimal,” he corrects. “And lucky for you, I’m a gentleman too.”

With a satisfied grin that radiates pure male pride, he rolls me over and spanks me once, then gets out of bed to grab a warm, wet towel that he uses to clean me up.

“Don’t move,” he says as he tosses the towel into the laundry basket. “I have another surprise.”

Probably because I woke up on the verge of an orgasm, I didn’t notice it until now, but it smells like he’s been cooking. He disappears for a few moments, and I hear him rummaging around in the kitchen before he returns carrying a bed tray loaded with a freshly cooked breakfast.

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