Page 46 of Stealing Forever

Declan nods. “Sounds good.” Then he returns to the bed and picks up his phone from the nightstand.

The shower does little to ease my nerves, but the hot water feels nice against my skin and helps relieve some of the tension from my shoulders. The water washes away the after-beach smell that I hate so much. You know, the smell of salt water and burnt skin? Yeah, I’m not a beach person, but seeing the joy on Sailor’s face made the excursion worth it.

I take my time drying off and dressing, then stare at myself in the mirror. Declan’s dress shirt hugs my curves, the fabric taut on my breasts. It hides as much of me as his sweatpants hide of him, but I remind myself that in just a few seconds, I’ll be in bed, hidden under a plush goose down comforter.

Relief hits me when I walk out of the bathroom and the lights are off, except for the soft glow of Declan’s bedside lamp.

“Sailor fell asleep,” Declan explains as I cross the room, dropping my dirty clothes into the bag beside my suitcase.

“Oh, good, she was exhausted.” Lifting the covers, I slide inside them, then lean over and plug in my phone.

I’m firing up my e-reader and settling in when Declan says, “Thanks for taking her to the beach today.”

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for.”

“I know,” he says with longing. “I just feel guilty that I can’t be the one to take her to do fun things all the time.”

“It’s baseball season. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I want to turn over and face him, but that feels intimate. So instead I stay lying on my back, and sneak a glance.

He’s doing the same. “Dad guilt.”

“You can be guilt-free, I promise. You’re a great dad. Sailor is so lucky to have you.”

Silence stretches between us for a few minutes, then the bed shifts as Declan turns onto his side and turns off the light. “Goodnight, Hailey.”

“Goodnight.” My heart is pounding as I roll over, facing away from him with my book in hand.

There’s no pillow wall between us. Nothing standing between my body and his except an empty space in a king-sized bed.

I’m hyper aware of every breath he takes, and in desperate need of a distraction.

I press the home button on my e-reader and my book,Only One Night, reappears in front of me, and I am instantly sucked into the story.

My doorbell rang, but no one was there.

Was it him?

The logical explanation is that it was trick-or-treaters. It’s Halloween, and it’s late. Teenagers play pranks.

I’m pretty sure I doorbell ditched a time or two as a high schooler.

That made the most sense.

Yet, there is still a small part of me that wants it to be him. I want him to come to me.

I visualize myself opening the door and he collides his lips to mine as he pushes me backward so he can come inside, slamming the door behind him.

I picture his hands wrapping along the hem of my shirt and dragging it up, breaking our kiss just long enough so he can pull it over my head. He tosses it to the floor before returning his fingers to my shorts and pushes them, along with my panties, down my legs.

Then I’d be bare in front of him. Naked, with my nipples peaked and my pussy dripping.

He’ll tug me to the kitchen and prop me on the counter before spreading my legs wide, pulling my ass to the very edge. Tilting me backward, he’ll lay me down, the granite cool against my back.

And as he dips his head down, he’ll stare at me while the first swipe of his tongue sweeps through the mess his stare is creating between my legs.

The bed jostles again as Declan flips. I snuggle deeper onto the pillow and keep reading.

Licking me relentlessly, he’ll swirl his tongue around my clit and drive his finger into me, enjoying the noises the wetness of my juices creates. Over and over, adding a second finger, then a third, until I come so hard I scream out into the darkness of my home.

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