Page 37 of The Tides Between Us

But Giana and those goddamn ocean blue eyes.

She never once tore her gaze away from mine. Not as her body began to shake. As her legs gripped the sides of my hips, her lips parted and a cry escaped her as another orgasm began to build within her. I tried to fight my own, but I couldn’t. She clenched around me as she fell over the edge, shattering into a million pieces. My balls constricted and my own orgasm spread through my body like wildfire.

It was consuming. Dangerous. And fucking beautiful.

Her lips were parted as soft moans escaped her. She kept riding me, riding out the waves of both of our orgasms as I lost myself inside her. I spilled myself into her, filling her with my cum. I was so deep inside her and I never wanted any of this to end.

Giana Cirone had already pierced through my heart, I just didn’t know how deeply until that moment.

That breathtaking, beautiful moment as she stared down at me like I had filled the ocean with the very water that kept it alive. She was so terribly wrong.

She was the one that kept it alive… not me.

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

GIANA

Lifting my arms above my head, I stretched out my sore limbs and slowly rolled over to face Declan. His warmth was radiating from his body and I watched the way his chest rose and fell with every gentle breath he took. It should have felt weird, waking up in someone else’s bed, but it didn’t. There was something about him that brought peace to my soul. He made me feel comforted in ways I had never felt before. I reveled in the way he made me feel.

Safe.

My eyes traveled across his features. His face was so relaxed. Angelic, if you will. There wasn’t a touch of concern, yet I wasn’t quite sure I had witnessed that in him since the day he brought Pop-Tart to the rehabilitation center. He was always at ease, but in his sleep, there was an innocence about him. I couldn’t tear my eyes from him even if I wanted to.

“I can feel you watching me, princess.” His lips barely moved, but I could still make out the words. His eyes were still closed as he reached out for me. I rolled in the opposite direction, just as his arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me flush against him. My back was pressed against his chest, enveloped in his warmth.

A smile crept onto my lips and I scooted as close as I could get to him, relaxing in his arms. He buried his face in my hair before moving to my neck. His mouth was soft against my skin, tender and gentle as he peppered kisses against my flesh. He nuzzled his face against me, breathing in deeply.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, but the sun was shining brightly through his bedroom window when we both finally climbed out of bed. Declan bent over to collect our clothes and I studied him. The way his body moved. His skin stretched across his taut muscles. He was handcrafted by the ocean gods. How did I end up catching the attention of someone like him?

He tossed my panties to me and one of his t-shirts and nothing else. I lifted an eyebrow at him and he simply winked. Heat crept across my cheeks. I ducked my head, creating a curtain around my face with my hair before slipping on his shirt. After I dressed, I glanced at Declan who was pulling on a pair of shorts.

“Are you hungry?” he asked me.

My stomach growled in response and he smiled as I nodded.“Starving.”

His smile transformed into a smirk and mischief danced in his golden brown irises. “Me too. But I’ll settle for food right now instead.”

My mouth instantly went dry as Declan walked past me, exiting his bedroom without another word. I was momentarily frozen in place before I snapped out of it. I’d never experienced someone like him before… and I wasn’t sure I wanted to experience this with anyone but him. Turning on my heel, I quickly followed him out through the house and found him in the kitchen pulling things from the fridge.

He motioned for me to sit down at the island. I watched him as he poured me a glass of orange juice and set it down in front of me. He pulled eggs from the refrigerator, along with some peppers and onions that were already diced. Declan moved around the kitchen like he knew exactly what he was doing. I was mesmerized, watching him complete the simple task of making eggs with ease.

Living on my own, I had to learn how to cook, but it wasn’t something I would say I was good at. I couldn’t make pancakes without burning them. If it came with instructions and I followed them, I could usually make an edible meal. Except for pancakes, of course. I had managed thus far, but it was always nice when someone else cooked. It wasn’t my strong suit.

Declan set a plate in front of me that was equipped with quite possibly the best eggs someone had ever made me, along with two slices of buttered toast. He watched me for a moment with hopeful eyes as I took a bite. It tasted even better than it looked.

“How is it?”

I swallowed and took a sip of my juice.“Delicious. Better than anything I could have made.”

He smiled while he stood across from me with his own plate. He could have taken the seat beside me, but it would have made it a little more difficult for us to talk. Instead, he made sure he was in front of me. “Are you a bad cook?”

A shy smile danced across my lips and I shrugged.“I don’t know about bad, but I wouldn’t say good.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m a pretty decent cook then,” he replied with a wink. “I’ll cook for you any chance I get.”

Something about his words struck a chord in my heart. The consideration he had for others had my chest constricting. It was the little things he did, the ones that would normally go unnoticed, except they didn’t. Not to me. I noticed it all.

Living the majority of my life in silence gave me the time to appreciate what was going on around me. I was able to observe and study without the outside noise. And Declan Parks was by far my most favorite subject.

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