Lust Thy Neighbor (19 page)

"Really?"

"Really. Have you not seen the way the man looks at you?" Her mom moved a little closer and Violet laid her head on Alice's lap, closing her eyes. "Are you ready for that? Because I get the feeling that once a guy like Declan falls, he'll fall hard. And he won't settle for just a piece of your heart. He'll want it all."

“Is that really so bad? Losing my heart to someone like Declan?” She released a sound of frustration. "Mom, he sees me. Does that make sense? He sees a part of me that I didn't even see myself. I'm scared to death of the way I feel about him. I'm scared of everything changing.”

Alice stroked a few strands of hair from her daughter’s forehead.  "You always were more comfortable being complacent."

That stopped her dead and she scrambled to a sitting position. Did everyone get that feeling about her? "What do you mean?"

"I mean you’ve always been afraid of change. Remember when Josh said he loved you when you two were together? You worried about how to say it back instead of worrying if you really even loved him in the first place."

Violet frowned. She hadn't thought about it like that. At the time, she was simply worried about how to say it. When she heard Josh say it, she automatically felt required to say the words back. Like a parrot.

"And when Henry proposed, you were just so used to being with him you didn’t think twice. After being his girlfriend, you just accepted his proposal because to you, it seemed like the logical thing to do. Move a step forward, right?"

Violet moved her head up and down slowly. What was she? Transparent to everyone?

"Baby." Setting her wine on the coffee table, her mom clasped her fingers. "If you're going to get involved with a man like Declan, make sure you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Declan is like—” Her mother moved her hands around as if she were literally grasping for the right word. “—a conqueror. A little bit like a thief, but if he can't steal your heart piece by piece, he'll just take it. He won't be happy if you keep secrets or hold yourself back from him. If he's going to trust you, he'll expect it back. Fully. And then what will you have left?" Alice looked into her eyes. "You said that he sees you. That is scares the shit out of you?"

She sucked in her bottom lip. As wonderful as he was, it did frighten her that he saw something inside her. She was still figuring out her life by herself. What would happen when he figured it out before her?

"He's not going to be an easy man to be with. Not like your past boyfriends. Declan ... that boy won't settle for the surface. He'll want what's underneath." Her mom paused as if reconsidering her words. Then she picked up her glass of wine and pointed out onto the driveway where she could see the headlights of his truck. “There's your boy now. It takes a brave man to raise a teenage boy all by himself and an even braver one to tackle the Thanksgiving shopping crowds. Speaking of which it’s time to brew some coffee because I have a date with Target and my unmaxed credit cards tonight.”

"T
hanks again for coming today," Violet told him with a small smile as he walked her to her front door a few hours later. “It meant ... a lot.”

"No problem." Declan tried to catch her eyes. "Hey, you okay?" She had been quiet during the trip home, looking as if she was deep in thought.

"Yeah."

He wondered for a moment, worried that maybe she had heard when Jacob had called Alice 'mentally imbalanced.' He had meant it as a joke, but maybe she hadn't found it funny. "Are you sure? Was it something that I said? Or maybe Jacob?"

She swung her head around, her brow furrowed, as she reached into her bag in search of her keys. "Why would you think that?"

"Nothing. It's just that sometimes Jacob says things that can be taken out of context."

"Why? Did he say something?"

He shook his head. If she hadn't heard, better not mention it. He could tell that Violet was close to her mom and he wasn't sure how much teasing she could take. "No, nothing."

"Well.” She looked around, fiddling with her house keys. "I hope you had a nice time. Mom really liked you."

He tried not to roll his eyes. He wanted to ask, really? "It was nice to finally meet her." Though Alice had managed to pull him aside before they left to give him a lecture on birth control and the safest brand of condoms. As if he were some sex-crazed teenager who couldn't think with his big head to remember to cover the little head.

"This was the first time I've ever brought a man home for Thanksgiving,” Violet said softly.

"What about your ex?"

She moved her head to either side. "I went to his parents. Mom only tolerated him, so I didn’t really like taking him around her.”

Declan felt like standing a little taller now that he knew that Violet had never brought home another man. "Not even when you were younger?"

"Not really. Nothing like this. I mean, I've taken Beck home for the holidays, but he's my best friend and there's obviously zero romance there.”

"So taking me along with you? Was it what you expected?"

"It was ... interesting," she breathed.

He wondered for a moment what she meant by that but she cut off his thoughts as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. He only felt his arms filled with warmth and Violet as he kissed her back, telling her in the only way he could how much the entire day meant to him. How much she meant to him.

*

V
iolet heard the silent whoosh of the door opening and even without opening her eyes, she knew that Declan was undressing and getting ready to climb into bed with her. "I've been waiting for you."

He smiled and she could make out the flash of his white teeth in the dark. "I had some work to finish up. Plus, I had all those leftovers your mom insisted I take home. I had to pack them all up. I don't think I have any containers left."

She groaned into her pillow. Alice had shoved Ziploc bag after bag into Declan's arms, saying that she didn't know how much she ordered and that it would all go to waste if he didn't take it with him because she was going on a diet to prepare for her Christmas trip to the Bahamas.

As Declan climbed into bed, she was quiet, lost in her own mind. He touched her shoulder, his fingers spreading wide on her bare skin as his brows jerked together. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Do I look not okay?" She sat up, taking the covers with her.

"You were quiet on the way home. Actually, you were quiet ever since we took that walk around your old neighborhood. Are you missing home? Or your mom?"

No. She was still thinking about the talk she'd had with Alice while he was shopping. "I was just thinking."

He lay down and encouraged her to rest her head on his chest. She felt him sifting lazy fingers through her hair. When he pulled a tangle and she winced, he kissed the back of her head. "Sorry, beautiful." He dropped his arm down to rest along her back. "What were you thinking about?"

"Something my mother said while you were gone,” she admitted. “She, ahh, said she could see me with you.”

"See you with me." He paused and looked down at her. "As a serious thing, huh?”

"No. Yes." She propped her chin up on his sternum. "The thing is ... it scared me."

He took her chin in his palm and she felt his callused fingers brush along the apple of her cheek. "Scared you?"

"Because she was right. Because
you
see me."

His eyes crinkled at the corners. "Why would that scare you? I like seeing you.”

Because it was happening fast. Because she didn't want to be hurt again. Because she was afraid that she felt more for him than he did for her. Instead of speaking, she shook her head and leaned in to kiss him.

She could feel him wanting to pull back, to stop so he could ask more questions, but she couldn't let him. She didn't want him to see her so vulnerable with her heart potentially on the line again.

Declan felt the need in Violet's kiss. Even if she didn't say it in words, he felt everything.

He guided her and rolled on top of her, wanting her more than anything he’d ever needed or wanted in his thirty-two years. He needed her to feel safe with him. Wanted her to feel worshiped. Needed her to know she was
his
, no matter what they’d initially agreed upon.

He dropped his head to her nipple, taking it into his mouth. "You're so beautiful," he whispered between kisses.

He cupped and plumped, stroking her breast and loving the way it fit so well into his palm. He took the other one into his mouth, tasting and running the tip of his tongue around and around until she arched and gasped his name, a breathless cry that went straight to his cock.

Declan jerked when he felt her take his arousal in hand. He bucked and groaned against her skin when she slid her fingers up and down, twisting her hand at the head of his erection. "Harder, baby. I won't break."

"Like this?" Her breath was hot against the top of his head as her fingers tightened around his erection. “Or more?”

His hand came on top of hers, guiding her. "Yeah, just like that." He let go, allowing her to find her own rhythm. After several strokes, he grasped her ass, shaking his head. "No. Stop. I don't want to come like this."

She pulled him up for a kiss, her mouth aggressive on his, surprising him. Her soft tongue swept against his, her hands roamed across his back, before racing to the front of his body and wedging between them. She pushed his cock down toward her sex as she pressed up, her core hot and wet against him. He groaned when he felt her small teeth on his shoulder.

"Declan." She tugged at his hair. "I want to feel you. Now."

He wanted to protest; wanted to tease her like this for hours, watch the play and flex of her muscles as she got excited but he could also understand her urgency to just feel him inside her. He wanted her too. He wanted everything from Violet. He wanted her to forget about all her past lovers and just remember him and his body and their time together.

"Just a minute, baby.”

She squirmed against him, sliding his cock against her wetness and he sucked in a harsh breath. "No, now,” she ordered.

There was no way in hell he could refuse her—seeing her aggressive turned him on
that
much. He knocked the covers off his back and tossed them onto the floor. In the moonlight, her skin was creamy, perfect. He had to taste her, just to feel her against him. His hands went to hold her hips steady as he traveled down the length of her body to kiss her inner thigh. When he reached the her sex, he breathed her in, drawing in the sweet scent of her. His touch was soft at first, letting her get used to the feeling but when she arched up against his mouth, he circled his tongue around her clit until she was moaning and he could feel her curled toes on his shoulders.

She sobbed as he touched her, tasted her, adored her. And when he couldn’t take any more, with her taste filling his every sense, he rolled on a condom and thrust roughly into her body. Her legs came up to enclose him tightly as she pulled his mouth to hers, tasting herself on his tongue. "You’re perfect,” he rasped between kisses. “So ridiculously perfect.”

She heaved a heavy sigh and as her body soared, she thought back to that afternoon. Her mom was right. Declan was right. She was waiting for something. Something exciting. And yes, her mom had hit her dead on. She was always more comfortable with complacency.

In the past, no change meant something good. Don't rock the boat because there might be a danger of drowning—that's what she had always feared. But maybe it wasn't drowning. Maybe it was just the simple act of swimming.

But Violet could swim.

Especially if it was Declan she was swimming toward.

*

H
e rolled her on top of him, the naked length of her back stretched precariously on top of him. He held her tighter when he felt her trembling against him.

"Declan! This is totally insane. I'm going to roll right off of you!"

He laughed and reached around cup one breast in each palm. Her hair tickled him and was a dark curtain around his face. "Stop squirming."

"I can't help it." But she sighed. "This is probably illegal somewhere in the south.”

“Not quite, but if you want to break a couple laws....” His voice trailed off as she wiggled around on top, her ankle coming up dangerously close to his cock. "Careful, I think we’ll need that in a bit.”

Now, she laughed out loud—full shaking laughs. "I can't," she practically wheezed like she was running the last leg of a marathon. "You've got to put me down. I'm going to fall!"

He sighed, carefully lifting her up. She rolled off him and onto her stomach, her hair spilling over one shoulder as she looked over at him. "Fucking party pooper," he pouted, pretending to be disappointed.

Violet snorted and slapped his thigh, biting her bottom lip. "You're such a poor, sex deprived man."

"And here I was trying to be considerate by trying new things with my girlfriend."

Her breath caught when he called her that once again—his girlfriend—but she quickly said, "You're crazy. You know that, don’t you?”

He slanted his lips over hers, silencing her in the most delicious manner. Kicking off the covers with his feet, he settled behind her, turning her face so he could continue tasting her sweet mouth. "I’ve never tasted anything like you." Declan peppered more kisses on her, across her shoulder blades, down her spine. “You’re too goddamn good to be true.”

"Yeah, so are you.”

He felt her hand creep back until she found his cock and gave it a hard jerk. “More already?” he asked incredulously, and she nodded.

“Yes. Please. Now.”

Declan always loved when her more aggressive side made its appearance. He loved holding the reigns, but it turned him on when Violet would climb on top of him, or push him back, or demand something of him. Her trust in him that he would bring her pleasure always humbled him.

He felt his body tighten and harden against her ass at the feel her of her fingers on him. Just as he was about to reach for a condom on the nightstand, her phone rang loudly, disturbing their heavy panting breaths and the occasional moan.