Game For Love: Love Games (Kindle Worlds) (24 page)

She threw on a robe and went downstairs to the kitchen. The coffee pot was nearly full and there was a note placed in front of it with her mug sitting as a paperweight. It said he was running some errands and would be back in the afternoon.
 

Marlee tried not to let the note get her down. Of course he had to run some errands. He was leaving tomorrow for a week, and he had been spending every waking moment with her. He probably had a million things to do.
 

A nagging feeling crept up. She couldn’t quite put a name to it. Sort of like….dread? It was natural enough, she supposed, to be dreading parting with Declan. She had become very attached to the sex they were having. The all-out, rough-and-tumble sex that she had never experienced before, and feared she never would again.
 

Liar. It isn’t just the sex you’ve become attached to and you know it. And besides, the best sex you had with Declan all week was yesterday, when it wasn’t rough and tumble, when it was…making love.
 

The thought wasn’t as scary now that she’d admitted she loved Declan, if only to herself. In bed last night, she had hoped for a repeat of the slow, sensual lovemaking they had shared earlier at the studio. She felt closer to Declan that way. Thought that maybe she’d even be able to voice her feelings to him. But the cataclysmic mating that Declan initiated, though wonderful, allowed no room for proclamations of love. And maybe that was just what he’d planned.
 

Maybe he sensed her feelings. She certainly hadn’t masked them at the studio.
 

Of course. It all made sense. It was shortly after that when Declan started acting weird. First the thing with Professor Curtis, then the silence before and after her family had arrived. The slam-bam sex. And then rushing out of here this morning before she woke up.
 

He had figured out she loved him and was trying to get through the next two days without her confessing the news to him. He didn’t want to embarrass her when she blurted out she loved him and he could only say…“Uh, thanks.”
 

That was so Declan, wanting to spare her feelings. No wonder she loved him.
 

Marlee’s heart ached for what couldn’t be, but she wanted to let Declan off the hook. She cared for him that much. She would act as if nothing happened, be as light and carefree about Declan and her as she’d been earlier in the week. That would make it easier for him. He wouldn’t have to avoid her for the next twenty-four hours. She could hold it together that long.
 

Then she would start her tour and would be alone in a hotel room far from home. The perfect setting to feel sorry for herself and mourn a broken heart. And probably watch the video file of them together about a zillion times.

After the tour she’d come home and get serious about her search for suitable men. Look how quickly she fell for Declan, and he was totally unsuitable. If she met the love of her life when she got off the tour in March, there was no telling how quickly things could move from there.

The thought did nothing to cheer up Marlee. A voice in the back of her head screamed,
You can’t meet the love of your life in March…you’ve already met him.
She tried to silence the voice, but couldn’t. Probably because it was right.
 

Her heart became heavy all over again.

Declan came home around three and they decided to order Chinese delivery later for dinner. Neither felt like cooking. That in and of itself should have been a red flag to them both, but they chalked it up to being tired, and wanting to pack and seeing to other odds and ends.

Marlee dashed out to do a few errands of her own. Pick up dry cleaning, pick up messages, and correspondence from her office. She invited Declan to join her, but he asked if he could do some laundry and Marlee showed him where the detergent and things were. She offered to do it for him later, but he mumbled something about having to do things for himself and she left him to it.

It was all very civilized, very polite, and only slightly strained.

It took Marlee longer than she thought at her office, so she decided to get the Chinese on her way home. She called Declan to ask what he’d like and to tell him about this wonderful vegetarian sweet and sour tofu that the Golden Panda did. He agreed that the tofu sounded great.

Though the conversation was not as free and easy as it had been all week, it flowed while they ate their food. Marlee was determined not to say anything that Declan may construe as clingy or emotional.
 

As they were clearing away their dishes, she finally wound up her courage and said, “What’s wrong, Declan?”

A look of pain crossed his face, and then it turned to something she couldn’t quite name. Was that pity? Was he feeling sorry for her?

Oh, crap. She shouldn’t have asked the question. She really didn’t want to have “the talk” on their last night together. What would be the point, anyway?

“Never mind. Forget I asked. Here.” She held her hand out to him. “Come with me.”

She knew she wanted to watch their sex tape with him. But as she entered the room and saw the flash drive with the red X sitting next to her computer, another idea struck her.

She couldn’t seem to tell Declan she was in love with him. Did not want to put her heart in his hands when he’d said he couldn’t count on a future until he had his next career figured out. Justin had humiliated her too badly for her to be able to put herself out there like that. But she could let Declan know how much this week had meant to her in a different way.
 

She moved to the desk, still holding his hand. Sitting at her desk chair, she reluctantly let go of his hand to put the flash drive in the USB port of her laptop.

“Are we going to watch this?” Declan said from where he came to stand behind her chair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

“In a minute. I just want to do this first.” She copied the file to her laptop, then ejected the flash drive and grabbed an identical one from her pile of empty drives and plugged it into the laptop. She copied it over to the new drive and then ejected it. She moved the file that had been on her laptop to the trash and deleted it. She used this laptop too much at work and when she traveled to risk opening that file by mistake when anyone was in her presence.

Swiveling in the chair, she held the new drive out to Declan. “I want you to have this copy. I completely trust you with it.”
 

It wasn’t the declaration of love she wanted to profess, but in some ways, it was just as important. Declan had no way of knowing how hard this was for her, how much it took to give him a copy of it.

“Marlee,” he said softly. Almost so softly that she didn’t hear him. “Are you sure?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes. It only seems fair that you hold one too. I could be a crazy stalker fan whose whole goal this week was to get you having sex on tape and then sell it to the tabloids.”

His laughter was deep and rich and she smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “You sure played me, then.”

It felt good to banter with him again, the tension of today drifting away. He nodded to her large TV. “Do you have a hook up to stream from your laptop to the TV?” She nodded, feeling a little nervous about the upcoming featured attraction. But this was truly a now-or-never situation if she wanted to view it with Declan.

She put her drive back into the USB port while Declan slid his into the front pocket of his jeans. She clicked a few things to get the streaming set up and then she appeared on the TV screen—looking at Declan as he walked toward where she leaned against the desk in the studio.

“Come on,” he said from behind her. She rose from her chair and he took her hand, leading her to the leather recliner and, after seating himself, settling Marlee upon his lap.

He put the footstool of the recliner out and put the back down just a little so he could slide Marlee from his lap to the vee of his spread thighs, her bottom cradled by his crotch, his long thighs on the outside of hers. He pulled her taut body to him so her back lay upon his chest. She had changed into sweats and a long-sleeve T-shirt when she got home, and the material was soft and clingy against her quickly heating skin.
 

She lay back and watched the tape. It was moving quickly, just as Marlee and Declan had that first time on the desk. When the Marlee on screen told Declan she wanted him to take her hard and fast, the Marlee in Declan’s arms gasped and flung her hands to her face as if to cover her embarrassment.
 

Declan instantly began to stroke her neck and back, and his arm reached around to pull her hands from her face. She was reluctant, but he persisted.
 

“Don’t be embarrassed, baby. It was wonderful. You made me so hard when you said that. Look at my face there. God, I’m ready to eat you up.”
 

She raised her eyes to look at the TV again. Sure enough, Declan looked like a man possessed. It gave her a tiny rush to see what she did to him, and her body relaxed. Declan felt it and tried to get her more comfortable. “You know, you lied to me, Marlee.”
 

As she turned her head to his face to see what he meant, he gently took the back of her neck and pressed her head forward again.
 

“Just watch, I’ll talk. You like it when I talk during sex.” He gave her a tiny squeeze. “Yep, you lied to me about your sisters. You said they were much prettier than you. Now, I could accuse you of being coy and fishing for compliments, but you wouldn’t even know how to go about doing that, would you, professor?”

Marlee shook her head, her hair brushing along the bottom of Declan’s chin. On screen, Declan had gotten Marlee’s jeans off by now and was putting on a condom, readying to take Marlee as she lay across the desk, her arms outstretched for Declan.

“No, I didn’t think that was your style. So, I came to the conclusion that you have no idea how beautiful you are. How sexy, how hot you can be. Look at that, Marlee. Look at your face as I enter you, God, there isn’t a woman alive more beautiful than you right there.”

She knew he could hear her swallow. It was more of a gulp, and it brought her head back with a force that almost banged Declan’s chin. In his arms, all the tension in her body released and it was if she had turned from steel to jelly in an instant. He cuddled her closer and dipped his head so he could nuzzle her neck and be right at her ear as he whispered to her.

“You see, it didn’t take me long once I was inside you, Marlee. I probably shouldn’t admit to that…” They both let out a low chuckle. “But it’s like that with you, Marlee. As soon as I’m inside you and I feel you pulling on me, wanting me, clenching around me…I’m lost. You do that to me.” On the TV, Declan reached his climax, lifting his head, almost in agony, shuddering deeply and calling Marlee’s name.
 

She had been there, had been beneath him as he’d climaxed, seen him do it, yet watching the effect she had on him left her in awe. Seeing Declan drive into her in front of her while hearing his sexy whispers and feeling his muscled chest behind her was making Marlee’s head spin. It was also making her very aroused. It was a natural instinct to want to burrow herself into Declan.
 

She wiggled her fanny, scooched herself up so she was tight against him and wasn’t surprised to feel his erection, already hard and long, against her.

His arms that had been wrapped around her upper arms, afraid she would bolt, loosened. One dropped to her tummy and began a light, feathery, circular motion. The other hand swooped her hair off her neck and to one side of her head, freeing her neck for his mouth. His hand then landed on her upper thigh. It seemed to burn through the light cotton of her sweatpants.

Marlee began to rub her bottom against Declan. His lips nibbled on her neck, with tenderness, not his usual ferocity. They continued to watch the screen, transfixed by the images in front of them.
 

On the TV, they were cleaning themselves up now. Collecting clothes, giving each other sly glances, Marlee even giggling. Declan turned down the volume of the TV completely, with only his voice to invade Marlee’s senses.

“God, I love when I can make you giggle. I love all the sounds I get from you.”

Marlee let out a soft moan of agreement. She watched as Sex Tape Declan made his way to the camera as Marlee finished righting her sweater. He had his eye on that sweater all day, she recalled.
 

The screen went blank and Marlee started to move, but Declan stilled her. “Wait.”
 

She started to turn in his arms, but Declan’s movements made her stop. He took the hand from her tummy and put it under her shirt, against her trembling skin. He held his hand there, not moving it, as if to hold in place. There was a small gap of space and then the TV filled with the scene from yesterday, when they were on the chairs. The arousal Marlee had felt just a moment ago watching them have fast and furious sex on the desk paled in comparison with what she felt as she watched her give herself to the man she loved.

Nearly mimicking the action on the TV, Declan’s hands were everywhere on her now, but still so slowly. One hand was cradling a breast over the satin cups of her bra, kneading her sensitive skin, feeling the nipple become rigid, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. The other hand slid in her sweatpants, past her panties to find her already swollen and throbbing.