“Yours,” I gasped, and the word unlocked something in both of us. “I’m yours, Declan.”
He came with a guttural sound that was barely human, his body shuddering against mine as he buried himself as deep as possible. The feeling of his cock pulsing inside me triggered another orgasm, weaker but still intense, rippling through me in waves that left me boneless and gasping.
We stayed locked together for several moments, both of us breathing hard, the only sound in the cabin besides the howling wind outside and the crackling of the fire in the next room. Slowly, carefully, he released my wrists and shifted his weight,so he wasn’t crushing me, though he made no move to pull out or put distance between us.
And then the guilt crashed down on me that we did this, and I didn’t tell him about the interview for my dream job back in Chicago.
But I pushed it aside. If he went back to New York, it wouldn’t matter if I was here or there, would it?
We lay tangled together on the bed, listening to the storm rage outside and carefully not talking about what had just happened. My thoughts raced, trying to find something to say. In true Holly Winters fashion, I panicked and blurted out, “I might be going to Chicago in the new year for a new job.”
Silence.
And then a soft snore hit my ears.
“Seriously?” I muttered while staring at the ceiling, listening to Declan’s soft snoring beside me, and tried to decide whether I should laugh or cry at the cosmic timing of it all.
I’d just had the most mind-blowing sex of my entire life with a man who made me feel seen and wanted and absolutely perfect exactly as I was. I’d told him I was his—actually said those words out loud like some kind of romance novel heroine. And then, in a moment of panic-induced honesty, I’d confessed about the Chicago job opportunity.
To his sleeping face.
Because apparently, Declan Hayes was one of those people who could fall asleep immediately after sex, like his body just shut down the moment the endorphins hit. Which was both adorable and incredibly inconvenient when I needed to have an important conversation about our respective futures.
I turned my head to look at him, taking in the relaxed lines of his face, the way his dark hair was mussed from my fingers, the satisfied curve of his lips. He looked younger when he slept, less burdened by whatever was weighing on him. Less like a high-powered lawyer having a career crisis and more like the boy I’d had a crush on as a teenager.
The boy who’d apparently had a crush on me, too, according to Matt.
God, what a mess.
Outside, the storm showed no signs of letting up. If anything, the wind had intensified, rattling the windows and making the old cabin creak in ways that suggested we weren’t going anywhere. I shivered and decided to get up and dressed before I died of the cold. Slipping out from Declan’s arms, I pulled the covers up over him and grimaced. They were a bit useless. I grabbed his expensive cashmere coat and threw that over him as well, with a nod of satisfaction. Getting dressed hurriedly, ignoring the cum that soaked my panties, I felt better once I was pulling my coat back on and creeping quietly towards the dying fire in the other room. A quick glance showed me that we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The snow was coming down like a sheet.
Turning back to the fire, I bent down to stoke it with the blackened prodder thing I saw Declan use earlier. It flared back to life, and I sighed in relief that it would last a bit longer, and I wasn’t going to have to pull out my limited knowledge of fire-making. Staring into the flames, watching the orange and gold flicker and dance, I tried to sort through the tangled mess of my emotions. My body still hummed with the afterglow of what we’d done, every nerve ending alive in ways I’d forgotten were possible. But my mind was spinning with complications I’d been trying to ignore.
Chicago. The job interview that could resurrect my career. The chance to prove that Patricia had been wrong to fire me, that I was capable of brilliant, dynamic work. Everything I’d thought I wanted when I came back to Everdale Falls in defeat.
Except now there was Declan. Declan, who’d just made me feel more desired and cherished in one afternoon than Derek had managed during our entire relationship. Declan, who looked at me like I was something precious instead of convenient. Declan, who was also in the middle of his own life crisis and might be heading back to New York any day now.
I wrapped my arms around myself, staring into the fire and trying to figure out when exactly I’d started planning my future around a man I’d kissed under mistletoe less than a week ago. This was exactly the kind of thinking that had gotten me into trouble with Derek—making major life decisions based on romantic feelings instead of practical considerations.
Except this didn’t feel like Derek. Derek had made me doubt myself, had gradually eroded my confidence until I questioned every decision. Declan made me feel capable and strong and like I could handle whatever complications came my way.
But that didn’t change the fact that we were both in transition, both figuring out what we wanted from our lives. And it definitely didn’t change the fact that I had a job interview in a few days that could determine my entire career trajectory.
I heard movement from the bedroom and turned to see Declan standing in the doorway, his coat wrapped around his shoulders like the world’s most expensive blanket. His hair was adorably mussed, and he was looking at me with an expression that was equal parts confusion and concern.
“You’re dressed,” he observed, his voice still rough with sleep.
“I was cold,” I said, which was true even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
“Come back to bed,” he said, holding out a hand.
I hesitated, knowing I wasn’t going to come up with any answers while he was parading around naked in the firelight.
“I’ll make a fire in the bedroom,” he murmured, gathering the supplies.
“Doesn’t look like we’ll be going anywhere tonight,” I muttered.
He paused, probably hearing the reluctance in my voice. “If you want, I can sleep out here…”
