He steers me toward the bed, stopping right before my legs hit the mattress.
“Do you know what I regret about Boston?” he murmurs, his mouth still hovering over mine.
“What’s that?”
“That I didn’t get to undress you myself. Don’t get me wrong,” he adds quickly. “I loved watching you strip for me.” A wicked smile curves his mouth. “I’ve replayed that nightly while I got myself off.”
“Is that right?” I tease.
“Among other memories from our night together.” He winks. “But I swore if I ever got another chance with you, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.” He dips his head closer, feathering his lips along the curve of my neck. “I’d unwrap you myself.”
“I’m not a gift,” I manage, my breath hitching as his mouth finds the sensitive spot right below my ear.
He cups my cheeks in his hands, not allowing me to escape him. “To me, you are.”
He claims my mouth again, treating me to a kiss that makes the rest of the world fall away. How did I go so long without this man’s kiss? Without his touch? Withouthim?
Now that he’s here, I don’t want to waste another minute. We’ve already wasted enough time.
I pull out of the kiss and give him a flirtatious smile. “Well, what are you waiting for? You want to undress me?” With a challenge in my eyes, I take a small step back. “Undress me.”
His gaze turns molten, raking over me, as if he’s trying to decide where to start. Then he moves toward me, reaching for the hem of my t-shirt.
But he doesn’t yank it over my head like I expected. He takes his time, his fingers skimming the skin above my hip bone as his lips brush my neck again, his teeth nibbling.
“Don’t tell me you’re the type to carefully unwrap every present without ripping the paper,” I tease. “Christmas morning must have takenforeverwith you.”
He pulls back slightly and something flickers in his eyes. Sadness. Regret, maybe. But just as quickly, his expression shifts, replaced by that teasing glint I know too well.
“Let me guess,” he begins with a sly smile. “You rip into the wrapping without a second thought.”
“Of course.”
“What about the anticipation? The build up? If you unwrap all your gifts quickly, you’ll have nothing left to look forward to.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Declan.” I hoist myself onto my toes, my lips a breath from his.
“How so?”
“Because that’s where therealfun begins. Once I’ve unwrapped all my presents, I get toplaywith them.” I trail my hand down his chest, over the firm muscles of his stomach, then land on his crotch, cupping him through his dark jeans. “And Christmas presents deserve to be played with.”
He sucks in a sharp breath and hardens beneath my palm. “Goddamn.”
“Shall I give you a demonstration of how I like to play with my toys?”
He grips my face, his chest heaving. “Fuck, yes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DECLAN
I help Claire shovemy pants down, my fingers fumbling like they’ve forgotten how to work. My coat and shirt hit the floor in a careless heap, shoes kicked aside. Her hands are on me immediately, nails scraping down my chest, and then she’s sinking to her knees like she’s meant to be there.
And when she drags her tongue along her lips, I’m surprised I don’t come right away.
I’ve always found Claire gorgeous. You’d have to be blind not to.
But right now? On her knees in front of me with her wide eyes trained on mine, her lips parted slightly as she wraps her hand around my throbbing dick?
