“My coat,” she said as they practically ran out the door.
“Screw the coat; I’ll buy you another one.” After that the trip home was a blur. The only thing she could remember was the feel of Declan’s hand resting on her thigh as they made their way to her apartment and then, finally, he was over the doorstep and into her apartment.
Chapter Ten
As soon as Declan swooped her up in his arms, Ella wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oh, God, baby. You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do this.” His lips slid along her neck and across her throat as his hands moved under her short dress to grip her ass.
She heard a muttered oath as he discovered the bare skin there thanks to her new thong purchase. Maybe dental floss underwear wasn’t so bad after all. She slipped her hands into his thick, springy hair and pulled his lips up to hers. When his tongue staked claim on her mouth without the usual control that she could feel beneath the surface, she moaned in surrender. Finally, their moment had arrived. She knew without him putting it into words that there would be no more waiting unless she suddenly lost her mind and pushed him away . . . not gonna happen.
As he stumbled into her bedroom, he cursed as he slammed his shoulder into the doorframe in his haste to make it to the bed. She didn’t know why he even bothered, at this point she felt like the whole bed thing was overrated. The floor, the couch, or the wall would be okay with her. She loved that he wanted everything to be right and she knew instinctively that was for her. As he gripped her waist to lower her to the bed, she hung on when they were eye to eye. Running a hand tenderly down the side of his face, she whispered, “Don’t hold back with me, Declan. Just show me what you like.”
With a husky laugh, he kissed her sweetly before saying, “There is nothing you could do that I wouldn’t like Ellie. I’ll try my best not to hurt you.”
Ella had to wonder how much of that promise was literal and how much was figurative. She stayed on her knees as he lowered her to the bed.
As he started to shrug his shirt off, she put her hand over his, halting his progress. His eyes flared as she said, “Let me.” She slowly rose to her feet on the bed, holding on to him for support. She smiled as he tried to contain his wince as she teetered for a moment before finding her balance. Maybe it would have been a better idea to stand beside of him on the floor. Soon his fear of her falling was replaced with a sharp breath when she slid her hands beneath the hem of his shirt and ran her fingertips over the smooth, taut skin of his stomach. What was the term that all of the books used—six-pack abs or was it a twelve pack? Whatever it was, Declan had them. Above his naval was a thin line of hair leading to his chest. She was surprised that Declan had such a sparse amount of hair. Of course, it could be because she was still using her hands to see. She didn’t need the light to know when she found the erect nub of one of his ni**les. She flicked her fingernail lightly over it and smiled when his body clenched in approval. Growing impatient to see the treasure beneath the shirt, she grabbed the ends and proudly pulled it over his head without strangling him with it. Without thinking, she let out a whistle and said, “Whoa baby, you are hot! You make Daniel Craig look like Pee-wee Herman.” When Declan started laughing, Ella realized she had yet again voiced her thoughts out loud.
He pulled her against his chest and hugged her tight. “Ellie, baby, you kill me. I’m worrying about scaring you and you are ogling me and comparing me to James Bond. You are truly one of a kind and before you ask, I do, indeed, mean that as the highest form of compliment.” He eased her back down on her knees, probably because he was afraid she was going to ruin the moment and cut a cartwheel off the side of the bed.