CHAPTER 13
Rayna
I hated telling Declan all the details of my pathetic life, but they just came out. I spoke a little to friends at work but was not the type to complain a lot. Thanks, Mom. She set a good example of showing off the good life, impressing everyone with her beauty and wealth. It was what all the people did in their circle, and I hated doing it when in was in that crowd. James seemed like a charming man towards me when we were at a party or a dinner. He appears to cherish me, but when we got home, it was just so different. He was cold and often drunk, and I knew that he might want sex or just to degrade me after being so artificial for the night. It was a sad life and working at the agency at night seemed to take some of the pressure off for me. I was in my own space, mostly alone as I did my work and got to know some of the girls. They were interesting, and I loved hearing their stories. These were not drug addicted women on the street corner as I’d initially thought. They were single mothers, college students, or women saving for a future. They were careful in the sex and selective since the agency required a lot of information before accepting a client. There was an extensive background check. These girls earned top dollar, something I knew personally. The money that was given to be by Declan was a small amount, and while I understood why it was an alternative to building a future for myself, I couldn’t have sex for money. That was supposed to be a one-time event, and here I was involved in a full-blown affair that I was scared that James would discover. He could do whatever he wanted, but I was property. I’d pay the price, not to mention Declan. I looked around the restaurant slowly, seeing nobody that I recognized as I took another sip of wine.
I tried to remember going out with James like this. It never happened. We’d go meet friends or family, even colleagues for dinner in groups. I’d dress up and make myself look cute, smiling, and laughing with the other women and hating every moment. There was never pure romance, and I smiled as I felt Declan cover my hand with his. Every touch from him made me heat up in more ways than one. I looked at him, bringing myself to the present as I met his eyes. “Hi,” I said shyly as he stroked my hand with his thumb, knowing that he caught me drifting off.
We ate slowly, talking more as I fell harder for him with each word. Declan was kind and so genuine, admitting his flaws and mistakes while making it clear that he moved past all of them. He told me about his marriage but not with the tone of a man that was devastated. Maybe it was because he was financially stable, but I wasn’t sure. She could take some of his money, and he’d be just fine.
I saw what he was offering me with every word. He could take care of me and give me everything that I dreamed of. His eyes promised so many things to me every time they held my gaze, and the way that he was always touching me made my body go into overdrive as I smiled at him.
We walked around a bit that night, looking at the boats as he told me about his own in the harbor back home. It was big enough for him to take off and sleep in, below the spacious deck where he could relax, fish, and just get some fresh air. I think we were both thinking the same thing as he took my hand and pulled me closer to him.
Declan kissed my open mouth eagerly, cupping my face as I slipped my arms around his waist. The kiss heated up quickly and he asked in a whisper if I’d like to take the boat out tonight for a couple of days.
I agreed, and we hurried to the car, slipping inside for another kiss as I laughed against his lips. He started the engine and drove us back towards Los Angeles, heading to the water where he parked the car and grinned at me. “I can’t wait for you to see it.” He kissed me again, his tongue slipping against mine as I gasped against him. We finally got out of the car, and he pulled me to the end of the dock where a large boat was parked, leading me to it as I looked around. This was perfect for the ocean, big enough to handle smaller waves and get him around. I even thought that he could really travel in it as I looked around the deck. His seat to drive it was comfortable and spacious and there was a lot of room around it to relax in various forms. The boat was a steel gray in color, and he released it from the dock before stepping on to join me.
I sat near him as he drove us out into the sea, my hair blowing messily in the wind. I knew that we were truly alone and I had the next two days off thanks to Lana and since I covered an extra shift. There were labor laws to consider. I looked at the moonlit water as he steered us towards the left, seeming to know where he was going. “Did you bring your wife out here?” I couldn’t help but ask him, picturing him with a woman that he could freely be with. I was envious of that.
“She didn’t like the water,” he replied as I frowned.
“That’s crazy. It’s so gorgeous out here,” I said as I kicked my heels off and leaned back. He kept going, and I noted that the gas tank was full as we just kept moving through the wind and water. At this point, I didn’t even know if we were still in Los Angeles since my already poor sense of direction was void.
I smiled as he found a cove and parked away from the sand, looking at the brightly lit rides in front of me. “Santa Monica. I love it at night,” Declan told me as he looked at me. “I didn’t think to tell you to bring other clothes so we could go tomorrow.”
“This is great,” I assured him, moving over him in his seat. I kissed him as he slid my skirt up with his hands, shivering at the feel of his hands against my bare skin. We were alone out here with the waved softly lapping against the boat and the moon shining in the sky, full and bright. I gave into him the way I wanted to at the restaurant and on the dock, not holding back as our teeth crashed together with our need for one another. I felt his finger against my swollen nub, gasping against him as he stroked me over the lace of the underwear. That was the first place that I came before he moved us to a large chaise lounge, going down on me as I stripped off my dress. We were so alone out here, too far from the colored lights for them to even reach us as he licked eagerly at my body. I moaned and gripped his head, my nails digging in as he sucked me into his mouth.
I came again, violently, before he was naked and sliding inside of me. He loved how I felt after his mouth was on me and I gripped him tightly as he lifted my feet to his shoulders. Every touch made my head spin, and my body only want more of him. He thrust slow and filled me as I looked at his defined torso in the light. “I love being inside of you,” Declan told me as my eyes widened with a rougher movement of his hips. “That first time felt so fucking good.”
“It doesn’t now?” I teased in a breathy voice as he stared down at me.
“The fuck it doesn’t,” he murmured as he moved slightly deeper, making me groan. “It gets better. Rayna.”
We stayed out there until we were both tired and he led me to the bedroom, taking all the valuables and locking the door behind us. He assured me that he had a gun and plenty of food to tide us over as we slipped under the covers of the comfortable king sized bed. The room itself was big enough to feel like it wasn’t on a boat, and it looked like he kept a lot of personal things in here. It was cozy.
I could still see the moon out of the window as I pressed tightly to him, needing his skin against mine. I felt the slight rocking of the boat as my eyes closed naturally.
I was falling in love with this man, something that we likely both wanted to avoid. I could tell him that I wanted to go home tomorrow and end this now. It would be the smart thing to do, as well as the safest. When he kissed my hair, I remained silent, digging myself a deeper hole.
We woke up late the following morning, and he made some breakfast on a small stove that was used for camping. Declan cooked on the upper deck, serving me a full plate as I took a seat on a chair to look over the water. I was dressed in his robe that he kept in the full bathroom while he was wearing some shorts.
The bacon and eggs were delicious, complete with some fresh fruit and coffee. I ate slowly as I looked at the pier in the daylight, having never been there. The friends that I had in my social circle, of you could even call them that, weren’t that type. I only shopped and ate with them, and that was only on occasion. I suspected that Lana was more of a spontaneous kind of girl, but I didn’t let myself get too close to anyone. It wasn’t worth it when I was hiding my job and my double life, but I smiled at the idea of James being gone for a month. I could explore all of that a little more if I could bear to be away from Declan for any amount of time.
We stayed out on the water for the day, shading our skin from the sun as we slowly drove around and he showed me some of his favorite places. We headed to another part of the water as he smiled at me in my dress, bare underneath since we’d been down in the cabin for a while together.
The man felt amazing when I was on my knees, taking him from behind.
“Are you okay still wearing that? Want to head back for fresh clothes?” Declan asked me as I looked down at myself. I’d showered in the incredible heat of the water underneath us, but I was feeling so loose and free that I didn’t care.
“One more night?” I asked, knowing that I should tell him yes. I should insist that we go back to the city, where I could go back to my empty house. My phone died sometimes last night, and I didn’t know if James was trying to find me, though I doubted it. I noticed that Angela and some of the other girls were booked for an extended period. “I could fix myself up, and we could grab dinner somewhere.”
“Yeah? That sounds great.” He smiled and looked ahead as we kept going. “There’s places right on the water where you dock and eat. They’re casual and fun.”
“Let’s do it,” I said, reaching out to touch his shorts as he glanced down at my hand.