Chapter 66: Sixty Six

His eyes darkened at the word, like it did something to him. “But first…”

Declan stepped forward, one hand curling around the back of my neck as he kissed me; slow, deep, and unhurried. The kind of kiss that didn’t care we were in the hallway outside his office, that didn’t care if the world could end right there as long as this moment kept going.

I let out a soft laugh against his mouth, breaking the kiss. “You’re going to be late.”

“I’m never late,” he murmured, brushing his thumb across my jaw. “But you, my God, dove, you’re distracting.”

“Not my fault you’re obsessed with me,” I teased, but my voice was breathier than I intended.

He gave me that familiar smirk, that cocky one that would always send chills down my spine.  “Guilty as charged.”

We stood there for another second, eyes locked, before he finally sighed and pulled away. “Okay. Now I’ll go.”

“You sure?” I tilted my head playfully. “Want me to walk you there so you behave?”

“I think we both know that’s the opposite of what would happen,” he said, laughing under his breath.

I leaned up on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Go. I’ll see you after.”

He squeezed my hand briefly, then disappeared down the hall. I watched him go, my heart still fluttering like it had the first time he ever looked at me.

__

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly. I tried to get some reading done for class, even opened my laptop to review a book I was supposed to analyse, but nothing stuck. My mind kept drifting to the way his lips felt on mine, the way his hand had lingered just a little on my back, the way his voice had dipped when he said first.

By the time my phone buzzed, I practically jumped for it.

Dec: Meet me in the office. Door’s open.

I didn’t bother replying. Just grabbed my bag and went.

When I reached the faculty wing, the hallway was dim, emptied out after hours. His door was ajar, white light spilling into the corridor.

I pushed it open and stepped inside.

Declan was sitting on the couch now, no jacket, sleeves rolled up again, like always. He looked tired, but the second he saw me, something lit up in his eyes.

He stood and crossed the room in two strides.

“Took you long enough,” he murmured, pulling me into his arms.

“I came as fast as I could,” I whispered, already breathless.

This time, when he kissed me, it wasn’t slow.

Declan's eyes, dark and intense, met my gaze as he pulled back slightly, his hands still cupping my face. "I'm really proud of you, dove," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. I felt a warmth spread through me at his words, her heart swelling with a mix of pride and affection. "Thank you,," I whispered, my voice filled with emotion. "I couldn't have done it without you."

He shook his head, kissing my forehead gently. I closed my eyes. “It was all you, baby.” He spoke, “Never doubt that. Never think I had any role to play in your success.”

He leaned in, capturing my lips in a tender kiss that quickly deepened into something more passionate. His hands roamed over my body, tracing the curves he knew so well. I could feel the heat building inside me, my body aching for more. He broke away from our kiss, his eyes filled with a dark, intense hunger. "I want you," he growled, his voice filled with a raw, primal need. I nodded, my breath coming in short gasps, my body already responding to his touch, like always. "I want you so much," I whispered. My voice was barely audible.

He scooped me up in his arms, carrying me to the large desk in his office. He laid me down on the cool, wooden surface, his body covering mine. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a dark, intense hunger. "I’m going to  make you feel so good, baby." he murmured, his voice filled with a raw, primal need.

He captured my lips in a fierce, hungry kiss, his hands roaming over my body, his fingers digging into the curves of my hips. I moaned, my body arching into his touch, my hands gripping his shoulders. He slid his hand between my legs, his fingers finding the wetness. I shuddered at his touch. He looked at me. "I want you to come with me,," he murmured, “Come on my cock, alright?”

I nodded.. "Yes," I breathed.. He slid into me, his body filling mine. He began to move, his hips thrusting against mine, making loud, slapping noises. I didn’t care, I don’t think he did either. Maybe this would come back to bite me in the ass. But I didn’t have the awareness then. We were so lost in each other.

He slammed into me, hard and fast, taking his pleasure, giving me mine.

I was so in love with him.

It wasn’t just about sex. Even though it had started like that, between us.

But it never had been purely physical. How could it, when I saw God in his eyes, when I felt religion in his touch?

It was how he looked at me afterward, brushing my hair back from my face, his touch achingly tender.

“I’ve wanted this all day,” he admitted softly, kissing my temple.

“I want this forever.” I whispered back.

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You have me, dove, you know that.”

“I know.”

My body was still light from the aftermath of our loving, from the heat of him beside me, from the weight of his arm draped around my waist.

That’s when it hit me.

I bolted upright. “Shit.”

Declan’s eyes flew open. “What? What happened?”

I clutched my shirt to my chest and turned toward the door with a mix of horror and disbelief. “I forgot to lock the door.”

His expression shifted instantly, from relaxed to alert in a short second. “Are you serious?”

“I didn’t think…when I walked in, I just…” I scrambled to my feet, fumbling to put my shirt on, grabbing my jeans from off the floor. “Declan, what if someone saw…”

He was already up, boxers hanging low on his hips as he crossed the room in three long strides. He peered through the crack of the door and cautiously pushed it open, scanning the hallway.

Silence.

He waited a beat, then pulled the door shut and turned the lock with a quiet click.

“No one’s out there,” he said. “We’re okay.”

I exhaled, tension slowly bleeding from my spine. “Oh my god. I feel like I just had a heart attack.”

Declan walked back over, his brow creased with concern. “It’s okay,” he said again, quieter this time. “No one saw anything. I checked.”

“I know, I just.” I rubbed my hands over my face. “This whole thing is so risky. It’s stupid, I should’ve locked the door. What if Mara walked by? Or Jacob? Or…God, anyone.”

He reached for me, placing both hands on my shoulders. “Willow. Breathe.”

I did. Slowly.

“I’ve got you,” he said, firm and steady. “We’re careful. We’ve been careful. This was just one small slip. No one saw.”

“But it could’ve been more than that,” I whispered, voice cracking. “All it takes is one person, Declan. One moment.”

His jaw tightened, but his eyes remained soft. “Then we’ll be even more careful.”

I looked up at him, searching for something….reassurance, certainty, anything..

He cupped my face gently. “Hey. We’ve come this far, haven’t we?”

I nodded.

“We’ll be smart.”

I closed my eyes, leaned into his touch. “Okay.”

There was a knock at the door.

My breath caught in my throat. Declan froze.

One, two seconds passed.

“Professor Ashwell?” came a voice. A man.

Declan swore under his breath, then called back, voice calm and casual. “Just a minute.”

I scrambled to get up from the desk, cheeks burning.

He turned to me, lips near my ear. “Go in the back room. Lock it from the inside.”

I didn’t argue. I slipped behind the bookshelf partition that led to the small private office behind his desk, heart racing. A moment later, I heard the door unlock and Declan greeting the student as usual.

I closed the door softly behind me and leaned against it, pulse thudding.

This was the life we were choosing. But even with the fear sitting heavy in my chest…I knew I would take him any way I could.