His Wicked Pleasure (Wicked #1) Page 4

  Scratching her jaw while cocking her head to the side, Lorie replied, “I didn’t get that from either one of them last night, but then again, I have been wrong before.”

  “Well,” said Kristie looking around her room. “I’m off to do some shopping for later on. Want to come? I’ll treat you to breakfast.”

  “Sure, just give me about ten minutes.”

  “I’ll be downstairs.” Kristie unplugged her cellphone from the charger before she slipped it into her purse. Picking up her keys, Kristie made her way downstairs and waited patiently for her sister.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” said Lorie when she made it to the final stair and paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

  “Everything okay?” asked Kristie with concern.

  “Yes,” she hesitated and her eyes filled with worry, “Just promise me you won’t get mad.”

  “Why don’t I like the sound of that?”

  Looking at her shoes, Lorie exhaled, and spoke in a soft voice, “I may, or may not, have invited Paul and Declan to breakfast with us.”

  “What?”

  “I couldn’t help myself! They’re both so hot and I really wanted to see Paul again.”

  Doing her best not to show her excitement, or even begin admit it to herself, Kristie made her way out to her car with her sister close behind. Snapping her seatbelt shut, she said, “Text Daniella and invite her and Sean, I don’t want her to feel left out now.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry if you’re angry.”

  Kristie rolled her eyes...she was positive that Lorie didn’t care if she was angry or not. “Where are we going for breakfast?” asked Kristie.

  “The Olympian Diner.”

  Chapter Five

  As Kristie parked her car, she noticed Declan leaning against his pick up truck. He was looking sexy as all hell and her stomach dropped before it performed summersaults. She closed her eyes and took in a steadying breath. She hated how instantly her body reacted to just the sight of him. Opening her eyes, she couldn’t see his truck any longer so she cut the engine of her Jeep before she got out.

  She bumped against a familiar, solid form as she closed her car door. Jumping in surprise, Kristie blushed as Declan breathed her in. His arms slid around her waist and he planted a kiss on her lips before she could protest. It tasted like the hottest welcome she’d ever had and it was clear that Declan wasn’t a man to waste a single second. “Good morning beautiful. You do it to me every time.”

  Tilting her head up slightly, she shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight and asked, “Do what every time?”

  With a mischievous grin, he snaked his arm around her waist moving her closer to him while they walked and talked. “Take my breath away.”

  Feeling a rush overtake her body, they followed Lorie and Paul inside. As she walked with Declan, she noticed how he towered over her and just about everyone else. Guessing, she’d say he was approximately six feet, five inches tall with a body of glorious muscles just about everywhere.

  The moment they were seated, Declan moved close to Kristie and whispered, “I need your cell phone number now.”

  “Really? Now? As in right this minute?”

  “Right this very minute,” said Declan with a huge grin showing off his pearly whites. Looking at his phone, he said, “Okay, what’s your number?”

  Kristie rattled off her number and Lorie groaned, “Kristie. That’s not your number. That’s mine.”

  “Give me your phone,” Declan held out his large hand.

  “Here,” said Kristie sliding towards the end of the booth to give herself a little space. Feeling his muscular body next to hers was beginning to wreak havoc on her brain.

  Once Declan was finished entering his contact information...and ringing his phone to capture hers, he noticed a bunch of text messages and missed calls. Looking at Kristie, he asked, “Who is Sebastian?”

  Lorie rolled her eyes and Kristie reached out and pulled her phone back out of his hands. She tossed it into her purse. When she looked up, Declan was sitting there waiting for a response from her.

  Turning in his direction, Kristie smiled and said, “Obviously it’s no one important or I would have read the messages or taken the calls.”

  “I see,” said Declan, clearly not happy with her response but not willing to argue. Figuring he’d table that until later, he asked in a softer voice, “What are you ladies doing after breakfast?”

  Lorie leaned forward and said, “We don’t have any plans. Why?”

  Kristie kicked her foot under the table trying to connect with Lorie but failed miserably.

  “Ouch,” groaned Paul. “What was that for?”

  “Kristie,” cried Lorie looking at her from across the table. “What’s gotten into you? Are you insane?”

  Kristie blushed and put her head down. In a soft, apologetic voice, she said, “I’m so sorry Paul. I didn’t mean to kick you. I was aiming for my sister.”

  Declan lifted up a strand of Kristie’s hair and twirled it around his finger, which sent a chill throughout her body. “What’s the matter? You don’t like my company?”

  Kristie looked at Declan’s perfectly chiseled face and wanted so badly to kiss him at that moment. Her heart rate picked up speed and her palms began to sweat. With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she said, “I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea. That’s all.”

  “Wrong idea? Woman, what on earth are you babbling about?” asked Declan pulling her closer to him. The thought of Kristie possibly having a boyfriend entered his mind and a stab of jealousy, mixed with possessiveness, cut through him.

  The waitress chose that moment to finally make an appearance and Kristie couldn’t be happier. They all placed their orders and she let out a sigh of relief.

  Looking out the window in an attempt to distract herself from the sexy man seated next to her, Kristie said, “It looks like it’s going to be a nice day.”

  “Kristie,” said Declan pulling her out of her thoughts. “What do you mean wrong idea?”

  “Really? Can’t we just skip this conversation?” asked Kristie in an aggravated huff while twirling a random lock of hair.

  “No. We can’t.”

  “Fine,” she said with conviction. “I just don’t want you thinking there is, or ever will be, anything between us. That’s all.”

  Declan raised his left brow in question. His eyes filled with challenge as he leaned closer and kissed her. The moment the kiss ended, he pulled away and said in a husky voice, “You can not deny what’s between us, I won’t let you.”

  Kristie folded her arms across her chest and turned slightly towards Declan. In an aggravated hiss, she replied, “Won’t let me? Don’t make me laugh. You’re all a bunch of players and this chic is not about to be played. Game over.” She snapped her fingers in the air before she added, “And stop stealing kisses.”

  Paul snickered causing Declan to give him the death glare. Snapping out of it, he turned his attention back to Kristie. “No. I won’t let you deny what’s between us. It’s as obvious as the nose on your face. I’m not a player. Never have been and never will be. Quite frankly I find that offensive and never want to hear those word about me again.”

  Dismissing him, Kristie muttered, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Such a typical answer.”

  Before Kristie had a chance to adjust her position, Declan leaned into her and whispered, “I plan on proving to you how serious I am about you and about us. I’m twenty-eight years old and, by now, I know exactly what I want and what I want is you.”

  “Oh my,” said Kristie doing her best to feign off the heat he was stirring deep within her being. “Those are some pretty serious words.”

  “Those words are from here and here,” said Declan taking her hand in his and first bringing it to his heart then straight to his head. “I’m not like every other asshole you seem to know so don’t classify me as such.”

  Paul cleared his throat and turned to face Lorie with a huge boyish grin.
“He’s right. Neither one of us are assholes or players.”

  “Great,” said Lorie glaring daggers at her sister while she spoke between clenched teeth. “Now that we got that all straightened out, can we please change the subject?”

  Kristie grimaced and she wanted to argue but instead, she looked at her purse, which kept buzzing as her phone went off. She ignored the phone and fidgeted nervously, as she looked anywhere but at Declan. Finally, looking across the table, she asked in a rushed voice since she wanted to change the subject, “So what do you both do for a living?”

  Declan stuttered a few times and finally said, “I work for the government.”

  “Oh cool. Doing what?” asked Kristie with interest.

  “I’m what you would call a trouble shooter. A problem solver so to speak. I head special operations in my department.”

  “Oh,” said Kristie in a soft voice...hesitating slightly as she did. It sounded like he had something to do with IT and computers. “Cool.”

  “That sounds exciting,” said Lorie turning towards Paul. “What do you do for a living?”

  “I take orders from that one,” said Paul with a huge smile. “We’ve been working together for quite a while now.”

  “That’s awesome,” Lorie smiled as their food finally arrived. “Oh before I forget, we’re having a huge barbeque out our house in a few hours and I would love for you to come.”

  “Really?” asked Paul glancing over at Declan. He wondered if Kristie approved of this invite.

  Shocking everyone at the table, Kristie said, “Here’s the address,” as she pulled an oversized envelope out of her purse and handed Declan a fancy invitation.

  ~*~*~*~

  Making their way to Kristie’s house, Declan looked around at the neighborhood and asked in disbelief, “Seriously dude, we can’t be in the right area?” He marveled at all of the beautiful mansions with their manicured lawns and their perfectly trimmed bushes and trees. “I feel like I’m in a scene from ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’.”

  “According to my GPS,” Paul confirmed in a deep voice. “The girls’ house should be on the next block.”

  Declan looked at Paul like he was crazy, “Come on, are you serious?”

  They pulled up to a beautiful multi-colored brick driveway, where each brick was perfectly placed. The entrance definitely gave their guests a feel of what’s to come. The scent of spring enveloped them, as they noticed the freshly manicured lawn with beautiful bushes in various shades of green lining the driveway, trimmed to perfection. As they approached Kristie’s home, Declan gasped.

  The mansion standing before them was absolutely breathtaking with its warm terracotta brick exterior, outlined with darker bricks around every angle. The straight lines of the home and gardens gave a calm and welcoming feeling. The windows were sparkling as the sun reflected off of them like little stars twinkling in the night. The entrance of the home had a beautiful brick archway, which reached out and beckoned you inside. The various pitches of the roof just added to the charm.

  The two of them walked up to the entrance, rang the doorbell, and waited. Declan looked around in amazement, “The architect who designed this home did a fantastic job. The detail and color contrast really makes this home stand out.”

  Lorie answered the door and she grinned when she saw them. “Well hello; please, come in. Everyone’s in the backyard.”

  As soon as they walked inside, they stepped onto a beautiful, white marble floor in a bright, entrance hall that was decorated with cherubs and angels of various shapes and sizes. As Declan looked around, he noticed high, corniced ceilings, which were painted to perfection. The large, bay windows allowed in a lot of sunlight and the room sparkled with the brightly colored sashes above the windows.

  They followed Lorie through the entranceway and Declan whistled as he looked at the tastefully decorated home. To their right was a beautiful, sunken living room, extremely large in both length and width. It featured a huge flat screen television that had to be at least one hundred inches in diameter. There were five various shaped couches, all cream in color, with different shaped throw pillows scattered around. An oriental rug in the center of the room provided a splash of color and tied the room together.

  Declan took every aspect of the decor in the house, as they walked a little further down the hall. He looked up as they passed through a beautiful archway and into the kitchen, which was done with the same detail as the rest of the house. The floor was a light, ceramic terracotta tile, each piece laid with a perfection that added a warm and friendly atmosphere to the space. The lightwood cabinets filled the entire wall and were offset with polished brass handles that matched the marble countertop and high quality, stainless steel appliances. Like the rest of the main floor, the kitchen was huge and even managed to allow for a huge table near a bay window that looked out onto the manicured yard.

  Turning towards Paul with a smile, Lorie said, “Please, make yourselves at home. I’ll be right back, I have to find Kristie.” She paused, “Actually, I’m not even sure if she’s home yet.”

  ****

  Walking into Kristie’s room, Lorie smiled, “The guests are beginning to arrive. Why don’t you come downstairs and give me a hand?”

  “Sure,” said Kristie as she stood up and took one last look at herself in her full-length mirror. She looked great and the sundress was perfect for a barbeque. She smiled as she followed her sister downstairs and wondered if Declan would come.

  Billy and Benny seemed to have the grill under control while Jason was running things to people. Walking over to them, Kristie picked up a few chairs and carried them over to where they wanted the seating to be arranged.

  “Hey beautiful, need some help?” asked Declan as he took the heavy iron chairs from Kristie. Looking at her with wicked grin, he asked, “Will you be on the menu tonight?” before he kissed her on the lips.

  She sighed into his kiss and then turned away from him as she arranged the furniture. She looked over her shoulder and replied in a seductive voice, “That depends.”

  She grinned when she heard his groan and saw the lust in his eyes. “Why don’t you go and help my brothers? I have to set up a few lights and I have that covered,” she said before she picked up the box of lights and walked over to where she was going to hang them.

  She got right to work and while she noticed Declan from time to time, she quickly lost track of him. Of course, she didn’t lose track of how his lust filled glances were making her feel. As she finished hanging the last of the lights, she walked over to the switch and flicked it on.

  It was breathtaking and her backyard had been transformed into a fantasy world of blue, white and purple, twinkling fairy lights. Feeling muscular arms wrap around her, she leaned back and whispered, “Thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it.”

  “Help? What are you talking about?” asked a different voice then what she’d expected.

  Jumping back, she turned around and frowned, “Sebastian, what are you doing here?”

  “Expecting someone else?” he asked in a bitter voice, his eyes hardening as he glared at her. He moved closer and her heart leapt into her throat as it sped up.

  She returned his glare and raised her chin in defiance as she said, “Well I wasn’t expecting you that’s for sure.”

  Her eyes searched the gathering crowd, and she saw Paul and Declan glance towards her. Declan’s eyes were full of possessive confusion and his gaze zeroed onto Sebastian’s hand as he touched her arm. With his arms over his chest, Declan walked over with Paul and asked, “Everything okay over here?”

  “Yes,” said Kristie nervously, “Sebastian was just leaving.”

  “Leaving? I just got here.” He took a step towards Kristie, which caused her to take a step back. She glanced at Declan with worry as she took in his stormy expression.

  “I don’t want you here,” she said, “You weren’t invited; now leave.”

  “Hey man,” Paul held up his h
ands and his voice was calm. It was clear that he was doing his best to keep the scene from escalating. “Why don’t you do what the lady is asking and leave?”

  Sebastian scowled at him before his hand snaked out and wrapped around her arm. He pulled Kristie into his embrace and rested his head on her shoulder as he glared at them. “Not until I’m ready,” he snarled.

  Declan’s stomach turned as he watched Kristie in another man’s arms. No one’s touching my woman, he thought to himself as he took the few steps to close the distance between him and Kristie. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he pushed Sebastian back with his other hand. Kristie pressed against his chest and he breathed in her scent before he passed her to Paul.

  Sebastian stumbled, completely caught off guard by Declan and before he could react, he was facing the angry Declan. Scowling at him, Declan said, “As you can see, Kristie doesn’t want you here so, perhaps, you should leave.”