Chapter 17

Declan~

S he was covered in Tyler's blood, and I didn't like it. In fact, I didn't like anything about this entire clusterfuck. When Noah had finally noticed what'd been happening on the computer screens behind me in the office, we had both raced off, Darrin and Leo automatically joining us, knowing that something was up as we'd been running across the house.

Now, while I had expected to see Keavy trying to make a run for it, I hadn't expected to see her aiming a gun at me, and how in the fuck did she get loose? Over the years, we'd held a lot of motherfuckers down in that basement, and not one of them had ever gotten free. I had no idea who the fuck this woman was, but I wasn't letting her go until I found out.

"So, what now?" she challenged. "You rape me to put me in my place?"

My fingers squeezed tighter around her neck. "Oh, baby, ma'e no mistake," I hissed, offended that she'd dare accuse me of such a thing. "My bed's neva cold. I donna need ta take unwilling women ta get my dick wet."

"Then what's the plan?"

Calming down a bit, I said, "You're going to take a shower to get all that blood off you, then you and I are going to have a little chat."

Her green eyes glittered with hope. "Not a problem."

This fucking woman had no idea.

Not letting go of her neck, I walked her to the adjoining restroom, not bothering to mention that this was my room in the house, then not daring to underestimate her again. I stood between her and the counter, making sure that she couldn't get her hands on anything that she could gut me with.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"I thought you wanted me to take a shower?"

"I do," I confirmed. "However, you're out of your mind if you think that I'm going to leave you alone in here. You've already tried to kill me once."

I thought that she was going to argue with me.

I thought that she was going to refuse.

However, once again, Keavy Collins was proving to be stronger than I'd been giving her credit for.

Looking me right in the eye, she started kicking off her shoes as she pulled her shirt over her head by the hem of the fabric. My mouth went dry as her hands went to her jeans, undoing them with precision, and even though my mind knew that she was using the oldest trick in the book, the rest of me didn't care. Keavy had a perfect body, and she knew it. She also wielded that weapon like a professional when she reached back to unhook her bra, letting the lace fall to the floor, her full tits bouncing with the lack of support. Her nipples started to pebble in the cool air, and I didn't even bother trying to hide my hard dick behind my zipper.

When her hands reached for the waistband of her panties, that emerald gaze of hers stayed on me, and my entire body felt like a heated missel when she pushed them down over her hips, then stepped out of them, that neatly trimmed patch of hair begging for me to bury my nose in it.

"Am I allowed to turn on the water, or are you afraid that I might use it to attack you?" she sassed, and my dick just got harder.

"Help yourself," I replied as I grabbed the hem of my own shirt before whipping it over my head.

Keavy's entire frame froze.

"What are you doing?'

I arched a brow. "You didn't really think that I'd leave you in there alone, did you?"

Her luscious mouth dropped open, making me feel like shocking her was finally a win in my column. "What on earth could I possibly get into in the shower, Declan?"

She called me Declan and not Mr. O'Brien, and she really shouldn't have fucking done that. Hearing my name drop from her lips just added to my need for her, and I wanted nothing more than to hear her screaming it as I buried my cock deep in her cunt.

"Baby, the last thing that I'm ever going to do again is underestimate you," I told her as I toed off my shoes. "Knowing you, you'd find a way to remove the tile, then use the jagged pieces to slit my throat as soon as you got close enough."

"Don't tempt me," she bit out, back into character.

As quickly as possible, I removed the rest of my clothing, and I didn't care that she could see how hard I was for her. In fact, when her green gaze flared at the sight of my hardened cock, it gave me hope about that permission that she'd been so stingy with earlier.

After a few seconds of an intense showdown, Keavy finally turned around, then entered the shower, and the back of her looked just as stunning as the rest of her perfect body. The woman had one hell of a fine ass, and I couldn't wait to put her on all fours, so that I could play with it as I fucked her out of commission.

She didn't say anything as she adjusted the water, and credit to her for not being a wilting flower, she didn't even flinch when I joined her in the shower, my body practically caging her in as she found the perfect temperature for our first shower together.

When she turned around to let her head drop back beneath one of the spraying heads, I reached for the soap and loofah, and her green eyes tracked my movements warily, and I really wanted to know who in the hell this woman was. She was vigilant like a prisoner on the yard, as lethal as a soldier in combat, and as intelligent as a CIA agent. Keavy Collins was a fucking mystery, and I wanted to unravel every fucking secret that she had.

After lathering up the loofah, I said, "Close your eyes and step all the way underneath the water."

"Why?" she asked combatively.

"You still have some blood on you," I answered truthfully.

"I'm not closing my eyes around you," she replied, proving again how smart she was.

"Oh, baby, that's where you're wrong," I said as my hand reached out, the loofah in my hand gliding across her left shoulder. "I'm going to make you feel so good that it'll be impossible for you to keep your eyes open unless I command it."

Keavy's back straightened at that, and it really was hard not to be impressed by her. "If you think that you'll ever command me to do anything, then you're very mistaken, Mr. O'Brien," she said silkily. "If I do something, it's because I want to do it. It most definitely won't be because you're calling the shots."

My other hand snaked out, then grabbing a handful of her wet hair, I yanked her head back, forcing her to look at me. "Do you want to test that?"

The stubborn woman arched a brow, her eyes glowing like fiery emeralds with her wet lashes. "I thought you didn't need me for this? What happened to your bed never being cold?"

"Careful," I cooed. "Someone could mistake your snide comments for jealousy."

She smirked seductively, and I was going to lose this game if I didn't put her in her place soon. "Well, considering how your men ruined my night with Kenneth Swanson, I think that we can both agree that my bed isn't cold at night, either. If it is, it's because I want it to be."

"Mention his name to me again and see what happens," I warned, still smarting from the fact that she'd gone home with the sonofabitch.

"Now who sounds jealous?" she mocked.

I ran the loofah over her right tit, my hands itching to feel her bare skin, but knowing better than to touch her without her explicit permission. "I never said that I wasn't," I pointed out.

Her eyes flared with surprise, and I wanted to capture that split second of authenticity in my hands. I wanted to hold her raw reactions close to my chest, and I wanted to see the real Keavy Collins as she fell apart in my arms.

"Declan, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice low, husky, and fucking me up.

"Probably signing my own death warrant, but I don't care," I told her truthfully. "Right now, I give two fucks if you end up tearing me apart."

"Don't say things that you don't mean," she said, making me even more curious about her.

"Who says that I don't mean it?"

"What happened to self-preservation?" she asked, her voice falling low enough to make heat race down my spine.

"It's overrated," I said, letting the loofah finally drop from my hand.

"Declan-"

"Give me permission, Keavy," I ordered. "Give me permission, and I'll fuck you like you've never been fucked before, baby. I'll make you beg for my dick like a cock-starved whore, and I swear that you'll love every fucking second of it."

Keavy let out a small whimper, and that's when I knew that I'd won.

Two seconds later, she proved it by saying, "Yes…"