Page 62 of Gray Area

“I grew up in foster care mostly,” I say, breaking into his welcome wagon speech before I lose my nerve. “You could be moved with, like, no notice. I was two when I went into my first foster home. I was malnourished and had a broken arm. My mother was a drug addict, who whored herself out for more hits, and my father… well, I didn’t really know him but he was a pimp who had a drug problem too from what I do know. He was killed trying to rob a bank.”

Declan listens, his expression unwavering as he takes it all in.

“They would take your stuff and throw it in a trash bag to move you from place to place. You could grow an attachment to something, and if they didn’t grab it to put in the bag, it was gone forever. When I was nine, I was in a great foster home—actually,that’s where I met Bailey—and they gave me my backpack. I had never really had a thing that was mine. Even the clothes were all hand-me-downs, but this backpack, it is mine. I finally had something that I could keep stuff important to me in.

“And so, since I was nine, I have kept all my things that I want to always have and never leave behind in that bag,” I say as tears fall down my cheeks. Declan reaches out and cups my face, swiping the tears away with his thumbs. “Sometimes my mom would get clean and take me back, but I hated it, because she was not strong enough to be soberandbe my mom. So I would just end up in another foster place. And it always seemed like when I was finally in a great place, she would get her shit together and I would be ripped from there, and the next place would be just so bad.

“But I always had my backpack, and my things. That’s why it’s important to me, and why it’s so heavy. Because my whole world is in there, you know, just in case. And I can’t thank you enough for saving it for me.”

Declan pulls me into his arms and drops a kiss to the top of my head. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” he says. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.”

“It’s okay; it’s my past. I’m going to make my life so much better. That’s why I push myself and work a lot. I need to make my life better than it has been so far. So I take classes and save money so that I can have a better future.” I lean back and look up at him, with one more thing I want to ask for, and again I want to not lose my nerve. I swallow. “Declan?” I say very softly.

“Yeah?”

“Will you shower with me?” I ask, biting my lip.

And without another word, Declan’s mouth is on mine and he is moving me backwards to the bathroom as his tongue worships my mouth.

Chapter 33

DECLAN

Iflick on the shower once we are in the bathroom to let it heat up. I remove the clothes from Vivian’s body gently, interrupting our kissing as few times as possible. Once she is naked, I shed my clothes quickly, throwing a condom on the windowsill near the shower, and we step in the waiting water together. I lean her back into the spray to wet and shampoo her hair.

Vivian reaches over to the bar of soap and begins washing my chest and arms, soaping them up. She soaps up her own arms as I rinse her hair and she reaches around me, washing my back. I spin around and position her against the shower wall, grabbing her ass and lifting her so that her core lines up with my ready cock. I reach out and grab the foil packet, ripping it open with my teeth and rolling it on deftly. Once my cock is covered, Islide forward, probing at her opening, and Vivian reaches down. I can’t help myself and I lean back to watch as she pulls my shaft into her.

I groan loudly at the action. “God, that’s hot,” I say and cover her mouth as I push myself forward quickly. I move in and out faster and faster, unable to return to the leisurely pace that I had been going for. The way Vivian’s body fits mine, and seeing she wants me just as much as I want her, is intoxicating.

I slide my arms under Vivian’s thighs and pull them from around my waist, allowing me to get closer to her. Her breathing picks up at the change in position, and she breaks our kiss and moans loudly, the sound echoing in the room around us. I’m so close, I’m not sure how much longer I can last. Vivian moves a hand between us and slides her fingers over my cock as it moves in and out of her. It feels incredible, but it’s also making my cock want to explode at the sensation.

“Vivian,” I groan loudly against her mouth. “I’m close,” I warn, and in response she moves her fingers over her clit. Once again I look down and watch as she brings herself pleasure. I bring my face back up and find her head leaning back, then feel her orgasm shudder over her on my cock. I kiss and bite at her throat and she calls out loudly, and I follow her with my own release matching her calls of pleasure.

We stay connected and kiss slowly, allowing our heart rates to return to normal. Once we’ve caught our breath, we rinse off once more and then towel each other off silently.

I wrap the towel around her body, and once my hands are free, I tip her chin back, forcing her green-eyed gaze to my own. “Are we okay?” I ask her. I need to know this wasn’t just a post adrenaline-high fuck. I need to know that this and her telling me about her upbringing is her letting me in, her putting us back to where we were. I don’t want this to be her way of just paying me back for helping her.

“Yeah, we’re okay, Declan,” she says, following it with a nod. “But no more lies. Promise?”

“Promise,” I say. I kiss her and grab her hand, leaving the bathroom with her. Once the door opens, we are met with slow clapping. I stop short and find Bailey sitting on my couch.

“So glad you guys leteveryonein the city know you have worked things out, and now that you are out of the bathroom, I need to go in and throw up and apparently bleach the shower before it can be used again,” she says.

Vivian stiffens behind me, and I swear I can feel the heat from the shade of red she is turning on my back.

I look at Bailey. “The bleach is under the kitchen sink, and there are Pepto tabs in the medicine cabinet if you need them after you throw up.” I pull Vivian to my room and shut the door on Bailey’s surprised giggles.

Chapter 34

VIVIAN

Once Declan and I get clothes on, he leaves Bailey and me on our own and heads over to his father’s place. I give Bailey the grand tour, her eyes bugging as I show her the guest room where she will be staying.

“This place is huge, Viv!”

I nod. “I know—it will be hard to downsize from this, huh?”

Bailey avoids my eyes and drops her bag on the floor of the bedroom. “So how was the making up? Sounded intense,” she says, walking with me back out to the kitchen.

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