Page 34 of Hot in the City
Declan lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand, and something inside him relaxed when he heard her sigh. "Did you actually lose your job? Because I'd feel terrible about that."
She let a quasi-smile cross her face, one dimple creasing her cheek. "Yes. But it's okay now. I didn't get a chance to tell you, I interviewed for another job a few weeks ago. Actually, it was three interviews, and I thought I must be on the shortlist. I got it! I just found out this afternoon."
He watched her eyes, lit up with excitement. "That's grand. Tell me about it." He half listened to her answer, all the while watching her lips.
"I'm going to be a flight attendant with Mermaid Airlines! You know, the funnest airline in the world. It's so exciting because I've always wanted to travel, but I haven't been anywhere except here, and Japan and Singapore with my family when I was a kid. So anyway, I have to fly out in a few days for training, in London!"
"London? But I thought...I thought you'd be living here." He held his breath, waiting for what she'd say next.
Yuki pushed her loose hair back behind her ear. "It's only for a couple of weeks. They want me back in Melbourne as my home base, as well as flying to lots of cool places. But I'd love to move to London one day."
Declan's heart had swelled in his chest, but it relaxed again until he could breathe properly. "That's grand. I mean, fantastic. I organised some work stuff too, rearranged things so I could be here for a few months. In Melbourne."
Her mouth popped open, and he wanted to kiss her, right that second. "You did? Why, Declan?"
No use beating around the bush now. "Partly for work-related reasons. Someone who knows the business needs to take the reins in the Asia Pacific office, so it might as well be me. But mostly, for you, Miss Yuki. I wanted to stay here, to see more of you. To take you out, to stay in with you. To kiss you. A lot."
Her smile grew from something fragile, to a full bloom across her pretty face. "Oh. In that case..." She shuffled across until she sat on his lap. "Merry Christmas to me."
"Merry Christmas to me, too."
Then he kissed her delicious lips. He kept right on kissing her until they were both short of breath. God, he couldn't get enough of her. The way she was squirming on his lap told him she felt the same way.
He palmed her firm bottom, squeezing her flesh through the soft shirt she wore like a dress. Heat and the promise of pleasure thundered through his whole body.
Yuki pulled away from their kiss and touched his cheek. "Come with me."
Yuki took Declan's hand, the one still covered in glitter, and led him straight to her bedroom.
He was mostly quiet, but when he entered the room fully, he whispered, "I've been dying to see your bedroom."
"Really? It's not that fancy."
Declan looked around the room and said, "It's totally you. Those little stars on the ceiling, the silver curtains, the pink armchair, the quotes and postcards on the wall. All of it."
He faced her again, pulling her into a hug, close to his body. She rested her head on his broad chest. "Sweet, pretty, full of fun and dreams."
She shrugged, but heat flooded her face. "Huh. You like it, then?"
He spoke low in her ear. "I love it. Adore it, really." He kissed the base of her throat.
Oh, hello heart explosion! She didn't have it in her to play it cool, when he was being so adorable himself.
She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. "Get in my bed. What are you waiting for?"
He laughed, low and rumbly. "Such a polite invitation."
Okay, maybe she did need to cool it, a bit. But he moved towards the bed and started removing his clothes, so that was the important thing. First his shirt went, tossed on her pink chair, revealing acres of lovely man-skin.
Then he unbuttoned the fly of his jeans and she had to press a hand to her mouth. He was...bigger, in the daylight. Of course, she remembered the feel of him, the pressure inside her when they came together, everything just right. Now everything low in her abdomen tightened, in memory, in anticipation.
His shoes and jeans were gone in a moment, and his grey boxer briefs were stupidly sexy, in that unassuming guy way. He probably didn't even know he had that poet-slash-rockstar thing going on, the way he flexed his bicep with his interesting tattoo. He looked at her from under a lock of his thick wavy hair.
Yuki let out a long, shaky breath. She still had far too many clothes on. So, she jumped up on her bed, dragged her shirt up over her head and tossed it away. She shook out her hair, hoping she looked nicely rumpled and not like a hot mess. When she raised her eyes again, Declan was standing there like a statue, still halfway across the room. His eyes were on her, the smoulder of his stare burning her up from the inside out.
"God, Yuki. Look at you." He stalked over to the bed, climbing up to meet her, pushing her down gently so she rested on her pillows. "So beautiful."
Declan must have liked her hot pink lace underwear. His hands were all over her knickers, and then, oh yes, inside them. He kissed her lips, slowly, pressing kisses to the corners of her mouth, then down her throat again, making her want...more. She gasped when he made his way down to her breasts, kissing her right through the fabric of her skimpy bra.
