Easy Melody(44)

Montgomery calls the play, the ball snaps, and he throws to my favorite player, Sanders, who catches it perfectly and runs it in for a touchdown.

“That’s right!” I scream and jump up, clapping. “Woohoo!”

Declan returns, also clapping and smiling.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yep, nothing to worry about.”

I nod and grin at the field. There are only thirty seconds left on the clock, and unless there’s some miraculous act of God, Seattle is gonna win this game. With just a few plays, and Seattle’s defense killing Pittsburgh, Seattle is victorious.

Declan and I stay in our seats, waiting for the majority of the stadium to empty.

“Traffic is going to be a bitch as it is. We might as well just wait,” Declan says and fidgets with the neckline of my jersey. “Did you have fun?”

“It was great,” I reply and lean in, intending to give him a quick kiss, but it swiftly turns into a long, hot kiss, the way it always does where Declan is concerned. We don’t seem to do anything softly or gently. It’s always passionate. Eager. Hungry.

And I love it. I love that I can just be me with him. My sexual requests don’t seem to startle or repulse him. And when we’re together, just hanging out, we can talk about anything, or simply sit and enjoy the quiet.

We’re comfortable, in the best way.

He reaches down and takes my hand, giving it three squeezes. Finally, when most of the place is empty, we stand and he leads me up and out of the stadium and into the parking garage, where we can catch a cab back to the hotel.

But when we get inside, Declan rattles off an address I don’t recognize.

“Where are we going?” I scoot as close to him as I can and rest my head on his wide shoulder.

“You’ll see.”

In control, as usual.

“I’m not a huge fan of surprises, you know.”

“Actually, I don’t know that,” he replies and kisses my forehead, then turns to look out the window and into the already dark evening. We’re quiet as the cab maneuvers through the game traffic. My ears are still rushing from the noise, my throat raw from screaming. When the cab passes the exit to our hotel, I tip my head back and kiss Declan’s cheek.

“Where did you say we’re going?”

He smirks. “I didn’t. Don’t worry, you’ll like it.”

“I hope it’s not fancy,” I say before yawning widely. “I’m not dressed for it.”

“Not fancy,” he assures me and tips my head back, his finger under my chin, and kisses me sweetly at first, and then more deeply, as if he hasn’t touched me in weeks.

We drive outside of the city, where lights are fewer and fewer, making the dark settle in. We seem to be following the coast. The cab pulls off the freeway, and then turns onto a smaller two-lane road that meanders for a few miles before ending at a huge iron gate.

“Stop here,” Declan says and disentangles himself from me. “I’ll be right back.”

Before I can say anything, he jumps out of the car, walks to the speaker box and talks into it. The gate begins to roll away as he joins me.

“This is all very 007 of you,” I say, my curiosity piqued.

“It’s not that dramatic,” he says with a laugh as the cab pulls through and stops at the entrance of a beautiful two-story stone house. It’s craftsman in style, spread out and simply breathtaking.

I wish I could see it in the daylight.

I can hear the ocean not far away. “Are we near the beach?”

“Yes,” Declan says with a smile after he pays the cab and leads me to the door. “This house is on cliffs that sit above the Sound.”

“Wow.”

The door swings open and a pretty, small blonde woman smiles widely. A tall, slender, tattooed man is standing right behind her. He has a sleeve that runs down over his hand and to his fingers, and I’d recognize that face anywhere.

“Hi! I’m Samantha. You must be Callie. Declan has told us a lot about you. This is my husband—”

“Leo Nash,” I reply for her and feel myself blush. “Sorry. I’m a fan.”

“And I’m flattered,” Leo replies and shakes my hand. “Hey, Dec.”

“Hey,” Declan says and the two do the man-hug thing that I don’t understand in the least, as Samantha leads us all into the heart of the home: the kitchen.

“Your home is beautiful, Samantha.” I’m trying to absorb it all at once, and it’s impossible. The style is contemporary, with little pops of rustic and shabby chic thrown in here and there. The combination is both homey and eye-catching.

“Thanks. You can call me Sam,” she says with a grin. “We just finished building it about a year ago. I think we just about have it the way we want it.”

I nod, just as the doorbell rings, and rather than waiting for someone to answer it, the door is opened. “Hey guys! We’re here.”

“Oh good,” Sam says and all I can do is pray to God that I don’t have the stupid dog look on my face. Because Will Montgomery just walked through that door.

“Will, this is the friend I told you about, Declan Boudreaux,” Leo says. “And his girlfriend, Callie.”

“It’s good to meet you both,” Will says, shaking our hands. “This is my wife, Meg.”