Chapter 4:
I woke late that night, the pounding in my head had gone but the vivid images of the day's occurrences still festered and bothered me. His voice that flowed like silk from his soft supple looking lips as though every word that left his mouth had been premeditated and rehearsed to perfection. His eyes, oh his eyes, rimmed with a hint of a deeper blue but a Caribbean ocean within all arranged to perfection on his face surrounded by his honey tinted skin and placed on the body of a superhero. I sighed sitting up in my bed, but he was Declan Thompson and for every ounce of beauty in him there is yet another ounce of hostility and un willingness in me because I don't believe there is anything more to him than his looks.
Swinging my legs over the side of my bed I sat up shoving the sheets back and yawning, the clock read in bright red numbers the time which was coming up on midnight. I wondered if my parents would still be up at this hour, before I got up I noticed a small piece of notebook paper with the fringes hanging of in a sloppy way with messy handwriting penned in sharpie with the marker laying next to it open. Capping the sharpie that was long past useless I picked up the paper and read it.
My mom's flipping shit about where I am
I gotta go
-Justin
Shaking my head with a small chuckle I crumpled up the note and pitched it into the garbage pail across the room. Bouncing off the rim it fell to the floor beside it, slumping my shoulders in disappointment I shuffled over to pick it up and drop it in. Stretching as I went I walked towards my door sliding my socks across the floor.
The hallway outside of my room was dimly lit and I could barely see a thing as I clutched a wall and walked myself to the turn where the stairs were and carefully made my way down the bare wooden stairs where there was thankfully a light up above illuminating them. Along the oak paneling of the stairs there were wolves carved into the wood, two to be exact, one bigger than the other but both proud looking and unflawed. Reaching the bottom of the stairs I turned to another dim hallway and passed through unto the darkness of the dinning room, but beyond the darkness the kitchen was lit up. I approached it and poked my head in the door to find both my parents sitting down at the island counter eating and sharing quiet chatter which ceased the moment they became aware of my presence.
"There's still some chicken on the stove." My mother offered gently smiling and waving her hand to a pan with a couple pieces of chicken laying in bath of oil.
"Thank you." I grabbed a plate from the cabinet and put some chicken on it before filling a glass with water. I sat down at the marble island counter in the center of the kitchen across from my parents.
"I'm sorry your father and I were so harsh about you being out with Justin a few days ago." She began my father nodding, as she placed a hand on his. My father was still wearing his clothes from the day, he was decorated elegantly with a suit, he had however loosened his tie and undone a few buttons, my mother on the other hand wore a fluffy pink robe and I'm assuming nothing underneath as the top of her shoulder fell exposed for a moment until she hastily pulled the robe back.
"Is that a scar or a tattoo?" Her movements seized up at my question which I regretted asking upon seeing fury ignite in my fathers eyes. My mother was truly a kind soul but my father was quick to anger and merciless at times and when his eyes lit up as they had it was a sign I had done something wrong but it was too late now.
"What are you talking about dear?" She asked batting her eyelashes uncomfortably not meeting my fathers fiery glare. Justin had always told me my eyes were purple because the colors of my father and mother's eyes had mixed like paint. The notion wasn't as far fetched as it sounded, my mother had deep beautiful blue eyes nothing out of the ordinary, my father however didn't share the trait of ordinary eyes. His were forged in the pits of hell by Satan himself. They gave off the appearance of being a hazel upon first look, but they spit burning embers and when struck by the light or anger they would ignite and burn a deep amber.
"Right there on your shoulder." I abandoned my food unable to stop myself and simply drop the subject, I stood to pull at the collar of her robe in attempt to expose the mark I had seen on her shoulder.
"Ashley, sit down honey." My mother held the robe to her body for dear life as I approached.
"Why won't you tell me what it is, I don't care if you have a tattoo." I protested standing next to her with my sticky fingers and blazing curiosity.
"It's not for you, sit down." She finally alerted me with the glare she and I had mastered the knowledge of, it was unspoken between us but it signaled my fathers impending eruption.
"Everybody's keeping secrets." I tisked strolling back to my seat across from them and sitting down knowing full well I was being stared down by my father, "you can't hide everything forever." I met his glare with my own taking on the almighty challenge of a stare down.
There were secrets in this house that much I had known since I was very young, places I had yet to see and whispers drifting through the air that weren't for my ears. One would think I would grow accustom to the lying and the filth that ran through these halls but my curiosity had never failed to peak and I had never missed an opportunity to stare into the devil's inferno strategically held in my father's head and kindled in his eyes. When our gazes aligned I would like to imagine it was that of Heaven and Hell colliding under the same roof. But I am no angel.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." My father's mouth twisted up into a sick smirk, as he found amusement from the fact that I knew there were secrets but too dense to figure it out as though the answer to every question I've ever asked was simple and lying underneath the wooden panels of the stairs.
"Of course you don't." I pressed my lips into a thin line letting the intensity be swept away in the wind and breaking our stares.
"So where was this party you went to the other night?" My father asked changing the subject as simply as flipping the lights on and off.
I allowed the subject changed with a groan seeing there would be no small talk tonight. "If this is another interrogation-"
"It's not, was it at that boy Trent Thompson's house?" My father cut me off quickly as I began shoveling food in my mouth thinking that the faster I ate the faster I could leave.
"Yes." I replied quietly, "if you already knew asking was a little redundant don't you think." I sniped not in the mood for discussing it.
"What happened that night?" I was ignored as the line up of questions proceeded without a hitch.
"Not really much." I took a bite of my chicken, "I just talked with some friends while Justin did his thing." I wrinkled my nose looking down at the marble counter and tracing the patters in the stone with my finger tip.
"What's his thing?" My mother asked as I took a sip of water proceeding to choke slightly on it.
"You'd have to ask him, I'm not sure" I gave a toothy grin that was transparent as the day is long but my parents let it roll off their backs never really concerning themselves with Justin's activities only asking on occasion as a formality. In the words of my father when Justin had to get his appendix out:
"It's not really under my jurisdiction to give a shit."
"Did you meet anyone new?" He carried on with normal questions casually eating, but it was just that causality about him that revealed to me his question much like most things he said to me was a goddamn formality and he knew, in some inexplicable way, he knew exactly whom I had met.
"Why don't you tell me?" I didn't look up as I spoke but hearing his fork clatter to the floor was enough gratification to know my snide comment had hit home.
"Why must you insist on being like this?" His voice was cold and rash but I still refused to bring my gaze up.
"How is that?" A smirk slid onto my lips listening to the sound of my mother quietly scolding him for his harsh words.
"Who did you meet?" He ignored me and continued on finally tempting me to bring my gaze up and take in his sharp jaw clenched tightly in distress.
"Trent's older brother, Declan." I gave in giving him a straight answer and satisfying him for the time being. His jaw relaxed and the fire in his eyes simmered as he picked his dropped fork off the floor.
"That's very good," my father cleared his throat before continuing, "have you seen him since?"
"I saw him walking in the woods today, why?" I finished my food and stood lifting my plate and bringing it to the sink.
"Very good." My father replied, ignoring my call for explanation, finishing his meal and wipping his mouth, without further resistance towards him I picked up his plate from in front of him, "Goodnight sweetheart," he addressed me an endearing term as I placed them with an unsteady hand into the sink instead. "It's a nice night for a walk, you should go walk off those love handles." He kissed my forehead as he had all my life no matter what squabble we had been in and made a move to leave the room on that note.
"How do you know Declan?" I stopped him and my mother in their tracks unable to let this last thing go.
"We know his parents, that's it." Was all he said before leaving me in the barely lit kitchen. I cleaned up their whole mess before walking into the TV room and clicking on the television, I tried to watch the show that was playing for a few hours but the short conversation I had with my father was burning in my mind and I couldn't focus on much else. Why was it good that I saw Declan? Why did he care? Was he in on the cosmic joke of Declan showing up almost everywhere I turned?
Questions rolled through my mind all unanswerable by me. I shut off the TV and decided to go for a walk to possibly find out why my father had expressly almost ordered me to go to the woods. I headed to my room to change my clothes before I slipped my boots back on making a point to once again slip my knife into my boot. I tip toed back to the ground floor and quietly left the house without a sound afterwards cleverly maneuvering my way through the poorly lit place. Once outside I pulled my long sleeves down over my hands and headed for the woods.
At the edge of the forest I turned and glanced up to the window where my parents room was. The lights were off and it was dark but I could faintly make out a darker outline of a person. I assumed it was my father. He was watching me, I looked away not wanting him to know I had seen him and hesitantly ventured into the woods. My path was lit by the moon and I used that light to find my way through the woods, it was peaceful, the only sound that could be heard was the crunch of my feet snapping sticks.
The path was thin and almost obscure the only reason it was here was because my father and mother had cleared it when I was very young. They never allowed me near the woods as a little girl, though I had always wanted to, it wasn't until my fifteenth birthday that they gave me permission to go, however up until that moment I had spent years taking walks circling the woods like a hawk waiting to swoop down on my prey. I had brought Justin along with me that day I had finally been allowed to cautiously venture into its depths. I had gone cautiously, Justin had been swinging from the branches like a goddamn monkey man.
I felt around in my pocket for my phone to dial up the old bastard and yell at him for vanishing on me leaving nothing but a ruined sharpie and a note. The phone rang twice and I considered that he may not answer due to the late hour but he didn't let me down.
"Hello." His voice was rough and groggy as he spoke into the phone.
"Hey, you left me." I scolded him grinning upon hearing his scratchy voice.
"Yea, my mom was having a meltdown I had to ditch." A small chuckle came through the line.
"I don't know whether or not I should forgive you." I snickered having fun with him.
"You'll be fine," He groaned in what I can only assume was a yawn, "you're much nicer on the phone you know."
"No, I'm just nice to you in general." I defended myself still walking all the time I was on the phone, I had passed the clearing Justin and I had come upon a few days ago a little while back and was continuing on now to new depths.
"You can be." I could tell from his voice the enormity of the grin stretching across his face.
"Don't take it for granted." I laughed taking the phone away from my ear for a second to see the time was nearing around four in the morning, after missing the majority of what Justin had said I put the phone to my ear only the hear that name that I couldn't shake for days now, it made me want to hang up on him in that moment but I was struck with too much curiosity.
"Declan." He finished his thought that I hadn't heard.
"What'd you say about him?" I inquired trying to keep the irritated hiss out of my voice.
"Just out of curiosity, do you like him?" Justin repeated his thought to me.
"He's an arrogant son of a bitch no." I stuck my tongue out rejecting Justin, "He thinks he's god's gift to humanity, and although in the looks department that may be true, I just find him infuriating."
"Well can you blame him, he's a real panty dropper," Justin laughed at his own joke for a moment before continuing his thought, "Even worse than his brother and I think he likes you."
It was my turn to laugh this time, "If he were to like me that would imply he was capable of loving someone other than himself and putting together what I've heard about him and seen over the course of the past two days I really just don't think that's very likely."
"Well then he's trying to get you into bed with him." My face flamed red, the dirty fantasy had never crossed my mind but hearing Justin say those words invited it in and I almost fell at the prospect.
"It will be a cold day in hell when Declan Thompson gets me in bed." I announced proudly while kicking up dirt from my path.
"We'll see if you can live up to your words," Justin's laugh echoed through the phone, "I want to go back to sleep now, but I'll be over later to harass you."
"Looking forward to it." I chuckled before the line went dead and we both hung up, tucking my phone back into my pocket where it spent a majority of its time I continued on through the forest, knowing I should soon turn back as I saw the first glimpse of the sun creep over the horizon tinting the sky a deep orange color and alighting my path brighter than before. Looking up I felt memorized by the highlights and colors swirling above my head as streaks of pink jetted across the orange making no ripples only adding contrast to what would otherwise look like the apocalypse falling.
Directing my gaze back to my path I noticed a smaller cleared that I hadn't befor way sticking out to my right, weeds and brush cluttered it and it looked almost purposefully hidden as if there were someone out here who didn't want me to find it. It winded around in loops and I couldn't see from where I stood where it let off and so ventured down it until I reached the end of it, where I was taken aback to find a small lake glistening and reflecting the sky off of its waters that seemed so still they must have been undisturbed since they found dwelling here. I scanned the area cautiously before slowly approaching the water and sitting by its edge staring in. There was nothing, no signs of plants nor animals only clear water resting in a pit and surrounded by green grass that was, unlike anything I've ever come across in the woods, well kept. It made me suspicious that I was intruding on private property, but it was impossible, there was not a house in sight or any sign of warning around.
My focus had been so involved with the lake I had failed to notice I was not the only one here anymore. It wasn't until ripples drifted across the water and contorted my reflection that my eyes found their way to the wolf sitting peacefully around a bend of the lake. My heart almost ceased beating in my chest. It was real. All the ranting and the raving from Justin had all been true, my dream had become a reality as I found myself unable to move. Not due to any force of gravity but because I didn't want to. Declan's words surfed through my mind, it won't hurt you. Ha. How bad would he feel if I was mauled by this thing.
Squinting my eyes to see it closer I saw its eyes were shut in what I thought was sleep, it sat proudly with his chest inflated and a paw hanging gently in the lake. The sun peaked over the tree and caught it in a ray of light and it's fur shimmered in all of its silky wonder with highlights of blonde and black entangled in the heap of soft brown. I didn't stand or make a move to run but only sat in observation of this incredible creature. It couldn't be a female, it just couldn't, it gave off astronomical waves of superiority and I knew or at least would've liked to imagine I was in the presence of an alpha. How could that be possible though? There were no others. Only him. I ran my finger tips through the lakes water sending ripples back in the direction of the animal whom flicked its paw in response, I sat up straighter my eyes bugging out of my head before continuing the game and rippling the water. He returned and back and forth we played this until I was convinced it was no coincidence.
It wasn't until he opened his eyes that I felt what I should've felt earlier. Terror. It ripped through my body like the Tasmanian devil trapped in a box and tore my insides apart.
I could see even from this little distance between us blue. That blue. Those familiar torches of hot plasma fire burning impossibly vibrantly inside of two eyes. It was now I stood almost losing my footing and toppling in the lake, the wolf made no move towards me but let out a deep breath and laid its head on the ground looking up towards me. I took a step back slowly watching it to see if it would attack, this was it I thought, it's all over now. Karma came for me, on account of I'm a bitch, in the form of a wolf and I would now pay the price for my faults. A flicker of amusement crossed the wolf's face, it was something I had never seen before or even began to think possible. It was as though the wolf was laughing at me. It moved then, it was a fast movement and took me unpleasantly by surprise, abject terror shook me as the wolf sprung to its feet on all fours taller than I had imagined.
The scream that left my lips in the moment that followed was earth shattering and shook the forest sending birds from trees and truly ringing in the new day louder than any rooster could have ever done. At the sound of my scream a new wolf appeared from the trees black as night and standing almost as tall as his companion by the lake he looked upon the brown wolf with a mischievous look about him they stared at one another as if having a conversation and in the moment the two shared a look I vanished into woods the sound of a splash echoed through the trees behind me and pattering feet followed but soon died away. There was no telling whether or not I was prey right now. Not daring to check behind me I dashed away almost tripping several times on the smaller path.
Once I had reached the cleared way it was like a runway and I bolted through the forest tears streaking down my face in fear and my legs feeling numb as I compelled myself against all forces both internal and external. My heart raced through my chest wanting to go faster than my body, and I never looked back though I knew the moment would come when I was torn out of my sprint and ripped limb from limb by the wolves. The moment didn't come though as I expected and as I charged through the trees my life kept going. Had they spared me? Had they not realized my absence? Why was I alive right now? The light of day was now in the sky and I knew my parents would not be home not as if they would be able to protect me from the likes of these nightmarish beasts.
I lost track of the time I had been going but would not stop running until I was in my bed, wrapped in the sheets without the threat of the wolves anymore. The edge of the forest came into view, I could see the steps leading up to my house not so far off anymore and I could taste the glory of being home and relishing in the fact that I was alive. It was so close but as I felt myself stopped by force it all became so far all of a sudden.
"Ashley," two hands wrapped around my arms bringing me to a halt, "Ashley look at me."
"No!" I screeched frantically flailing around, "they're going to get me." I wailed tears dripping off of my face at this point as I struggled.
"No, you're safe," I looked up and found everybody's favorite guy, Declan Thompson, staring down at me with a look I couldn't identify alight in his eyes. I was hauled into his arms despite the fact that he was inexplicably dripping wet but immediately I wrenched myself free.
"We are going to die." I heaved in between breaths, "just run." I bolted away and reached my driveway, Declan no longer in sight, he was gone. Had they got him. Were they closer than I thought. I had to be next, I charged to my front door and pushed on it to find it was locked with a note from my father left on the door:
Ashley,
You weren't home when we left so we've arranged for one of Thompson boys to make sure you got home okay.
- Dad
I slammed my fists down on the door as though that would do any good, silence wafted through the air and the edge of the forest showed no signs of danger as I looked back half expecting to witness the two wolves upon me. The only sound that was heard was a jingling of keys and turned to be faced with Declan, sopping wet with a flimsy t shirt clinging to his body and khaki shorts dripping at the end. He wiped a hand through his mop of hair wringing it out and shaking it off.
"Keys?" He offered with a smirk managing to maintain a mesmerizing state of perpetual grace as though we hadn't met on the trail only a moment ago.
"Can you just let me in." My tears had stopped and I felt the tracks dry on my face leaving a cracked film over my smooth cheeks. Declan nodded walking up passed me and sliding the key in the front door without even a glance down at the lock, I inhaled his scent secretly while he stood so close beside me and picked up pine with a tinge of spice in it. It was not entirely foreign, but strangely inviting to me. The door opened before me and I used all of my restraint not to run inside and celebrate the fact that I was alive, "thanks." I muttered shuffling in shaking from fear still.
"What happened to you out there?" He asked of me following me through the kitchen as I went quickly not caring whether or not he followed me.
"I saw the wolf you said wouldn't hurt me." I huffed recalling the traumatic experience making my way up to my bedroom to roll in the sheets as I had planned.
"And did it hurt you?" There was a flicker of anticipation weaving through his tone.
"Not exactly, but there's more than one." My pace slowed on the stairs as I took more time to inspect the wooden carvings of wolves on the panels narrowing my eyes.
"Of course there's more than one, there's a pack, that brown wolf is the alpha." Declan explained very a matter of a factly with a hint of ego in the way he spoke.
"Oh really?" I humored him still shaken by my previous debacle with nature and up for some old fashion comic relief knowing full well he didn't know anything about the wolves that were in the woods and he was taking me for a ride.
"Yes." His tone was dead serious taking me aback slightly, I had never heard such a serious tone from him, there was no amusement dancing about his face or mischievous glimmering in his eyes, his face was a blank slate as I turned to look at him disbelief obvious in my demeanor.
"Well since you're so close to these wolves, how about telling them I've got some beef to squash with their alpha." I spoke with the devil's tongue mockery dripping out my mouth.
"What would that be?" Declan had obviously caught on to my utter dis regarding of his story and laughed another laugh like I had heard yesterday smooth like chocolate and made me weak in the knees, I was forced to lock them in order not to fall down the stairs.
"That's between me and the big bad wolf." I tilted my head letting a small smirk roll onto my lips as I rounded the turn of the hallway and came up on my bedroom, "here's a question." I began unable to keep myself from laughing just a little.
"Shoot." He nodded leaning up against a wall as I took a peak at the wet footprints Declan's boots had tramped through the house and I prayed would dry before my parents got home.
"Why are you soaked?" I reached out with my finger tips gingerly lifting the fabric of his damp shirt and letting it slap back to cling to his skin.
"I took a shower before I came here." He offered creasing his forehead awkwardly and scratching the back of his head spraying water this way and that all over the walls. Standing in the doorway outside my room I crossed my arms authoritatively popping a hip out.
"You shower with your clothes on," I raised my eyebrow in a sceptic manner my eyes piercing his before taking in his full appearance again. Dirt clumped and stuck to his military boots and was wrapped up in the laces, his legs were darkened with patches of mud and dusted dirt which collected and made his shorts ombré with mud on the ends. My eyes made their way up his dusted and dirtied body to meet his again, "My god you're filthy." I furrowed my eyebrows, "what have you been up to?"
"My mom makes me play outside." He mocked a response premeditated and ready to fire while I had been judging his disheveled appearance.
"I would want you out of the house too if I was your mom," I shot back turning away and opening the door to my room, "I don't like having dogs in the house anyways."
"What'd you just say?" Declan froze standing in my doorway, I turned my head to look back at the dumbfounded boy who had the appearance of seeing a ghost.
"Calm down, I've said worse to you." I couldn't stop a laugh from escaping my lips. When I heard no answer from him I shrugged it off and began to fulfill my plans letting Declan roam around and touch trinkets on my dresser while I flopped down on my unmade bed and rolled around the pink tinted sheets. Sitting up with a sheet draped across my lap I folded my legs and watched Declan with his back to me hold a glass figurine of a white wolf I had had since I was younger than I recall being. Placing it down he shifted uncomfortably in his filthy wet clothing, usually his discomfort would've brought me profound joy but today in the spirit of my miraculously surviving a grave encounter I felt compelled to do a good deed or two. "If you're going to be traipsing around my house today you might as well not track dirt everywhere you go." I stuck my legs out and slid off my bed, once on the ground I kicked my boots across the room my knife sliding out of one as I did, it hit the wall and spun out until it fell still at last somehow chipping and scratching nothing as it did. "I'll wash your clothes." I held out my hand waiting for him to hand me his shirt not taking into account that he had no other clothes to wear.
Slowly Declan brought the damp shirt over his head allowing beads of water to run down his naked upper body tracing the curves and indents of his muscles. Light seeped in through my window and bounced off of shoulder reflecting off his tanned skin, I felt my mouth dry up taking in the definition of his abs unlike anything I've seen outside of a movie.
"I'll get you a towel." I made an excuse to leave the room feeling strange watching him undress. I crossed the thresh hold of the bathroom and took my sweet time getting a towel for him to dry himself with.
"Can you wash my shorts too?" I heard his voice holler to me from my bedroom. The dirty fantasy crept through my mind again at my current situation: Declan in my room, stripping down to his boxers. I wanted to be repulsed by the idea but his beauty was his one good attribute and I couldn't take it away from him. Who was I after all to steal a man's saving grace?
"Sure, why not." I took a towel from my cabinet and threw it into a basket of my laundry thinking I may as well wash everything so I don't waste water on him. Walking back into the room the basket I held clattered to the floor, before me with all the glory of a Greek god waiting to be lifted up on high to mount Olympus stood Declan completely naked. "You're naked." I choked out torn between averting my eyes and taking in the whole picture of his body.
"I am." He casually turned to pick up his shorts where they were as though this situaton was not out of the ordinary.
"What are you from a nudist colony?" My temper began to kick in despite my spike in body temperature and my sweating palms as I watched his impressively sculpted rear bend as he picked up his shorts, "did you not think it was important to waste your breath giving me a heads up that you were butt ass naked?" I narrowed my eyes at him making sure to keep my focus on his face so my eyes didn't travel elsewhere, "Why aren't you wearing underwear, Declan? For the love of all that is good and holy."
"For someone who's not appreciating this you sure take a long time to pass me that towel." He couldn't help but show distinct gratification at my reaction, I was flustered beyond belief, and no amount of sarcasm and bitter words could cover it up.
"No-" I began authoritatively but was cut off before my thought was allowed to come together.
"No?" His eyebrow poked up and his grin only widened, it wasn't blinding like his smile was, this grin exuded nothing but arrogance and was invented for the purpose of allowing Declan to fulfill his duty as an asshole.
"You're going to wear clothes." I finished my thought making a circle around him as not to come within a five foot radius of his body, "try not to break anything." I waved him off not being able to escape my room fast enough, I shut the door and pressed my back against it taking exagerated and theatrically enlarged breaths. How dare he get naked in my only sanctuary. All I did was try to do him a favor and he exposed his family jewels in return. Erasing all sinful images from my mind I scurried down the hallway and peaked into my parents room. It was the master bedroom, larger than my own with an immaculate closet lined with suits and clothing of all kinds that belonged to my parents. I doubt my father would miss anything if I loaned Declan something to cover himself with. I walked hesitantly across my parents room towards the closet, although they weren't home I didn't trust them not to have bugged the place. I had never been allowed in here, according to my father even as a baby my crib was kept in my own room for their room was off limits to such an extent. It often haunted me like the west wing in Beauty and the Beast. I only dared venture in here now because I would rather face the wrath of my father than allow Declan to go on being naked which there was no doubt in my mind he would.
"How is your room not the biggest?" I heard Declan's voice from the doorway of my parents room and refused to turn and face him knowing all to well what awaited me behind my back.
"You say that as though you live in a normal house." I scoffed at his awe with my house recalling his own home competing with that of a palace.
"There isn't a bedroom this big in my house though." I heard him start to walk around and explore my parents room and I worried knowing if he touched anything I was done for.
"I'm not supposed to be in here, it's mortally sinful, and if my dad finds out he will kill me, so just don't touch anything." I begged opening up the grand closet doors and searching through my dad's clothes in hopes of finding an old t shirt or sweat pants but there was nothing. Suits upon suits lined the wall with white button down shirts and expensive pants, hesitantly I peered behind the row of clothing to find another. Still lined with suits. I groaned loudly running a hand through my tangled hair and left the closet irritably with my gaze glued to the ground trying to avoid Declan. This idea didn't bode to well for me as I felt myself run into something hard, I bounced off like a kick ball and toppled to the floor in a heap lying under him.
"I can't say this isn't a fantasy of mine." Declan looked down at me gratification a lite in his eyes.
"I'm gonna barf." I stared up at him dimly scrambling away to get to my feet, "come with me." I shut the closet doors and used my shirt to wipe my finger prints off of everything I had touched, my parents were too shifty to be leaving finger prints around. Leaving their room with Declan close behind me I shut the door.
"No clothes?" The grin that had no doubtably snuck its way onto his face was all to evident in his voice.
"I'll get you clothes, just go shower the dirt off yourself or something." I pointed to my room and without a word of protest he complied shockingly enough walking towards my bedroom.
My senses had been completed jumbled by this point and I was surprised I had been able to hide it for so long. I glanced down the hallway indulging myself and taking in every curve of his rippling back and perfect rear end, I began feeling weak in the knees watching his beautiful form move, not a centimeter of his body jiggled as he walked with pride and undeniable confidence, the feeling of anger and passionate attraction went to war inside of me battling it out fiercely. I was good at contempt, it was among my special skills to let people's glamour slide and hone in on someone's personality and bust their balls for it, but Declan, he was a force to be reckoned with.
"Enjoying the view." I was snapped out of my thoughts just long enough to catch Declan's wink as he shut my door and went to shower.
"No, you repulse me." I snapped in a split second embarrassed and frustrated at being caught, my insult was met with laughter from the other side of my door and it occurred to me that I shouldn't have trusted Declan alone in my bedroom but was too preoccupied with finding the heathen some clothes. I descended the stairs and went through my kitchen to a small door which opened to another set of stairs leading to a laundry room where my parents kept their laundry basket. I riffled through and managed to come up with a pair of pants and
a button down shirt, I sighed in relief upon finding clothes to finally dress Declan. Racing back to my room I peaked in the door to find my room was empty, I heard the shower running in my bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to find Declan had for once done what I had asked of him, cracking open the bathroom door I threw the clothes on the sink and shut him back in the steam filled room, upon hearing the door open and shut the water in the shower went off. A few moments later I was graced with the sight of Declan wearing clothing again. He may still be going it commando but I was pleased to have finally gotten the man dressed.
"How do I look?" His gaze met mine through his eye lashes as he stood in socks with his head tilted down rolling up the sleeves on the white shirt, I took in his full apperance in my father's clothes which of course fit him like a glove. When his questioned met my ears the first thought that rolled through my mind was:
A real Christian Grey.
My filter nearly failed me as I opened my mouth feeling those words on the tip of my tongue, but I quickly retracted and fired a snarky comment in the place of my destructive statement.
"Better with clothes."
"I wasn't catching that vibe from you when you were admiring me." A grin peaked on his lips as he watched me leaned up against my bed post my arms crossed and an unamused look about me.
"Don't take yourself so seriously." I refused to admit any of his accusations despite the truth to them, "I'm going to go wash your clothes." I picked up the laundry basket that still sat in the corner where I had dropped it earlier.
"I'm gonna stay here, I don't feel like following you around like some sort of pet." He situated himself on my bed tucking his hands behind his head and relaxing his shoulders.
"You'd be an awful pet." I watched his posture slump as he relaxed letting his eye lids drift shut. The tension left his body and his jaw loosened as he lay there looking somehow peaceful for once letting all of the romantic allure he focused his energy into perfecting fade away for a moment. He looked impossibly vulnerable as if every ounce of authority he pumped into the way he stood and every condescending and casual joke that left his lips was a sham to cover up something.
It could be true or I could just be over thinking as only I could do, but all I did know for sure in that moment that I watched him fall asleep he looked familiarly like something else. In an inhuman way I couldn't seem to grasp he reminded me of something. But for my life I didn't know what.