“You’re adjusting your sails,” I finish for her, thinking of my father.
“What?”
“My dad used to say we can’t control the wind, but we can adjust our sails.” I lead her around the corner and sigh in bliss when I smell the tiny donuts being made. “So, you’re adjusting your sails a bit, and that’s okay.”
“That’s actually a really good way to put it,” she agrees with a nod. “But nothing is wrong. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Okay. Just tell me if I do, because I probably will, and I won’t even know that I’m doing it.”
“Fair enough. Please tell me we’re getting some of these donuts.”
I grin and nod, already salivating. “This is the only reason I come to Seattle.”
“You’re kidding.” She frowns as she watches the little pastries float in the cooking oil, then flop into the three-tiered cooking rack. “They’re just donuts.”
“You wound me,” I reply, my hand over my heart. “These are not just donuts. These are Pike’s Place Market donuts, and believe me when I say after you’ve eaten these, you’ll never be the same.”
“If you say so,” she says. I order enough for two large brown paper bags full, take one out, still piping hot from the fryer, and pop it in my mouth, then offer her one. She chooses a cinnamon sugar one, takes a bite, and stops in her tracks. “Oh my God.”
“I know.”
“I mean, it’s just… so good.”
“You’re welcome.”
“More.” She takes the bag out of my hands and digs in, bites into another and sighs, moaning as if she’s having really, really good sex.
“It’s a good thing I bought two bags,” I say with a laugh and open my own bag, but she reaches in and steals one. “Hey!”
“You took one of mine,” she says primly, licking sugar off her lips. “It’s only fair.”
I lean in and lick the sugar off her lips myself, then kiss her long and hard, right here for all of Seattle to see. “You can have all the donuts you want, sweetheart.”
“Good, because we might have to make a trip back there before we leave.”
“I was already planning on it.”
“This is why I keep you around.”
“Donuts?” I laugh and shake my head, leading her back toward the hotel where I plan to get her naked and in the enormous pool-size bathtub before we explore more of the city. “And here I thought you kept me around for my good looks.”
“Well, before this it was for your oral skills, but now it’s donuts.”
I stop on the sidewalk and stare at her in surprise, then I bust up laughing and pick up the pace to the hotel.
“Are you in a hurry?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I want to hone my oral skills.”
“Oh!” She speeds up, passing me. “Good idea.”
Chapter Twelve
~Callie~
“Come on! Are you fucking kidding me? Learn to throw the damn ball, Montgomery!” I scream down to the field. “I can throw better than that!”
“Easy, tiger,” Declan says, pulling me back down in the seat.
“Did you see that?” I roar and glare down at Seattle’s quarterback. “I mean, what the hell?”
“This is fun,” Declan says calmly and finishes the last bite of his hot dog. We’re almost at the end of the fourth quarter of the game, and Seattle is up, but only by three.
“What’s fun? Watching the damn quarterback try to sabotage this game?”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “No, watching you lose your shit. I hope you never get mad at me. Actually, I take that back. You’re sexy when you’re on fire.”
“If he doesn’t start throwing like a damn professional, you’ll see an inferno.”
He just continues to smile, running his hand over my ponytail and down my back.
“I like your outfit,” he says as we wait for the commercial break to pass so the game can continue. “The team emblem on your cheek is especially hot.”
I look down at my 12th man jersey, with my favorite player’s name on the back, and grin. “I love this jersey. Thanks for buying it for me yesterday.”
“I admit, I had ulterior motives,” he says while he leans in and presses his lips to my ear. “I’m hoping you’ll wear it and nothing else later when I continue to practice my oral skills.”
“Is the game over yet?” I ask and glance at the scoreboard as Declan laughs and pulls his phone out of his pocket to check a text.
“I need to make a call,” he says and stands. “I’ll be right back. Are you okay?”
I’m soaking wet in the middle of a football game. What could be wrong?
“I’m great,” I say, my attention returning to the field as the players assume their position for the next play. “Come on, guys,” I mumble. “You got this. I came a very long way for this game. You can do it.”
I cross my fingers and hold my breath during the next play. They’re at the fifty yard line, directly in front of me. I don’t know how he did it, given that the home games are sold out for the season, but Declan got us some kickass seats.
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.