Page 56 of Downfall

“Yes.” My voice is a whisper, so why does it sound so loud in my ears?

“Right here against your car?”

“Yes.”

He looks behind me, to where the house is, and the satisfied curve of his lips falters a little. “Are you sure it’s okay…”

I don’t know if he’s asking because we’re at my recently- deceased father’s house or because he took my virginity in the room a hundred feet away from where we’re standing, right before he ripped my heart out. Either way, I don’t care. “Yes, yes. Please, just move.”

He does, adding another finger to the first and pumping them in and out. My hips move of their own accord, grinding against his palm.

“Fuck, Skylar,” he coaxes. “You’re so pretty when you’re desperate.”

I’m so turned on from the motorcycle ride and his words that it’s going to happen quickly, too quickly, which makes my face heat even more. I almost laugh at the irony. He was right when he said all my hook-ups would leave me hard-up. I haven’t been with one man since Declan who could make me come. Not that I’ve had a ton of men, but I did go through a period freshman year of college where I thought I could erase him. Needless to say, it didn’t work. Now I’m afraid I’ll come too soon.

He twists his fingers, curling them just right, and at the same time, he presses the pad of his thumb onto my clit, rubbing it in tight circles.

“Shit, Declan. I’m gonna…” He stops, removing his fingers so abruptly that I fall against him as if they were holding me upright.

“What the hell?” I snap, pushing against his chest.

“Sorry, sorry. I just love that little face you make when you’re close. I wanted to see it again.”

My eyes roll, and I grip the fabric of his shirt in my fist as he slides his fingers back in, and this time, he doesn’t stop. Not when I'm at the edge and not when I fall over it, succumbing to the band of pleasure that coils around me. He works me through every aftershock until I’m so sensitive, I have to move his hand away.

“Too much,” I say, and he pulls his hand out of my pants. I already know what he’s going to do before he does it, yet I’m still surprised when his tongue flicks out to lap at his fingers. He doesn’t stick them in his mouth, no, he licks them like a damn popsicle. When he’s done, he fixes my pants, sliding up the zipper and buttoning the top.

I’m not sure what comes over me, but before I can think better of it, I reach out and grab his belt. His hand covers mine, the warmth of it seeping into the cells of my skin, and I already know it’s a rejection.

“Skylar, I said ‘no.’” His voice is firm, but I hear a hint of hesitation.

He’s referring to the other night when I tried to reciprocate.

“Why?” I hate the way my voice cracks.

“Because if my dick comes anywhere near you, I won’t be able to be gentle. It’s been too fucking long.”

“Who said anything about being gentle?” I look down at the bulge in his pants. “If we’re testing theories, it looks like your dick isn’t on the same page as you.”

He sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “It never is.”

“Then what the hell is the problem?”

“I won’t be rough with you, Skylar.”

I scoff as he takes a step back to give us both space.

“What?”

“I—there were all these rumors in high school.”

“Oh yeah? What rumors were there?”

“That you were rough and demanding. That you liked to dominate. I don’t know, I just thought⁠—”

“You thought what?”

“I don’t know. That you wouldn’t treat me like I’m made of fucking glass.”