"I don't want you to go back there," I told her as I stroked her cheeks. "I can't stand the idea of anyone hurting you."
"He's a powerful man, Declan. He could hurt you," Rayna warned me as I stared at her.
"He's just a man, one that doesn't deserve you."
"I think that if I leave him, I'll lose my family too. We're not close or anything, but they'll choose him over me. I know it." Her eyes were sad as she spoke and I kissed her. "You don't even know me, Declan. You don't want me in your life, not this fast and not with this baggage."
"I want to protect you, and I know that I feel something for you. I brought you here to get to know you better, Rayna. Now that I am aware the truth, I want to help you. I can give you anything. I can get you out of that." I promised her as her eyes looked warily at me.
She kissed me again, distracting me with sex as she rose above me before sliding down over my body. We used nothing, and I felt her heat against me as her pussy gripped me. I knew now that she was on the pill and while she told me that her husband was cheating on her, she said that he needed to use a condom with her. It made me feel ill that she was still sleeping with him, but they were married. I watched as her smaller breasts bounce with her movements as I gripped her hips. I wanted her to sleep here, to stay with me here. I didn't know her well, but it was enough to know that I wanted to keep her away from the danger of her home.
We rested together after we were done and I watched as her eyes took me in before she looked around the room slowly. I told myself that she slept with me because she was mad at her husband, who was paying for sex when he had such an incredible woman was waiting for him at home. I told myself that it was just sex, but my heart said that it was more as our eyes locked.
She insisted on leaving after another hour or so in my bed. I hated taking her to her car, but I did, telling her that I'd contact her the same way the following afternoon. Rayna said that she worked every night just to get out of the house and to save up money to leave, even though I knew the idea of it broke her heart. Most women left a man with the support of her family and the strength and help to move on. She had nobody but friends and a bank account to help her, and I didn't know if that was enough. I parked in the lot where her car was and watched her climb inside of the shiny SUV that showed that she had a wealthy husband. If he didn't love her, he made it look like he did to society.
I saw her drive away and finally pulled away to go back to my empty house. I dropped into the bed that still smelled like Rayna and thought back to the times our bodies moved together tonight. It was sensual and one of the most erotic nights I'd ever experienced but more than that, I felt something forming in my heart for her. Was in insane to have feelings for a married woman with a questionable husband when I was just getting divorced myself, very soon?
Hiring an escort was supposed to be easy. It was meant to be a night with no strings like Rayna said, but it was much more than that. I thought about that as I felt sleep slowly take me over, planning to focus on my own divorce that I didn't even mention to Rayna. Perhaps we both had luggage to bring into this, whatever this was.
Maybe a little time was all that we needed to figure this out.
CHAPTER 10
Rayna
I went home to an empty house, relieved that James wasn't home. I could make something up if needed and the chances are that he wouldn't even be awake to ask if he was home. I just wasn't sure. It was easier to be alone when I showered and crawled into bed, feeling like I avoided a storm tonight.
If I told James that I was leaving him, what would he say? What would my parents say? I had money in a bank account that would get me an apartment, but I felt like I'd be completely starting over all on my own.
Declan was a wonderful man, and I loved the way that he made me feel, but realistically, it was two nights. Two nights of sex. He told me that he'd help me, protect me but Declan didn't realize the cost. If James or my parents didn't find out about him, things could be okay. But if they did, they could ruin him financially or even harm him. My dad was just as powerful as he was and he would hate me for leaving a powerful man like James. Mom would tell me that I was stupid and I looked back at their own loveless marriage sadly. They were never affectionate towards one another, and I was put right in the same place as if it was just an arrangement. That wasn't what marriage was to me, and I knew that I had to find the strength to leave and face life on my own.
Still, I stayed. I chatted with Declan on the computer almost every day, finding out that he was involved in his own divorce. That was why he was seeking the attention of an escort, but it had been more than that for both of us. I learned about his hotel chain and how his grandfather passed it down to him when he died ten years ago. Declan had a warm and loving family, with two parents and a brother and a sister that lived in Oregon. He went to see them on holidays and spoke to them every day.
It was so different from what I was used to. I grew up in a house with staff and parents that were rarely home, without any love.
I booked appointments for the girls around our chats, just working through everything that was happening around me. There wasn't a lot going on with holidays or any family celebrations, so I was mostly left to myself. James was gone more than ever, and I felt like I could sleep safely. He seemed occupied and busy, something that worked out well for us.
I caved and saw Declan a week later on a Friday night, where he picked me up after my shift. He had glanced at me before he pulled away from the curb, telling me that he had some food in the trunk already. He knew that it wasn't a good idea to be seen out together and hurried to his house, where we pulled the food from the trunk and ate on the couch in front of a movie. It was Thai this time, and I enjoyed the noodles as I kept glancing at him.
I knew so much more about him after our chats. He was a good man, and I took another bite of my food as I looked around the room. It was cozy with a couple of couches and a great fireplace on the opposite wall from the television. "You lived here with her?"
"Yes. Claire only had an apartment, so she moved in here before we married. I thought we loved each other, but the distance just grew between us. When she admitted that she was in love with an ad exec at her office, I knew that was it. I know we're over but right now, I want the court proceedings to go smoothly and not give her half of everything that I've worked for." He looked at me. "I'm happier without her. I know that."
"If I leave, when I leave, I won't ask him for a thing. I just want to be free, and I've saved some money. I just know that I'll lose my family as well." I stared at the television blankly as he reached over to touch my hand.
"You'll be okay," Declan assured me as I stared over at him. "People die when they stay with people like that, Rayna. I don't want that to happen to you, and I am willing to do anything to help you." He raised an eyebrow. "You have that friend at work and other ones, I assume? They're your family, Rayna. Family isn't always blood."
"I have pleased them for so long, Declan. I've been seeking their love my entire life and getting married was the icing on the cake. They love James for what he represents and have no idea what he does to me, but I don't even know if they'd care. My dad might be like that, too. I don't know." I narrowed my eyes and tears filled my eyes. "I have been living a lie my entire life."
Declan pulled me towards him, and I snuggled against him. Looking back, it was never like this with James. I had looked at him before I kissed him gently, closing my eyes. His lips were so warm and comforting, and I leaned in closer to him. It deepened slowly as our lips parted and our tongues met before he pulled me over his body.
All thoughts of James left my mind as the kiss grew hungry. I'd chosen a deep red dress to work tonight, and he was sliding it up to my thighs as my breath caught in my throat. His hands lit a fire along my skin as he found my lace covered pussy, stroking it as I arched my back.
We ripped our clothes off, and I slipped over him easily, taking him deep inside. I was addicted to the way that he made me feel and moaned as he gripped my ass, pulling me tighter against him as I moved hard and fast. Declan nipped at my neck, and I felt him shoot inside of me as I broke around him. Tonight, though, it was more than sex because I knew Declan. I loved our chats where we told one another things about us from separate places, making me feel like this wasn't wrong.