The Love He Craves (The Love She Craves: Selling Her Soul to Declan Book 2) (36 page)

The precision of the pattern surprised her. Each set of lines appear to be spaced exactly the same, the angles also perfect. The spots where the lines intersected had darker bruises, like a piece of tartan when two lines of the same color intersect.

She bit the corner of her lip, and her face contorted slightly as she felt her sinuses prickle with the beginnings of tears. She cast an embarrassed smile at Declan, even as her eyes welled up. He held his finger on the shutter release, and let the camera take one picture after another to capture each little micro-expression.

"Why are you crying?"

Nyxie poured over her thoughts and feelings for a moment. "I don't know. My back looks…beautiful, but most people wouldn't understand."

"No, they wouldn't," he agreed

"I barely understand it myself."

Declan reached for the tear running down her cheek, wiped it with his thumb, then put its tip between his lips.

"Ew. Is that a weird doctor thing, tasting a person’s tears?"

He chuckled as he sat down on the edge of the bed with his hands on her knees, as if he couldn't keep from touching her.

"No, just a weird Declan thing, I guess. Is it weird that I want to know everything about you—from the way your tears taste to what foods you don't like. I want to know how many minutes it takes for you to fall asleep at night and how many times you hit the snooze in the morning. There is no detail about you that I don't want to know."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're so obsessive."

"I don't deny it. I want to know everything."

Declan closed the laptop and turned the digital camera so she could see the display. One by one, he showed her the pictures he'd taken while she perused the other photos. "I think this one is my favorite," he said as he stopped on one where she looked directly in the camera lens. Her large brown eyes and parted lips showed just how aroused she appeared from looking at the marks on her back.

Nyxie laughed. "You like the one that doesn't even look like me."

He turned the screen back to himself and looked again. "No, that looks exactly like what I see when we're in the bedroom. Look how bright your eyes are—how focused you are on me. I would bottle that look if I could.”

Chapter 33

Nyxie couldn't believe she was about to do this. This was crazy. Declan had given her detailed instructions of what he wanted her to do.

She sat in the car in the Chimera Flats High School parking lot for several minutes rereading his instructions and getting her nerve up. Her hands shook as she turned on her phone’s video camera and slid it into the exterior pocket of her purse. Shutting off the engine, she climbed out of the Lexus and headed through the front doors of the school. The halls were completely deserted. Summer school had ended a month ago and only a handful of teachers were there getting ready for the upcoming school year, if the dozen cars in the parking lot were any indication.

As she opened the door to the office, the secretary and attendance clerk looked up from their computer screens.

"Hi, may I help you?" Mrs. Tomlin asked, not bothering to get up.

"Hi." Nyxie's voice cracked with stress. She cleared her throat as she leaned against the counter, putting her purse in front of her so the camera would catch the woman through the lens. "I don't know if you remember me, I used to go here. I-I wanted to see if I could get a copy of my transcript."

"Sure, I can run you a copy. I'll need to see your ID."

Mrs. Tomlin rose from her desk, joined Nyxie at the counter, and waited patiently for Nyxie to fish out her license.

"My last name was Carmichael when I went here," she said, pointing to Carmichael on her license.

The woman nodded as she peered down at the name on the card. "Yes, I think I remember you. Stryker? I didn't know we had any other Strykers in town but our football coach and his wife."

Uncertain whether Roy had told anyone that Declan had married her, Nyxie chose to be evasive rather than claim any kinship. "My husband and I live in Lubbock."

"Oh, I see. But you weren’t married or living there when your brother had his accident?"

Small towns, jeez!
She barely remembered this woman, but she knew all about Nyxie's family.

"Yes, ma'am."

Nyxie clamped her mouth shut as she tried to figure out how to change the subject.

"Do you know how your brother is doing? Do they let you visit him?"

"Of course. They've already returned custody of all three kids to me. It was all a misunderstanding because I was never granted custody of them legally."

Nyxie wondered if the woman would believe the lie. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care what people thought, but she did. Only now could she admit how truly neglectful she had been, but it had been a combination of ignorance, pride, and fear of losing the kids, that kept her from pursuing the help she needed.

"Oh, the news said…."

"The news got it wrong. And of course they don't do a story about getting custody returned. They only care about the negative stuff. But to answer your question, Cody is doing much better. He still has a long way to go."

"The woman handed the driver's license back to her and moved to her desk to pull up the transcript on her computer.

"I'll be right back," Nyxie said. “I need to use the restroom."

She darted out of the office before the woman could say anything, and made her way to the girls' room down the hall. It was the same one she'd gone into after the paddling that had brought her into Declan's focus.

She stopped just inside the room and pulled Declan's instructions from her back pocket and read them again. She wanted to do this right—the way he wanted. Having reread the note at least five times already, it didn't take but a moment for her to be assured she hadn't forgotten any of his instructions. From the clothing she wore—the low rise jeans and V-neck T-shirt he had bought for her online that looked surprisingly like a shirt she had owned when she was still in school; everything was planned out—including her filming herself so he could witness her obedience. This was the main reason for her visit to the school, as she suspected she could have called the school and had her records mailed.

Nyxie took a deep breath and looked under the stall doors to make sure she was alone. As per his instructions, she washed her hands and headed into the small toilet cubicle. Since the hook on the back side of the door was broken off, Nyxie put her purse over the corner of the door and pushed it closed. Declan had told her not to lock the door—he was a bit of a germaphobe—although in his note he told her to leave it unlocked
for him
. She knew he wouldn't be joining her since he was at work, but she knew this was the way his fantasy played out in his mind. With the long purse strap wedged in the gap, the door was secure.

Nyxie adjusted her purse the best she could, so the phone lens was pointed at her. With a shy smile at the camera, Nyxie slowly unfastened her low rise jeans—looking right at the lens as she lowered the zipper.

With disbelief that she was going to do this again, she shook her head. It was not a conscious gesture. It had been an incredibly stupid thing to do when she was a teenager. She only knew her orgasm would help her pain dissipate. There had been no thought of getting caught, or the consequences, if she had.

Although she better understood the risks now, she also knew, with no students and few teachers at the school, she was unlikely to get caught this time either. This was what her Dom wanted.

Her eyes closed as she reached inside her pants and cotton panties, sliding her first two fingers over her denuded mons and between her folds to find the fleshy nub. She hadn't expected to be wet, but she was.

Her eyelids parted and she smiled at the lens, imagining Declan watching her.

"I love you, sir," she said quietly—the sound of her voice echoed off the tile walls and seemed amplified in the quiet.

At first, she rubbed slowly, enjoying the slippery feel, but realizing she didn't have an abundance of time, she closed her eyes, concentrated on the task at hand and picked up her pace.

Thinking it would have been easier if he had given her a good thrashing this morning, she reached under her shirt and pinched her nipple painfully hard. A small airy gasp drew her breath in as she felt the orgasm beginning.

"Oh, Declan," she somehow managed to utter. He had told her he wanted to hear his name on her lips as she came. As each wave and throb of intense pleasure engulfed her, Nyxie imagined it was Declan's hands on her. "I love you, Declan. I wish you were inside me."

In the breathy aftermath, Nyxie withdrew her hand and looked at her phone. Unfortunately, his instructions had not ended there. He was not going to allow her to wash her hands. He had written that she should use her mouth to clean her fingers for thirty seconds. Nyxie decided to pretend her fingers were his cock, so she began licking and inserting her fingers into her mouth in a suggestive manner, smiling at the camera, knowing she would give him a real show until her half minute was up.

Making quick work of putting her clothing back in order, Nyxie left the girls' room behind and returned to the office.

"Are you sure you don't have it?" Mrs. Tomlin asked the attendance clerk.

"Why would I have it? I don't use it."

Seeing that Nyxie had returned, Mrs. Tomlin turned back to Nyxie. "I can't find the embossing tool. This may take a couple more minutes."

"I'm in no hurry," Nyxie said, putting her purse on the counter and pointing the camera lens to face herself. She put her elbows on the tall counter and leaned in, trying to give Declan, if not a peek down her T-shirt, at least a view of her chest and face while she waited. When the women were facing away, Nyxie would stick out her tongue childishly or moue and lick her lips in what she hoped looked seductive.

"Is the transcript for your records?" Mrs. Tomlin asked.

"I'm going to apply to South Plains Community when I finish my GED," Nyxie answered. She saw no reason to lie to save face over quitting school. Even if the woman didn't remember her, the transcript clearly showed she didn't get her diploma.

"I'm glad to hear you're getting your GED. I always felt badly that you dropped out."

That surprised Nyxie. It never occurred to her that anyone gave a rat's ass about her or gave the slightest thought of her.

"Found it!" the second woman said, digging in the back of a drawer of one of the file cabinets.

The door behind Nyxie opened and she involuntarily turned towards the sound. As soon as she saw Coach Stryker, she automatically turned away, but she immediately realized she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen her father-in-law, the way she might ignore some random teacher she didn't like.

"Hey," she said forcing herself to smile and face him.

"What are you doing here?" It didn't sound like an accusation, but genuine surprise.

She wondered if she looked as awkward as she felt at that moment. Oh God, what if she smelled of her girlfriend after what she had just finished doing. She tucked the fingers of her right hand in her pocket, hoping she looked casual doing it. "I needed a copy of my transcript."

His eyebrows were raised as he looked around. "Is Declan with you?"

"No, sir, he's at work."

"You can call me Roy, or even Dad."

"Sorry."

Roy stepped up beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Have you met my new daughter-in-law?" he asked the women behind the counter.

Nyxie stiffened, finding the contact confusing and even a bit frightening. In her mind, she could imagine Coach Stryker slamming her head on the counter like a villainous TV wrestler.

What the hell? Nice Coach Stryker was even scarier than mean Coach Stryker—mostly because she understood the man who had been her P.E. teacher. Her mind searched to understand what motives explained this new persona.

Mrs. Tomlin gave Nyxie a strange look, no doubt wondering why she hadn't mentioned it, especially when the subject of her last name had come up.

"I didn't figure you'd want anyone to know Declan had married Flip-Flop Girl."

She had been unconsciously leaning away since he had put his arm around her, and when he pulled her tighter to his side, she might have lost her balance, had he not been holding her so firmly. He stroked her upper arm twice in an affectionate-like gesture.

"It's a small town. No doubt everyone has known since the marriage license notice came out in the paper. I am more concerned about my son's happiness than I am about a bunch of gossips."

"Well, congratulations," Mrs. Tomlin said. "Or best wishes, I guess I should say. How did this happen?"

Great. Now she would give them something to gossip about.

"Declan was one of Cody's doctors. He remembered me from high school and took me out for breakfast the morning after the accident. We've been together ever since."

"Isn't it funny how things happen," the woman said, stepping up to the counter with the embosser and three sheets of paper.

"Yeah."

In short order, the woman had the school district seal stamped into each page of Nyxie's transcript.

"How much do I owe you?" Nyxie asked.

"Don't worry about it."

"Thank you. Do you know if I need to get the kids’ records, or if their new schools will send for them?”

"You can do it either way."

“Come on, Flip-Flop Girl, I'll walk you out."

Finally, Roy released her and held open the doors as they walked out to the parking lot.

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't embarrass you. I just didn't figure you’d want anyone to know Declan had married a Carmichael."

He shrugged. "It is what it is. I meant what I said. After seeing you together at the reception, I can see you make him happy. It's been a long time since I've seen him acting young and carefree. You're good for him."

Internally, Nyxie beamed, hoping Roy meant it. "I hope I do make him happy. He's an amazing person. He deserves to be happy."

Roy opened the car door for her, and she sat down, putting the key in the ignition.

"Look, Onyx, I'm sorry for the way I treated you in P.E.. It never occurred to me your family was struggling financially. You know, in a small town like this, people usually talk, but as far as I can remember, none of the other coaches said a word. Maybe they blamed your sister for my predecessor being fired—I don't know—maybe they just didn’t want to get on my bad side. I'd like to think, if I had known you didn't own sneakers, that I would've bought you some."

Nyxie didn't know what to say. She’d never expected an apology from him. He sounded sincere, but the fact that he didn't know her situation, really shouldn't factor into the way he had treated her. No one deserves that.

Nyxie resisted her inherent tendency to apologize. "I just want to forget it ever happened—start fresh."

"Me too," he said. "Tell Declan, I said hello and don't be a stranger."

Nyxie managed a small smile. “I will.”

Very slowly she backed out of the parking place and when she saw that Roy had gone inside, she said her thoughts aloud. “That was weird.”

~*~