I smiled, remembering the cozy fireplaces and plush fabrics in his rooms. “Not quite. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s huge. But it’s comfortable. Beautiful.”
“And his bedroom?” Xander asked, returning with two glasses and the bottle of wine, which he set on the coffee table.
My mouth dropped open. “Xander!”
“I dare you to tell me I’m wrong—that he didn’t try to get you in the sheets. I saw how he looked at you—that first day in the building. And the last day…”
After he’d kissed me senseless against the door to his office, his manhood straining against his slacks.
I skirted the question. “Speaking of that first day…”
“What?”
“Declan already knew who I was. Before I ever came in there and thought I was being sneaky.”
“How the hell did he know?”
I sipped my wine, still sort of reeling over the information myself. “He saw me at the hospital when he went to visit my dad. He saw me more than once.”
I left out the part about how he’d told me he was falling in love with me. That seemed…unreal. Despite everything that had happened and our romp in the sheets, I still couldn’t believe it was more than a fling. Or something to release some stress.
“Cheater,” Xander said. “We were sneaky. There’s no way he could have figured it out otherwise. So, did he threaten you? I mean, he knows who you are.”
“I know who he is, too,” I reminded Xander. “But no, he didn’t threaten me. He was going to tell me anyway.”
Xander leaned in, eager to hear the truth. “Who is he then?”
I explained his sickness when he’d been younger, which Xander said he’d already read about, and then the serum his father had injected him with as a young man.
“Serum?” Xander asked. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
My scientist brain automatically dissected the word. “Well, technically it’s not a serum, although—” I angled my head. “I wonder if his father did get samples of his blood and then used that to—”
Xander waved his hand, trying to get me to stop. “Let’s just call it serum for now. It’s a word I can pronounce, and it did help him heal, right?”
“Well, the surgery fixed his condition. But the serum…” I nodded. “It did more than that. Not just healing but regenerating powers. He doesn’t get sick, he doesn’t stay hurt for long if something happens—”
“Like the cut from the glass—”
“Right. And he’s…strong. Strong and so fast, I just…” I shook my head. I could hardly believe it.
“Oh my God,” Xander breathed. He lifted the bottle of wine and filled both our glasses. “Can you imagine? Never getting sick? Probably having endless energy? Can he even get hurt at all? Because all superheroes have weaknesses.”
I grimaced. I didn’t want to think about Declan being hurt. He’d already gone through a lot in his life, including losing a mother as I had. But that brought to mind a dozen more questions.
Questions I wanted the answers to. I couldn’t deny I was fascinated by the science of it all, but I also wanted to know the man.
I wanted Declan, plain and simple—and it had nothing to do with his abilities.
I considered this. Did that mean I was willing to give us a try?
If not, why was I fighting this so hard? He was sexy as hell and I was attracted to him in such an overwhelming way, it undid me when I even thought about it too long.
But me and relationships weren’t exactly simpatico. The last time I’d fallen for someone, I’d made of fool of myself, and I still hadn’t gotten over it.
Xander made an amused noise in his throat. “So you did get a little glimpse of his bedroom at his house.”
I choked on my wine. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve only seen that look on your face once before,” he said.
“It’s not the same,” I murmured, my cheeks heating. I knew exactly what he was talking about—or more like who. Tate Booth.
“Oh, really?” Xander asked. “Because that’s the same face you wore for about three months while you and he were…” He shrugged. “Whatever that was. Doing the dirty.”
I had to laugh at that, even though the memory of it all made my stomach twist. “Doing the dirty. How romantic.”
“According to you, it was. Every time you’d talk to him or come home from his house, you’d have that dreamy smile on your face.”
“It’s not the same,” I told him again.
He nodded. “I would hope not. You’re older and wiser. Which means if you’re making a face like that for a man, it’s got to mean something. Don’t deny it.”
“I’m not denying anything.”
Though I kind of was by arguing with him and making it seem like what Declan and I had was casual—that we hadn’t even hooked up. It was so much more than that, and that was precisely why I was denying it.
Xander reached over and patted my leg, the humor fading from his face. “It’s okay to have feelings for someone.”
I gave him an incredulous look to counteract the way his words had just rocked me. “I just told you that Declan is a superhero and you’re more interested in our relationship.”
“Is that confirmation that you have a relationship?”
I stood and carried my wine with me to the kitchen. “How about dinner? I can cook us up something and then we can pretend like the world doesn’t exist for a bit?”
Xander followed me, coming to stand on the opposite side of the breakfast bar. “Ro. I thought we promised to be honest with each other.”
My heart clutched. We had. After I’d finally dumped Tate for good and wallowed in misery for about a month, I’d made a pact with Xander. We’d tell each
