“Say you’ll stay,” he murmured in my ear. “Even if it’s just for this project. I need your mind.” I heard amusement in his voice when he continued, “I need your body too, but I’m going to keep work at work—unless you don’t want me to. Then, all bets are off.”
A delicious shiver worked its way down my spine. I could tell he knew how turned on I was at that last part. And I could feel it when his cock hardened against my ass.
I swallowed and tried to focus on the words instead of the way he was making me feel. “I want to work on this project. You’re right, it’s exciting to me and it gives me purpose. But I also need to take care of my dad. I need to know that he’s safe and—and figure out what happened to him.”
Declan turned me around so I faced him. His jaw was set, showing me that he was taking what I was saying seriously. “I need that as much as you do. I want to know what happened with your dad that day and who’s behind it if there was foul play. And more than that, I want you close. And safe.”
Warmth spread through my chest. I leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth in a show of appreciation.
“Does that mean you don’t care about keeping work at work because I’m not that hungry…” He kissed my cheek and trailed his lips down to my collarbone. “Lunch can wait.”
My throat dried. I almost took him up on his offer, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not yet. “Declan.”
He eased back and scanned my face. “I can tell by your body language that’s a no.”
“I’m sorry,” I said with a reluctant laugh. “It’s not that I don’t want…”
“Want what?’
“You.” His eyes heated, and I hurried on before he could make another move. “I want this, I promise, but I still need to know more about you.”
“Dinner,” he said immediately with a nod.
“I thought—I mean, I thought we were going to have lunch.”
He brushed his thumb on my cheek and then he stepped back. Though I immediately missed the warmth of his body, it was almost a relief. Every time he was close, I was like a ticking time bomb. I was about to go off and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“We’ll do both,” he said firmly. “More time to get to know each other. Why are you looking at me like that?”
I grimaced. “I want to, but I promised Xander I’d be home for dinner.”
“Then call him and invite him too.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I want to meet him. He’s got to be a close friend if you’re living together, right?” His eyes narrowed. “Or…”
“Or what?”
“Am I off-base here? You are just friends, right? That’s what you made it sound like before.”
I had to laugh.
He folded his arms. “Not sure if I find it as funny as you do considering you’re not answering my question.”
I reached out and set my hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, but I’m definitely not Xander’s type.”
He frowned. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I mean because he’s gay. And he’s… God, he’s the best friend I’ve ever had. We don’t think of each other like that anyway.”
His body relaxed immediately. “You sure?”
Amused, I grinned. “We’ve had crushes on the same guys in the past. I’m sure.”
“Crushes?”
I waved a hand. “Whatever you want to call it. We’re good friends. That’s all.”
He kissed my cheek and then pulled out his phone. “Then invite him. We can go to Russo’s since we didn’t get to eat there last time—or I can make a reservation anywhere else.”
“No, he’s been wanting to go to that place. But are you sure? I mean, I made a big deal about us starting this like a normal couple and building a foundation, and…” My voice trailed off when I saw his lips curling into a slow smile. “What?”
“You said a normal couple.” He smoothed his thumb over my knuckles and then gave my hand a possessive squeeze. He was making it clear we belonged to each other and no one else. “I like that you’re thinking of us as a couple.”
“I’m trying to,” I murmured.
I really was. This was what I wanted. I was trying to forget about last time and let this relationship stand on its own. But all of that felt too scary to tell him, like I’d jinx it if I said anything. Opening myself up like that was terrifying. I had done it before in college and in the process, I lost part of myself. But Declan didn’t know that, and it wasn’t his fault or his problem. I was working through it and taking these steps with Declan was a great start.
“So call Xander and have him meet us there, or I can have a car pick him up. And we can stop by the hospital afterward and check on your dad. Maybe bring him some leftovers from dinner.”
“He’d love that,” I told Declan, swallowing hard at the sweetness of the gesture.
Every time I had even the slightest doubt, Declan went and did or said something so sweet I wondered why I was taking so much time to worry about something that, so far, didn’t have many red flags.
Declan got on the phone with Russo’s while I texted Xander.
God, yes, was his simple response.
With a smile, I waited while Declan also ordered something for lunch, and we were able to spend a good portion of the afternoon eating, working on the project, and enjoying each other’s company.
And, as he’d promised, he kept his hands to himself.
