When Declan came to a stop, he squeezed his arms around me so I wasn’t jolted by the sudden lack of movement. My fingers felt like they were glued to his shirt, clenched so tightly they were turning white.
“Royal,” he murmured, his warm breath touching my ear. “You’re safe. You can let go now.”
A bubble of nervous laughter came out and I tried to loosen my hold. Declan lowered me to the ground, and my body slid against him. My knees were wobbly, so he held me up, arms tight and strong around me.
Suddenly, I became aware of the rush of the waterfall, the mist of water on my cheeks and bare legs. I turned in Declan’s grasp, only to be blown away again.
We were at the waterfall, nearly a mile from where we just stood talking on the trail.
Declan wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me up as much as he was snuggling into the embrace. His cheek touched mine and he said, “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Technically, you’re the one who brought me here. I’ve never been up here with anyone else besides my dad.”
“Does that make me special?”
I turned and took his mouth with mine without a word. He growled with a newfound hunger that spoke volumes. In a flash he lifted me off my feet and carried me to a tree, so close to the waterfall, we were practically behind it.
My clothes were speckled with water immediately, but I hardly noticed because his mouth was like a fever on mine.
For the second time that day, I lost myself in Declan, safe and cocooned in the tress of the forest and his arms.
Chapter 26
We finished our hike, managing to make it to the peak of the trail. Faster than normal, because Declan had already brought us a mile with minimal effort.
Fortunately, my clothes were nearly dry by the time we reached the top because the wind picked up, bringing in a chill and clouds that were supposed to offer a few hours of rain.
After a small snack, we hiked the rest of the way back down and grabbed lunch on the way to Declan’s place.
His home in the city was the exact opposite of his home at the base of the mountains—at least on the outside. We walked into the lobby of a large building, glass chandeliers hanging over us as he guided me to the elevators. It was clean and contemporary, and I felt severely undressed seeing that most everyone else had on either suits or skirts and dresses.
We stepped into the first available car and Declan’s fingers curled around mine. Even after several hours of hiking, he still looked fresh. And sexy.
“No fair,” I murmured.
“What’s that?”
“We were out there hiking for the same amount of time, but I look like I was caught in a rainstorm, and you look perfect.”
He turned and cupped my cheek with one of his large hands. “You always look perfect to me. And I don’t like you thinking otherwise.”
His words sank in. I did think otherwise because I’d been told otherwise in the past by my ex dick of a boyfriend who wasn’t my boyfriend after all. Because it turned out he’d been seeing other girls at the same time he’d been telling me how to dress and how to act and when to spread my legs for him.
“We’ll talk,” Declan said.
I blinked and looked up, realizing he’d been studying my face and he could see that I was thinking about the past. Dammit. My face gave too much away. Either that or Declan was just too perceptive.
When the elevator released us, Declan took my hand and stepped out. We walked to the door across shiny tiles and he prepared to unlock it. Then he froze, his muscles tensing and his grip tightening on my hand.
He cursed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my brain instantly on high alert.
“We're not alone.”
For one crazy minute, I thought he might have superhuman hearing too and could tell that someone was in the apartment. But then he pushed on the door and it swung open, already unlocked.
“Stay here,” Declan said, his jaw clenched.
I started to protest as he peered into the apartment, but then we both heard a voice.
“Don’t worry, it’s just me.”
Declan cursed again and frowned. “How did you get in here?”
I didn’t recognize the male voice, so I stepped to the doorway, curious. It was someone Declan knew. And by the tone of his voice, someone he wasn’t happy to see.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Who’s that?” the new voice said. I heard footsteps, and then another man appeared, a familiar man.
“Dad,” Declan said tightly, “this is Royal. Royal, my dad—Christopher Dark.”
I took the hand he offered, now feeling even more underdressed. I still had on shorts and a hoodie from our hike, and he wore some fancy suit that probably cost more than everything in my closet.
“It’s wonderful to meet you,” Mr. Dark said. “And it’s about time.”
I glanced at Declan, concerned. His father had been paying attention and knew that Declan and I had been spending time together.
“We weren’t expecting company,” Declan told his father in a stern voice.
“And I wouldn’t have come, but I thought this might be a better conversation to have privately instead of in the office.”
I didn’t miss the surreptitious look his father gave me, and suddenly felt completely exposed and out of place.
“Maybe I should go,” I started.
Declan’s gaze snapped to mine. “That won’t be necessary.” He looked to his father again. “I’m not sure what conversation you’re speaking of, but I’m sure it can be discussed at work.”
His father sighed and strolled into the apartment again, stopping by the couch
