I nodded at his offer and watched as he poured two glasses of red wine. I didn’t know what it was, and I didn’t care. I felt carefree, happy to be somewhere safe and away from work and the stresses that it was bringing lately.
I knew my dad was safe. Then I thought about Xander.
“Did Xander stay with you at work until you left?” I asked.
Declan walked over and handed me my glass. He smoothed the back of his fingers on my cheek. “Yes. We left together and he spoke with your father on the way. Your dad said something about salmon and then they got talking and Xander decided to go stay with him for the night. There are two of my men outside.”
I grinned. “Two grown men having a sleepover.” I brought his hand to my lips and kissed the palm. “Thank you.”
“Of course. I want to make sure they’re safe as much as you do.”
“You’re good at this. All of this.”
His eyes danced with amusement. “All of this? Making sure people are safe?”
I nodded. “That, yes. Being an attentive and caring boyfriend.”
His eyes warmed and he leaned in to press his lips against mine. “I like that you said that. Boyfriend. I hope that means we’re on the same page.”
It hit me then that he’d bared his soul to me and told me how he felt, and I hadn’t given much in return. I hadn’t promised to be in a committed relationship with him or to not see other people. All I had promised to do was give this a try and get to know him.
I winced. “I’m sorry.”
His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned at the expression on my face. “What for? Royal—” He grabbed my hand and lead me through the kitchen to a dining room that held a long wooden table decorated completely with candles and fine china.
I stopped when I saw all of it, my heart filling with love for him. “I take that back,” I whispered. “You’re great at this.”
“And yet you’ve got that look on your face,” he said, watching me. “Like you’re about ready to tell me that this is over.”
I whipped to face him, my heart jumping into my throat. “No. No, not at all. I was thinking that you’re wonderful and you're attentive, and you’ve been so open with me. And I haven’t been able to give you much.”
He shook his head. “I’m not looking to rush you, Royal. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do. But I feel bad. What have I done for you? I haven’t—”
“Excuse me?”
I paused at his abrupt change in tone.
His jaw shifted and he set his wine glass on the table. Then he took mine and placed it in front of another chair before he pulled it out and gestured to the seat.
I sat, watching him carefully. He didn’t look angry, but there was a subtle hint of frustration in the clench of his jaw.
“You want to know what you’ve done for me?” he asked. He turned one way to start pacing, reminding me so much of my father it gave me a jolt. “Since the beginning, you’ve given me a new perspective.”
“That day in the elevator?” I asked, thinking back to anything I had done differently. I’d been pretending to be Samantha then, and I knew for sure I wasn’t acting like myself.
Declan spared me a brief glance. “From the beginning. The first time I saw you. You were with your dad and you were sitting next to his hospital bed. It was the day after his accident, after he’d gone through surgery and they’d finally let you in to see him. I’d started to walk into the room, and then I saw you and froze. You looked so heartbroken and small. Fragile. But you didn’t let any of that show to your father. Your voice was strong, and you were telling him that everything would be okay. You didn’t even cry until you came out of the room like you didn't want him to see what a horrible situation it was.”
I watched his face as he spoke, watched him remembering a time when I hadn’t even known he was there.
“That was months ago,” I told him.
He paced the other way and nodded. “It was. I’d wanted to check on your dad and see his status, hear it from the doctors. And I’d come to see if we could move him into another room where would be easier to place somebody to keep an eye on him. But then I saw you there and I was floored. Every time I came back after that, it was for you. It was to see you, to hear you talk. I know I should have said something.” Declan glanced at me, looking almost embarrassed. “Maybe been a little bit less stalkerish. But it wasn’t about that. It was just about seeing the world through your eyes, listening to the stories of you and your dad and your mom. You opened up a new world for me, made me see that there was more than work. I pictured finally telling someone my secret, and that someone was you.”
Declan turned abruptly and moved to the table, crouching in front of me so he could see my face more fully. He wrapped his hands around mine, and I stared at his face in wonder as the firelight flickered across the angled planes.
“You changed me, Royal. If you hadn't come into my office that day, it only would have been a matter of time before I came after you.”
I shivered at the intensity in his voice. Declan was a man who knew what he wanted, and he was capable of getting it. But
