I nodded. “As long as we still get to visit the cabin. A lot.”
“My home is your home now, Royal. You can go there whenever you want. Even if I’m not with you.” He smiled and added, “Though I hope you want me to go with you.”
I grinned. “Sure, until I get sick of you.”
He laughed softly and started to pull back, but I curled my hand around the back of his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine.
He groaned softly but gave into my probing tongue.
I got chills all over when his hands swept down my sides and then one moved to my back, sliding under my T-shirt.
“You know,” I told him, my lips moving against his, “I’d be just fine if we made a quick trek to that waterfall and, you know…”
“Royal,” Declan said, his voice turning hard. “Don’t tempt me.”
He stepped back roughly and took my hand again, disappointing me.
I frowned and started walking when he tugged on me. “You know, it honestly doesn’t feel like I’ve been tempting you at all.”
“Seriously? Do you know how many cold showers I’ve had to take in the last three weeks? Every moment I’m around you I’m tempted. Every moment I think of you, I’m tempted.”
“Then do something about it,” I challenged him.
Declan didn’t respond, but to my surprise, he gently lifted me into his arms. “You okay?”
I nodded.
“Hold on,” he mumbled and then started running.
My breath caught at the speed at which he moved. It was a lot slower than the fastest he could go but still faster than any human. He cradled me in his arms, enough to make me feel safe, but not too hard.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked, raising his voice to be heard above the wind whipping by us.
“No.”
The trees passed in a blur of light and dark greens, of tans and browns, dotted with yellow and pink flowers here and there. It smelled amazing, felt amazing, and for the first time in several weeks, I felt free.
Declan slowed as we reached the waterfall. Within seconds, a soft, cool mist coated my skin.
He didn’t set me down but instead kissed my temple. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “I love it up here.”
“I can put down the blanket, set up the picnic here if you’d like.”
“You’re trying to distract me,” I told him.
“Is it working?” His lips quirked at the corners. “I thought maybe the water would cool you down.”
“It doesn’t work the same way for women as it does for men,” I told him with a frown.
Declan sighed. He sat me down on my feet and put his hands on my cheeks. “Please, don’t be mad at me, Royal.”
“I’m not mad,” I told him. “I’m disappointed.”
When his face fell, I pressed my lips together, immediately feeling guilty that I had said that out loud. It wasn’t his fault. He was just trying to take it easy on me. But I knew my body, and I knew how I felt. Yes, I had to take things slowly, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t touch me.
“Royal,” he whispered, so quiet I barely heard him above the roar of the waterfall.
I turned to him, lifted on my toes, and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Let’s set up the picnic. Unless you want to go back.”
He set down the backpack and pulled out our blanket. Because I knew he would insist, I stood back and let him do it all himself. It gave me a chance to admire his easy grace, the strength in his muscles as they flexed.
And because I still felt guilty, I changed the subject to something safer.
“I talked to Randy,” I told Declan.
He glanced up. “Really? How’s he doing?”
“He said he's ready to get back to work and you're being too generous letting him take an entire month off.”
“Makes sense since his son is going to have his procedure this month too.”
I nodded. “I just think he’s not used to being treated like this. He works his ass off for everything that he has, so it's probably strange for him.”
“I understand that. But he’ll appreciate having the extra time with his son. And his wife.” His eyes twinkled when he said those last words, and the tension in my shoulders unfurled slightly. He gestured to the blanket. “Sit.”
I seated myself on the blanket and waited for him to join me. Then I took his hand. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Randy and Xander. Even my dad.”
My dad had gone back to work a few weeks ago and felt safer than ever since Cole Johnson no longer worked at the lab. Christopher Dark had agreed with the decision, which made me trust him a little more.
Declan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers. “Of course. Everything’s the way it should be now.”
Almost everything, I thought to myself. But I didn’t want to hurt Declan any more than I already had. I knew this was just as hard on him as it was on me.
“Have you talked to your father?” I asked.
Declan’s gaze traveled to the waterfall, leaving mine at it often did when I talked about his father. “Just a few times. He apologized again about what happened that day and said he didn't know that Cole was following you.”
“I think he’s telling the truth. Do you believe him?”
“I’m not sure what to believe. I don’t think he wants to hurt anybody, but he’s still obsessed with that serum. And I know there are other people he gave it to.” When my eyes widened in surprise, he
