“I think it’s best if we all just try and cool off,” Declan says slowly, “Sam, will you stay out here with Kelly, make sure she’s safe?”
“Of course,” Sam nods.
“Where are you going?” Kelly asks frantically, grabbing for my arm.
“Kassie and I have a few things to discuss,” Declan says solemnly, “Come on, Kass.”
“You’re OK now,” I whisper to Kelly, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
I rise and follow Declan out of the room. Sam puts a comforting arm around Kelly’s slender shoulders. My heart breaks, seeing how scared I’ve made my best friend. Her life was in danger tonight, and it’s all my fault. How would I ever have forgiven myself if something terrible had happened to her?
Declan closes the bedroom door behind us and turns to face me at last. But despite the relief of being safe and sound with him, there’s no rush of joy, no flying into each other’s arms. We stand across the room from each other, our eyes locked. Our shared world has just been blown apart, dashed on the rocks. Never before have I been in danger because of knowing Declan Tiberi. But now, everything has changed.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask, my voice surprisingly even.
Declan shakes his head with finality. “You know everything I can tell you.”
“That’s not enough,” I say, my own fists clenching, “I just had a gun pointed at me. Kelly and I were shot at—”
“They weren’t trying to hit you. Just scare you,” Declan says, “If they wanted to kill you, they would have.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?!” I yell. “Whatever it is you’re up against, it involves me now. I have a right to know—”
“It’s not going to involve you,” Declan says resolutely. “From here on out, nothing that happens in my life is going to touch you.”
“Right,” I drawl, “That seems likely. You can’t segment your life that way, Declan. I know that’s how you’ve always operated. You have your club life, your work life, your life as a soldier, all packed up in neat little boxes. Even your life with me was fenced in, contained. But those borders are not going to hold, Dec.”
“I know that now,” he says, “I know that there’s nothing I can do to keep the rest of my life from hurting yours. There’s no way to keep you in my life without putting you in danger.”
“Declan—” I breathe, taking a step toward him.
“You have to go, Kassie,” he says, his strong jaw clenched, “You need to get as far away from me as possible.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, “That’s no kind of solution to—”
“That’s the only solution,” he snaps, “I can’t keep you safe. And I refuse to let anything happen to you on my watch. You’re going back to Berkeley. Tomorrow.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes you fucking are,” Declan growls, closing the space between us. His gorgeous face is mere inches from mine, his blue eyes blazing with fury.
“What does Lorenzo want from you?” I ask, refusing to entertain the idea of leaving Declan’s side, “Tell me.”
“You want the truth?” Declan asks, the air between us crackling with tension, “Fine. The truth is, Dante’s Nine got fucked over by a deal gone south, almost lost everything. I made a deal with Lorenzo to fight four matches in his illegal underground circuit. Whatever he makes off my fights, I get a cut for the club. The fourth match is scheduled for tomorrow. I tried to get out of it. That’s the whole story.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” I scoff, “Why would you try and get out of the fight? Why not just go through with it?”
“You don’t understand,” Declan says, shaking his head, “You could never understand.”
“Not if you don’t tell me the whole truth!” I cry, laying my hands against Declan’s chest. “I want to help, Dec. I want to be here for you.”
“Why?” he asks, taking my face in his hands, “Why are you still here, after everything you’ve learned about me? Why aren’t you running for the hills after what happened tonight?”
“Don’t you get it?” I ask softly, looking up into that gorgeous, tormented face, “I’m still here because...I love you, Declan.”
My words hang in the air above us, thick as black smoke. Declan’s eyes are trained on mine as he takes in the truth of what I’ve finally confessed. My blood runs hotly through my veins, the world spins madly all around us. Never before have I said those words to a man. Never could I have imagined meaning them so truly.
I expect him to be outraged, to tell me that I’ve broken the rules, to reject my words and love alike. But instead, Declan is silent. He pulls my body to his, and I gasp at the intensity of his embrace. Without a word, he brings his lips ferociously to mine. I open myself to his kiss, his embrace, shocked soundless by the enormity of his passion. He moves like a changed man, a man resolute with a new understanding of himself. His touch feels final. He even tastes differently. But my worries and apprehensions dissolve as our bodies move together. I forget myself, as I always do, as we give in to our need for each other.
Declan all but tears the dress away from my body, tossing it aside as his hands rove all over me. I stand before him in nothing but my bra and panties, my blonde hair hanging in loose tendrils down my back. He shucks off his cut, his tee, his jeans. His signature black briefs are utterly unable to contain his raging hardness. Our hands move all over each other’s bodies, searching and insatiable. I run my fingers along the length of his cock as he cups my breasts in his firm hands. We haven’t forgotten our anger, our impasse—it informs each move we make. But that somehow only generates more delicious heat between us.
He backs me up across the room as I kiss every part of him my lips can find. I feel my feet fly out from beneath me as I stumble back against the vast bed. Declan pushes me down, and I sprawl out across the sheets before him, blinking up in the near darkness. He falls to his knees at the side of the bed and grabs me my the hips, dragging me to the edge of the mattress. I try to pull myself up to him, but he forces my shoulders back down. He parts my trembling knees, and I can feel my sex throbbing with need.
My ass is right up against the edge of the bed, my feet planted on the mattress, legs wide open. Declan runs his hands along the length of my thighs, trailing his lips along the tender skin there. His fingers glance against my quivering legs, leaving tendrils of warmth in their wake. Closer and closer to my sex his kisses fall. I groan with want as he tugs my panties down my legs, leaving me exposed before him.