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"Rock on." Tori stood up, and the others followed. "We'll be watching." She blew Piper a kiss. "Congrats, my friend. You found a good one!"
"I'm a little jealous," Keira said.
"We'll have a party with the Harts," Maddie said.
Maddie's parting words got Declan thinking. The Harts did carry power, but he'd known the Harts for a long time. Were they his found family? No. But friends? Yeah, they were.
He saw April shoot to her feet, toss her hair back, and start striding toward them, her body language ready for a fight.
Yeah, she was definitely going to fire Piper.
The minute he thought it, protectiveness surged through Declan. Piper was under his protection, and it wasn't okay with him for anyone to go after her. Especially not a woman like April.
He bent over Piper, angling his head and his shoulders for privacy, making a private bubble for the two of them, turning his back on April. "I adore your friends," he said softly making his voice as intimate as he could. "But I'm damn glad they left."
Piper's gaze flicked behind him. "She's almost here?—"
"I know." He then leaned in and kissed her, a kiss that was sensual and hot, a kiss that was the kind of kiss a man would give a woman if he couldn’t last one more second without touching her, and he wanted her to know it.
It was no damned jellyfish kiss.
Piper tensed, and then relaxed into the kiss. She rested her hand on his biceps and kissed him back. The moment she did, everything in his body coiled into a tight web of anticipation and need.
Damn. He really loved kissing her.
CHAPTER TEN
"Piper!" April pulled out a chair and sat down as if it were her throne.
Declan swore under his breath as Piper jumped back. He was slower to let Piper go. He didn't lean away from her. Instead, he simply turned his head toward their new guest, giving her a slow once-over.
Nice engagement ring and several rows of diamond stud earrings. Extra bling around her neck. Clothes that looked a little uncomfortable, but that had all the right brand names. She was dressing to impress.
"I've been calling all day!" April was clearly irritated that Piper had ignored her calls, which made him lean forward to interject his presence.
"Hi," he said, his voice low. "I'm Declan Jones."
April glanced at him dismissively, then she saw his watch, and she paused to really look at him. "April Hunsaker." She held out her hand to him in that way women did when they wanted a man to kiss their hand.
He almost started laughing. He was so far from the kind of man who would kiss April's hand upon meeting her.
But since Piper had said women loved unavailable, roughmen, he did exactly what he wanted to do, which was to ignore her hand, lean back, and survey her.
April's eyes narrowed as she lowered her hand. She was pissed, and it made him want to grin. Who the hell went around expecting strangers to kiss their hands? It was such a strange world his mom lived in, and that Piper wanted to be a part of.
"April," Piper said, leaning forward, taking the conversation back. "We need to talk."
April's gaze swiveled back to Piper. "Yes, you're fi—" She paused when Piper scratched her nose with her left hand, and her massive diamond glinted. She grabbed Piper's hand and almost dragged Piper out of her seat to get a better look at her diamond ring. "What is this?"
Declan narrowed his eyes. Yeah, he knew the ring was something special, but it was also stunning to see how quickly a big ass diamond could distract someone like April. It reminded him of why he'd stayed away from these circles.
Piper's face lit up with what appeared to be absolute joy. "I'm engaged!"
"You'reengaged?"April's shock was impressive.
"I am." Piper put her hand on Declan's shoulder. "I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Declan Jones. Declan, this is April."
He gave her a casual nod and slid his arm along the back of Piper's seat, trailing his thumb over her bare arm. "Hey."
