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Okay, that was the end of the night. She faked a yawn. "I have a potential client meeting at eight tomorrow morning. I need to hit the hay. Tonight was fun. Thanks."
He rose to his feet at the same time she did. "Why do you hide your past?"
She raised her brows. "Because it's a thing."
He grinned. "A thing? What does that mean?"
"Exactly." She gave him a little wave, then patted Angel who had woken up from her couch nap and trotted over. "See you tomorrow at the country club. I'll meet you there at seven? I'll be coming from a meeting."
Declan followed her as she headed up the basement stairs. "You deserve not to hide."
She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not hiding."
"When you carry secrets, they eat away at you," he said. "Whatever is in your past doesn't matter. It takes a lot of effort to hide things. I don't care what it is."
She turned to face him. "You're a cop."
"So?"
"What if I told you that I'd killed someone and there was a warrant out for my arrest? Still don't care?"
He grinned. "A fugitive on the run? That does complicate things."
"Right? So I can't tell you. One never knows what will trigger someone else."
"Try me."
"Can't. Not while I need you to be my adoring fiancé. Andthen, I can't tell you because you'll be bitter and heartbroken when we break up and you might use the information against me." She patted his chest as she reached the top basement stair. "You're just going to have to see me for who I am today and go with it. It's really the best way to be. People aren't their pasts unless they choose to be. And I choose not to be."
He whistled. "That's a great life lesson right there."
"Right? I've practiced it a lot. Glad I got the chance to use it." She headed for the back door, but just as she reached for the handle, she turned back to him. "If you call upon one of the private investigators you mentioned earlier tonight, and you send him after my secrets, I'm going to tell your mom that you lied to her to get her off your back. Trust will be broken, and she'll pay thousands of women to stalk you."
He raised his brows. "The idea terrifies me." He held up his pinkie. "Pinkie promise to leave your past where it is unless you choose to tell me."
She locked pinkies with him. "Good boy. He knows when he is beaten."
"Do I?" He grinned wickedly. "Or am I just very clever and I have you exactly where I want you? All my nefarious goals are within reach."
"Nefarious is fun. Go for them and don't let anyone stop you." She pulled her hand free, despite the temptation to tug Declan right over to her. Seeing his fun, goofy side tonight had added to his charm, and she needed to be a smart girl and not play in his sandbox anymore tonight. "See ya."
He leaned on the doorframe, his athletic, muscular body like pure temptation as he watched her go. "Have a good night."
"Thanks. You, too." She took a breath, having to steel herself from throwing herself at his chest and letting things play out as they would. "You need to put yourself back in your dark, isolated corner."
His smile became more wicked. "Do I?"
"Yes." She waved her hand up and down his body. "Thismuscley-thing combined with that smile and wit is just too much for anyone's good."
"I'll take that into account as I ponder my life tonight."
She couldn’t help but laugh. "You're dangerous. Go away."
"Can't. We're engaged. You're stuck with me. Wait until you see me at a country club event. You won't find me so attractive. It sucks my soul dry, and I'll be a shriveled corpse of my former self by the end of the evening."
She paused, sensing an element of truth to his words. "Really?"
"Yeah. But I'll do it for love. And remember, I have nothing against sleepovers with my fiancée, so anytime you want to start those, you just invite yourself right in."
