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That one little word cracks my heart wide open. I swallow the lump of emotion suddenly pushing up my throat. “He was there. He hung back, though. I think he still feels really, really guilty about what happened on the field.”
Declan listens intently to every word, never once rolling his eyes or grinding his teeth. The humor leeches away from his features, leaving him serious but not angry.
“I don’t blame Theo,” he says. “I’ll talk to him when he gets up, okay?”
When I do nothing but nod mutely, he sighs and runs his thumb over my lip to pull it out of my teeth. “Seriously. I don’t want you to worry about this, princess.”
His mean-spirited, taunting nickname for me. Only… it isn’t. Because pure sincerity radiates from him while he stares into my eyes.
Still, I shoot him a suspicious look. “Princess, huh?”
The corner of his mouth quirks, and he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s what you are, isn’t it? Our princess?” He leans closer, eyes heating. “Or do you prefer ‘queen’?”
This time, I actually balk. “Exactly how hard did you hit your head?” A terrible thought occurs to me, and I gasp, “Oh my God, Declan, did you fall down this morning and crack your skull all over again?”
His sexy grin flashes, but his eyes turn sad. “No.”
I blow air out of my nose, feeling weirdly frustrated. My hands go to my hips. “Then what is this, Declan?”
He takes in my posture with another of his wolfish smirks. It fades away while we stare at each other. “This is me,” he says. “Trying. Letting you try, like you wanted.”
And then the infuriating man inclines his head. Like a dare.
Your move, baby.
For a second, I’m frozen from shock. I don’t know what to do to return these little slivers of hope he’s giving me. But he waits patiently, offering me time to tune into the intuition that helped me get down to the field when he needed me most.
Maybe… maybe I actually do know what to do.
I slide around the island, coming to stand right by his side. Like this, our faces are level. I slip my hand up his feathered tattoo, finding the hard knot on his shoulder. It didn’t escape my notice yesterday that he played through the pain instead of alerting Archer to the issue.
As gently as I can, I press the pads of my fingers into the lump and begin to work it loose, following the hard cords of muscle up to his nape and over to the sharp ridge of his shoulder.
He shoots me a slightly pissy look that I ignore. A terse grunt hefts out of him, followed by a low rumble a moment later. I carefully move closer until my breasts pad his arm, and his head lolls forward on a moan of pained pleasure.
“Meg,” he sloughs out. “Fuck, that’s good.”
His scent is better than ever, creamy vanilla so sweet my mouth waters. I bear down a bit harder, giving deeper pressure until the pinched muscles start to loosen. When I push my thumb and forefinger along the tight traps at the back of his nape, he rolls his head toward me, tucking his temple against my collarbone.
Declan pauses there, breathing hard. Waiting, I think, for me to accept this new kind of affection. This vulnerability he hates to show.
I get it.
We’re alike that way.
My left hand comes up, cupping his cheek to encourage him. Running my fingers back into his hair, combing through it. His next moan is plaintive. He moves with sudden decisiveness, snatching my hips and pulling me between his flexing thighs.
Chiseled lips latch onto my clavicle, sucking lightly as I add my second hand to the first, spreading my massage over both of his wide, hard shoulders.
“Baby,” he mumbles softly, burrowing closer, nipping my neck before releasing a groan that tightens my nipples. “You feel like heaven.”
His scent, his voice, the feel of his rough hands clutching my hips—I perfume again. A lot.
Declan groans, his fingers slipping under the hem of my shirt, stroking light circles over my lower back. I whine, automatically thrusting my chest toward him.
The sound makes Declan shiver. His voice is rough velvet in my ear. “You need me, baby? Want me to make you feel good?”
I can’t think, but I know there’s some reason that isn’t a good idea. I try to focus, but I can’t even breathe. My heart is overflowing. And all I know is how good this feels.
