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“I know you don’t entirely believe what I’ve just said. Trust me. You’re the only woman I wanted. Not because of the way you looked—though I found you incredibly sexy. But because you’re you. You’re gentle, sweet, nurturing and humble. You aren’t vain like other women I’ve met. You always put your family before yourself. You’re someone I could picture myself settling down with for the rest of my life.”
Whoa. Has this just happened or is it a hallucination from the booze?
“I love you, Jessica. And I love Bobby, too. If you give me a chance, I would love to be part of your lives. Be part of your future.”
I shook off my trance. Yep. It must be a hallucination from too much alcohol. Men never considered me sweet or sexy. Fuckable—yes. They were more into the size of my breasts than my personality. As for my son, most men looked at Bobby as a burden. No single man wanted to commit to a struggling mother and her bastard son. And when Lorenzo had come back into our lives, he’d always belittled me and condescended to me about every little thing I did. For years, he’d had me believing that I was as worth
less as he made me out to be.
I blinked. This must be a joke right? Declan’s joke? To get into my pants? But I was willing anyway, without him having to do all this.
“Jessie.” Declan stopped abruptly.
I accidentally stepped on his foot.
He tugged my face up, searching my eyes. “You don’t believe me.”
I didn’t know what to say. What he had confided to me sounded too good to be true.
“I’m a patient man, Jessica. I’m sure you’ll be willing to accept me sooner or later.”
He lowered his head and kissed me. It was as sweet and tender as his words. With each stroke of his tongue, I found myself melting in his arms until I was nothing but a puddle of goo. He held me when my knees suddenly became too weak for me to stand on my own.
“Wow.” I unconsciously touched my lips. “Am I dreaming?”
“I assure you you’re not.”
He kissed me again while his hand strayed to my back. I heard an unzipping sound. My dress slid to my waist.
“Outside? Are you nuts?”
“Who’s going to see us?” Declan looked deliciously wicked. “I picked this place because it’s private.”
“I’m not that adventurous.”
“You just don’t know it yet, babe.” He pulled down the rest of my dress. It pooled around my ankles. “I’ll get you inside”—his eyes skated towards the large bed in the villa—“later.”
Declan removed my bra. My panties met the same fate. “You want to christen every room in the villa, do you?”
He laughed. “We’ll start with the pool. Have you ever skinny-dipped before?”
“I told you—I’m not that adventurous.”
“Then I shall teach you to become so.”
I felt awkward standing on the patio in my birthday suit, so I slipped off my shoes and jumped into the pool while Declan started to undress. The water splashed. The temperature of the pool was perfect for a night swim. When I floated to the surface, I saw a flash of leathery wings at the corner of my vision. I rubbed my eyes. Declan was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t be in the villa. He’d been there just a moment ago. His clothes were scattered by the poolside. Declan was gone.
I jumped when something brushed against my back. A pair of strong arms wrapped me in an embrace. It was Declan. He nuzzled the shell of my ear and nipped on my earlobe.
“Gotcha,” he whispered.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what? My Houdini trick?”
“Yeah. How did you disappear like that?”
“A good magician never tells his secrets.”
