Decipher (Declan Reede: The Untold Story #3)

by Michelle Irwin

  Fuck.

  Needing to see whether she’d perhaps returned to the room to pack up her things, I headed back for the elevator.

  I slipped the key card into the door, fearing the worst—a room that contained only my bag. When I pushed open the door, I saw something that made me forget all about the key card and the lock—everything but her.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked up at me when the door opened.

  Her eyes were brimming with tears, the rich honey colour glistening as she stared at me. Her body sagged and a small smile lifted her lips as she looked at me. I could have been wrong, but it looked like a small sigh left her too. It was almost as if she were relieved to see me. Fucked if I knew why after what had happened.

  “Thank goodness,” she said.

  “Please don’t leave,” I begged at exactly the same time.

  She rushed over to me. For a moment, I thought she’d throw her arms around me, but she slowed as she came closer. The doubt and anger were still there, even if the relief had temporarily overridden it.

  “Hi.” The word was almost inaudible and I only caught it because of how closely I was paying attention to her.

  “Fuck, Lys, I thought you’d left.” I clamped my mouth shut before I could add the “me” to the sentence. “You were so mad.”

  “Am.”

  My eyes narrowed and I frowned as I struggled with my confusion over the word.

  “I’m still mad,” she said.

  I gave her the most winning grin I could muster and dared to take another step closer to her. “And I’m still sorry.”

  She sighed as she turned away. “I know. That’s why I came back here. I worried what you might do if you thought me needing space was a permanent thing.”

  Even as she said the word, I felt the tension leave my body, sinking through the floor and draining away. “It’s not?”

  She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “No. Trust me. You’ll know if we’re off for good. I don’t want to lose you, Dec. No one else will ever be able to make me as mad as you can sometimes, but that won’t stop me loving you.”

  I stepped closer to her again, needing to look in her eyes as she spoke to me.

  Before I could reach her, she wheeled around on the spot. “But I won’t blindly accept you lying to me either.”

  “I won’t lie to you ever again,” I promised. “Not even a white one.”

  “Not even if I ask if my butt looks too big?”

  I chuckled and reached for her. “Baby, your arse is always perfect to me and that’s the God’s honest truth.”

  She melted into my arms. All of the bullshit I’d clung so tightly to, the need for revenge, the twisted desire to be right, all of it meant nothing in that moment. The tension I’d been feeling every time I thought of her move to Sydney was gone. Clearly it was my own guilt—my own subconscious—trying to force me to reconsider my plans.

  Just as I pressed my lips to hers to whisper all of that to her without words, Morgan burst into the room. For a second, I wondered how, but then I recalled that I’d left the key card in the door.

  “Oh, you found her.” It was hard not to hear the irritation in his voice.

  With a frown furrowing my brow, I turned to him. “What the fuck, dude?”

  “You didn’t think to text me to tell me you’d found her?”

  I shook my head. “Actually, no, I had slightly more important things on my mind. Is there a problem?”

  “No, it’s okay. No problem. I just spent the last fifteen minutes completely embarrassing myself by ‘accidentally’ going into every ladies’ room in this damn place to find her while you’re in here making out, but it’s okay. It’s all good.”

  I chuckled, and even Alyssa smiled in spite of her dislike for him—or maybe because of it.

  “Sorry, dude,” I said through a fresh peal of laughter. “I was too busy grovelling and demanding she take me back.”

  “It’s true,” Alyssa said, meeting my eyes. “He’s been on his knees practically begging me to take him back the whole time.”

  “Anyway, it’s almost eleven. Danny is about to make the big announcement. You need to get back in there.”

  “No.”

  “What the fuck do you mean, no?”

  I pulled Alyssa against me again. “I mean, I’m exactly where I want to be for New Year’s. After all, what you’re doing tonight is supposed to be what you do for the rest of the year, right?” I planted a small kiss against her cheek before letting her go and turning back to Morgan. “And if that’s the case, there’s definitely something I need to be doing right now.”

  Picking up what I was putting down, he smirked at me and backed out of the room, leaving the key on the floor and letting the door shut behind him. Releasing my hold on her waist, I moved to pick up the masks I’d dropped in my haste to get to her.

  “I’m looking for the girl who was in this mask. Have you seen her? I think I might have hurt her, and now I want to kiss it better.”

  “I’m not sure if I’ve seen her,” Alyssa said. “Maybe you should try the mask on every girl in the land and see who it fits.”

  I snorted. “This ain’t fucking Cinderella, and my girl won’t be going at midnight, she’ll be coming.”

  A genuine laugh left her. “You are so goddamned cheesy.”

  “If it makes you laugh like that, you can call me King Fromage.”

  “As much as I’d love to stay here all night, we probably should get back for Danny’s announcement.” She nodded at the masks in my hands. “I think one of the ribbons broke before, though.”

  “You can wear mine if you like?”

  Shaking her head as she moved, she grabbed both of the masks and threw them onto the bed. “I think we’ve had enough hidden agendas for one night. Let’s remove the mystery for now, shall we?”

  “Okay, but do you think that your mask is repairable?”

  She tilted her head in confusion as she said. “Maybe. Why?”

  “Because you cannot believe how many fantasies I’ve had of looking down at you wearing it while you suck my cock.”

  “Declan!” She flushed red and playfully swatted my shoulder. “You only saw it for the first time a few hours ago.”

  I captured her hip and pulled her side against my front. My cock was hard and aching for her, had been ever since our almost kiss. Kissing along her neck, I whispered against her skin, “Baby, you would not believe half the fantasies I’ve had about you or how quickly they can form. And I intend to make them all come true.”

  She shivered in my hold as I ran my hand over her arse and brushed my fingers as far between her thighs as I could with her dress in the way.

  “Fuck, baby, I can’t wait to apologise to you properly.” I stepped away from her. It took everything in me, but I managed it. “But if you’re really intent on getting back to the party, we should probably go, because I don’t know how much longer I can resist you.”

  “Just until midnight. Then maybe we can come back up here and I’ll see if I can fix the mask,” she breathed.

  Fuck yes!

  We made it as far as the ballroom lobby before Paige came storming out of the room. Her eyes were wild and when her gaze fell on me, she snarled at me like the cougar she was.

  “You signed with Sinclair as a goddamned grease monkey? Don’t you know what I could have offered you? You’ll burn for this. I’ll make you pay.”

  Rather than stopping to talk, I smiled and pressed my hand against the small of Alyssa’s back to encourage her to keep moving. “It’s been an insightful evening, hasn’t it, Ms. Wood?”

  Before she could respond, I led Alyssa into the ballroom. Danny was standing up at the podium still, talking about the year ahead for Sinclair.

  “Aren’t you worried about what she might do?” Alyssa whispered.

  “No. I don’t think her daughter will be her willing lapdog anymore. Not with the evidence I have against them.”

  “And here’s
the man of the hour,” Danny said, lifting his hands to point to me when he noticed I’d arrived. “And his beautiful bride-to-be.”

  Alyssa flushed and I could almost see her itching to rush upstairs and fix the mask sooner so that she could cover her face.

  Moving as one, we circled the room until we arrived at Sinclair Racing’s table. Across the room, Blake and Darcy Cooper were in the middle of a heavy make-out session. I only hoped her embarrassment would lead to some changes there. I doubted it, but at least it wouldn’t affect my life anymore.

  “We’re very happy that Declan will be joining us during his break from racing. And for those of you disappointed that he won’t be on the track next year, all I can say is you never know what might happen, and I firmly believe he will be racing again when the time is right.”

  Alyssa squeezed my hand, and my stomach flip-flopped at his words. Every other time he’d hinted at a possible comeback, it’d always been coded and hidden. It wasn’t an announcement that I’d be back in the driver seat any time soon, but it was also a very clear message for anyone in the room—including race journalists and representatives from major sponsors not only for Sinclair but for ProV8 in general—that I had his support when the time was right.

  I just had to wonder when the fuck that might be.

  One thing was certain, whatever came next, I was going to deal with it with my girls at my side.

  DECLAN’S STORY CONCLUDES IN:

  DECLARE

  DECLAN REEDE: THE UNTOLD STORY #4

  APRIL 2016

  Fly down the straight, fight for first, and keep the end in sight.

  In Declan Reede's mind, the road ahead is free of doubt and indecision. He knows the path that he wants to travel, and that it can only be traversed with love at his side. He's ready for it. Wants it.

  Only, as he races toward the finish line, old adversaries become new threats. Declan must overcome the past and face the challenges head on if he's to claim the life he now believes he deserves.

  What will it take for him to declare his true desires?

  Will it be enough to claim the ultimate victory?

  **Due to strong language and sexual content not intended for anyone under age of 18**

  If you enjoyed this book, please let others know by sharing your thoughts on the Decipher page on Goodreads, Booklikes, Amazon, and your other favorite review sites.

  Thank you

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Michelle Irwin has been many things in her life: a hobbit taking a precious item to a fiery mountain; a young child stepping through the back of a wardrobe into another land; the last human stranded not-quite-alone in space three million years in the future; a young girl willing to fight for the love of a vampire; and a time-travelling madman in a box. She achieved all of these feats and many more through her voracious reading habit. Eventually, so much reading had to have an effect and the cast of characters inside her mind took over and spilled out onto the page.

  Michelle lives in sunny Queensland in the land down under with her surprisingly patient husband and ever-intriguing daughter, carving out precious moments of writing and reading time around her accounts-based day job. A lover of love and overcoming the odds, she primarily writes paranormal and fantasy romance.

&nb
sp; Comments, questions, and suggestions for improvements are always welcome. You can reach me at writeonshell@outlook.com or through my website www.michelle-irwin.com. Thanks in advance for your correspondence.

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