Bryan tried to keep a defiant face on, but it was evident that he was forcing down a heaping helping of abject fear.
“Are you even one of her matches? You’re supposed to stick to your matches, you know.” He was already backing down, because in whatever pecking order existed amongst the bears, Bryan wasn’t nearly as high up in it as Declan. Declan pushed by Bryan through the door, so he was standing next to Blair, then took the door in his hand.
“And you’re supposed to stick to digging around landfills. But here we both are. Get lost, trash bear.”
And with that, Declan slammed the door in Bryan’s face. Blair backed up, her jaw dropped, and just shook her head.
“What the hell was that all about?”
Declan rolled his eyes. “Just typical bear posturing bullshit. It doesn’t mean anything, I assure you. Are you ready to go to dinner?” He looked delicious in a blue suit with a black button-down shirt, and his thick black hair was styled slightly as he’d just jumped out of the shower. Blair waved herself with a brochure that was sitting on the table.
“You look beautiful, Declan. Seriously.”
“It’s nothing compared to the way you look, Blair. Good lord. If we don’t get out of here right now we may never make it to dinner at all,” he answered, his eyes burning. Blair waved him off as she grabbed her bag.
“As much as I love the idea of that, I am starving. I feel like you gave me the workout of a lifetime earlier.”
A low rumble escaped Declan’s chest, and it made her giggle, which made her blush in embarrassment. As they walked down the beach to the restaurant, neither of them said much, afraid to ruin a moment that couldn’t quite be defined. Blair would steal glances in Declan’s direction every-so-often, amazed that such a gorgeous man was walking by her side. She couldn’t help but notice the jealous stares of other women while they passed them, and it made her prouder than she cared to admit.
Because it was late, the restaurant was almost empty, but that just made it look even more romantic. It was on a deck that overlooked the beach, and candles were flickering everywhere, casting shadows over bright tropical flowers. A hostess sat them at a table right near the water, and the ocean was almost lapping at their feet. A waiter came over with two menus, and he looked tired, but his cheerful demeanor remained.
“Good evening, and don’t you make a lovely couple. Our wine steward will be bringing you a complimentary bottle of champagne, but in the meantime, can I get you some appetizers?”
Declan looked at the menu, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know what… any of this is. Do you want the… what the hell is ackee?”
Blair laughed and scanned through the menu. “We’ll have one smoked marlin appetizer and one lemongrass marinated lobster timbale. Then two of the crayfish bisques, an order of the prawns in coconut sauce, the marinated glazed duck breast, the brochette, and a medium-rare wagyu strip loin. With sides of the garlic mash, the jerk potatoes, and the sautéed callaloo with bacon.”
The waiter rushed to keep up with Blair as he wrote, and Declan just stared at Blair with his mouth hanging open. When the waiter finally rushed off to get the food started, Declan reached over and took Blair’s hand in his.
“How did you do that?”
Blair furrowed her brow. “Do what?”
“Order. Food. Like that. I’m a burger and fries kind of guy, but it’s like you looked at the menu and knew exactly what would taste amazing.”
Blair laughed. “Oh, well. My mother is a chef. Was a chef. She had an accident a few years ago and hasn’t been able to work since. But before that, she taught me about food and ingredients. I wouldn’t say I’m a foodie because that’s a little extreme, but I love food. It’s why I have these hips. And that ass you like so much,” she said with a wink.
Declan ate a piece of piece of bread smeared with butter and drank down a glass of the champagne that had just been poured for them. Then he gave her a huge, heart-melting smile.
“Then I think we’re going to have to make sure you’re well-fed because I do love that ass. And everything attached to it.”
Blair smiled and shook her head. The come-on was clumsy but cute, and it sounded charming coming from a big bear of a man like Declan. The food started to arrive, and everything was just as delicious as Blair expected it would be, but it’s not enough to distract from the fact that it looked like Declan wanted to tell her something. He seemed nervous, and more than a little agitated.
After she had eaten her last forkful of lemongrass lobster, she took her drink of champagne, then set her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
“Declan, whatever it is you need to say, spill it.”
He looked shocked. “What? Me?” Then he gestured to the waiter for more champagne. Blair scowled, so he relented.
“Blair, would you like to come to back to Colorado with me? Like, tomorrow?”
It was Blair’s turn to look shocked. “What? But we just got here! And I used up two years of vacation money on this place. I can’t leave after two days.”
“Don’t worry about that. Kurt will get your money back. Apparently, Scarlett got word we were here together, and now she really wants to see you, us. She’s bugging Kurt about it, and I mean… I wouldn’t mind if you met the rest of the clan, you know? Got a chance to kind of get used to all of us and our insanity.”
Blair’s heart swelled a little bit. Did he really want her to meet his family? Was this really happening? Blair fell into her head for a moment, as she tried to weigh the implications of what that meant. It wasn’t just like meeting his family; Blair knew from Scarlett that meeting the clan was a big deal because bears took this kind of seriously. And as much as she enjoyed being around Declan, the had just met. Was this all happening too soon? Was it too much?
Declan seemed to sense her hesitation, and he tried to abate it.
“I understand if you want to say no, but listen. No pressure, okay. I just thought we could have a change of scenery, do some camping and fishing, and you could see Scarlett. I know you haven’t gotten to in a while since she’s permanently attached to Kurt’s hip.”
Blair laughed so hard; she choked on her champagne. “You’re not wrong.” She took a long, deep breath and decided to just go with whatever came out of her mouth. And she surprised herself when said, “Okay, yes. I will go with you to Boulder. But I have to be back home on Sunday like I planned. If I miss any more work than that, my managing partner will kill me.”
Declan gave her a happy smile and then squeezed her hand.
“It’s a deal, Blair.”
Chapter 12
Declan
Declan couldn’t believe anything that had happened in the last twelve hours. Immediately after dinner, he and Blair had decided to walk over to the main hotel and tell Ursula they were leaving. They laughed and joked as they walked up the beach, and were so lost in each other’s eyes, that they barely noticed Bryan about to cross their path. When he stumbled out in front of them, it was clear he was drunk, and he was looking for a fight.
Declan pushed Blair behind him, and his whole demeanor changed. He seemed to grow two feet taller, and for a second, he could tell that Blair was afraid he was going to turn. But all that happened was a rumble in Declan’s chest escaped so thick, it made Blair shiver against his back.
“Friend, I’m going to suggest you step away from the lady. And from me. Before you regret it,” Declan said as he inched Blair further back. Bryan laughed bitterly, drunkenly, as he made a move closer toward them.
“What? Are you going to defend her, you bastard? Are you going to shift right here on the beach? In front of the resort?”
Declan knew that the cocksure English bear was trying to bait him into something. If Declan shifted and started a fight, he wouldn’t be the only one that would get banned. There was a chance Ursula would take it out on the whole Colorado clan and ban all of them forever. He didn’t really care about himself, but he wasn’t about to ruin things for everyone else. Declan turned to Blair, his ey
es glowing.
“Blair, you know I would lay down my life for you right?”
She looked at him with a combination of shock and confusion in her eyes, but she nodded. “I can believe that.”
“So, you understand, that if I walk away from this fight, it’s because it’s not just about you and me, but because I want to be a bigger man for my brothers?”
Blair smiled and squeezed the back of his arm. “You do whatever you have to. I won’t think less of you.”
Declan nodded, then turned back to Bryan. “You’re drunk. Go to back to your room and sleep it off. Then make some dates with your matches and move on. Don’t pursue this fight, got it?”
Bryan opened his mouth to argue, and then stumbled backward, and passed out in a heap on the beach. Blair leaned around Declan and looked at the drunken mess on the sand.
“Is he alive?”
Declan snorted. “I mean, relatively speaking. He just needs to sleep it off. Are you okay?”
Blair nodded and smiled, and as they walked by Bryan, snoring in a clump, Declan threw a beach towel over him so he wouldn’t freeze. After they had told Ursula they were leaving, much to her frustration because they hadn’t been matched by the system, Declan booked their flights back to Colorado, and before he knew it… They were driving through the beautifully wooded roads of near the lodge.
Kurt and Cash had gone in half-and-half on a mansion sized lodge in the woods of Colorado, and it had become a gathering place for the Boulder clan. The lodge was ideally situated for skiing in the winter, and finish and camping in the summer, but it wasn’t just some ramshackle hunting lodge either. It could almost pass for a mansion, with eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, an indoor pool, a movie theater, and a massive porch that wrapped around the entire place with a view of the mountains. It was the kind of place people paid a lot of money to vacation at, the Kurt and Cash’s clan could just go whenever they wanted. Most of their clan either lived on the property or in the surrounding area.
Every couple of months, Kurt would call the entire clan up to Boulder for the bear version of a team-building week. They would shift, and hunt as a pack, and run through the woods in their pure form. Then they would spend the rest of their time drinking and bonding and doing general guy stuff. Since Kurt found Scarlett and set off the whole mating bond within the clan, the bears that had found their mates would bring them with them. This sometimes would put a damper on the male bonding but always made for a different kind of fun, especially in the summer. The clan would grill out, and hang out by the pool, and drink in the sun. Usually, Declan dreaded these weeks in Boulder, especially because he didn’t have a mate of his own.
But now, for the first time in his life, he was excited about getting to the lodge. On most of the forced team-building weeks, Declan would stalk off by himself into the woods, or hang out in his room alone until Kurt forced him to do something else. This week, he had Blair, and that meant everything.
He drove the car around the curved roads and stole glances over at Blair, who was watching the scenery pass by with wonder. Declan couldn’t help but laugh at her.
“You look as if you’ve never seen the mountains before.”
Blair threw an empty chip bag at Declan, then went back to watching out the window. “I’ve seen mountains. Just never mountains like this. I’ve never been north of Boulder, so I can’t say I’ve seen much of Colorado. This is gorgeous. I get why you guys picked it for a retreat.”
Declan chuckled. “I never really thought of it as a retreat, but I guess that is as good a word for it as any. I’m excited for you to see it. And to meet everyone.”
Blair squished down in her seat and pulled her knees to her chest like she was thinking about something. “You know, I think I’ve met everyone in one form or another.”
“What? You mean you’ve seen the guys as bears?”
Blair snort laughed. “No, I haven’t seen anyone as bears. Jeez. I mean I’ve met a lot of the guys that Kurt hangs out with through Scarlett. Remember, I even met you once for a few seconds.”
Declan cringed. He really didn’t want to hear the Lucy story again, so he tried to move the conversation along.
“I don’t remember meeting you, but I’m sure I would have remembered you if you were at Kurt and Scarlett’s wedding. Were you not able to make it?”
Blair grabbed her knees tighter, and for a moment Declan feared that he brought up something that made Blair upset.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean...” Declan started, but Blair cut him off.
“It’s fine, really,” Blair said quietly. “I should have been there. She is my best friend after all, but I got roped into this massive case with work. I’m on track to be a partner at the firm, and my bosses really didn’t want to cut me any slack with the trail looming over our heads. So, I sadly had to miss it.”
Declan glanced over at Blair. “I’m sure Scarlett understood. Plus, it was probably better that you didn’t attend. Shortly into the reception a lot of the guys including Cash, the Beta of the clan started to lose control over their bears. Kurt thinks it was the mating bond taking hold of us.”
Blair nodded and turned to look back out the window. Silence permeated between them and Declan wracked his mind to think of anything else to talk about.
“Do you like hiking and finish and camping?”
“I mean, I was in the Girl Scouts for a minute. But camping for me has always been a hotel without HBO. Still, I’m willing to give it a try. If it’s something you enjoy. As long as you’ll go to the symphony and wine tastings with me from time to time.”
Declan cringed again, but a slow smile started to form on his lips. “Of course.” The truth was, he’d put on a tutu and dance Swan Lake if it made Blair happy and that scared the hell out of him. He’d never felt the urge to be so selfless for a woman before, and everything about it made him uncomfortable. But that feeling of discomfort also drove him forward, propelled him to find out more about why Blair was the one to elicit this reaction in him.
His bear, however, was more than convinced that it knew. His bear was sure that Blair was their mate, and it wouldn’t shut up about it. Any time Blair was out of their eye line, his bear would grumble and growl, desperate to see her again. Even if she left him to go to the bathroom, the bear wanted no part of her absence. Declan had to fight to stay in control, afraid he’d come off looking like a crazy stalker, or like Bryan, and he didn’t want to scare Blair away.
Plus, if he screwed this up, Kurt would probably mount his head on the lodge wall as a warning to all future bears who didn’t take his commands seriously. And the truth was if things didn’t work out with Blair, if he did screw things up, Declan would probably let him. Declan wasn’t sure he’d have the emotional fortitude to start over again with another woman, and even the thought of it made his bear rage. Declan may have been scared, he may have had reservations about how quickly everything was moving, but his bear was damn sure that Blair was the only one for them.
After another hour driving through the curvy back roads of Colorado, Declan drove into a small-town area where the clan had their lodge. They passed cute little shops and romantic restaurants, and cozy coffee shops. Blair practically jumped out of her seat, pointing at the places as they passed.
“Can we stop there? Oh! How about there? Wait! Can we go to that bookshop? I really want to get a book for the pool!”
Declan laughed at her. “Good lord woman! I’ve been driving for hours. Can we get to the lodge and relax for a bit, and then come back to the town? It’s not going anywhere.”
Blair crossed her arms and pouted. “I’m starving.”
“Are you ever not starving?” Declan asked with a chuckle.
“Nope. Always hungry. Learn to love it or drop me off at the corner so I can get a sandwich.”
Declan burst out in hysterics and begrudgingly pulled the car into a spot in front of a tiny local sandwich shop called The Yellow Deli. Blair clapped her hands together happily. “Yay
food!”
Declan rolled his eyes as he turned off the car. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s be quick about it though. I know Scarlett and Kurt are anxious for us to arrive and if we stop at every book shop and antique store between here and the lodge, we’ll be lucky to get there before sunset.”
It wasn’t long before Declan started to wonder if he’d jinxed himself because Blair made them stop at literally every antique store and book shop in Boulder until he was piled all the way up to his forehead with bags. He was so distracted trying to balance the things that Blair had bought; he didn’t notice the flash of red hair that had been following them, then disappeared around a corner, and down an alley…
Chapter 13
Blair
When Declan pulled up to the lodge, Blair was barely able to hide her amazement. He hadn’t done the house, or the view, justice. It was a massive log cabin that looked like it had been added onto in recent years. The huge windows that overlooked the valley below were even bigger than the house itself, and Blair couldn’t wait to get inside and see what it looked like from the main living room. She also secretly hoped their room would have one of the several private balconies, so she could sit out there and read.
Blair had barely stepped out of the car when the sound of Scarlett shrieking filled the entire forest. She came running out of the house, and practically tackled Blair to the ground.
“B! I can’t believe you’re here! I can’t believe you’re with Declan! I can’t believe we’re going to be part of the same clan! Can you believe it?”
Blair saw Declan out of the corner of her eye, scowling as he got their bags from the trunk. She made a note to file that away and ask him about it later, but for now, she needed to get Scarlett to chill out a little. If she kept acting this excited, she was going to stress everyone out, and the last thing Blair wanted for anyone to feel an abundance of pressure. Especially Declan. So, Blair gave Scarlett a gentle shove.
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 28