Dark Steel

by Fable Gray

  But beyond that? I had no clue what he wanted or what his intentions were.

  “That’s bullshit,” he said, his fingers flexing on my wrists. Just short of being painful. “What the hell was that in my office then?”

  “The kiss?” I nearly spat. “You tell me.”

  “Kiss,” he scoffed. “Sure. If you want to call it that. You’re going to tell me that was just an act? That spark between us, the fire…” A flicker of vulnerability crossed his face before he tucked it away again. Despite my confusion, triumph raced through me knowing I had that kind of effect on him. The same kind of effect he had on me. “Believe me, Royal, no one is that good of an actress.”

  He switched his grip, so he only held my wrists with one hand, while the other trailed over my cheek.

  “Are you going to keep lying to me or are we finally ready to tell each other the truth?” he asked, voice soft.

  There was no anger on his face anymore, just resignation. Sincerity. Maybe even a little hope.

  Declan’s thumb brushed my lip, sending a shiver racing through my body. He released me at the same time and stepped back, seeing the instant I gave in.

  I wanted answers. I wanted to stop running and chasing.

  But more than that, at this moment, I wanted him.

  “I have to tell Randy that I’m okay,” I said, tucking that stray hair behind my ear.

  He glanced to the door. “Randy?”

  “He’s my Uber driver.”

  “You’re on a first-name basis with this Randy?” His eyes narrowed. “How old is he?”

  It was such a normal, male reaction of jealousy, I had to laugh. “He’s old enough to be my father. And he’s married.”

  Declan relaxed just slightly. “I see.”

  “He’s a good guy—one of the best. He drives me to work every morning and…” I trailed off. Who knew what next week would look like or if I’d even have a job anymore.

  “And he drove you all the way here, and waited because he was concerned for your safety,” Declan surmised, giving a nod. “He does sound like one of the good ones. I’ll make coffee.”

  With that, he walked off toward the kitchen, leaving me to do what I needed to do.

  He went from restraining me to giving me complete trust. If only I could switch my emotions on and off like that.

  I walked back out to Randy to assure him I was fine and thank him again. Once he drove off, I pulled in a deep breath and stared at the beautiful lines of the house backing up to the mountains I had practically been raised in.

  The ones I’d plan to hike in today.

  I’d give anything to be out there right now, without a care in the world. But inside, some answers were too important to pass up.

  I took my time walking back in, admiring a house that seemed to suit Declan’s character to a tee.

  It was mysterious but alluring, all the fine things I’d expect from a billionaire but the comfort as well. The house was a dream—perfect distance to those hiking trails I frequented, amazing views, and enough out of the city to feel like I was on vacation.

  If I didn’t have more important things to do, I’d ask for a tour.

  I followed the sound of dishes clinking to the kitchen, where Declan moved with an effortless grace as he pulled out mugs for coffee as well as an entire tray for sweetener, sugar, milk, and creamer.

  I paused on the threshold, more because I felt out of place than that I was surprised by how domestic he was.

  “I didn’t know what you’d like,” he said, gesturing the tray on the counter. “Or I could make tea.”

  It was kind of endearing that he was trying to make me comfortable. Especially after, as he’d accurately pointed out, I’d kind of ambushed him. I’d shown up out of nowhere at his home of all places.

  But after he’d shown up in the hospital, I supposed I’d figured nothing was off-limits.

  I boosted myself onto a stool on the opposite side of the breakfast bar from him and set my chin on my hands.

  “So,” I said, releasing a heavy breath.

  “So,” he echoed.

  Instead of antagonizing him, I decided I was tired of the games and tired of the back and forth. I was ready for simple and easy.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” I told him, surprised when raw emotion crept into my throat and made my voice wobble.

  His eyes flashed with immediate concern. He walked around the bar and gripped my stool to turn me to face him.

  I steadied myself with my hands on his shoulders. “Declan,” I whispered.

  “Good. Better than Mr. Dark.” He smirked. “Though that was sexy, too.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Why does that surprise you?” he asked. “Why do you think I was MIA nearly the entire week?”

  I blinked and shook my head, getting whiplash from how quickly he changed subjects. “What are you talking about?”

  “I knew what you were doing,” Declan said, setting his hands on my thighs. Heat spread wherever he touched, making me squirm slightly in the seat. “And it was driving me crazy.”

  I held up my hands. “You…wait, you knew what I was doing?”

  His gaze dropped to my lips. “Yes.”

  He didn’t elaborate, only leaned in and slid his tongue across the seam of my lips. When I moaned softly, his fingers tightened on my thighs.

  “Royal,” he murmured.

  It felt like drowning and flying at the same time. His kiss distracted me so completely, I couldn’t even remember why I was here. I could only react to how soft but persistent his lips were. My thighs parted to give him access, letting him step closer to me.

  “You’re beautiful, you know that?” he asked, his breath touching my ear when he kissed my cheek, then my jaw.

  “I…” I clawed my way back to the present, trying to focus on why I was here. “Declan.”

  “Yes?”

  “This isn’t…”

  He gripped my hip, squeezing tight enough to make me moan again. “Isn’t what?”

  “Isn’t…” I struggled to finish the sentence. “It isn’t why I’m here.”

  I straightened and then scrambled off the stool, sliding down the counter to refrain from touching him.

  “It’s not why I’m here,” I repeated.

  He rubbed a hand over his jaw and then bowed his head. I could see evidence of his arousal tenting his jeans, and it sent a shot of desire straight to my core.

  Fuck, that was hot. And if I’d let myself forget my purpose, I probably could have lost myself to him.

  “You’re right,” he said gruffly. Then he lifted his head. “But you can’t blame me.”

  I frowned. “Can’t blame you? You’re trying to distract me instead of telling me the truth.”

  He spun to face me with a harsh laugh. “Distract you? You distract me. That’s why I had to leave the entire week. Because instead of figuring out why you were in my office or why you were sneaking around instead of telling me the truth, I was imagining ripping off your clothes and taking you on my desk. You could have exposed me and everything I’ve been trying to keep a secret, and I was only too happy to let you.”

  My body flamed with desire and surprise. “You…you…”

  He gave a grim smile. “That’s right. I knew who you were from the start, Royal Patterson. And while you were trying to expose me, I was busy falling in love with you.”

  Chapter 17

  He couldn’t have shocked me more if he’d hit me. My body froze like a statue against the corner of the breakfast bar.

  Declan walked back to his coffee project and pulled spoons out of the drawer, acting casual even though he’d just revealed one of those secrets I didn’t even know he had.

  “Coffee?” he asked.

  I couldn’t speak, so I nodded. Yes, something to do with my hands. Something else to focus on.

  I wasn’t going to lie, I’d halfway fallen for Declan myself, but that was different. I mean, who wouldn’t fall a little in love w
ith him if they had half a brain, a pulse, and a healthy libido?

  Gathering myself, I angled back and sat on the stool again, realizing I needed more answers than I expected.

  “How did you know who I was? I was discreet.” I folded my arms in a move I didn’t realize was defensive until he smiled slightly.

  He slid the coffee across the counter, and I couldn’t help but watch his long, elegant fingers as they efficiently released the mug and passed me the tray of items to doctor my drink.

  “You were,” he admitted. “Impressively so. Samantha Thompson, with an entire backstory. You even had social media and online profiles. Did you come up with all that yourself?”

  “Hell, no. I had help. My—” I snapped my mouth closed and narrowed my eyes. “I probably shouldn’t tell you.”

  He laughed. “After all this, you’re going to clam up? I’m pretty sure you know all my big secrets now.” His eyes heated. “And I’ve told you more than you’ve told me.”

  Warmth bloomed between my legs and my heart picked up speed. He was right. He’d told me he was falling for me. And I knew his biggest secret—or at least a big one.

  “He’s my roommate. He gave me a whole new persona,” I told him. “He’s basically a technical genius.”

  “Is he looking for a job?” Declan joked.

  I relaxed when he smiled. “You couldn’t afford him.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Declan said but changed the subject swiftly. “I knew you before you ever came to Dark Enterprises with your cameras and alias.”

  “How?” I lifted my coffee and took a sip, feeling more balanced now that we weren’t talking about love.

  He scratched his cheek, looking like he was trying to figure out how much to say. “After your father’s accident, I went to visit him. More than once. I see you have questions about that too, just give me a minute. We’ll get to everything.” He nodded at me, reassuring me that he had all the answers. “One day when I went to visit him, I saw you. You were sitting by his bed and talking about your mom and how you missed her—something we have in common. I listened to you talk for twenty minutes.”

  I tried to remember, tried to think of a time I’d been there that I’d felt watched—that I wasn’t alone—but I’d been focused on my dad.

  “I was discreet,” Declan said with a small smile, repeating my line from earlier. “And it was more than once. I learned a lot about you, Royal. When you showed up in my building, I was surprised for sure, but not worried.”

  I remembered the look on his face, how he kept looking like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

  “I knew why you were there,” Declan continued. “I just needed to know how far you wanted to go for the truth. And then…” He cleared his throat. “Working with you showed me a whole other side of you. You were enthusiastic and helpful. And you cared about the resort project—”

  “Wait.” I wrapped my hands around my mug to warm them. “That was for real? It wasn’t a project you made up just to… I don’t know, keep me busy?”

  “It was a passion project I’d been putting on hold because I lacked the time. I thought you might have an interest, and you did. It reignited my passion for it. For a lot of things,” he said softly.

  His words made me shiver. He’d reignited my passion for things, too. After my dad’s accident, life didn’t seem to be as vibrant as it was before. But being around Declan made me feel something again. The project made me feel something again and his kisses made me feel something again.

  “I thought you said it was a family project or something like that,” I reminded him.

  He shrugged and looked away. “It was a project I was interested in before I took over on the business side of things for my dad. He hadn’t been interested when I’d told him about it, but when I finally got to head up things, I had my chance. I just ended up getting busy and didn’t have time for it. Until now.”

  “So that day you found me in your elevator…” I started.

  He nodded. “I knew you. I had no idea what you were doing there, but when I walked in the elevator and saw you…” He blew out a half-humored laugh. “My first thought was ‘What the fuck?’”

  “I bet.”

  His eyes lit with humor. “I had to do some quick thinking. I knew you were there for a reason, but I didn’t know why. I figured it had something to do with your father, but I still only knew what I’d heard—overheard—in your conversations. Although that was enough to make me feel like I already knew you,” Declan admitted.

  It was a weird feeling knowing someone had heard so many of those conversations I’d shared with my dad in private. That someone knew me so well before ever even really meeting me. That had given him a head start on his feelings for me. He knew more than most people.

  “But dammit, you didn’t cooperate,” Declan said. He finished off his coffee and pushed the mug aside. “I thought I’d get you to work on the project and then you’d open up. But then you started dropping and breaking things all over the place. I knew you were suspicious and by day two I realized you were trying to figure out my secret.” He walked around the counter again. I spun to face him, wary and turned on at the same time. “That’s why I couldn’t stay in there with you. I…” He swallowed. “I knew I’d tell you my secrets if you asked—or you’d find them out anyway—and I…I wasn’t ready for that.”

  “I wouldn’t have told,” I mumbled, my skin prickling with heat when he stepped closer. “I just wanted the truth.”

  “You had cameras, I’m assuming.”

  This was it—my time to tell him the truth. He’d told me more than I expected, more than I ever imagined he would.

  “I put them all over the building that day I ran into you in the elevator.” I looked down at my hands twisted together in my lap. “And I had one on me, too. My bumblebee pin. I had it on me that day I tried to catch you in your office, and the night at the restaurant.”

  His jaw tightened but his eyes were partly amused. “Clever.”

  “I wasn’t going to use it for anything but—”

  “Blackmail. To get me to talk to you,” he concluded. “I understand.”

  And he truly looked like he did. He moved another step closer, so his thighs rested against my knees.

  “And the rest?” he asked. “I need the truth about last night. I need you to acknowledge you felt it too.”

  I knew exactly what he was talking about. The wildly passionate make-out session I’d relived in my mind more than once in the short time we’d been apart.

  I lifted my chin, meeting his eyes directly. “I felt it.”

  His chest moved up and down with a few controlled breaths. “I don’t want to walk away from this.”

  “I don’t either,” I told him honestly.

  Declan took my hand, examining my palm and tracing his fingers over mine. “This is the first time I’ve wanted someone to know the truth—not just about who I am but about where I came from. Me, who I truly am aside from Dark Enterprises and the billionaire persona no one cares to see behind.”

  “It’s a risk,” I told him.

  “One I’m willing to take. If you are.”

  How had we gone from answers and revelations to hovering on the brink of a relationship? But it lingered in the air just as much as all of our questions—that attraction between us.

  “I…” I got out of the seat, unable to sit still. “I need some answers first.”

  His eyes didn’t waver. “I thought that’s what I just gave you.”

  “Okay, I need one answer. Just one.”

  His shoulders relaxed. “I can do that.”

  “Wait, two answers—”

  “Royal,” he growled.

  I couldn’t help but smirk. Because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me and I knew he was going to give me what I asked regardless, I couldn’t help but see the light side of his frustration and impatience.

  “Two answers,” he conceded, moving another step closer.

  “No to
uching,” I qualified.

  “Too many rules.”

  I pointed at him. “Stay where you are. I get distracted when you touch me and I—I—stop smiling like that, okay? Yeah, so you affect me. I—I like it when you touch me and—uh uh, you’re moving. Stay there.”

  He held up his hands, though his smile still lingered. “I won’t touch you. Yet.”

  Yet. A shiver rained down my spine. God, I wanted his hands all over me. Even in the midst of what today was and the confusion and the elation of my dad waking up, I still wanted Declan. Just him and I, together.

  “You’re running out of time,” Declan said, voice rough with longing. His eyes scanned my body. “You wait too long, and that agreement will be off the table.”

  “Who are you?” I blurted. “The things you can do—how did that happen?”

  “Those are your two questions?”

  “No. I mean, that’s the same question. I still have one more,” I mumbled.

  He ran his hands over his face. “I don’t… There’s a long version and a short version.”

  “I’ll take the short version now if you’ll answer my other question,” I told him.

  He chuckled. “You’re a good negotiator too. Hiring you as my intern is proving to be better than I expected. These things I can do…they didn’t start until a few years ago. And how? You’ll have to ask my father about that. Or yours. Christopher Dark, the man who adopted me when I was nearly old enough to be emancipated, promised a cure. I was sick—a heart condition. He came along, said he could fix my heart—a simple but serious procedure—and then asked me what I thought it might be like to never be sick again. Never get hurt again. Be more than human.”

  My lips parted, amazed by what I was hearing. “He…he created something that could do that?”

  “Yes. Right in the lab at Dark Enterprises. And your father, without knowing exactly what he was assisting in, helped create it too. With the help of a few other scientists, my father perfected it and then administered it to me. And then…nothing. Not right away. He monitored me and kept me close, teaching me the business along the way. It took more than two years for the first symptoms to show up. Although, I hadn’t been sick that whole time. Felt better than usual, even. I didn’t need to sleep as much. I didn’t tell him, but I knew things were changing.”