by Fable Gray
By the time we’d eaten, I’d relaxed again. Not long after, I said goodnight to Xander so I could go to bed early.
I finally grabbed my phone and peeked at the screen, surprised to find two texts from Declan.
I didn’t remember Tate Booth texting me after our (I thought at the time) mind-blowing sex. In fact, he barely ever initiated contact with me unless he wanted sex.
Besides, after I’d experienced that kind of intimacy with Declan this morning, I could hardly call what Tate and I had sex. Tate had been a child. Declan was a man.
He was bigger, stronger, more successful, and more…everything…than Tate.
Another thought hit me then. It wasn’t just that I was scared of falling in love again, it was also that it didn’t make sense for Declan to be with someone like me. He was way out of my league.
He was a superhero and I was a nerdy science student without a job (or at least, not one I was qualified for).
More than that, he was established and so certain of what he wanted, it was intimidating.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want him, I was afraid he wouldn’t want me. Not for long. And even if he did, would I be able to reciprocate?
I read Declan’s first text: Thank you for coming over this morning.
I had a feeling he was not only thanking me for the steaming hot sex but for the promise that his secret was safe with me. That we were in this together.
I was more than grateful for that as well.
His next text was simple and straightforward: Can I see you tonight?
My sex clenched, a hot wave of longing rushing over me. Hell, yes. I wanted him here with me right now.
But if I was going to go for this, I wanted to do it all the way. And for that, I had to be sure.
Instead of returning his text, I called him. Declan answered after one ring.
“Royal,” he breathed.
“Hi.”
His voice sounded amused when he responded. “Hi. How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?” I asked.
“Getting some work done.”
“Are you at the office?”
I heard the squeak of leather and pictured him leaning back in his seat. “Yes.”
“But it’s Saturday night.”
“I can be there in twenty minutes,” he said, voice gruff. “Say the word.”
“No—I mean, you don’t—it’s fine. You should do what you need to do.”
“I need to be there for you.”
Oh, God, that was sexy. His intense focus on me and how I was feeling—what I needed—was a turn-on and something I could get used to. But I didn’t want it to be something I depended on.
My dad had taught me that. He’d told me he relied on my mom so much that when he lost her, he felt hopeless. He said his job and I were the only things that saved him. He had to keep going, keep putting one foot in front of the other to get from one day to the next.
It was important for me to keep my independence and my own identity.
“I appreciate the offer,” I started but Declan interrupted me with amusement in his voice.
“Are you teasing me?” he asked.
I smiled to myself. “No. I swear I’m not. I want to see you—”
“I’ll leave now—”
“But,” I said, stopping him, “I can wait.”
“I can’t,” he mumbled under his breath.
That made my smile widen. “It was good to take a breath, to get some perspective.”
After a moment, I heard his chair move again. This time, I pictured him staring out the windows, peering into the near darkness that descended on the city and mountains.
“I’m glad you got some perspective,” he said. “Maybe some fresh air will help too. I could pick you up tomorrow morning and we can find that waterfall you told me about.”
Now he was playing dirty. He knew how much I wanted that. And it was perfect, really. Probably where we should have started in the first place. Getting to know each other. Actually going on a date.
“I think…” I blew out a breath, realizing how much I wanted to go. Which just made me balk at the idea more. If I was so eager, did that mean I was getting lost in my thoughts or infatuation just like before?
“Royal,” Declan said.
“Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“Tell me.”
I laughed, my cheeks heating. It was that simple for him—but not for me. “It isn’t—it’s not—Dammit.”
Declan’s voice was soft when he spoke again. “I’m not sure what you think I’m going to do if you tell me the truth, but I promise there’s no judgment here.”
I swallowed hard. How could he promise something like that? I wasn’t like him. I couldn’t just open up and say everything I thought. Especially when I had no clue what I was thinking. My head was pulling me one way and my heart the other.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“Royal, please don’t apologize.”
“It’s—I’m…” Fuck. “I’m not used to this,” I told him honestly. There. That was the truth.
“This?” he asked. “Talking to…”
“You. A man. Someone who actually cares.”
I bit my lip the moment the words left my mouth. It was true, but it made me sound so pathetic. I was censoring myself—and he was exactly right. It was because I was afraid of judgment. I’d barely ever told Tate how I really felt because I feared the same thing. Or that he’d think me weak, or desperate. The sad part was that I had been desperate. I’d wanted him so badly, I’d overlooked pretty much everything else. Especially the part about how I didn’t really love him. I was just infatuated with him. I let him be my world, my sun, and moon, and soon I thought I couldn’t live without him. And he’d never once even told me he cared for me.
“I wish I could see your face right now,” Declan murmured.
Probably because he could read me so easily. If I wasn’t telling him how I felt, he could see it on my face.
I took a calming breath. “Monday,” I told him firmly. “I’ll be into work on Monday and then…”
“Then?”
I scrambled to find the right words—no, words that were fair. That he needed to hear so he knew we were on the same page.
“I’ll have the perspective I needed,” I told him. “And we can…talk. Get on the same page.”
He was quiet long enough, I almost spoke again. Almost started babbling just to reassure him, which made me grimace.
“Okay,” he said simply. “Good. I look forward to seeing you on Monday.”
“Me too,” I told him honestly.
We were both quiet for another long moment and then I said, “Goodnight, Declan.”
“Goodnight, Royal.”
Chapter 20
By the time Monday morning rolled around, I was simultaneously eager and anxious to see Declan. He’d texted me more than once yesterday to check on me and let me know he was doing what he could for my dad.
When Xander mentioned that his attention toward me seemed to be far from the casual attention of a man who wanted a simple fling, I shrugged it off. But I didn’t forget about it the rest of the day.
I’d spent a majority of my time trying to figure out what to do about Declan and a budding relationship. After all, this was the first time I’d ever had a man pursue me, and it was strictly because of the overheard conversations between me and my dad. We might have crazy strong chemistry, but it made me feel better knowing that his initial interest had started with my mind rather than my body. I, on the other hand, couldn’t say the same with as much certainty.
Fortunately, what had started as insane physical attraction, had bloomed into healthy respect. Declan was a hard worker, a brilliant businessman, and a compassionate person. He was the whole package.
Any misgivings I had about starting a relationship with him we’re completely my own concern. In fact, Declan had only given me more reasons every day to trust him.
When I w
alked to the kitchen to grab my mug of coffee, Xander was hard at work on one of his computers at the makeshift desk he still had stationed in the living room. Once we’d started our undercover work, he'd set up shop permanently, and it was nice having him descend from his loft and keep me company in the evenings.
We didn’t get to see each other as much as we used to now that I had a “job”.
“So you’ve decided to cut the guy some slack,” Xander said with a smirk. When I frowned at him in confusion, he gestured to my outfit. “You’re going to work today. And since it’s a fake job, I’m assuming it’s mostly so you can see Declan.”
“It’s not about that. It’s… It makes me feel good working on those projects. It makes me feel useful, which I haven’t felt for months now. “
Xander gave me a sympathetic look before smiling. “Are you sure that’s all? I mean, there could be more than one reason you’re going back.”
“Are you trying to get me to spill all my deep dark secrets?”
“Are those secrets dark?” he asked mischievously, smirking at the obvious pun. “There’s nothing wrong with that, you know. You’re a healthy attractive young woman.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “That was a lovely assessment.”
“And you didn't answer the question.”
“Do you really think that now is the time to start anything with anyone?”
His expression went serious. “If not now, when?”
He had a point. If I waited until my life was all sunshine and rainbows, then I might never take a chance on a relationship. Although, things had been pretty sunny the first time around until I’d actually gotten involved with Tate…
Which just went to show nothing was ever as it seemed. You couldn’t base the success of relationships entirely on the circumstances in your life at that moment.
“I know what you’re doing,” Xander said.
I blinked at him. “What?”
“You’re thinking about last time. And before you deny it, remember I was there for that one too.”
“Yeah. You were there almost the entire time. I completely made a fool of myself.”
“Young love,” he started, trying to play it down because he knew how much it had devastated me.
“It wasn’t love,” I corrected. “I fell for a guy I didn’t even know.”
“And he used you. Thoroughly. That’s what makes him an idiot and a douche. Not you.”
I nodded and filled my mug with coffee.
Xander came up next to me and put his arm around me. “Just keep that in mind. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on something because of a situation from your past that you can’t control.”
“And I wouldn’t want to jump into something because I haven’t learned my lesson from the last situation that I jumped into.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of?”
I opened my mouth to deny that I was afraid, but I couldn’t. I was afraid. If I admitted I felt something for Declan, it would be like last time. Last time I’d fallen hard, very fast. If I did that again, wasn’t I just repeating my same mistake?
“I don’t know,” I told him.
“You’re different and Declan’s different. That already changes everything.” He gave me a nod and added gently, “Comparing apples to oranges isn’t going to work in this situation.”
“Are you rooting for me or rooting for Declan?” I asked him with a smile.
He grinned. “For you both.”
I laughed. “Sure.”
“What? Okay, Declan’s the underdog in this scenario. Of course I’m rooting for him.”
The underdog. Yeah, right. The superhuman billionaire who regularly charmed my pants off. Underdog, my ass.
I said goodbye to Xander, letting him know that I would be home for dinner. He didn’t seem to believe me but despite what he might believe, I was bound and determined to get my life back on track. I needed structure, which was part of the reason I was considering keeping this job.
I also needed a foundation. Something to ease me into this new life I’d somehow started. That was where Declan came in, and I hoped he would agree.
When I stepped outside, I searched for Randy’s car. He normally parked right outside the building and waited for me. But this time there was a large, dark SUV. It looked just like the car we’d rode in when I’d gone to dinner with Declan.
My stomach did a long anxious roll when I considered that he might be inside waiting for me. But after a moment, the door opened, and someone walked around to join me on the sidewalk.
“Randy?”
He grinned at me and pulled open the back door so I could get in. I glanced down the sidewalk, surprised to see another black car, one very similar to ours. Probably someone else, I reasoned. Why would I need two cars?
I hopped inside and waited until Randy walked around to the driver’s seat and got in again.
“Where is your car?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, something’s right.” He pulled into traffic and then glanced into the rearview mirror to meet my eyes. “I got a call from Mr. Dark on Saturday night. He said you told him that I had been taking you to work every day. He said you’d recommended me.”
I bit my lip. That wasn’t exactly how the conversation had gone. At that point, I didn’t know that much about Declan. And getting Randy involved probably wouldn’t have been smart.
“So he gave you a job?” I asked.
“He gave me an offer.” Randy shrugged. “He told me I could call you and verify that it was legit, but I didn’t want to disturb you over the weekend because I knew that you were spending time with your dad. He insisted I use the car and take the day to make the decision, so I’d have the chance to see you. You know, get your endorsement and all.”
I blew out a breath of laughter. Of course Declan had offered him a job. He knew I trusted Randy and I respected him. His decision to offer Randy a job had probably been twofold. One, he wanted to thank the man who had been helpful to me. Two, he wanted me to be comfortable.
I glanced over my shoulder, almost certain I’d seen another dark car pull out behind us.
“So what do you think?” Randy asked. “Or is Declan Dark a shady guy I should stay far away from? Because I haven’t told Max yet, just in case—”
“No,” I said, turning my attention back to the front. “I mean, Declan—Mr. Dark—has my full endorsement. I’m happy for you.”
“So you think it’s a good job?”
“I think if it makes you happy and it works for you and your family, you should take it.”
“The benefits are amazing. That in and of itself is probably worth it., but then there’s the pay, and…” Randy laughed. “I guess you don’t need all the details. But it’s a good deal. My wife’s gonna flip out when she hears about this and so is Max.”
“You haven’t told your wife yet either?”
“I wanted to get your opinion first. I trust you, Royal. Or I guess I should say Miss Patterson?”
I glanced over my shoulder again, searching the traffic behind us. “No, you can call me Royal.”
“Mr. Dark would probably insist. Is everything okay?”
A feeling of uneasiness crept up on me. The other black car was still there, though not directly behind us. It had dropped back several cars and was moving back and forth between a few lanes.
“Are you the only one who came to pick me up?” I asked Randy.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, was there someone else? There was another black car parked further down the sidewalk when I came out of my apartment.”
I almost expected him to say it was security. After all, Declan had made sure someone was sitting outside my apartment the entire night. Just in case. In fact, now that I thought about it, it made sense.
“He didn’t mention anything about someone else.” Randy looked in his mirror. “All he said was that I was to pick you up and head straight for Dark Enterprises.”
&nbs
p; I glanced behind us one more time. The other car had vanished.
There had to be an explanation, which meant it made no sense to worry. I turned my attention to Randy. “How is your son doing?”
“Not bad. It’s been a good couple of weeks. I’m hoping with this new insurance we’ll be able to get him in to see the doctor again and see if there’s another treatment plan available.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that we could talk to Declan. That I could talk with Declan. If anyone could help Randy’s son, it was Declan’s team of scientists. But I was already getting myself in too deep with everything else. I didn’t want to promise something I had no place to promise. Instead, I said, “That sounds like a good idea. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
In his usual cheerful voice, Randy said, “You’ve already done so much for me, Ro—I mean Miss Patterson. With this job, I won’t have to work two jobs and spend so much time away from my family.”
My heart filled. Any uncertainty I had about taking the next step with Declan was forgotten at that moment. He had done this for a decent man who deserved it, but he’d also done it for me. I was sure of it.
Once we pulled up to the building, Randy got out to open my door for me, making me smile. “Very professional,” I told him.
He grinned. “Just doing my job, Miss Patterson.”
He escorted me to the door and made sure I was inside the building before he walked back to the car.
If I’d been nervous about seeing Declan before, now I was a downright wreck. My heart fluttered in my chest as I rode the elevator to the top floor, anticipating seeing him in his three-piece suit and making my mouth water. Images from the weekend came back to me, catching my body on fire. Declan had touched me with so much passion and yet so much reverence, I craved more.
When the elevator doors opened, I turned automatically for Declan’s office. I stopped in surprise when I saw him standing at the front desk, his arm resting on the surface, looking casual and heartbreakingly gorgeous at the same time.
“I trust you made it in safely,” he said, his face giving away nothing.
I nodded and greeted Brittany. “Good morning.”