Page 23 of Vengeful Devotion
My heart pounds out of my chest. The breath in my lungs getting more and more shallow. But I refuse to let him see me waver. I need to sell myself as Gemma Rossi. The girl with no secrets. The girl Declan McBride should definitely stop paying attention to.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
He comes to stand right in front of me. How does this man get sexier with every passing day? He looks so relaxed right now. The sleeves of his black button down are rolled up, letting his tattoos peek out. His raven colored hair is damp, like he just came from a shower. He’s close enough that I can smell his spicy sandalwood scent. It’s intoxicating. It drapes over me like a warm blanket.
Our eyes never leave each other. My body is pulsing with every shade of desire one can have. I shouldn’t want this. I’ve been through hell and back. I should never let anyone near me again. But then why do I lean into his presence? Declan is a dangerous man. No less dangerous than my uncle. Yet I’ve never felt safer than I do with him. What kind of bitter irony is that?
“You’re not a good liar.” He steps closer to me, making me take a step back out of instinct.
“I’m not lying.”
“You are.”
Another step forward, igniting a dance of sorts between us. Every step of his purposeful. A predator intent on catching his prey. This cat-and-mouse game is just that. A game. Until my back hits the wall, and he cages me in. Then it becomes something else. The tension between us is intense. Suffocatingly so.
With a hand on either side of me, Declan’s body pins me to the wall. I can feel every hard plane of him. I bite my lip to keep from gasping. His eyes flit down to my lips, the expression in them heating. My body tingles, desperate for things it has no business wanting.
Before I can process that thought, Declan’s mouth is on mine. Every worry, every inhibition, vanishes. Vanquished by the feeling running through me. For the first time in my life, I feel peace. I try to soak it up, knowing I may never feel this way again. My fingers dig into his shoulders as Declan deepens our kiss. His tongue finding mine. The heat between us is scary and exhilarating. I imagine this is the feeling people search for when they jump out of planes. And I found it in such a simple place.
Declan pulls back before I’m ready. He leans his forehead against mine.
“What are you doing to me, bláth fiáin?”
“What?” I ask, breathless.
My voice lifts the haze from his eyes. He goes rigid, stepping back from me instantly. Losing his warmth is overwhelming. It pierces my heart.
“I have to go.”
The words are barely hanging in the air before he’s flying out of the door. I stand there for a minute, stunned.What the fuck just happened?My breath comes in pants. All the oxygen fleeing the room with Declan. I can’t stand to spend one more moment here. Being left in the very place where I feel like my life changed makes me feel like a caged rabbit. I need to get out of here.
By the time I make it back to my bedroom, I’m barely holding myself together. What the hell was I thinking? I never should’ve let Declan kiss me. No matter how good it felt. He and I could never work out. He’s successful and I’m broken. He needs a strong woman who can hold her own. I couldn’t even fight off my uncle. I could never be enough.
Stupid little whore.
Shame worms its way through me. Why did I let that happen? I’m so stupid. I lay down on my bed. It’s dark outside, but there’s no way I can go back to sleep. Not with all this self-loathing running through my head.
* * *
The next day drags on.I never see Declan. A fact that I’m both grateful for and disappointed by. It’s after dinner before I return to my room.
I feel like I’m jumping out of my skin. Declan kissed me and I enjoyed it. But then he ran away like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. What did I do wrong?
What am I even saying? He’s Francine’s son. I shouldn’t care that he ran from me. I should be happy he did. I’m here to do a job until I can leave the country. Getting involved with him would be a mistake.
A knock pulls me from my thoughts.
“Just a minute.”
I scrub a hand down my face as I pull the door open. I expect to see Francine. But I don’t. Instead, it’s Juliette.
“Hi.” My voice is wary. Juliette is a nice girl, but she’s never just dropped by for a visit. What could she want?
“Hey, Gem,” she chirps, pushing her way into my room.
“What can I do for you, Juliette?”
“I need to get out of the house. Want to come with? We could go visit Simone at work.”
