Page 34 of Vengeful Devotion
“Mr. McBride, I’m so sorry for my son’s behavior. He’s had too much to drink tonight.”
“Keep him on a tighter leash, Mayor. She won’t always be around to protect him.”
“Y-yes, sir,” the mayor responds, yanking his son away.
My brain is still stuck on the fact that Declan just spoke to the mayor like that. “The Mayor? Like the Mayor of Vegas?”
Declan chuckles. It’s low and smoky. He reaches out, intertwining our fingers. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was the king.”
It’s hard to breathe when he’s looking at me like I’m his favorite thing. Everyone else falls away. The sounds around us have turned into static. He pulls me closer to him.
“Come with me.”
His words barely process before he’s pulling me behind him with a firm grip on my hand. He weaves us through the tables and out the side doors to the lobby. The light is bright after being in the dark conference-turned-event room. But my eyes have no time to adjust before Declan turns a corner, pulling me into a dark storage closet. I hear a chain move before a single lightbulb turns on.
“That’s better.”
“What’s better?”
“I finally got you alone.”
He yanks me closer to him, gluing our bodies together. Every place he touches me ignites like an inferno.
Declan groans. “You drive me crazy, bláth fiáin.”
I frown. “Juliette told me what that means.”
“What does it mean?”
“Skank.”
He barks out a laugh. I try to pull away from him, but he holds me in place.
“What are you laughing about?”
“You asked the baby of the family to translate for you. She doesn’t remember our home. She should be the last person you ask.”
“What does it mean, then?”
“I’m not sure you’re ready to know that just yet, bláth fiáin.”
“I am.”
He inches his face closer, our breaths mixing. I can’t stop staring at his mouth. There’s so much in me that wants to taste him again, and this time, I don’t want to deny myself. I lean into him, pressing my lips to his. Almost immediately, Declan takes control. He pries my lips open. This kiss is more potent than the last. Every stroke of his tongue feels like an electric current running through me. It’s invigorating. It feels like everything and nothing all at once. He pushes me against the wall. His hand roams my body, settling on my breast. The light squeeze he gives it takes me back to that room. Back to all those nights trapped beneath my uncle.
I rip my lips from his. “We need to slow down. Please.”
Declan steps back a step, putting an inch in between our bodies. “Okay.”
My heart sighs in relief. The feeling of having my voice heard for the first time is enough to burn the back of my eyes with tears. The power of telling someone no and being listened to is an unfamiliar buzz in my veins. Declan furrows his brows. I must look like a psycho right now.
“I’m sorry,” I say, looking down.
Declan tilts my chin up to look at him. His fingers slide through my hair. “Don’t apologize to me. Ever.”
I’m not sure how to take that. The look in his eyes begs me to take it as a compliment. Silence falls over the room. We’re both left panting. It’s only a matter of time until we end up back where we were. Unless I do something.
“We should go back to the party.”
