Page 12 of See You Maybe
Declan was only thinking of the liability for the pub, he assured himself. She’d hurt herself on the premises. He was solely motivated by the need to protect his uncle’s business from being sued, he tried to tell himself. He was absolutely not trying to prolong his time with her. Because that would make zero sense.
Her eyes darted to the door, but the slow tracking of her pupils showed she was still drunk, and it occurred to him she might have a concussion. Declan had his share from playing rugby, and while it didn’t look serious, he didn’t think she should be alone, wandering a strange city in the rain in the middle of the night.
“Here, come into the light.” He caught her hand, ignoring the surge of electricity that traveled up his arm when he took her fingers in his, and gently pulled her forward. “It’s too dark in here,” he explained when she hesitated. “You could have a concussion.”
Her face eased, and a tiny sigh slipped from her lips. His gaze immediately dropped to her mouth and the deep reddish pink color of her lips. Declan had a sudden urge to touch the full curve of her bottom lip to see if the color was natural.
“You stopped those guys earlier.”
Declan looked down at her as he pulled the bathroom door open, but didn’t bother answering.
She tripped in her boots as he guided her past the chairs, and he put his hand on the curve of her waist to keep her upright. Declan thought she would pull away, but when she rested her weight against him, he had to fight the desire to pull her closer.
What the fuck is happening?
While the Celtic Crown would never be accused of being brightly lit, the lights on the side of the bar were enough to see her face clearly. He tipped her chin up with his forefinger so that the light fell across her face.
She was beautiful. Even with her makeup smeared, and the now messy mass of thick dark hair tangled around her face, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“How’d ya know?” Her slightly slurred words brought him back as he moved a finger in front of her face. Not the most scientific of tests, but Declan thought she was okay.
Her pointer finger tapped the tip of his nose, startling him. “Answer the question.”
Declan stared, his own lips twitching when a dreamy smile crossed her face. “How did I know what?”
“How’d ya know I wasn’t with them?”
Declan wasn’t about to admit that he’d remembered when she came in. That he’d been watching her but that he’d somehow missed when she was left behind, and that she was becoming incapacitated.
The finger poked at the corner of his mouth, and he had the inappropriate desire to close his lips over it and suck it in. “Smile, frowny face. We’re in Ireland. I’ve never been to Ireland before.”
Declan removed her hand, but didn’t let go as he lowered it between them. “I don’t think you have a concussion. But you’re going to have a hell of a headache tomorrow.”
“Are you a doctor?” Her brow creased.
“Hmm?” He needed to step back. Let go of her hand. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Are. You. A. Doctor?” She over enunciated the words as if he was the one off his head instead of her.
His lips quirked. Even drunk, she was adorable. “No. But I’ve seen plenty of concussions.”
She placed her free hand on his bicep and squeezed before running her hand over his chest. Declan’s stomach clenched.
“You’re huge and hot. Are you a fighter?”
“Rugby.” He grunted, willing his body to not react.
She doesn’t know what she’s doing, asshole.
“Hmmm.” Slowly, she removed her hand.
Declan let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s get you home.”
She pouted, and the hand was back on his chest. “You could come.”
Declan’s eyes squeezed shut, her words sending his cock a message he knew she wouldn’t mean sober. The invitation in her eyes was crystal clear, and any other time, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her home and lose himself in her body for the rest of the night, but the universe clearly hated him.
He’d done a lot of bad things, but taking advantage of an inebriated woman wasn’t one of them.