Page 50 of See You Maybe

Rose’s lids were heavy, and her tongue slicked across her lower lip before a wicked smile covered her face. “Then you’ll just have to come somewhere else.”

Fuck. Did she really just say that?

With a groan, Declan gave in to primal instinct, one hand thrust in her hair to prevent her from hurting herself when she threw her head back against the rough wall as his hips pistoned into her.

The muscles around his spine contracted as he drove into her, his mouth covering her cries as he found the rhythm that drove her wild.

“Perfect,” he grit his teeth, clinging to his control. “You feel so fucking perfect.”

A sharp cry tore from her throat, and Declan kept moving as she rode the waves of her pleasure.

Her eyes glazed, Rose unhooked her ankles and lowered her feet to the ground. Not breaking eye contact, she sank to her knees in front of him, and Declan barely had time to whisper her name like a plea before her mouth was on him.

“Jesus,” Declan hissed out a harsh breath, and fisted one hand in her hair as the other gripped at the stone wall in front of him for stability, while her lips and tongue drove him out of his mind. His breath came in short pants, and he forgot where he was. Who he was. His face tipped to the sky as his release ripped through him.

When his brain re-engaged, Declan bent, holding her leggings so that she could step into them, and slowly drew them up her legs. He held her face in his hands, his tone reverent. “You are everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

Rose blushed, but her features were soft.

“I’m serious.” Declan stared into her eyes, wishing he knew how to put into words what she meant to him. “I love you.” He hadn’t meant to say it like that–a bald statement while they were both still breathing hard.

Rose took his hand in hers with trembling fingers. “I love you, Declan.”

Declan lowered himself until he was sitting with his back against the wall, and he tugged her down until she straddled him, their chests pressed together, feeling her heart beat against him. She lay her cheek on the top of his shoulder and sighed. “I really, really love you.”

His ribs crushed around his heart as he stared at the ruined walls rising above them. All Declan could do was wrap his arms around her and hold her close, their heartbeats slowing to the same pace.

“I really, really love you too.”

“It’s dumb to be so sad, isn’t it?” Rose sniffed. She’s crying. The pain in his chest was so sharp Declan thought for sure it had cracked wide open.

“Then I’m dumb too,” he said, burying his nose in her hair, ignoring the stinging in his eyes.

Rose hummed against his chest. “We need to enjoy the time we have. Right?”

Declan swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Right.” He held her closer. “And we loved with a love that was more than love, I and my Annabel Lee.”

Rose was quiet for a moment. “Morbid. Isn’t he talking about his dead girlfriend in that poem?” she asked dryly. “Why is it always the women who have to die? Bambi’s mom, Dumbo’s mom, and now you're quoting Edgar Allen Poe?”

He smiled, hearing the humor in her voice. “You might need to study some more, Petal. Dumbo’s mom doesn’t die.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

New York- Present Day

“I see what you're doing,” a shrill voice accused, when the door to the bathroom where Olivia had taken refuge from Chris’s flirting was pushed open.

Fantastic. So much for hiding.

Courtney stalked toward her, the woman’s nails suddenly biting into the tender skin of Olivia’s upper arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Olivia yanked her arm back, causing the glass in her hand to slosh dangerously. Worried about spilling it on her dress, she set it on the counter and took a step back.

Courtney Bloom’s pupils, far too dilated to be natural, glittered with malice. “I’ve watched you all night. Flirting with all the men. Laughing at all their jokes… making everyone look at you. You think just because they want your company, they're interested in a nobody like you?” The woman sneered. “They're not. He would never be interested in someone like you.” Tears welled in the woman’s eyes.

“I’m not flirting with anyone. I’m here for business only.” Olivia kept her voice even, slightly concerned by the woman’s unpredictable behavior. I’m not the one you should be upset with, your fiancée is, Olivia wanted to say. When Chris had taken the vacant seat next to her, Olivia hadn’t expected him to take such a flirtatious tone. But Chris was slick. There was nothing in his words she could object to, but his tone and the way his eyes kept dipping to her cleavage made his intention clear. But was he seriously interested in her or was it part of his negotiation tactic. Did he think she was so inexperienced his attention would make her vote for his company’s bid?

“Liar! The only reason you’re here is because you’re hoping to fuck Chris. I know it! And don’t think I haven’t seen the looks you’ve been sending Declan. Are you hoping to spread your legs for him, too?” Courtney was shouting at the end.