Chapter 46 Declan
Declan
"Are you hungry, princess?" I almost didn't recognize myself.
I'd never spoken to a woman this way, apart from my sisters.
Mostly, the women I spent time with irritated me when they made it clear they wanted more than a fuck.
I'd long since stopped showing my bed partners any affection in case they got the impression I was in it for the long haul. We fucked, and they left. Or I did.
Verity lay wrapped in my arms, sated and perfect. My plan hadn't changed, but the timeline had. While she'd be safer in the US, I wasn't ready to let her go.
Not yet.
I needed a few more hours to satisfy whatever this obsession was. Perhaps that would be enough and then I could walk away, leaving her to get on with her life.
She stirred in my arms, grumbling softly, lips pouty and swollen.
My balls ached at the feel of her soft breasts pressed against me, but I pushed my own needs aside.
Verity needed to know this wasn't about me.
The men in her past - soon to be dead men - had used and abused her. Taken advantage of her sweet nature.
"No." Dammit. She barely ate enough to sustain a hamster last night.
"Princess, you need to eat something," I cajoled, doing my best to keep my tone soft and non-threatening. Having frightened the shit out of her once already, I was keen not to provoke another meltdown.
Which reminded me, someone needed to tell Thea her sister would benefit from PTSD counseling. Verity had never talked about the shit she'd experienced while away from our protection, but something had obviously happened.
Maybe Saoirse could shed light on it, although I strongly suspected the asshole who'd been messaging her was involved. He was now on my to-do list.
She nestled deeper into my shoulder like a kitten seeking comfort.
"I'm not hungry," she repeated stubbornly.
"Well, I'm hungry, so I'm going to order food."
I dropped a kiss onto her forehead and eased out of bed.
After sending a quick message to Ash ordering him to let the pilot know we wouldn't be flying until this late afternoon, I ordered a selection of pastries, eggs, bacon, fruit, and fresh coffee.
I knew, like her sister, she had a sweet tooth, so breakfast pastries might tempt her.
The clothes she'd borrowed from me still lay on the living room floor. They'd have to do for the flight since she had nothing else here. The hotel had a small boutique in the lobby, but it mainly stocked swimwear. Hardly appropriate for a flight.
I really ought to have picked up some decent clothes for her, although I didn't dislike seeing her in my clothes. Knowing she smelled of me appealed to my baser instincts. The primal need to assert ownership over my woman, so other men knew not to touch her.
When I caught myself smiling like a territorial asshole, I quickly tempered my thoughts. What the fuck was wrong with me? I'd lost the plot somewhere between Ireland and Sicily. Maybe Verity wasn't the only one who needed counseling.
My phone lit up with Conal's name on the screen.
"Where the fuck are you?" I hissed in a low voice.
"Naples."
I fought to contain my temper. Did nobody listen to me these days? First Verity, and now my idiot brothers. Jesus fucking Christ. It wouldn't surprise me if Saoirse decided to join the fucking party.
"We're leaving for the airport and flying to the US soon. So you've wasted your time." It was a lie. He had time to fly here now the airport had reopened, but the last thing I needed was my idiot brothers messing with Verity's head. She was too fragile right now.
"I figured." He sounded pissed off. "Is she alright?"
"Yes, fine." She wasn't, but Conal didn't need to know that. I’d prefer it if he forgot about her. "Seeing as how you disobeyed my direct orders, you can divert your energy into finding that fucker who's been messaging her." It would save me the trouble of hunting him down.
He ignored me.
"I want to see her. Delay the flight to give us time to reach you." There was a ruckus in the background, then Ronan spoke.
"Don't you fucking take her away from me, you bastard!" he raged. "I need to talk to her!"
"I can't delay the flight again or we'll be stuck here another day." Another lie.
He cursed me to hell and back. Before I could threaten him with violence, I felt her touch my arm.
"Is that Ronan?"
For fuck's sake. I turned around to find her wrapped in the bedsheet, her hair mussed from sleep and sex, and a frown on her sweet face. She blushed when she looked at me but held her ground.
I rolled my shoulders, resigned to what was coming. "Yes."
"Pixie! Let me explain!" Honestly, I should have hit mute on the fucker. She huffed at the sound of his muffled voice and put her hand out, gesturing at me to pass her the phone.
"I want to talk to him."
I made one last attempt to avoid the inevitable. "Princess, we don't have time!"
"Declan Kelly! Let me talk to him right this minute!" My mouth fell open in surprise at her rebuke, but I couldn't stop a proud smile from tilting my lips upward at her unexpected display of backbone. My kitten had claws.
"Yes, princess." She rolled her eyes and then turned away.