Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
DECLAN
I stand in Bridget's doorway, my hands on my hips, and she’s already shaking her head before I say a word.
“Don’t.” She turns away from me, her arms folded. “Don’t come in here as if everything’s fine, Declan. I’ve been throwing up all morning, and I’m feeling grumpy.”
“I never said everything was fine.”
She sighs. “You know I don’t like being late.” This is about a lot more than morning sickness, and I know it.
She starts to leave, and I stand in front of her. “I am going with you to that doctor whether you want me to or not.”
“I know. I know you want to, Declan,” she begins, and I put up a hand to stop her.
“This is my baby too, and you can't just tell me I can't go because you think it's going to cause trouble.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
I prowl over to her and push her up against the counter, caging her in. “Not fine, whatever.” I bend down and kiss her lips. My hand finds the curve of her arse, where I give her a nice, tight squeeze. She squeals. She's more sensitive these days.
“I have questions for that doctor,” I say in her ear.
“I know. It’s just—”
“I know too,” I tell her. “I know what it is you want: for this to be right. You don't want to cause any more problems with the McCarthys. I get it.”
“Do you? Really?”
She pulls away, both of her hands on my shoulders, staring into my eyes.
Hers are pained. “Because my family was the one that betrayed them, Declan.
My family is the one exiled, right? I'm the one who’s bringing this baby to term.
No matter how much claim you have on this baby, you're not giving up your own body for a new life growing inside you.”
She swallows hard. “You have the backing of an entire army of McCarthy soldiers willing to take a bullet for you.” She shakes her head. “I don’t.”
I frame her face in my hands and kiss her again until she goes softer and melts against me.
“You have me. I’ve been protecting you from the conversation I need to have with Seamus because I don’t want you to have to deal with the aftermath.
” I sigh. “We may not have everything right, but we have this.” I hold her tight.
“I love you. I know you can’t say it back, and I understand why, but I love you, and I love our baby.
And I'm going to do anything to protect you because you're mine.” I span both of my hands across her abdomen. “Both of you.”
“Oh, Declan.” She sighs, so fucking cute. “Fine, then. You can come with me to the doctor, but you better behave yourself.”
I spin her around and lean her over the counter. She squeals before I slap my hand against her arse. “Who do you think you're talking to? Come on, Trouble.”
“I'm talking to the man who’s going to go into that office and absolutely embarrass the shite out of me!” she says with a smile.
I can't help it. I pull up the pleated little skirt she's wearing, because of course she's wearing the most adorable pleated skirt, a little crop top, and trainers. I tuck her skirt in around her waistband. “Do you want to say that again?”
“Say what?” she says. “Declan, we don't have time for this. We have to—”
But her voice breaks off when my hand slaps against her arse.
“You want to say that again, woman?”
Then I'm spreading her thighs with the flat of my hand, and she's moaning. “I don't like to be late for things.”
“And I don't like your sass,” I whisper in her ear.
“Should you be doing this?” she whispers.
“Doing what? Making my girl want me?”
Then I slide my fingers through her wet heat and find her clit. I start to circle it until she giggles. “Declan.”
“Are you going to behave yourself?” I ask her.
“Of course I am.”
“How do I know that? And how do I know that you're telling me the truth?”
I stroke her the way she likes and thumb her nipple under her top.
“Declan,” she says again.
“You're not going to give me lip. You're going to let me take care of you. You're going to stop fuckin’ pushing me away.”
She swallows hard, panting.
Before I take my hand away and step back, I spank her arse again. “Remember this. If you behave yourself, we'll have to revisit this when we get back, won't we?”
She sighs. “Fine. How much time do we have?”
“We have to be there in twenty minutes. It's a ten-minute car ride. Plenty of time for you to come on my tongue before we go.”
“Declan—”
I lift her onto the counter, and her hand is in my hair, like I’m the only thing she’s holding onto. I press my mouth to her inner thigh and feel her breath catch. She smells so fucking good, I’m hard as steel.
Her thighs are spread over my shoulders, her bare pussy spread wide, glistening in the overhead light. There’s nowhere either of us is going. I take my time. I drag my tongue slow and flat, feeling her hips jerk toward me, her fingers tightening in my hair.
I curl my fingers inside her until her head falls back and she’s moaning.
“Please, Declan…”
“Please what?” I say against her, my voice muffled between her thighs.
She makes a frustrated sound, and I smile.
I find the sweet spot that makes her thighs press against my head and stay there, slow and deliberate, until her heels dig into my back and her whole body arches off the counter.
I work her through every second of it until she goes soft and shivery and her grip loosens.
“Can’t feel my legs,” she says, her cheeks flushed.
“Good.” I press a kiss to her inner thigh and rest my forehead there for a moment. My eyes are closed, just breathing.
Her hand moves more gently in my hair now.
“There.” I drag the back of my hand across my mouth. “That ought to shut you up and keep you behaving.”
But she's laughing and flushed, and I like her like this. “Let's go.” I open the door, and she walks ahead of me.
We can’t take risks, not when all somebody has to do is take a picture of us and publicize it online. Her family will cut my fucking head off, my deal with Seamus will be in shambles, and I’ll start a war I can’t win.
She is parked in the dark alley behind her flat, and her guards dutifully look away when we walk past them. I know it's only a matter of time before somebody tells somebody. Before Erin talks to Cav.
Before the house of cards collapses.
I owe her the conversation with Seamus.
I just don’t know yet what that’s going to cost her.