44. Declan
“Guys, it’s starting!” Linc hollers.
I pause my workout, stepping back from the bag. Shane’s footfalls sound overhead, followed by Lincoln’s thundering stomps. My brow furrows as I pull off my gloves, breathing hard.
Shane came home late from a meeting at Athena the day before with the news Lex would be on TV again. Apparently, she had an interview with a local morning show about startups in the Bay. Linc had eagerly put a hold on our personal and company calendars, blocking the time so we could all watch together.
“Declan!” Shane roars.
Sighing, I swing a towel over my shoulder before jogging up the stairs in nothing more than my black athletic shorts. When I reach the living room, Shane aggressively gestures to the gap on the sofa between them before turning his attention back to the screen.
“I won’t fit,” I grouse, crossing my arms. “And I’m sweaty, I’ll–”
“Shut the fuck up and sit down,” Linc barks.
I blink while he just grins at the TV. Asshole. Grumbling, I squeeze myself between them.
“How do neither of you understand the concept of personal space?” I complain, shoulders hunched.
Shane pats my knee. “Get used to it.”
My brows rise. “What makes you think I’m going to get used to it if I haven’t–”
“Shhhhhh,” Linc interrupts, holding his hand over my mouth. “There she is!”
Breathing is suddenly difficult. I tear Linc’s hand away as Lex smiles graciously at the morning show host, her jaw-length dark auburn hair styled in soft waves. She’s wearing a burgundy pantsuit over a silky black camisole, her light green eyes popping against the rich colors. I want to reach through the television and press myself against her, inhale her very essence.
“How’s your no-contact strategy working out for you right now?” Linc asks good-naturedly as he shoves his shoulder into mine.
“Fuck off,” I mutter, eyes glued on the woman of my dreams.
I’ve been a coward, just as she accused me of those weeks ago, more comfortable wallowing in my own self-loathing than trying to fix things. Seeing her again, so close and yet so far, makes me think I’ve been a fool to wait.
“We’re so glad to have you join us for our Bay’s Brightest Startups segment, Lex!” The brunette host smiles brightly at her guest before turning to the camera. “Lex Livingston is the founder and CEO of the Bay’s most successful venture capital firm, Athena Ventures. She’s also on the board for Brightest in the Bay, and will host the upcoming annual award night. Welcome!”
“Thank you, Amanda. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Her voice is an arrow to my heart. I practically vibrate with tension, my fingers digging into my knees. Avoiding her for the last three weeks was torture.
Lex talks about a high-tech startup making headlines for their compression algorithm, discussing the potential impact for the entertainment industry. I’m barely listening to the words as I bask in her voice and drink up the simple sight of her. I’m in fucking trouble.
“Let’s talk about green tech,” the host gushes. “You were in Paris a few weeks ago, weren’t you?”
“I was,” Lex nods. “The Green Innovation Summit is an incredible annual event gathering the most promising innovators in the sustainability space. It was an honor to attend.”
“You were there to help Solum Technologies launch their first product?”
“More to cheer them on,” Lex demurs. “You should’ve seen the crowd during their presentation–they were hanging on every word. And after? The team at Solum has been busy.”
“What’s the secret to their success?”
Lex’s lips tip into a smile as she glances down. Linc reaches across my shoulders to grip Shane, shaking him lightly.
“I know,” Shane chuckles. “I see it.”
I glance between them. “See what?”
“That look.” Linc gestures at the television.
“What look?”
“Shut up and listen, asshole,” Shane urges.
I fall silent as Lex chuckles.
“There’s no secret formula to success in the startup world. If there was one, though, the three men behind Solum Technologies would have cracked it.”
My eyebrows climb. It’s high praise, particularly from someone who has personally coached some of the highest-valued startups in the country.
“Between them, they’re well-equipped to bridge their strategic, impactful ideas with the practical skills required to bring them to life. Shane Kelly and Lincoln Wilde are an impressive engineering team; Terra, the product they created, is the first of its kind. I suspect we’ll see a lot more from them, faster than you might expect.”
“You’ve been known to remind us that a business is more than its tech. How does that factor in here?”
Lex inclines her head. “I appreciate the question. Many successful startups flourish with innovative tech and strong direction, whether it comes from their internal leadership, a board, or investors. The ones with the highest potential, however, have leaders who possess something…intangible. A passion, a drive to motivate their team and achieve something great, paired with the business acumen to turn their vision into reality.”
She smiles again, the same as before, and Linc smacks my shoulder.
“Solum is lucky to have one such leader in Declan Wilde. He’s an innovator, an incredible businessman, and as fiercely passionate about the company’s potential global impact as he is their product.”
My chest tightens. I’m not sure I’m breathing. She’s talking about me. Me. The asshole who turned keeping her at arm’s length into a goddamn Olympic sport.
“I’m confident we”ve only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Declan is capable of,” she continues. “Solum is a company to watch, to be sure, but if you’re smart, you’ll keep a close eye on Declan Wilde.”
Linc slaps my chest, gripping my shoulders and rocking me back and forth. “Did you hear that, you asshole?! Did that get through your thick skull?!”
He grins as he releases me, reaching up to high-five Shane over my head.
“I don’t….what just happened?”
I glance to the screen, where Lex is answering a new question, the conversation moving into another sector. Her expression is friendly and professional, but the warmth that had suffused her while she talked about Solum–talked about me–is gone.
“Were you listening?” Shane asks.
Turning to him, I scoff. “Of course I was.”
“You heard her, but did you listen?” he presses.
Frowning, I think back to what she said. “I can’t believe…after everything…”
“Yeah, asshole,” Linc goads me, punching my shoulder.
“Would you stop hitting me?” I bark, slapping his hands away. Surging to my feet, I start pacing in front of the television.
“Why do you look so pissed?” Linc asks, turning to Shane. “He’s seriously mad right now?”
“He’s guilty.”
If he sounded smug, I would completely lose my temper. He knows it, too, and his voice is flat, matter-of-fact.
“Ohhh.” Linc slumps back into the couch. “Sure, yeah. That tracks.”
“Did you tell her to do this?”
Shane snorts. “Right, because that would work with Lex.”
“She listens to you.” I protest.
“Oh, come off it, Dec.” Linc rolls his eyes. “No one told her what to say.”
Stopping in the middle of the room, I plant my hands on my hips. “What was the look you two kept making eyes at each other over?”
They lock gazes, Linc grinning as Shane blows out a breath.
“It’s her Declan smile,” Shane says.
My whole body stills. “Her what?”
“The smile she gets when she talks about you,” Linc explains.
“What do you–”
“When we were in meetings with her and the team, and she’d talk about you, or when she was introducing us to people in Paris. It’s this warm, proud, kind of sultry look she gets when her focus is on you.”
I gape at my brother. “She doesn’t have a Declan smile.”
“She does,” Shane cuts in. “You were always too busy scowling at the table, or your laptop, or one of us to notice.”
“I wasn’t scowling at the Summit!”
“You were also meeting people and shaking hands, bro. You weren’t watching Lex introduce you to people like we were.”
“You’re telling me she’s been looking at me in a specific way for weeks?”
“Try months,” Shane cuts in.
I lower myself to the ottoman, jaw slack.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, dropping my head into my hands. “Oh god, what have I done?”
Linc launches forward, arms spread wide. “Fucking finally!”
I can only gape at him. Shane’s look is knowing as he leans his elbows on his knees, hands clasped.
“How do I fix this?”
“You ready to keep listening?” he retorts, lips quirking.
“Yeah,” I rasp. “Yeah, I’m ready. I can’t believe…that was real, right? She just said all that shit about me on public television.”
“Yeah, Dec.” Linc grins. “You going to tell her you don’t deserve her after that?”
Nodding slowly, I start to plan. “Actually, yeah, Linc. I just might.”
My brother jabs his fist in the air. Shane chuckles, shaking his head.
“You better grovel, brother,” my best friend warns.
“Oh, I will,” I answer absently, mind whirring.
If Lex is willing to lay it all on the line, who am I to deny her? As though he can hear my internal dialogue, Shane smirks.
“It’s time to stop fighting the inevitable, Wilde. Go get our fucking queen.”