Page 45 of Trouble

“Oh yeah? Mel causing more trouble?” Cade teases.

Declan cocks a brow and holds my gaze. “So much fucking trouble.” It’s said with such heat, such grit, that my thighs clench of their own accord.

The jarring sound signaling a FaceTime request startles us both. I jump, and Declan grunts. His signature scowl returns as he eyes the device. Like he can’t decide whether he wants to tap Accept. Despite how badly I want him to do this, to have control over this himself, I’m happy to give him a little push. I slide the bar, accepting the request, and then Cade’s smile fills the screen.

I peer down at him, my face appearing upside down in the small window in the bottom left corner, my forehead kissing Declan’s. Declan himself is still wearing a menacing look of surprise.

I give myself a second to appreciate the three of us on the screen. How good we look together. Cade’s blond hair, bright blue eyes, and big smile. My dark hair, vibrant green eyes, and playful expression. Declan’s dark gruffness. The beautiful sight makes butterflies flutter in my belly.

Cade coughs out a laugh. “Not gonna lie. With the way Dec was talking, I thought you’d be naked right now.”

Declan grinds down on his molars. “And yet you’re smiling.”

I catch my lip between my teeth, but there’s no fighting my massive grin.

Cade’s eyes dance. He’s just as entertained by Declan’s surliness as I am. “A guy can dream, right?”

When Declan is quiet for a long moment, the humor dissipates, and tension thickens the air. His expression has turned more apprehensive than anything. Like he’s been left tongue-tied by Cade’s easy admission. This isn’t hard for Cade. Though likely not because of the long-termimplications that have run through my mind, but because sex isn’t a big deal for him.

In contrast, it clearly is for Declan. And after his confession earlier, I understand why.

Compassion has me gently taking the phone from Declan and settling in his lap. As if his hands know what his mind hasn’t quite figured out, one grips my thigh and holds me in place.

“Look what Declan just showed me.” I pick the rope up off the desk and hold it in front of me.

Cade’s pupils blow wide, making my stomach swoop. Good. He’s already caught on to where I’m trying to go with this.

Quickly, though, he affects an impassive expression and eyes his friend. “And what do you do with that rope, Dec?”

From where I’m sitting, I have to study Declan’s image on the phone screen for clues, though the way his body goes rigid beneath mine is much more telling. “I tie knots.”

Cade’s lip twitches. “Feel like expounding on that?”

“No.”

Though a laugh escapes me, Cade keeps his cool and only offers Declan a shrug. “Okay.”

Annoyance flashes through me. It’s like pulling teeth. “Not okay,” I say, spinning so I’m facing Declan.

When he gives me his full attention, our mouths are mere inches from one another, and the inclination to lean in and kiss him hits me like a wrecking ball.

His eyes drop to my lips, signaling that he’s thinking the same thing.

We suck in a breath at the same moment, as if the realization has hit synchronously, and not just for the two of us, but Cade too. I turn to face him, hoping to find that he’s just as turned on by this as I am. The blatant longing in his eyes confirms it, so with a relieved sigh, I turn back to Declan.

“Tell him what you want to do to me.”

As the words hang between us, Declan pokes the tip of his tongue out and rolls it against his bottom lip. Back and forth, back and forth. Then, with a thick swallow, he turns his attention to Cade. “I’d like to tie her up.”

Cade’s eyes flare, and instantly, Declan backtracks.

“For therapy purposes,” he sputters. “To help her.”

I can’t help but drop my head back and roll my eyes. That is so not why he wants to, but if he needs to tell himself it is, then I suppose I’ll let that slide.This time.

“You going to do it right there at the station?” Cade asks, ignoring Declan’s justification altogether.

The man holding me close scowls. “No. I need to shower, and I’d never—” His mouth forms a thin line as he chooses his words. “Melina deserves privacy.”

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