Page 147 of Always Be an Us

But the nightmare feels too real.Declan's body is definitely solid asheholds me, murmuring comforting words, and running one hand through my hair. If he's real that means this is real too.

And Rick or Poppy may be behind this.

God, how horrible.

Eventually, the pounding in my ears subsides and I finally breathe steadily again. I relax into Declan's embrace, savoring the soothing hand on my back, the steady beat of his heart. I cling to him for comfort.

I missed him so much, and despite feeling like my world is falling apart, I'm happy that Declan is here with me, at least for now.

"Like you said, I could be wrong," Declan continues in a low tone. "This could all just be one big misunderstanding. But there’s only one way to know for sure."

"How?" I murmur.

"We need to talk to Nate Huntley." He pulls back slightly, his hand cupping my cheek as he stares into my eyes. "You don’t have to be there if you don’t want to, but Nate would be the best person to clear it up. Of course, if you'd rather take a break from all this–"

"No. I’m a grown woman and this concerns me too. I'm not running away from this. I'll go with you."

Declan grins down at me and then gently brushes his lips over mine. I know it's not supposed to be a real kiss. It feels comforting, almost like something a mother would do to soothe a child.

Of course, that is until I nip his lower lip and suck it into mine.

Declan's entire body freezes, but I don't. I stand on my tippy toes and meld our lips together, kissing him for all I'm worth. I bury my hands in his hair tasting his hesitation, the storm inside me taking on a new form.

"Emma." He groans and waves of lust hit me as he grips the back of my neck, his kiss dialing up the passion. He devours me, his tongue tangling with mine, licking and lashing at mine. I gasp into his mouth and grip his shirt to steady myself against the rush of desire rendering my knees shaky.

"Fuck." Declan whispers against my lips, his other hand drifting down to grip my butt and push me into the cradle of his hips. His erection stands hot and heavy against my belly, and my mind instantly goes blank.

All I can think about now is dropping to my knees and taking him in my mouth.

Suddenly, a gust of air hits my heated skin and I'm falling back against the wall. I open my eyes to find Declan at the opposite wall, his eyes swimming with dark animalistic hunger.

"Shit," he rasps, swallowing violent breaths. "Sorry. This isn't the time for this, but I couldn't help myself."

I nod. "I understand. Neither could I."

He attempts a smile. "We need to talk about this...about us. But not right now. When everything is over."

I nod, even though my brain is still slow to make sense of what he said.There is no us,I should have responded, but it's impossible to deny what just happened.

With the way I feel about him, there will probably always be an us.

The thought plagues me as we leave my grandfather. We give him strict instructions to stay indoors and lock everything. Then we drive to the police station.

On the way there, Declan makes two phone calls. The first is to someone called Frederick who I deduce from the nature of the conversation is the PI he hired. Declan gives him a rundown of everything he just told me while the other man listens silently on the other end of the line.

"I think I'm close to figuring out who's behind this," Declan says. "So I'll need you to work quickly and give me everything you have about Poppy Moon, Rick Jovin, and Xavier..." He glances at me.

"Hill," I fill in. "Xavier Hill."

"I already have information on the first two," Frederick responds. "I've been collecting info on everyone in town since I got here and thought those two might be people of interest. Although you beat me to the punch on that one."

"Good. We're almost at the police station, so just email me the report. I'll read it later."

"Alright."

After he hangs up, the next call is to Cross.

"Did you find Xavier?"

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