Page 57 of His Weekend Wife

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ash met his pensive gaze and the muscles low in her stomach clenched. Although talking to him about her sister wasn’t easy, she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. His eyes were kind and he showed no signs of anger, at least not toward her. “I offered to give her my grandmother’s earrings, but she didn’t take them.”

He sighed and scrubbed his jaw. “Let me help.”

“You already did.”

He grinned. “You’re my family, Ash, and the Knights watch each other’s backs. We stick together. I’ll see what I can do for Abby, and about this Phillipe. It’s not for you to worry about anymore.”

She blinked. “You would do that?”

“Do you think I’m an ogre?”

Shaking her head, she picked at a thread on the hem of her shorts. “No, not at all.”

“Thanks.” His grin deepened. “Now, let me take care of that problem, and you and I, well, let’s not ponder our family’s issues, at least not tonight. I want us to take this time to enjoy ourselves.”

“I certainly want to try. It is so beautiful here.” She relaxed some.

His gaze skimmed along her bare legs, feet, arms, chest and back to her eyes. “Very.” He dropped to his knees, grabbed both of her ankles and spread her legs. She squealed as he crawled between her thighs, his face so close that their noses touched. “You’re so damn beautiful, sweetheart, that I can’t see the views of anything but you.”

She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wanted to speak, but forming words was impossible when his warmth and his scent intoxicated her.

“Thank you for telling me about Abby. I want your trust. I want all of your secrets,” he whispered.

“I don’t have any secrets, at least not now.”

“Oh, but darling, you do. We all have secrets.”

“Then by all means, open up Declan and tell me a few of yours.” She smiled, rolling her finger along his smooth jawline.

He slipped his finger down her cheek. “I work too much.”

“That’s not a secret. That’s a fact.”

“Okay then. A biggie. Angelina had left me a letter to receive after she passed and I finally worked up enough nerve to read it.” His eyes softened.

“What did it say, or maybe you wish to keep it private.”

He grinned. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have told you in the first place.”

“True.”

“It was an apology.” He pulled back but stayed between her legs.

“An apology? For what?”

He shrugged. “I have no clue. I wondered if maybe you did?” He kissed one corner of her mouth, then the other.

Ash gave her head a quick shake. “I don’t have a clue. Tell me more.”

“That she meddled once again. Now Angelina was the one with lots of secrets.”

She nodded. “She wanted everyone to be happy.”

“And she loved to intrude upon my love life. I just find it odd how things are falling together, like puzzle pieces.” He shook his head. “But enough of this line of conversation.” He stood, held out his hand for her.

Without hesitation, she laid her palm into his and they entwined fingers as he pulled her up to stand. Together they walked into the house and he led her down the narrow hall into the bedroom. It was a large room with country style decorations of blue and white. Long white curtains billowed in the open French doors. The king-sized bed was the focal point. It was massive with a pale blue comforter and a large, massive wooden headboard with hand painted birds sitting on a tree branch.

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