Page 36 of In this Moment

Declan nodded. “Right.” He shifted so he could look at her better. “Well, I think you’re beautiful and smart and sexy.” She felt a special thrill at his words, particularly the last one. “But I also think you’re a very special woman.”

That didn’t make any sense. Those were all reasons he should have asked herout.

He must have seen the confusion in hereyes.

“And that’s why I didn’t ask you out,” he said. “Because you deserve a relationship. A partner. A…” He picked up her left hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “You deserve this. Forreal.”

“And…”

“And I couldn’t give you that. I didn’t want to ask you out knowing I could never give you what you needed.”

Because he works so hard. Because he travels. Because he’s so busy saving the world. Evie could come up with a million reasons to explain why Declan had kept his distance. Because the truth was, even though she’d asked the question, she didn’t want to know the answer.

It was enough to be with him like this, sharing this time, even if it wasn’t real. It was enough.

It had tobe.

“I’m glad you’re giving me what I need now.” The words came out with way more sexual innuendo than she intended, but Evie surprised herself by not caring or being embarrassed atall.

“And what is it that you need, Evie?” Desire shone in his eyes by the glow of the firelight, and in that moment Evie knew without a doubt exactly what she needed.

She reached up around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair so she could pull his face down to hers. It was her turn to kiss him, and when her lips pressed on to his, and the desire sparked through her body like a firecracker, she didn’t holdback.

Damn.

Just. Damn.

Declan knew he was screwed. When her lips touched his, initiated entirely by her, he knew he was in trouble. Because Evie Rose could kiss. Damn, could the woman ever kiss. But it was more than that, too.

There was something behind her touch, behind her kiss that Declan felt deep in his bones.

And that was why he was screwed.

This woman made him feel. He’d known it from the moment he’d met her. Evie Rose was different. She was special. And he’d meant what he’d said: Evie deserved everything. What she didn’t deserve was a man who would kiss her like he meant it, only to take her to bed and in the morning not be able to give her exactly what she needed.

But dammit if that wasn’t exactly what he was going todo.

His hands slipped around her so he could pull her over and onto his lap and kiss her properly. She straddled him, sitting in his lap so that every bit of her pressed against him. His cock hardened at her closeness, throbbing with his need forher.

“Evie.” He tried to stop himself. He couldn’t cross the line. Not with Evie. No matter how much he wanted to. Needed to. “We can’t…we shouldn’t—”

“We should.” She kissed him again. Harder this time as she pressed her body to his. “I don’t want to hear your reasons or excuses or whatever they are, Declan. I’m a big girl and I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.” She kissed him again, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He groaned and his dick throbbed. “Tell me you want to stop,” she said when she pulled back. “Tell me again how we shouldn’t dothis.”

He couldn’t and she knewit.

With a noise somewhere between a growl and a moan, he wrapped his arms around her and flipped her over. He held himself above her with his arms and took a minute to admire her beauty. She was gorgeous—with her lips moist and parted in need, the want reflected in her eyes, her hair spread out around her head. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d wanted her just likethis.

He traced his finger down her neck until it disappeared into the cleavage of her shirt. He deftly popped one button, and then another, until her breasts, creamy and white, laid out exposed to him. He groaned his appreciation and traced his finger around the top of her bra, slipping it under and around the edge of thelace.

“Evie?” He forced himself to look up into her eyes one more time. “Once I start, I don’t think I’ll be able tostop.”

She blinked hard. “Good.”

That was all he needed. He was done looking for reasons why it couldn’t happen. He was done trying to stop something neither of them wanted to stop and for the life of him, at that moment, with the most gorgeous, sexy woman beneath him, looking up into his eyes with all the need and want written there that he was most certainly reflecting back to her, he couldn’t think of one goddamned reason why it shouldn’t.

He lowered himself to her and kissed first the top of one creamy, perfect breast, and then the next. He slipped his fingers under the lace and found her nipple, hard and sensitive. He squeezed, eliciting a sexy groan as she arched her back with pleasure, while his tongue lavished attention on the other one, sucking and biting. Soon, Evie writhed in pleasure beneath him, wantingmore.

And he’d be happy to give her plentymore.

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