Page 13 of Declan

Chapter 6

Declan

What the hell is happening?

I feel like I’m being pulled to Lena in a way that is equal parts unavoidable and off-limits. It’s suffocating and addictive at the same time. Like trying to hold my breath underwater, knowing I need air but refusing to break the surface.

As I search her eyes, looking for something, anything, to ground me. Some kind of answer to a question I haven’t even fully formed. But all I find is her, staring back at me with those soft, haunted eyes.

Then her phone rings, slicing through the thick tension pressing between us.

I snap my gaze to the clock. Shit. It’s been almost an hour since I texted Jason.

“Answer it if it’s him. Tell him you’re on your way,” I say, stepping back before I do something I’ll regret.

I’ve never been more grateful for an interruption in my life. There’s a line with Lena I can not and will not cross.

She hesitates for a second before picking up, her expression unreadable.

“Hello?”

I motion for her to put it on speaker, and she does.

Jason’s voice drifts through the phone, smug and grating. “Good girl, I see you finally learned to listen.”

A sharp bolt of rage ignites in my chest. My fists clench at my sides, my nails digging into my palms as I fight the urge to put my fucking fist through the nearest wall.

His hands marked her.

His voice is making her shrink in front of me.

And he thinks he’s won.

“I’m on my way,” she says quietly, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jason chuckles. “You answered my question before I even asked. You really have learned how to be a good girl.”

If he calls her that one more time, I swear to God, I’ll rip his fucking tongue out.

Lena glances at me, fear flickering in her eyes. And that’s when my anger shifts because yeah, she shouldn’t have been gambling in the first place, but she sure as fuck doesn’t deserve this.

“Tell him you’ll see him soon and hang up,” I whisper, reaching out and taking her hand.

Her fingers tremble slightly in mine. I squeeze, hoping it grounds her the way it’s grounding me.

She swallows hard. “Yeah, whatever. See you soon.”

The second she ends the call, she pulls her hand from mine and steps away. “Now what?” she asks, staring out the kitchen window, her arms still wrapped around herself like she’s trying to hold herself together.

I step behind her, close enough to feel the warmth of her body, but not touching. Not yet.

“Now, you lock the door behind me when I leave. Do not open it for anyone, do you understand?”

She nods, but it’s not enough.

“Lena, look at me.”

Slowly, she turns, biting her bottom lip as she lifts her gaze to mine. Jesus Christ. I force my focus to stay on her eyes because fuck, she looks so damn tempting standing there in my oversized shirt and shorts.

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