Page 9 of Declan

“Cold pizza is my favorite,” she says, her voice quieter than usual but warmer now, like the storm inside her has eased just a little.

“I know,” I whisper, walking ahead of her and pulling open the drawer to grab an old T-shirt. It’s worn and soft, one of my favorites, but I hand it to her without hesitation. “I probably have a pair of basketball shorts that are too small. You can roll the waistband or whatever to make them fit. I’ll find them while you shower.”

She nods, her fingers brushing mine as she takes the shirt. That tiny touch still manages to send a jolt through me. She doesn’t say anything else, just turns and heads toward the bathroom. The door clicks shut behind her, and a few seconds later, the water starts running.

The moment it does, I sink down on the edge of my bed and drop my face into my hands.

Fuck.

The weight of it all presses down on me like a goddamn cinder block. The guilt is suffocating. Jason Woods put his hands on her, bruised her, terrified her because of me. Because I wasn’t paying attention. Because I didn’t see it coming.

Watching him get his ass handed to him in the ring will help, a little. But it will only be temporary. Brutality doesn’t cancel out regret. It doesn’t unmake a bruise.

And now I’ve got Lena here, safe, for the moment, but keeping her here means keeping secrets. Dangerous ones. If Wesley finds out, when Wesley finds out.

Shit.

Keeping secrets is hard. But I’ve been doing it my whole life. You just have to know how to bury them deep enough that no one goes digging. And I will. I’ll bury this one if it means protecting her.

I just need to keep her here until this blows over. That’s all. Once I know she’s okay, really okay, I’ll let her go back to her place. But until then, I need her where I can see her. Where I can keep her safe.

Because she’s bruised because of me.

And nothing else is happening to her on my watch.

I blow out a breath and push to my feet, crossing the room to dig through the back of my closet. I pull out an old pair of gymshorts, the drawstring frayed but still usable. They might be her best bet.

She’s so small. Always has been.

I’m six foot, solid muscle, and she’s this tiny five-foot-three firecracker. She walks into a room and doesn’t even try to take up space but somehow, she always does.

Slim frame, delicate waist, and that ass. Jesus. That perfectly round, heart-shaped ass that makes every pair of jeans look illegal. And her tits? The kind that tease just enough cleavage to make a man forget his own damn name.

I drag my hand down my face and shake my head, trying to scrub the thoughts away.

Get a grip, Declan.

Just because I notice how gorgeous she is, how she’s grown into this confident, sexy-as-hell woman, doesn’t mean anything.

I’m a guy. Guys notice these things. That’s all it is.

But as I pull the shorts from the closet and place them on the bed, I already know I’m lying to myself.

Because I don’t just notice her.

Iseeher.

And that might be the most dangerous secret of all.

Chapter 5

Lena

The hot water crashes over me, scalding and relentless, but I don’t flinch. I let it burn, hoping it’ll sear away the weight sitting on my chest. I stare at the water sliding over my skin, watching it swirl down the drain, disappearing like it was never there.

I wish guilt washed away that easily.

But it doesn’t.

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