Page 16 of Stealing Forever

“Well, these days I don’t have much time for myself. If my focus isn’t on the team, it’s on Sailor.”

“What about before adult life took over?”

“I played a lot of ball.”

My nose scrunches at the clear-cut answer, and I quirk a brow, draping my arm over the back of Sailor’s chair. My face must reflect my thought of wantingmoreof an answer thanhe just gave me. I want more of his flirtatiousness, in fact I’m craving it now, and I want to get to knowhim.

Declan sighs, rubbing his trimmed beard as he fights a smile. “Fine. you want to know what I really enjoy but haven’t had the time lately to do?”

“Let me guess. Something criminal?” My voice is dry as I tease him.

“You caught me.” He laughs, and I swear I feel the vibration of it deep in my core. I catch myself leaning forward, my elbow pressing against the table.

“My idea of a fun Saturday afternoon used to be volunteering at the local animal shelter.”

For a brief moment I wonder if I heard him correctly. Immediately my mind conjures an image of Declan sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of a dog’s kennel at the shelter, with cats and dogs smothering him with love. Inside I’m giddy and swooning over this man, but I can’t make an ass out of myself in front of him again, so I force myself to remain cool as a cucumber. And on the exterior, I simply smile. “Do you like animals?”

The idiotic question rolls off my tongue before I can stop it. Clearly, my brain has stopped functioning.Obviously, he likes animals, Hailey.

“Not really, it was part of my court-ordered community service requirements.” He smirks, teasing me as my cheeks grow pink. “I love animals. I just don’t have time to own one.”

“What’s your favorite kind of animal?”

We sneak in bites of our dinner, engaging between content moments where we’re simply eating.

“I’m a big dog person, the bigger the better. Although, there’s something about a senior cat that’s hard to resist. They used to be my favorite to visit at the shelter. On the outside they’regrumpy, and standoffish, but gain their trust and they turn into complete puddles of purring mush.”

“Stop! So sweet. You should adopt one, Declan. I’ll help you take care of it.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course! Cats are pretty low maintenance, anyway. I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll take that into consideration.” Declan pauses, staring at me quietly. His eyes search mine so deeply, it seizes the breath from my lungs. Then, his next question wipes the smile right off my face. “So, what types of books do you read?”

How do I explain to him that my favorite type of books are the ones where the heroine gets railed at least forty percent of the book—I’m talking filthy, explicit smut—and that shadow daddies make me wish men in books weren’t fictional. I swear, all men—real life and otherwise—should be written by women. “Uhh, romance.”

“You’re blushing,” he observes. His eyes narrow playfully as he props his elbow on the back of the chair, getting comfortable.

But I feel embarrassment creeping back in and I’m ready to hightail it out of here.

“Am I?” Nervous laughter bubbles up. “Anyway, thanks for the invitation to dinner. I was a little surprised.”

“It was overdue,” he rasps, his voice going gravelly as he drums his fingers against the table.

“Well, it’s appreciated.” I hold my fork with another bite up in the air near my mouth. “Your meat is delicious. Now I’m gonna want it all the time.”

Oh, fuck my life, not again.

His eyebrow skyrockets up his forehead as my words resonate, but this time he doesn’t laugh or crack a smile. Instead, he leans forward. “Maybe we can strike a deal then.”

All the air squeezes from my lungs, and thundering doesn’t even begin to describe what my heart is doing. It’s morphed into a ping pong ball in my chest, and a sheen of sweat lines my forehead.

“Daddy, I’m all done,” Sailor interrupts, but Declan keeps his attention focused on me.

“Okay, baby, go play.”

Moments tick by slowly, the second hand on the clock on the wall seemingly the only noise in the room.

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