Page 249 of The Maxwell Brothers
“I worked at a catering company too. I was the boss’s right hand. I’m far lower on the totem pole at my current catering job, but that’s to be expected, I guess.”
“Where are you from?” he asked.
“Sunnyvale. It’s four hours away.”
“Did you go to culinary school?”
“No, opening my bakery was always a pipe dream. I didn’t think I’d ever do it. But wait… how did you even pick up that I was worried? From just looking at me out of the corner of your eye?"
"You were biting your lips and then your nail."
That stopped me for a moment. "Oh. That's very observant."
"I'm a lawyer."
"Damn, and I thought you were paying special attention to me," I teased.
"I am," he said.
"Oh." I shrugged, trying not to show how much his words affected me. I wasn’t even sure why it was happening. Perhaps because I hadn’t thought that this gorgeous, broody man would ever look at me with anything but annoyance. Besides, I still hadn’t recovered from finding out he wasn’t an asshole.
I turned around, focusing on the table. I felt him move behind me. Stepping back, I bumped into him. My ass was pressing against his outer thigh. If I leaned back, I'd probably feel his abs against me, but I wanted to fight the impulse. I couldn't give in to it.
"Iampaying special attention to you," he said in my ear, and all the fight left my body. I melted against him, and yep, those muscles were as hard as they looked.
“Liz….”
I suddenly felt cold and knew he had taken a step back. Putting a hand on my waist, he turned me around. My breath caught. He was so very close.
He feathered his lips against mine, and I grabbed his shirt, tugging at it, wanting even more. He traced the contour of my mouth with the tip of his tongue before claiming me completely.
Oh, sweet heavens, the way this man kissed. It was utterly all-consuming. His mouth was on mine, and his hands were on my hips, but I felt as if he was touching me intimately. With every stroke of his tongue, my body was even more on edge. Every nerve ending was on fire. Warmth skittered over my skin.
The kiss was so deep and wet and sensual that I couldn't help but moan against his mouth. I gripped his shoulders with both hands, needing to brace myself. He tasted like grapes and justhim. His masculine scent was all around me, and I could get lost in it for days.
A loud bang snapped me out of this utterly delicious daydream.
“Fuck,” Declan exclaimed.
I blinked rapidly. “What’s happening?”
“My family is at the gate. I forgot they were dropping by.”
“Oh, wow. Umm, okay.” I felt a bit dazed by that delicious kiss.Come on, neurons. Help me out here. “I’ll go back to the guest house.”
“No.” His voice was strong and commanding. “I’ll ignore them. They’ll leave. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Declan…,” I whispered, fully on board with his plan. His hands were still on my hips.
A loud honk resounded through the yard. This time, it completely brought me down to earth. I took a step back.
“I don’t think they’ll leave.”
Declan groaned. “No, they won’t.”
A second later, a woman’s voice said, “Declan. Open the gate, please.”
He groaned again. “That’s my cousin.”
