Page 55 of Greed

I poke a finger into the middle of his chest. “Are you sure about that?”

His hand jumps to catch mine. He plants a soft kiss on my palm. “Very sure.”

My gaze traces his tattoo. “When did you get that?”

“The chest tattoo?”

“Yes.” I nod. “The other one too.”

His fingers leave mine so he can pat a hand over the tattoo on his chest. “I got this when I was fifteen.”

“Fifteen?” My mouth falls open. “How? Your parents were on board with that?”

“Absolutely not.” He huffs out a laugh. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and I had a hell of a strong will back then.”

“You have that now, too,” I point out. “What about that tattoo on your side?”

His fingers skim over the script. “This one I got the day after my grandfather died. I got it for him.”

“Honor your wisdom,” I whisper.

He nods. “Stetson, my grandfather, would always say that to me. When I had doubts or needed to make a hard choice, he’d tell me to honor my wisdom. Look inside to weigh the pros and cons. That advice has never steered me wrong.”

“So, in other words, trust your gut?”

Declan laughs.” Essentially, yeah. It’s how he lived his life. I looked up to him. He was my hero, so I inked that advice on my body to remind me of it every day.”

I glance at the tattoo and the crisp lines of dark text running down his side. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

“Thank you for asking.” His voice takes on a lower tone. “Besides Rook and Holden, no one has ever asked me about it.”

“Really?” I don’t try and hide the surprise in my voice.

“Really.” He shakes his head. “To be honest, I’m not sure I would have wanted to explain it to anyone, other than my family, of course. It’s a very personal thing.”

That sends my pulse racing. “I’m honored that you trust me enough to tell me.”

“I trust you with my life, Abigail.” He whispers, his hand jumping to cup my cheek. “I don’t know why, but I do.”

I’m tempted to crack a joke about lawyer-client privilege, but I don’t. I can’t ruin this moment by letting my head take over my heart.

“Come to bed with me.” He kisses me softly on the lips. “Let me show you how much I missed you this weekend.”

“You were only gone for two days,” I point out.

“Two very long days,” he stresses with a heavy exhale. “I’ve been aching for you since the last time I saw you. End that torture now.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Declan

She tasteslike peppermint with a hint of wine beneath that.

I kiss her slowly, tenderly as I work to free each button on the blouse she’s wearing.

I want to wrap my teeth around one of the barbells in her nipples, but savoring her taste is ecstasy.

I know I only have her for a few hours before she’ll sneak out and head back home.

---