Page 74 of The Bossy One

“Well, arguably I smell like it,” I pointed out, but he was already taking over for me. He draped my leg over his lap and started massaging lotion into my calf muscle.

I moaned. Catie had me on the run most days, and it wasn’t like I really had time to stop and stretch in between chasing her around. “That feels good.”

“I could get used to this. Helping you rub your lotion in hard-to-reach places every night.”

“Declan,” I scolded, laughing.

“I was talking about your back,” he said, faux innocently. “How’d your thing with Molly go?”

“Good,” I said. Seamus’s request flashed through my mind. “I ran into Seamus O’Rourke.”

Declan’s hands tightened on my calf. “Did he upset you?”

“No. He doesn’t seem as bad as his dad,” I said. “He mentioned he was trying to get in contact with you about something important.”

Declan’s eyes flashed. “Seamus is a spoiled rich kid who thinks his charm absolves him from the harm his father inflicts on everyone else. He and I have nothing to discuss.Hemight consider the situation important, but I highly doubt I’d agree.” He scowled. “Why was he talking to you?”

“I, um, guess he noticed that you went to the festival?” I tried to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. “And heard it was because I asked you to?”

“Jesus Christ.” Declan’s face shuttered. He shoved himself away from me, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, his back to me.

I felt panic swirl in my chest. I didn’t want him pulling away from me. I didn’t want him to regret our night at the festival, or anything it led to.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry, I won’t talk to him again.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Declan said. “I’m mad athim. Him and his whole fucking family.”

What if part of his family is your family, too? I thought. But he wasn’t ready to hear that. Not yet.

I opened my lotion to him and held it out to me, so that the soothing lavender scent wafted between us. “Help me with my back?”

He looked over his shoulder, skeptical. “You actually lotion your back?”

“No,” I admitted. “I just like you touching me.”

Something in his expression shifted. “I like that too,” Declan said, his voice gruff. He accepted the lotion.

I pulled off my shirt and lay stomach down on my bed, letting Declan distract himself with my body. As the pleasure from his touch swamped me, I told myself it would be better for everyone if Declan could find a way to make peace with Seamus. Catie deserved to have her uncle and father on speaking terms.

I just had to figure out a way to make Declan see that.

23

DECLAN

Olivia was still tense. Over the past few nights, I’d become an expert in Olivia’s body. And right now she was hard and braced, where I wanted her soft and relaxed. Olivia and I hadn’t exactly fought just now. But she’d put up a barrier between us when I’d snapped about Seamus.

I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one damn bit.

Everything about that family was poison. The urge to whisk her away from the O’Rourkes and their toxicity felt powerful, primal.

“Come to Prague with me,” I said.

She rolled over on her back so she could look up at me. Christ, she was beautiful like that, with her breasts bare for me, and her red curls spread across the pillow around her like some kind of wild angel.

“You mean on your business trip?” she asked.

“Catie asked if she could go with me earlier today. I think it’s a brilliant idea.” I ran a fingertip under the swell of her breast. “But I wanted to see what you thought first.”

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