Page 34 of The Bossy One

He looked…intimate. Casual.

He’d completed the outfit with lime green fuzzy socks, which was possibly the only thing he was wearing that wasn’t inexplicably sexy.

“You’re wearing the socks I gave you!” Catie beamed.

Dammit, I thought. Now the socks were sexy too.

Declan raised his eyebrows. “Where’s your pajamas? It’s movie night.”

“That’s not a thing,” I protested, laughing.

“It is in this family.” Declan grinned, his eyes lingering on me a little longer than they needed to.

Or maybe it just felt that way. I turned to pull the popcorn from the microwave and dump it in bowl. The back of my neck felt flushed. “Catie picked that new animated movie about the crow who solves mysteries. If you want to go cue it up…” I trailed off as Declan’s phone buzzed.

He glanced at the phone and swore. “Sorry. This is important. Give me fifteen minutes. When I come back, I want to see you in proper movie night attire.”

My heart sank as he walked away. I’d seen this show play out a million times. Dad promises to be there for a family thing. An important business matter comes up. I explain to a hurting kid that Dad won’t be joining us after all.

After our conversation at the bus stop, and Declan’s eagerness this afternoon, I’d let myself believe Declan might be different. I knew he wanted to give Catie everything she wanted, but I wished he’d been honest with himself about whether he could take the time away from work.

Because at the end of the day, intending to keep a promise wasn’t the same thing as actually keeping it.

I glanced at the clock, trying to figure out how long I should wait to break the news to Catie that our plans had changed a bit.

I dragged my feet, making extra popcorn, pouring drinks, even changing into my pajamas. Finally, I headed into the TV room and settled on the couch next to Catie. “Hey, hon. Slight change of plans. Uncle Declan had to take a business call, but—”

“But he’s done now,” Declan announced, striding into the room and plopping down on the couch on the other side of Catie. “Were you going to start the movie without me?” He made a tsking sound.

I couldn’t believe it. His call hadactuallywrapped up on time. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve never seen an important business call wrap up that quickly.”

“Oh, it didn’t,” Declan said. “I tagged in Anil. That’s the point of having a business partner, right?” He reached a hand into the bowl, scooping up a truly massive amount of popcorn and grabbing the remote.

The movie started, but I wasn’t really watching. I was still stunned Declan had chosen time with his niece over personally managing a business matter.

Billionaires didn’tdothat. Especially not the young, hungry, self-made ones.

As the movie unspooled, I found myself increasingly aware of Declan’s physical presence. The easy drape of his arm along the back of the couch. His low, surprised laugh when the movie would slip in a joke for adults. The way he absently scratched the dark stubble along his jaw as he and Catie debated theories about which character had stolen the crow’s bottle cap.

I shifted, restless. Sure, Declan was attractive. But I’d been able to ignore that—mostly—when he was just some arrogant asshole I worked for.

He was still arrogant. And at times, he was still an asshole. But he could also admit when he was wrong, and I’d come to see that he always put Catie first.

He was generous too, even if he tried to hide it. I’d found out last night that while Molly lived in Galway now, she’d grown up in Ballybeith, a few years behind Seamus and Sinead in school. She’d been delighted to share all the gossip she had on the Byrnes. Two years ago, Declan’s lawyer Thomas had become the sole administrator of a mysteriously funded foundation that always seemed to have a grant available to help anyone in the village going through a hard time. Thomas was tight-lipped about who funded the foundation, but everyone knew it had to be Declan.

I’d also found out from Molly that while Declan had a friends-with-benefits relationship with a few similarly minded women in Galway, according to the local gossips, he hadn’t had a serious relationship in years.

I glanced at Declan’s dark profile, wondering what it would be like to be one of the women who casually rang him up when they were in the mood. Did he normally invite women here, when he wasn’t hosting a six-year-old? Or did he show up on your doorstep, smile wicked and eyes hungry as he followed you inside and pressed you against the wall, caging you in with his body?

I shivered.

“The movie’s notthatscary,” Declan teased.

“I’m not scared,” I muttered. “I’m cold.”

Declan yawned and went return our empty dishes to the kitchen. Evidently, he didn’t mind missing the crow’s adorable duet with a puppy.

I tried to return my focus to the screen. It worked until Declan returned from the kitchen and tossed me a spare sweatshirt.

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