Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
He sticks his arms through the holes of his shirt and is about to put it on when I reach out and stop him. “What’s your tattoo of?”
His brow furrows, and he quickly throws his shirt on over his head. “Just a quote.” He shrugs it off, which has me that much more curious. I’ve known him for years, and I’ve never known him to have one, so it has to be new.
“C’mon. Let me see.”
“It’s nothing. I thought we were hitting the pool.”
I let it go for now since we’ll be together for the foreseeable future. I’ll find a way to see what he’s got inked on his back when he least expects it. The guy can’t keep his shirt on forever.
“I need help.” I spin around and glance over my shoulder. “Unbutton me, please.”
It takes him a second to understand what I mean, and once he does, his eyes go wide. “You can’t do it yourself?”
“If I could, I’d already be in my bathing suit.” I back up, so I’m closer to him. “Please.”
With his big hands, one by one, he unbuttons my dress, exposing my back. Every once in a while, his fingers brush against my skin, and the craziest shiver races down my spine as I imagine what it would be like if, as he removed each button, he pressed a kiss to my heated flesh. When he gets to the last few buttons, leaving almost my entire back on display, I imagine my dress falling to the floor and Declan scooping me up into his arms and making love to me. Worshipping every inch of my body.
A moan escapes my lips, and I clear my throat to cover it up, praying he doesn’t notice. This is what I wanted to feel with Kyle, what I wished I could feel for Kyle but couldn’t, yet all Declan is doing is helping me take off my dress, and I’m fantasizing about him doing naughty things to me.
“There you go,” he says, his voice gruff.
Holding my front up so I don’t flash him, I turn around to thank him, but my words are caught in my throat when I realize how close we are. So close, I catch a whiff of his masculine scent—earthy and warm with a hint of comfort. His eyes lock with mine for a moment before his gaze descends slightly, landing on my mouth. My tongue darts out, wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. Would his lips be hard like the rest of his body? Would the kiss be heated, similar to the way he’s staring at me, like with his look alone, he has the capability of setting my entire body on fire?
“Declan,” I breathe, stepping forward and throwing all thought out the window, ready to find out.
Only my speaking seems to snap him out of the trance we’re in, and he takes a step back, blinking rapidly. “I’ll, uh…” He clears his throat, averting his eyes. “I’m going to call down to make sure our cabana is ready while you finish getting changed.”
He flees the living room, and I’m left wondering what the hell just happened. Not with him… I don’t blame him for not kissing me. I’m in my damn wedding dress, for crying out loud. No, I’m wondering what the hell is going on with me. When did Declan go from being a friend of my brother’s to a man I’m sexually attracted to? Because that’s exactly what I am… attracted to him. I felt it when I woke up to him sitting by my bedside in the hospital, when he walked in on me in the studio, when I listened to the song we wrote and sang together. And when I saw him standing outside of the church, my first thought was that it had to be fate. My dad told me to follow my heart, and there Declan was as if he had been waiting for me.
Now the question is, what the hell do I do with this new information? I could tell him. I could act on it. But then what? I’m just coming out of a relationship—even if I can’t muster up a single feeling for him—and on top of that, Declan is, in fact, my brother’s best friend and one-fourth of their band. And if my history is anything to go by, the only thing that will come from me acting on my feelings is me hurting Declan, and the thought of hurting him causes my heart to clench in my chest.
No… no way. Those feelings are staying bottled up, right where they belong. Declan and I are friends, and right now, what I need is a friend. I’m not going to risk losing him over some feelings.
When we get down to the pool where our cabana is set up, the server assigned to us introduces herself and takes our drink and food order. The cabana is so adorable, like a tiki hut but with three walls for privacy. A comfy-looking L-shaped couch stretches across two adjacent walls, and two equally comfy-looking lounge chairs face the crystal-clear infinity pool. There’s a flat-screen TV hanging in the top corner, and directly underneath it is a mini fridge. If you want privacy, the front of the cabana can be closed.