Then he turns and leaves, rounding the corner of our building to the stairs that lead up to his apartment.
I’m left standing alone on the sidewalk, wondering what the hell just happened.
CHAPTER 33
Elsie
The next couple days are… weird.
For the rest of the week I only see Declan a handful of times in passing. He barely looks at me, and never lingers longer than the time it takes for a quick hello and a promise to talk to me more later on.
Except “later on” never comes. By the end of the day on Friday, I’ve had enough.
Hewas the one who gavemea hard time for avoiding him after the first time we kissed. Now I meet his family – albeit unplanned – and he, what? Gets cold feet?
I don’t know if that’s what’s going on, but I need to find out. After we close up for the day, I grab my phone from the break room and send Declan a quick text before I can stop and think about whether or not it’s a good idea.
Me:We’re closed for the day. Noah just left. Come over?
We don’t text much, but with him avoiding me, I don’t know what else to do. Don’t know how else to reach him behind the wall he’s suddenly put up between us.
And I happen to know that he has no appointments this evening, because he’s filling in doing walk-in piercings for Eddie, who left town for a long weekend.
I watch as those three gray dots that tell me he’s typing pop up on the screen, then disappear. This happens three more times before it stays blank.
I try again.
Me:Please?
Seconds later, his response comes through.
Declan:I’ll be right over.
I’m still in the break room when I hear the back door to the shop open, then close. I take a slow, deep breath and release it before I go out to greet him.
I find Declan standing stock still, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking uncomfortable. It’s a look I’ve never seen on Declan before, at least not before dinner the other evening, and I don’t like it one bit.
Since when is Declanuneasyaround me? He’s always been cocky and surefooted, the confident yin to my flustered yang.
I hate this.
“You wanted to talk?” he asks, still not looking at me.
“No.” I shake my head and step closer to him. “I don’t want to talk.”
His dark brows furrow as his gaze finally meets mine. His eyes bounce between mine, as if searching for something.
Placing a hand on his arm to steady myself, I rise onto my tiptoes and brush a lock of hair off his face. He’s been letting it grow a bit longer lately, and not for the first time, I wonder if it has anything to do with me. I wonder if it’s because he knows I love running my hands through it, or maybe even because of the way I grab onto it when he’s going down on me.
“What’s up?” Declan finally asks.
“I want you to get out of that beautiful head of yours,” I tell him, reaching up to smooth his brow with my fingertips.
“How do you –” Declan freezes, his words cutting off abruptly when I hook a finger into his waistband.
“Let me take care of you,” I whisper. And there’s no mistaking my meaning when I slide my hand to the front of his jeans, gripping his already hardening cock in my palm.
“Elsie.” Declan says my name on an exhale, and I can’t tell whether it sounds more like a warning or a plea.
