Page 35 of Shuttered Hearts

“Night, kid. I’ll see you later.” He chuckles as he watches Max stumble toward Caleb and Emily.

“You sure you don’t mind me sticking around? I can go home with them if you’re ready to go,” I ask Declan.

“I’m good.” He smiles at me. “Remember, this is my favorite time of year. I am happy to continue soaking this in.”

“You staying?” Caleb calls from next to his open car door.

“Yeah, Declan is good with taking me home later.”

“Take care of her,” Caleb says to Declan.

“Not that she needs it, but I will,” Declan confirms before I can say anything.

Caleb rolls his eyes. “You two are perfect for each other.” Before I even register what he said, Caleb gets in his car and drives away.

“Don’t panic,” Declan says quietly at my side.

“I’m not,” I tell him, even though internally I am. I’m itching to run away from him.

Declan and I have gotten close over the last six weeks. Developing feelings was bound to happen when we’ve spent so much time together. But even when I lived in New York and spent significant time with my friends there, I never developed the kind of friendship I have with Declan. I mean, the last time I searched out someone to spend time with was back in high school, before Mom left.

Lately, I find myself taking every opportunity I can to be in Declan’s space. I wait around the main house on Tuesday nights so I can talk to him when he drops Max off. We have lunch together every day at school and Thursday nights at The Diner, which we’ve had every week since that first dinner. I could easily find somewhere else to go Thursday nights, but I don’t want to miss out on that time with Declan.

If I’m being honest with myself, Declan has become my best friend—one of my favorite people.

“Come on, let’s go for that hayride.” Declan rests a hand on my lower back, gently guiding me in that direction.

“Should we talk about that?” I ask him quietly when we make it to the line for the hayride.

“Only if you want to.” His hands are in his pockets now, but he’s standing close, almost as if he’s afraid I might bolt if he moves too far from me. To be fair, he’s not wrong. The urge to run is still in the back of my mind.

I would never forgive myself if I did something to change our friendship for the worse. He’s far too important to my family, and honestly, he’s become really important to me. I don’t know what I would do if he weren’t there for me to lean on, and I don’t want to jeopardize that or his relationship with my family if I’m unsure of a future with him.

I slowly turn toward him, and he looks down at me. I’ve gotten better at reading him, but in this moment, I’m not entirely sure what he’s thinking. “I think I want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” he says calmly. “What are you thinking?”

“Okay. I want to talk about it, but I want you to go first.”

He chuckles quietly, looking down and shaking his head slightly. A little like he’s exasperated with me, but the matching smirk lets me know he’s not really upset, and I immediately relax. Somehow, I know everything will be fine, no matter what happens next.

He lifts his head and studies me for a minute before he murmurs, “Fuck it.”

Then his hands are on my cheeks, pulling me toward him while he leans down, and his lips are on mine.

My mind goes blank. All I can focus on is the feeling of Declan’s lips on mine and his hands on my face. The kiss is gentle and demanding, like he’s giving me room to pull away if I want, but also showing me how much he wants this.

It’s that knowledge that has me stepping further into him, my hands gripping the edges of his open jacket tightly and I honestly can’t imagine letting go. His tongue glides over my lips, asking for entrance, but before I can grant it, he pulls back just enoughto look me in the eye. “I know we actually have to talk, but right now, I just want to keep kissing you.”

I lean in, my lips against his and whisper, “So kiss me.”

One of his hands moves to the back of my head, the other down to my waist, pulling me closer. He swallows my gasp in a searing kiss. His hands holding my firmly, but still loose enough that I know I could pull away if I wanted—but I don’t. My hands move around his waist and travel up his back, pressing my chest flush with his. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this wanted from a simple kiss in my life. I don’t want it to end.

A throat clears loudly behind us, clearly not the first time they’ve tried to get our attention, making us pull away. “Might want to take that somewhere else,” the person says lightly.

I refuse to look at anyone and bury my face in Declan’s chest, completely embarrassed we forgot where we were.

“Right.” Declan clears his throat and squeezes me. “Sorry about that,” he says to the person behind us. He shifts slightly, pressing his mouth to my ear and whispers, “You want to go?” I nod my head against him. “Come on.” He laughs.

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