Page 63 of Surrender

"Mother, father, I'd like to introduce you to my date, Serenity," I say with more aggression than needed.

They both look her up and down as she extends her hand in a friendly gesture.

I squeeze her hip, trying to portray the fact that I trust her.

But instead of taking her hand, they simply scoff.

"You can't be serious," my mother whispers.

"Son, this is inappropriate," my father adds.

I can feel Serenity flinch as she faces a blatant rejection. Her ADHD means she has rejection sensitivity, and I hate myself a little that I set her up to be rejected at all. She doesn't know about my history with my family or my feelings with them, and she has no idea I don't give a shit if they reject her. I'd been so caught up inus, I hadn't thought about today.

Instead of letting her withdraw, I wrap my arm around her waist and square up to my parents, both who still have plastic smiles plastered on their faces for the public.

"This is Serenity. She's important to me. We live together. So, if you have something you'd like to say, I'd like to hear it. But honestly, I don't give a shit what you think. Because I know what we are and what we have and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world, let alone the opinion of two people."

Serenity curls into me, hiding her face against my chest, and clutching my suit, uncomfortable with any type of confrontation.

My father steps closer, into my personal space, as if he can intimidate me into complying. "It's not just our opinions you have to worry about. After tonight, everyone in the DMV will know about her and your affair with someone half your age," he whispers aggressively.

Half my age is a gross exaggeration, and I'm tempted to roll my eyes, but I won't give in to their bait. Maria comes up beside us now, and grabs Serenity's hand in silent support.

Our mother scoffs again at the gesture, but her fake smile is fading and she's already looking over our shoulders for an exit.

I need to end this now. For Serenity's peace of mind. She looks up at me, begging with her eyes to not fight with my parents over her. She's completely selfless like that and I know she doesn't want to create problems for me.

But fuck that.

She's worth it.

I smile, hold her face gently in my hands and stare into her eyes. "And what a beautiful affair it is," I say, before bending slightly and pressing my lips to her forehead. It's a relatively chaste kiss for what we do behind closed doors, but any type of public displays of affection in these stuffy, high-end events is frowned upon.

I squeeze her hip again, even though I'd rather be squeezing her ass, and release her. She blinks up at me, dazed, cheeks flushed, but not an ounce of her is concerned with my parents anymore.

My mother tugs my father away to avoid making more of a scene, and I take the moment to run my thumb over the apple of her cheek.

She's so goddamn beautiful it takes my breath away.

I should tell her now. I should tell her I love her now.

But before I can, the emcee taps the microphone and introduces the charity and silent auction. So, instead of pouring my heart out in a public place where I can't back up my words with actions, I simply rest my hand on his thigh and think of all the ways I want to reward my good girl.

Chapter thirty-six

Serenity

Declan's tense, but I'm not entirely sure why.

He's not upset by the confrontation with his parents, or anything that happened for the rest of the evening. He has a smile on his face that looks out of place, but it's his body that's wound tight. His muscles are so tense, I feel like his suit jacket is going to rip at the seams any minute.

I lace my fingers through his as Joseph drives us home. Maybe he's thinking about the paparazzi and what that means for tomorrow's gossip papers. Or his sister. Or his taxes. Hell, he could be tense about any number of things.

When we park, Declan slips Joseph an extra tip with a 'thank you' and a grip of his bicep. Joseph's questioning gaze glances from Declan to myself before he smiles and returns to the car.

"Is everything... okay?" I ask tentatively. I feel like I'm walking into a minefield and I'm ill-prepared.

Instead of answering me, he opens the front door silently, escorts me inside, spins me so my back is against the wall, and cages me in. He pins my hips to the wall with his, and his harderection digs into my stomach. Has he been hard this whole time?

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