Page 30 of Try Me

“Your mother was amazing,” he said. “So beautiful that every man who saw her fell in love with her.” He smiled, flashing a dimple in his cheek. “Including me — just a little boy.” Reno covered Pearl’s hand with his own across the table. “I will never forget her.”

Pearl nodded, holding back tears. Her mother had inspired people, mesmerized them. Pearl was determined to carry on her mother’s legacy, but thriving in Sohayla’s long shadow sometimes seemed impossible.

“Gracias,” Pearl said, turning her hand to squeeze Reno’s fingers. She blinked away the tears.

“Please, be careful,” Reno said in his heavily accented English.

Pearl squinted up at Reno through the haze of her tears. “Why?”

“You seem like a very nice lady.” He glanced down at the newspaper, and his smile disappeared. “He is not so nice.”

Pearl’s eyes narrowed, and she slid her hand from under Reno’s. She glanced toward the elevators. “You don’t know him,” Pearl said.

“I know his reputation,” Reno said. “I’ve seen the way he treats women. It’s not so good.”

“Gracias.” Pearl struggled to keep her tone neutral. “I will be careful.”

Reno smiled, flashing the dimple again. His eyes darted behind Pearl toward the lobby, and his lips tightened. “Speak of the devil,” he said.

Pearl turned to see Declan coming toward them. Declan drew every eye as he strode through the lobby. Even those who didn’t recognize him could tell he was a celebrity by the way he carried himself. Heads turned to watch as he strolled past.

Declan’s eyes rose to Pearl’s, and their gazes collided. As his mouth lifted in a faint smile, Pearl felt her cheeks flush. He was looking at her as if they shared a secret, and she guessed they did. She couldn’t help smiling back.

She tilted her head back as Declan stopped at their table. Before she had a moment to realize what he meant to do, he bent down, and slid his hand around her neck to cup the back of her head.

She saw the flash in his eyes, the possessive flare of heat, and then his mouth pressed against hers.

His lips were warm and hard, firm and unyielding. The kiss was hot and possessive, and ended too soon. Since Nate had told her Declan never touched the hired women except in front of the cameras and Pearl didn’t see any cameras around, she could only assume that Declan was kissing her in order to stake his claim.

She would show him.

When Declan moved to pull away, Pearl wound her hand around his neck and yanked him back. She kissed him with a promise of passion that made the air sizzle between them. A shiver of desire raced down her spine, and she forgot her original purpose as Declan kissed her back. The crowded restaurant faded, and Pearl got lost in the heat of the kiss.

Declan pulled back first, staring down at Pearl with a dazed expression. Pearl guessed her eyes held the same confusion. They’d kissed for all the wrong reasons, but everything about it had felt so right.

Reno cleared his throat and scrambled back from the table. “I’ll see you around,” Reno said, leaving the table.

Declan watched Reno weave through the restaurant, then looked back at Pearl. A thundercloud of anger stamped on his face as his eyes flashed over her. “I’m going for a run,” he said, leaving without further explanation.

Pearl pushed back from the table and hurried to catch him. “Wait,” she said. Damn his long legs. “Wait up, will you?”

Declan halted. “Why?”

“I’m going with you,” she said.

His eyes sparked. “The hell you are. I run alone.”

“Not today,” she said, lifting her chin in a challenge.

Declan’s eyes dropped over her from head to toe. “You couldn’t keep up with me,” he said.

“Wanna bet?”

Without waiting around for his answer, Pearl took off down the sidewalk at a sprint. She was going to run him into the ground.

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