Page 48 of A Game Plan for Love

“I’d do pretty much anything for you,” he responds, and my heart bursts, “especially when you offer to do that thing with your tongue later.”

Sawyer chokes on her drink, and Jack laughs as he walks by, patting her on the shoulder. Her face is bright red, and Henry looks over at her, brows crinkled.

I’m slightly uncomfortable sitting here with all of Declan’s friends. They’re all so close, and the love they have for each other is obvious. I’m just an outsider looking in.

Nora runs over, and a sliver of the loneliness dissipates when she crawls into my lap. I may not have a group of friends or an extended family, but I have Nora. And she has me.

“Decy is being mean,” she says, her lips turning down into a small frown.

My heart plummets into my stomach. I glance over to Declan, who winks when he spots me looking at him.

“How is he being mean?”

I hold my breath, terrified of her response. Ten different scenarios run through my mind, each one worse than the last. My stomach churns with concern.

“He won’t let me have any more cookies!” she wails, irate that he’s cut her off from cookie consumption.

The air whooshes from my lungs. He wasn’t being mean; he was being responsible. My heartbeat calms from the momentary fear.

“He cut me off, too, kid,” Henry grumbles before sitting beside Sawyer, who shakes her head.

I look at Declan again, but the seat he was occupying is empty. A deep voice purrs above my head, sending tingles along my spine. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Nora,” he says, acknowledging her feelings.

God, I want to kiss him.

He doesn’t seem upset with her when he sits down beside me, and his hand falls onto my knee. The weight and warmth from his palm sink into my skin. Nora’s head is buried into the crook of my neck as she refuses to look at Declan.

“What happened?” I whisper.

He runs his fingers through his hair. “She had two cookies, and I told her no more unless she asks you.”

Her behavior toward him is unfair, and embarrassment turns my cheeks red.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he says quietly. He squeezes my thigh. “I didn’t get to tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”

My cheeks are red for a whole different reason now.

It’s only a matter of minutes before Nora is asleep in my arms, and now it’s time to go.

The last thing I want to do is leave, especially since I’ve spent zero time with Declan, but she needs to get to bed.

“I should go,” I whisper, jerking my chin toward Nora.

Declan nods and then slips his hands beneath her legs and pulls her against his chest. The move is fluid, and she doesn’t even rustle as he walks toward the door.

I follow closely behind, and he slides her into her car seat and buckles her in. Her eyes crack open.

“I don’t think you’re mean, Decy,” she murmurs.

He presses a kiss on the top of her head. “I know. Be good, okay?”

She nods, then closes her eyes. Declan shuts the door and spins.

The air shifts as he closes the distance between us, and his hand reaches out to cup my jaw.

Oh my god, is it happening? Is he going to kiss me?

My body hums with anticipation, and I lean into his touch. I’m one second away from releasing a desperate sound. His head dips, and his lips hover over mine.

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