Page 26 of Stolen Sun

When 11:45 rolls around, there’s a knock on my door. I look up from my computer to see Declan opening the door. He leans into the doorframe with his arms crossed and a heart-stopping smile on his face.

“Hey, sunshine,” he says.

Taking a breath, I smile at him. “Hey.’

After gathering my things, I walk over to him. He runs his knuckles across my jaw before taking my hand and leading me out to his truck. As we drive off, I notice the radio is on, but it isn't vibrating my seat this time. I look over at him, and hewinks at me.

“So, what’s for lunch?” I ask.

“Culinary Dropout. Sound good?”

“Sounds delicious!"

“I’m noticing a pattern here.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re always in a good mood when there’s food involved,” he observes.

A small giggle bubbles up my throat mostly from nerves. “Isn’t that every girl?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll keep you fed if it means I get to hear that cute little sound again.”

I take a steadying breath, trying to remind myself that he says the right things because he’s had plenty of practice. We don’t talk again during the short drive as the silence is filled with Halsey’s “Bad at Love.” He takes my hand again when we meet at the front of the truck, running circles over my knuckles with his thumb as we walk inside.

The hostess blushes under his stare as he tells her we need a table for two. I can’t even blame her. He is gorgeous, and the smile he flashes her is the best kind of torture.

“This way,” she manages to mutter, and we follow behind her to a table.

He holds the chair out for me, and the poor girl almost melts into the ground before she can give us our menus. Once he’s seated, she tells us that our server will be around soon and hurries off.

“I hope our server is a guy,” I joke.

His expression turns murderous. “Why is that, Noel?”

Oh, shit!

Realizing he took my comment to mean I preferred a male server, I rush out, “Because women can’t think around you. We may never get our food if our server is anything likethe hostess.”

His face relaxes only slightly. “I’m sure whoever it is will manage.”

“How has your week been?” I change the subject.

He tilts his head to the side with a smirk. “Productive. Enlightening, actually. Are you ready for Friday night?”

Panic seizes me at the reminder that I’ve agreed to get inside of a race car with him. “Nope,” I answer honestly.

He chuckles. “I think you’re going to like it.”

He wiggles his eyebrows at me and grins, setting my insides on fire. My appetite for everything on this menu turns to dust. His eyes flash and his expression grows serious when he notices my change in mood. We stare at each other from across the table, and everything around us seems to disappear.

He props his chin on top of folded hands, and his ankles cross with mine under the table. He slowly looks down to my lips then my chest. His gaze travels back up to my eyes again just as slowly as he began. His tongue appears to wet his lips before a subtle smile graces his beautiful face. A small whimper slips from between my parted lips with a quick exhale of breath, and I look up from his smile to his burning, golden brown eyes.

“Hey, yall!” Our server appears abruptly, pulling us out of the moment.

I blink a few times before I look up at the middle-aged woman standing next to our table. Declan, however, stays locked onto me as I try to stay in the present to answer her questions.

Looking away from him completely, I glance down at the menu and rattle off the first thing that catches my eye. When I look back up, his stare is waiting to capture me again as he orders something without looking at the server at all. The only thing I hear is the deep, husky tone of his voice.

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