Page 20 of Bond Strength

I glanced up, my brow wrinkling. I didn’t dare interrupt though, desperate for any crumb of information he’d give me. I’d been waiting for so damn long, drivenmad by it.

Declan frowned, and he clutched his knees, a hunch to his shoulders. “We got into high school and started hanging out with different crowds, so there was a social and timing issue. It wasn’t as if I was welcome around your football friends. They made that quite clear.”

I swallowed hard. Some of the guys had been assholes, and while I’d never seen them say anything to Declan, I’d had to shut down comments about him. My stomach boiled with rage.

And those same guys were ones I still saw, still fucking worked with, like Brandon.

“If I’d known, I would’ve stopped hanging out with them.” I balled my hands into fists.

Declan shrugged. “That wasn’t all though. You started messing with me too, tweaking my hair, poking at me. Things you never used to do. And your behavior hasn’t changed throughout the years when I’ve run into you.”

I blinked at him. Then blinked again.

An incredulous laugh escaped me.

No fucking way.

That couldn’t be what wedged between us all these years. Except…I knew Declan.

The laughter burst out full-forth, and I couldn’t stop myself. My shoulders shook, and tears formed in my eyes as I cracked the fuck up, unable to believe how stubborn and ridiculous we’d both been for so long.

“I had acrushon you,” I gasped. “Declan, I was stealing your hat or teasing you because I wasflirtingwith you.”

Declan’s jaw dropped.

The transition from confusion to clarity on his face was as quick and gradual as a drop of ink into a glass of water, spreading until it suffused everything.

“You’re kidding me,” he muttered, averting his gaze. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I didn’t want to make things weird between us.” I scrubbed my face, a little hysteria bubbling up inside me. “Except I apparently did that by not saying anything.”

“You liked me?” Declan asked, an incredulous tone in his voice.

My cheeks heated at the admission, the reality of what I’d confessed slamming in. The rest of this time stuck together might be awkward as fuck, but I’d been dealing with Declan being distant with me for far too long. At least that underlying tension lay out in the open.

“I mean, it’s not really past tense,” I said. “But I know you’re straight, Dec. I don’t have any expectations. I just…missed you, and I was hoping we could at least be friends again.” When I glanced up, Declan stared at me with an intensity that made me shiver.

“Well, I’ve dated women. But I don’t have conclusive evidence when it comes to men,” Declan said, his brows furrowed as if he was processing something.

My heart thumped hard. He was the only thing I could focus on right now. The dim lighting from outside mingled with the shadows here, casting his gorgeous features with a sharpness that fit him. The frame of his glasses around his deep-set eyes. The even strands of his hair splayed across his forehead.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my mouth dry.

Declan looked up at me. “Well, I got hard over you hugging me, so I don’t think I can safely say I’m straight.”

Wait, what?

Full stop.

Now it was my turn to gape. I thought I’d felt a bulge brush against me during our hug, and the idea he’d been hard made meso light-headed I’d escaped at once. Yet to hear him confirm it so plainly…well, that was pure Declan Brannon.

Fuck. The way he stared at me, his eyes wide, long lashes framing them, lit me the hell up inside. And he opened his mouth again. His tongue darted out, wetting his lower lip, and I was going to combust on the spot. My cock woke up, and the heady thump, thump, thump of my heart increased in volume with every passing second.

“So, where does that leave us, Dec?” I asked. “Because I’ll be honest. I’m still crazy about you.”

“Well, I think I need some conclusive evidence.” He didn’t look away, didn’t break his stare. “Kiss me.”

Those were words I’d been waiting a lifetime to hear, but when they struck the air, I had to take a second to process.

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