Page 36 of Bond Strength

“What?” I nestled against his chest as he brought me closer.

“PDA, people knowing you’re…well, with me,” he said.

I wrinkled my brow. “We are on a date, right? I’m pretty sure they’re going to assume we’re together.”

Noah shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. “Never change, Declan.”

The lights dimmed, and the ceiling was about to shift to a beautiful display of the night sky. No matter how often I saw it, my heart careened every time. My gaze dropped to Noah, and the same swooping sensation overtook me.

Hunh.

I settled against him and let those feelings wash over me as wonder surrounded me—from above and from the steadiness of the man whose arms were wrapped around me.

Chapter fourteen

Noah

Holding Declan through the entire planetarium show was a dream. I didn’t know why I thought he’d struggle with the usual anxieties over coming out and his sexuality. This was Declan. The way he leaped right in during our date settled any worries that attempted to emerge.

Being with him was transcendent. For those moments, I could exist without the latent anxiety buzzing through me around most people.

But when we drove toward my house, a fresh bout of nerves ran through me. I wanted Declan to be comfortable in my space, but he’d never been to my house. After getting trapped in his, I could see the aspects of his personality imprinted all over it. How he didn’t pay attention to the decor, like putting pictures on the walls—Rory had handled that—but he had a dedicated section of his cabinet for his tea collection.

From the moment I bought my house, I had carefully designed it. I chose the paint colors and fixtures, and every aspect of it wascustomized for comfort. If only I spent more time in my house, but sometimes coming home to an empty one didn’t offer the solace I wanted it to.

The idea of coming home to Declan, though? Longing tugged at me fast and fierce, so hard I almost forgot how to breathe.

“I just wish they observed more of the time distortions in shows when they decide to utilize black holes,” Declan said. “They act like it’s gravitational force sucking them in, but it’s time moving toward the singularity that’s causing the problem because we can’t move backward in time.”

For the past ten minutes, he’d been on a rant about black holes, and I was happy to listen. The sound of his voice soothed me, and I loved seeing the way his mind worked. He didn’t care that I didn’t know as much about this as him, simply loved him sharing his knowledge.

“They might struggle to show that with visuals,” I said.

Declan wrinkled his nose. “You might be right, but I don’t like it.”

I shook my head, a wry grin on my lips. I drove down the street toward my house, about five minutes from my folks’ place. Once it came into sight, my skin prickled. Fuck, I just wanted Declan to like it.

I wanted him to likeme.

Part of me knew he wouldn’t bother on this date if he wasn’t interested. He didn’t waste time, and I could trust him to be honest with me. However, the nerves bubbled up regardless as I pulled into my driveway. Because too easily, I could imagine him in this space on a more regular basis.

And I longed for that far too deeply.

We’d scarfed our takeout in the car after the show, not wanting to wait for the drive home, and one thought lingered in my mind, amplifying the longer we were in this confined space together. Eachheated look Declan passed me throughout the night ratcheted my need higher. I wanted to bury myself inside him again with an ache that turned consuming.

“Do you mind giving me a tour of your house before we fuck?” he asked as if reading my mind. “I want to know where everything is situated.”

The grin burst on my face, and all anxiety zapped away. This man was pure magic. “Yeah, beautiful. I’d love to.”

“Are we going to explore the earlier discussion of bondage?”

Lust pulsed through me fast and fierce, and I reached down to squeeze my semi. “I mean, the earlier discussion involved a kidnapping, but I’m a thousand percent on board with bringing restraints into the mix, kidnapping or no.”

“Better hurry up with the house tour, then.” The heat in Declan’s eyes was everything I’d ever dreamed of.

I hopped out of my car and rushed to the front door, keys jangling in my hand. Awareness prickled through me of Declan’s presence at my heels, but instead of drawing this out longer, I opened the door, walked inside, and flicked the lights on.

Declan stepped up beside me and slid his hand into mine, soothing any remaining anxieties.

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