Page 63 of Maid For Each Other

Even as I watched the crowd gradually diminish, for some reason I wasn’t prepared for it to be Dex’s turn.

“Hey,” he said, leaning down to speak into my ear. “It’s about time for me to go catch my flight.”

I looked to his left and realized the shuttle driver was standing behind him, waiting to take him to the main terminal.

The plan was for me to drive his car back to his apartment, which I was so geeked out about doing, and a shuttle driver was going to take him over to the commercial terminal at Eppley.

“You have to go already?” I said, absolutely not acting. I’d been having a great time with him and found that I didn’t want him to leave. It was nothing big, no emotional thing to overthink, but I liked him.

“I do,” he said, looking at me with something in his eyes that kind of felt like regret.

And I don’t know if it was a boldness born from pretending all day, or the fact that I felt so much closer to him since he’d taken care of me earlier, but I knew exactly what I was going to do.

“Well, let me walk you out to the shuttle,” I said, giving him a look.

He must’ve understood, because he gave me a wink. “Let’s go.”

I held his hand and walked with him, which was kind of ridiculous when it was literally parked on the other side of the big glass windows, but I didn’t care.

As soon as we were outside and next to the black SUV, I threw my arms around him as if he was actually my boyfriend and he was leaving me to go on a trip. He hugged me back, that big body wrapped around me as his woodsy scent found my nose, and I said, “Safe travels.”

I set my hands on his cheeks and pulled his mouth down to mine, giving him the kind of kiss that I knew would be appreciated by any onlookers who might be watching from inside the terminal.

A simple press of our mouths together.

Once again, I was attempting a normal couple’s kiss.

And once again, I failed.

Because I stopped thinking about kisses and terminals and actual words the second he started kissing me back.

Damn, the way that man kissed.

His mouth opened over mine and his arms tightened around my body and he kissed me like he didn’t want to leave me. I felt it in the backs of my knees when his tongue stroked over mine, I felt it in the center of my body when his teeth dragged over my bottom lip.

And I felt iteverywherewhen he made a noise in the back of his throat that told me he wished we were alone.

It was the throat clearing of the shuttle driver that brought me back, that made me remember who I was, where we were, and who I was with.

Declan pulled back and looked down at me, his eyes hot.

“You make it really hard to leave, Abi Green,” he said with a little smirk.

“You make it really hard to let you go, Declan Powell,” I saidback, reaching up to wipe my lipstick off his lips. “Text me when you get there so I know you landed safely.”

“You know no one is out here but us, right?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

I pressed my lips together and admitted, “I know, but still text me when you get there so I know you made it, okay?”

He swallowed and gave a nod. “I will.”

Then he turned and got into the shuttle.

Goodbye, Declan.

I stood there, wondering what the hell was wrong with me that I knew I was going to miss him. Instead of going back inside the fancy hangar and making small talk and saying goodbye to people I would never see again, I just went straight to Declan’s car on the other side of the building.

It didn’t make sense, the way I felt so emotional, but I wasn’t going to overthink it. The bottom line was that I was still getting paid a fortune, and now I got to drive a fancy car to the fancy apartment where I was staying till Friday.

---