Page 45 of Stealing Forever

Declan grunts, then walks over to me and swipes a French fry, popping it into his mouth. Before he reaches for his food again, though, he goes and arranges the cushions back on the couch so we have somewhere to sit.

When I finally bite into my burger a few minutes later, I stifle a moan. It’s divine. I didn’t realize room service could be so delicious, or maybe I’m just that hungry. Moaning into my burger again, I realize Declan’s eyes are on me. They dip to mylips before meeting my gaze, and he swallows hard. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Hailey.”

My head cocks in confusion. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”

“Sleeping in the same bed as me.”

“Oh,” I say quietly, lowering my burger back to the plate. “Declan, we’re both adults. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Wrong. It’s actually a huge deal, but I’m not going to tell him that. I’m going to be mature about this, and in a little while, I’ll crawl under the covers on my own side of the bed. I’ll read my book, then fall asleep like I do every other night.

The only difference is that there will be a man on the other side of the mattress.

A gorgeous, older man I’m feeling way too many things for, but he doesn’t need to know that.

Wanting to prove to him how unbothered I am by the situation—because hot and bothered is not the same as unbothered—I purse my lips, pretending to think critically, then with all the seriousness I can muster, I say, “We can build a pillow wall.”

He nearly chokes on a bite of his burger with a hearty laugh. “Afraid you’ll end up on my side, sweetheart?”

Yes.

“No.” But my blush deceives me. I feel the heat rise up my neck, giving me away.

Declan smirks and keeps eating.

And I can’t stop staring at him as he does.

My thoughts shift to a very, very, inappropriate place. I’ve never thought of eating to be erotic, but the way Declan’s lips curve around the bun, and the way his tongue jets out between his lips after each bite, have me squeezing my legs together.

Suddenly, I’m not so sure if sharing a bed with him is the best idea after all. I have no doubt he’ll be a perfect gentleman allnight—his hesitation to sleep together is written all over his face—butI, on the other hand, should probably take a break from reading the smut I’m in the middle of and switch to a thriller.

Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll make it through the night keeping my hands off my boss.

Because we’re all in the same room, Declan lets Sailor stay up past her bedtime and watch a movie on her tablet. She’s cozy on the couch, cradling Snug-Bug while she fights against her body's instinct of sleeping, determined to continue watching another Barbie movie.

I’ve just finished taking off my makeup, ready to hop in the shower and crawl into the giant bed to get lost in the high-thread-count linens. Kneeling on the floor, I flip open my suitcase and rifle through it, finding a fresh pair of panties and my sleep shorts, then dig around for my shirt. Since we’re only staying two nights, I didn’t feel the need to pack multiple sets, and now that I’ve reached the bottom of my bag, I wish I had.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath as I push a sundress with embroidered daisies to the side.

“What’s wrong?” Declan asks, not missing a beat. He’s already kicked back on his side of the bed, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants that leave little to the imagination.

I’m no better than a man, I swear.

“I guess I forgot my pajama shirt at home.” I toss a few more things to the side and sit back on my heels.

“Need to borrow something?” He’s already kicking his legs over the bed when he asks, and crosses the room to his suitcase.

“It’s fine, I can make do.” But I really can’t. My options are limited to a dress, what I wore today, and a couple of nice blouses that are adorable during the day, but would be horrific to sleep in.

I opt for a soft yellow shirt with ruffled sleeves and a V-neck, then stand back up.

“Don’t be silly. I packed an extra button-down in case the team did a nice dinner one of the nights, but I doubt that’ll happen.” He outstretches his hand with the shirt in his grasp, urging me to take it. “You can sleep in it.”

“Are you sure?” I’m hesitant, but I reach for the shirt.

Our fingers brush as I take it from him, and for a second, it feels like we get lost in each other’s orbit.

“Thank you,” I say a little too breathlessly, and quickly stand. Heat rushes through my body, and internally, I groan, knowing tonight is going to be torture. “I’m going to shower.”

---