Page 69 of Hearts on Ice
“Like in the meme.”
“The meme? What meme?”
The girl eased back and tapped her screen a couple of times, then turned it toward them. “This meme.”
The meme was a collection of photos of the two of them, some from way back, but one clearly a still from one of their videos. In all of them, Declan was giving her his full attention, that heart-melting smile curving his lips. The text read, “Find someone who looks at you like Declan looks at Colby.”
“Oh my God, we’re a meme!” Colby reached for the girl’s phone, realized she didn’t want to take it. “I hadn’t seen that!” She grinned at Declan while the girl held the picture out for Declan’s family to see.
“It’s cute for Declan,” Cecily said. “But all it shows is that Declan loved you more than you loved him.”
“Mom,” Declan said.
“Am I lying?”
“Listen, thank you,” Declan said to the young fan. “But we’re having a family dinner, so…”
The girl finally got the hint, thanked them and left, even though she clearly wasn’t happy with her selfie.
“Things are different now,” Colby said quietly, wanting a truce if for no other reason than because Declan needed peace between her and his family.
“Are they?” Cecily demanded. “Because I’m not convinced.”
“You don’t have to be,” Colby said, meeting his mother’s fiery gaze. “Only Declan does.”
Colby and Cecily held that gaze for a while, until Cecily looked away. “Declan’s happiness was all I ever wanted.”
“I want that too,” Colby said. She couldn’t say it was all she ever wanted, because, well, everyone knew that was not true. But now, she wanted it, for him, for herself, one hundred percent.
CHAPTER 27
The ride home was almost as quiet as the drive to the restaurant, and Colby wasn’t sure why. She was scared to ask, because so much had been laid bare at dinner. She was tempted to look for their meme on her phone, to get a better look at it, but when she’d glanced at her screen earlier, she’d seen several missed calls from Xavier, her former agent. She didn’t want to think about him tonight when her mood was already on such a roller coaster.
Tension tightened her shoulders as they walked up the steps to the apartment. Were they going to fight? She hated that she couldn’t read him any better, off the ice. Maybe she was out of practice, or maybe she hadn’t taken the time to learn his signs. She’d been too wrapped up in herself.
He locked the door behind them and turned to her, stepping close and combing his fingers through her loose hair.
“I love you,” he said. “Just so there’s no mistake about it this time. I love you. I don’t think I ever stopped.”
He hesitated for just a moment, maybe waiting for her to say she loved him, too, but she didn’t want to make any promises, no promises she might possibly break, and hurt him.
When she didn’t answer, he bent his head to kiss her, so gently. The tenderness, the reverence made her tremble as his full lips played over hers, making promises that she wanted to cling to. Instead she clung to his shoulders as he swept her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
There was no playfulness in him as he lowered her to the mattress, lowered himself over her. He kissed her mouth while he reached beneath her sweater, toyed her already-taut nipple to an agonizing arousal. When he released her mouth to take her nipple into his mouth, she wanted to tease him about his somberness, but now wasn’t the time.
See, look, she could read him after…oh! She bowed her back as he suckled her, his other hand dipping beneath the waistband of her pants, sliding lower to find her already slick. That surprised both of them, and he looked up at her, smiling against her breast.
“Naked, Declan,” was all she could manage as his fingers played over her clit, slipping down to her entrance to gather more moisture to rub against the sensitive flesh. Then, “Not yet, not yet.” She wanted to come with him inside her, at least with him naked beside her, not fully clothed, not like they were playing around.
He removed his hand abruptly, and her breath left her in a puff of disappointment, even though she’d asked him to.
He knelt between her bent legs and stripped off his own sweater, tossing it aside. Then his jeans and underwear, baring his erection, thick and eager. She started to remove her own sweater, but he stilled her hands, leaning over her to do it himself, rubbing his cock against her belly as he did. She groaned, wanting him to stroke lower, wanting him inside her. Nothing else mattered, not what his mother said, not the meme, not Xavier’s phone calls.
He unfastened her pants and peeled them down, along with her panties, and pressed a kiss on the rise of her mound. When she parted her legs in invitation for a deeper kiss, he ignored it, instead stripping her as naked as himself, then kneeling between her legs again, stroking his cock lightly as he looked at her.
“I never thought I’d have you in my bed again,” he said, his tone thoughtful, not at all the tone of a man with a raging erection. “I never thought I wanted you in my bed again. Now there’s no one else I want. No one else, Colby.”
“Yes,” she said, because she didn’t know what else to say to his declaration. She wanted to give him what he was giving her. Trust. Forgiveness. She just didn’t trust herself not to fuck things up.
