Page 70 of Sweet Revenge
“You could have told me that,” she said as her breathing returned to normal.
“Told you what?”
“That you know how to drive me crazy like that. When I asked about something I didn’t know about you.”
He chuckled, gripping her chin in his hand and pressing a kiss to her lips. “If you don’t know that by now, you aren’t paying attention.”
She shivered as much from his words as the electricity that still hummed through her from his touch.
“Dance with me.”
“What?”
He scooted around the edge of the booth and stood, holding out his hand to her. “Dance with me.”
“I prefer to dance in the privacy of four walls and no one watching.”
“We can dance in private later too.”
She caught her lip between her teeth, sliding out the other side of the booth and taking his hand.
“I hope that’s a promise.”
He laughed, leading her back down the stairs and onto the dance floor and the throng of bodies, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her tight against him.
She let herself get lost in the pulse of the bass and the neon lights. For a few glorious moments, she let all the stress and the guilt and the anxiety about Peter and her parents and her growing feelings for Declan melt away.
All that mattered was this exact moment and the feel of his hands on her hips, the heat of his chest against her back, and the energy of the crowd that ebbed and flowed around them to the music.
When the song changed, she spun in his arms, linking her hands around his neck. It was rare for her to catch a glimpse of the boy she’d known, but she saw him then in his indulgent smile, the way one side of his mouth quirked up higher than the other and the edge of his eyebrow lifted ever so slightly.
Her heart swelled, and she leaned up to press her lips against his ear. “Declan, I l—”
She froze at the face she saw in the crowd of people lining the dance floor. Peter. But just as quickly as he was there, he was gone, and she tried to convince herself she’d imagined it. It wasn’t real. He couldn’t really be there, watching them.
Declan sensed her stillness and his hands tightened on her waist. When he stepped back and caught sight of her face, his confusion turned to concern.
“What’s wrong?” he shouted over the music.
“Peter!” she yelled, and his whole body went taut as he spun to scan the crowd.
He gripped her hand, flagging down two bouncers to walk them to the car. They waited while he helped her in and buckled her seatbelt for her when her fingers trembled. Declan waited for the lead car to pull out before following, and once they were on the road, he pulled out his phone.
“Finn. Call Brogan and Aidan and have them meet us at your house. We need to talk. Evie saw Peter at the club tonight.” He glanced over at her when she rubbed at her arms to warm them. “I know. We’re twenty minutes out.”
He disconnected the call and tossed his phone onto the console, reaching for her hand and twining his fingers with hers. “You’re okay, Evie. I’ve got you.”
ChapterThirty-Two
As soon as they walked in, Declan could sense the worry in the house, confirmed by the way Cait threw her arms around Evie and wouldn’t let go.
“I’m fine,” Evie promised, running her hand down Cait’s back.
“You’re freezing. Come on. I’ll make some tea.”
He followed Evie and Cait down the hall to the kitchen where his brothers waited. Their murmured conversation stopped when they walked in, and Finn straightened.
“He didn’t try to make contact?”
