What felt like such a daunting thing a few weeks ago, I’m kind of looking forward to now. Cillian and I have some work weneed to do, but these two? I can absolutely see myself letting go and letting them take care of me.
“How many ridiculously absorbent towels do you think we’ll need, princess?”
“Based on how much slick she left on my pants at the High Roller, I’d say at least two for each time she comes,” Declan surmises, and I gasp.
“We are out in public,” I hiss, and Declan laughs.
“We’re getting this pillow,” Declan says, scanning the item on the tablet the sales associates gave us. I thought I would be the biggest spender in the store, but Declan is acting like he’s playing laser tag by scanning nearly every item. He scans the violet-colored towels and changes the quantity to six.
“What about one of these?” Lorcán jokes, holding up a three-hundred dollar jelly knot.
“I ain’t putting that around my cock. Get fucked,” Declan snarks, and I pinch the bridge of my nose.
Declan wanders around the store, scanning more things, probably too many things, as Lorcán touches my forehead.
“I don’t think you’ve had enough to drink today,” he says softly, his hand trailing down my face. He grabs my hand and walks me over to a small cafe nestled in the back of the store. “Can we get two waters? Anything else?” he asks, his hand firmly on my lower back.
I soak up every bit of his touch. This is what I always fucking wanted, this intimacy with Lorcán, an Alpha who is sweet while also protective. My eyes start to water, and Lorcán’s eyes go wide. The woman working the cafe hands us two bottles of water, and she’s clearly seen her fair share of Omegas having breakdowns because she acts like nothing is amiss.
He leads me over to a soft, navy blue chaise and opens my water, holding it out to me.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his other hand rubbing soothing circles on my back.
I sniffle, feeling even more dramatic than usual. I try to give myself some leeway; my heat is coming soon, and I’ve been through a lot.
“It’s okay to have feelings, Elena,” he reassures.
I break, resting my head on his chest as he puts the waters down and wraps me up in his embrace. He’s always been my shoulder to cry on, always had my needs in mind. How could I have been so blind?
I pull back and press a small kiss against his lips. He swipes the tears away from my eyes and smiles at me.
I truly think I’m falling in love with him. No more pining from afar, this is really happening.
“I’m just really happy.”
“That’s all I want. Here, drink your water.”
I drink my water, feeling better after each cool sip slides down my throat. I was definitely feeling dehydrated. How the fuck did he know that?
“You and Declan seem close?” I knowLogan,the bodyguard, and remember all the stories he’s told me, but I’m not sure how much was made up or if he just changed names when he told them to me.
“Remember when I mentioned my friend, Dylan?”
“The one who always got you into trouble?” I smile, thinking about the stories he told me about his childhood friend.
“Yeah, that’s that fucker right there. He was my first friend when I moved in with my Dá. Treated me more like a brother than Cillian and Finn ever did. He wasn’t exactly happy with his home life as a teenager either, so we spent most of our time out fucking around, getting piss drunk, and just getting into trouble.”
“Was it hard when you were working for my pápa?”
“Yes, and no. I loved being around you all the time, and I meant it when I said I respected Matteo. He was a good man. But I didn’t feel like I fit in. I missed hanging out with Declan, and even if I don’t have the best relationship with my brothers, they are home to me.”
I lean on his shoulder, wrapping my arm around his large, muscular one. I kiss his biceps, not really knowing what to say.
“Thank you for bringing me on this trip. I needed it.”
“I’d do anything for you, Elena,” he vows, kissing the top of my head.
Suddenly, Declan comes into view, holding a small purple device in his hand.
