Or just pissed off I'd crossed a line?
"You knew."Of course he knew.
His jaw ticked silently for a few seconds before, to my surprise, he looked away. I frowned. How did he know? Had the twins bragged about bedding me?
"Did they tell you?"
When his gaze snapped back, shame flashed in his eyes so fast I thought that I'd imagined it. Then the heat between us faded, and he stood.
"I heard them talking about it."
His words sank in.Of course. Men loved to boast about their conquests.
Evan had told all his friends after taking my virginity. I'd been the topic of scurrilous gossip for several days before some other girl made the mistake of fucking his best friend while drunk and a video appeared on social media.
At least Evan hadn't filmed me.
I forced my face to show no reaction to the revelation Ronan and Conal had bragged about fucking me. Sex was sex. Men were animals. Really, I should have known better than to expect a different outcome.
It still hurt like a bitch, though.
The mattress shifted, and when I peeked up through a curtain of lashes, Declan stood over me like an avenging angel, judging me for my sins.
The sting of Declan's admission faded as I tried - and failed - not to ogle the sharp lines of his musculature, each dip honed from years of fighting.
Faint silver scars littered his chest and abs. A reminder of the brutal life he'd lived.
Declan Kelly might wear a designer suit these days, but his body still bore the evidence of a violent past. Nobody would make the mistake of thinking he'd been house-trained. He remained a predator right down to the bone.
"Get some sleep." I opened my mouth to utter a scathing riposte, something about it being daylight now, but he'd already turned away and stalked back into the bathroom.
So I crawled under the covers, still wrapped in my towel, closed my eyes, and prayed for divine intervention because there was no way I could face Declan Kelly again after he'd seen me naked.
40
Declan
My fist clenched as I fought the urge to slam it into the motherfucking bathroom mirror. I needed to get out of these wet pants.
Get some sleep.
Take a cold shower.
Erase the memory of her naked, achingly wet body as she lay in my arms with her eyes closed.
The feel of her breasts cushioned against my chest would go with me to my grave.That ass. The soft curve of her belly. That glorious curtain of ebony hair. Those fathomless obsidian eyes that bored into mine, seeing way more than I wanted her to see.
This was a disaster.
I never should have walked into that bathroom.
I had known damn well she'd be half-dressed or worse, naked. The scented steam spilling out from under the door told me that much.
So why had I crossed a line I swore never to cross?
Because I was weak.
Seeing Marku's hands on her earlier had shredded my self-control. Awoken the beast. The need to protect her obliterated everything. Despite knowing it could have been a suicide mission, I'd stormed into that private room at the club, dragging my two most trusted men with me.
