“I haven’t found anyone I could tolerate for more than a handful of dates before. Not until you.”
Oh, God.
I squeeze my thighs together involuntarily, and that triggers Midnight into a straight gallop. With me holding onto the reins, she takes off across the meadow. I vaguely hear Declan shouting to me from behind.
By the time I get my wits together enough to bring Midnight to a halt, I’m out of earshot of Declan. I turn Midnight around, but Declan’s now heading toward me at a faster pace than I know he’s used to.
“You okay?” he asks me.
I nod and slide off Midnight’s back to the ground. Declan does the same with Reign, and we walk with them to a large tree a few feet away at the edge of the path.
We tie up the horses on a loose lead so they can graze and relax, and then we spread out the picnic blanket we packed up, along with two chicken breasts I cooked for us this morning.
“Plenty of lean protein and veggies,” I say as I show him the spinach salad and side of pasta.
Declan leans over and kisses my cheek. “Thank you. This all looks delicious.”
We dig into our meals, and for the next little while, all I hear is the sounds of birds singing and the wind blowing. It’s a warm, sunny day for this time of year, and I’m comfortable in my light parka and corduroys.
“So, while we’re confessing things,” I say to Declan. “You’re the first man I’ve wanted to cook for. Other than my dad.”
Declan’s gray eyes warm. “That’s nice to know, Mrs. Wild.”
By his reaction, I can tell the Mrs. comment slipped out by accident. Declan’s cheeks flush, and he mutters something under his breath.
“It’s okay,” I say with a wave of my hand. “We’re Mr. and Mrs. Wild right now. For a whole year. We should enjoy it. Right?”
Declan’s smile turns wicked. “Define enjoy.”
I finish my last bite of food and ball up my napkin. “I’m not sure yet.”
In truth, I’m testing him. I can’t tell exactly where he’s going with this conversation. And yes, I have more than a few ways I could define enjoy with Declan, but I’m not about to show my hand.
He takes the napkin out of my hand and starts packing the empty paper plates back into the plastic bag. “I think we should discuss this idea in more detail.” He looks over his shoulder at me, and the layer of guardedness we’ve been using around each other since our marriage began isn’t there. His eyes flare with obvious heat.
Okay, he’s definitely flirting with me.
And I don’t know how to respond to a flirtatious husband. A flirtatious guy at a bar—fine. But a husband, who I have to live with for a year regardless of how things go the morning after? Not so easy.
“Let’s wait until after your game tonight,” I stall. “I don’t want anything to disrupt your concentration.”
“So we’ll talk tomorrow?” he says.
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
And between now and then, I’ll try to figure out how to get a hold of my body, which is galloping away from my brain at a fast clip. Not to mention my heart, which is what I’m most concerned about. Lust and incredible sex are one thing. Emotional involvement is another. And the more I get to know Declan as a man, the more I wonder if I can stop myself from wanting it all with him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Declan
Tex puts out his hand, and we bump fists. I do the same with Arch, Jared, and Max before we walk out of the locker room.
Time to take on my old team.
And Mia’s going to be in the stands.
As I hit the ice with my teammates, I glance at the section where her seats are located, right behind our bench.
