I decide I’ve retained enough information from the trade show that my brain can handle and head to go up to my hotel room and change before Declan takes me to the tattoo convention. Last night, after we left my room, everything seemingly went back to normal while we went sightseeing. We walked through casinos and had a few drinks, even a few laughs. Declan eventually walked me back to my hotel and then left me by myself for the rest of the night. A part of my brain wondered if he was meeting up with the girl he was talking about on the car ride to the airport, going to go and finish what we had started.
The thought left my stomach in knots the rest of the night, and I didn’t get a wink of sleep, afraid that that’s exactly what he did.
“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you, but my name’s Tony. I saw you at the trade show.” A tall man stops me as I walk through the casino floor towards the elevators.
It takes me a second to gain my bearings since I was so lost in thought, and now that I have a chance to look at him, he’s good-looking. Really good looking. His dark hair iscropped short on the sides, and the top is expertly styled back. He’s dressed in jeans, a black Henley, and white slide-on sneakers, and his honey-brown eyes capture mine while he smiles at me.
I push my hair behind my ear. “Uh… hi. I’m Penny.”
He gently pulls me to the side by my forearm as a group of people passes by. “I know this seems super forward, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to have lunch with me?”
“Oh…um–”
“Penny, there you are,” Declan says, not a moment later. “I was looking for you.” He comes to my side and intertwines his fingers with mine. I look down at where we’re joined and blank out for a moment.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize… have a good one,” Tony says and disappears into a crowd of people.
I look up at Declan, but before I can say a word, he’s pulling us to the elevators. Declan guides me inside the next available elevator, and we’re all alone as he presses the close door button.
He plants himself on the opposite side and stares at me while we ascend.
“You let another man touch you,” he grits out.
My core clenches at his brashness, something inside of me loving the fact that he is jealous.
“He was harmless,” I tell him and roll my eyes.
Before I know what’s happening, Declan is in my space. One hand circles my throat and the other grips my hip.His lips are a hair’s breadth away, and I’m waiting for his mouth to attack mine when the ping of the elevator signals we’re on our floor.
He blinks once before taking a step back, and I let out the breath I was holding. Declan silently follows me out of the elevator toward my room, and when the door closes behind us, he tells me, “Change, and then we’ll get something to eat on our way.” He’s back to being cordial, like he didn’t just get jealous of the fact that another man put his hand on my arm.
I don’t say anything as I grab an outfit and head into the bathroom. I make sure to put on some red lipstick and I freshen my hair with some dry shampoo, just in case we stay out all night and don’t come back to the hotel.
When I walk out into the room, Declan’s eyes go wide. “Oh, fuck no. You’re changing, now.”
I grab a pair of boots out of my suitcase. “No can do. This is my only going-out outfit.”
“Penny,” he growls. “Everyone is going to see your pussy.”
I laugh. “No, they’re not. I’m wearing spandex shorts.” I pull up my t-shirt dress to show him the tiny little shorts, and he groans.
I have on the black band t-shirt dress I wore the first time we had sex, but didn’t bring my knee-high boots because they’re not good for walking miles in. Instead, I have on combat boots and am wearing a pair of feather earrings and a bunch of silver rings stacked on my fingers.
I look good, if I do say so myself.
His eyes narrow, and I smirk back. It doesn’t escape me that we sort of match. He’s wearing a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and combat boots, too.
“I’m not going to a tattoo convention looking like I just walked out of The Little House on the Prairie, Declan.”
“But you’ll go looking like a slut?”
My eyes go wide, and I take a step toward him with a finger pointed at his chest. “Watch it. If I remember correctly, you enjoy it when I act like a so-called slut,” I say, anger lacing my tone. “What the fuck is your problem?”
He’s moody, and it’s giving me whiplash.
Declan erases the inches between us, and I have to crane my head to look up at him. “My problem is that you let another man touch you. My problem is that you have no problem looking like this for other men to see.” He waves a hand from my head to my feet.
I interrupt him before he can continue. “Newsflash, Declan. You’re myfriend. The shit you say when we’re naked together doesn’t count outside of the bedroom. You and I will never happen, remember those words? Those were your words, not mine. So don’t lecture me about who can touch me or what I can wear,” I seethe.
