EWEN
Declan departed after making my toes curl from his words. He took his bag and headed up the stairs. I stand there for a few minutes, debating with myself. I know my job and church are in good hands, but they aren’t my hands. I’ve worked hard to become a priest. But whenever Declan is near, I forget my goals and aspirations.
Flopping down on his couch, I lean back and throw an arm over my face. The weight of it all is like a ton of bricks being stacked on my shoulders.
“Ewen, can you bring me a glass of water, please?” he shouts down to me.
I hop up and leave my pity party on the couch. “Um, yeah. Gimme just a minute.”
I open cabinets, trying to find glasses. After I locate one, I fill it with water and ice from the fridge.
I go upstairs and round the corner. There’re multiple doors, all closed except one. I start there, hoping to find him easily. The room has two brick walls, but the others are smooth and painted a light gray. There’s a large bed angled diagonally from the corner, facing two large windows. I can see the neighborhoodwith the downtown skyline standing tall behind them, but it doesn’t feel like I’m on display.
He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, watching me. His hair is still wet from his shower. He hasn’t put a shirt on yet, so I see the bandages covering his wounds. His stitches came out earlier today, but the spots are fragile.
The stitches being removed was the first time I’d laid eyes on his bare chest. It wasn’t anything other than a clinical moment. But now a chest that has muscle and tattoos is on full display. There’re water droplets still gleaming. They do nothing but draw my gaze over all of him. He is the definition of beautiful. I can’t find a single thing on him that I don’t find appealing.
Placing the glass on the nightstand next to him, I ask, “Do you need help with anything else?”
“No.” He shifts, lying back against the pillows and headboard. He reminds me of a king lounging before his court. “I asked you to stay,” he says as I turn to leave. “That means near me. You don’t have to hide out downstairs. I promise not to bite.”
He pats the bed next to him and, without a second to over think it, I sit down. My thigh touches his and sparks fly through me. It’s those zaps that continue to draw me in. I’m like a moth hypnotized by the light, knowing the zap will kill me but unable to turn away.
We’re both silent, which is odd for him. He’s the talker between us, always causing my brain to run rampant.
Feeling like now is the only time I’ll be brave enough, I ask, “Why did you come to me that night?”
He looks around his room, as if trying to find an escape, before his eyes settle on me. “I told you. I needed you to give me my last rites. I wanted the chance to, maybe—just maybe—see you again in Heaven. If there is a Heaven. My soul is tainted but you could have given me peace.”
“It was honestly the scariest moment of my life. I was young when my father killed my mom and then himself but seeing you fading…I was more scared in that moment than I’ve ever been before.” This time I’m the one to grab his hand and interlock our fingers. “You, in such a short time, have become more special to me than my own parents ever were.”
Declan stays silent. His eyes travel over my face, like he’s searching for a lie. He grabs my jaw and draws me close. Before I know it his lips are on mine.
My entire body locks up. Every fiber of my being completely frozen in time. I want to push him away. This is wrong, but I can’t stop it. I could pull back and end this right now. Tell him we can’t pass that line.
Everything I have said and preached goes against this moment. Yet I do nothing at all. Feeling his lips against mine drowns the guilt that wants to blare warning bells at me.
Declan is kissing me and it’s the best feeling in the world
I lean in, getting closer. His lips are soft. The desire for more screams in my brain. Not guilt or anything negative. Just the bliss of this being perfect. His tongue runs along the seam of my lips, asking for access. I give him that. He explores my mouth, and I moan at the pleasure that a kiss is bringing me. No kiss has ever felt this good, this right.
Next thing I know is we’re tangled up in each other. Our limbs move, reaching for touch and closeness. Our mouths mold together in a sweet dance. Moans come from both of us. This is so simple yet so sexy. My hands roam his chest, feeling the ridges of his muscles, avoiding his injuries.
He breaks the kiss and I actually whimper at the loss of his lips on mine. His hands cup mine in a tender embrace. “I told you back at the hospital you were mine. I meant it. You. Are. Mine.” Before I can process the weight of his words he kisses me again.
We kiss, wrapping ourselves in each other as the bright light of the day gives way to the darkness of night. We kiss until we fall asleep. In each other’s arms. No words exchanged.
20
DECLAN
Iwake slowly. The feel of Ewen in my arms lulling me back to a place of peace. Not wanting to disturb my precious Aingeal, I stay motionless as I watch him sleep. I’ve been obsessed with him for years. Stalked him, pulled strings to get him here. Always wanting this moment but never expecting it to happen.
He turns his head and nuzzles into me. Fuck, I’ll be anything he wants as long as he keeps doing that.
That leaves me to wonder what our future could resemble. Is there even one for us? I’ve always thought of the time ahead for my family and our endeavors. I’ve never thought about what my actual future would be like for myself. The O’Sullivan clan has always been my priority.
I can’t stop being the Reaper for him. I’m the ending of many. He’s a priest and believes in beginnings and light. If there is something more for us, what will it look like?
