LOGINDeclan
The second Maya kisses me back, I forget every sensible thought I have ever had. Which, admittedly, isn't many. But still. They disappear. The hospital room disappears with them. The machines. The pain. The bandages. The bloody fact that I was nearly blown to pieces yesterday. None of it matters. Not when Maya is standing in front of me with her mouth on mine and her hands twisted in the front of my shirt like she's angry at me for still being alive.
I kiss her again. Har
MayaFor three full seconds, nobody moves. Ronan's voice hangs on the other side of the door. Declan is staring at me. I'm staring at Declan. My dress is somewhere on the floor. And Cillian O'Rourke is apparently walking down the hallway toward this room. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.This is how I die. Not in a dramatic mafia shootout. Not kidnapped by Russians. Not caught in an explosion. No. I die because Elena's terrifying fiancé catches me sneaking out of his underboss's hospital room at midnight."Open the fuckin' door.” Ronan sounds entirely too amused. The bastard.Declan groans and drops his head back against the headboard. "I'm killin' him.”I snort. The sound escapes before I can stop it. Declan immediately looks at me. The corner of his mouth twitches. And suddenly something strange happens. For the first time since I walked into this room… The tension eases.
DeclanThe second Maya kisses me back, I forget every sensible thought I have ever had. Which, admittedly, isn't many. But still. They disappear. The hospital room disappears with them. The machines. The pain. The bandages. The bloody fact that I was nearly blown to pieces yesterday. None of it matters. Not when Maya is standing in front of me with her mouth on mine and her hands twisted in the front of my shirt like she's angry at me for still being alive.I kiss her again. Harder. Deeper. Greedier. Because once isn't enough. Twice isn't enough. A hundred times wouldn't be enough. Not after years of pretending. Years of watching her from across crowded race nights. Years of telling myself to walk away. Years of remembering the taste of her and acting as if I had forgotten.Maya makes a small sound against my mouth. Not soft. Not sweet. Frustrated. Like she hates how much she wants this. Good. At least I'm not suffering alone.Her fingers slide up my ches
MayaThe second we step outside the restaurant, I know dinner is over. Not because of Viktor. Because of me. I've spent the entire evening pretending to listen while thinking about an Irish idiot in a hospital bed. An Irish idiot who nearly died. An Irish idiot who sent Ronan to spy on my date. An Irish idiot who answered my phone call after a single ring.The realization alone is enough to make me angry all over again. The cool night air hits my face as we stop beside Viktor's car. For a few seconds, neither of us speaks. Traffic moves around us. People walk past. The city continues, as if my life isn't currently falling apart.Then Viktor breaks the silence. "I'll take you home.""No."His eyes narrow slightly. "Maya.""No."The smile disappears from his face. Not completely, just enough. The change is subtle. But it's there. And suddenly I'm tired. So tired. Tired of the explosion. Tired of secrets. Tired of fear. Tired of men deci
DeclanThe second Maya hangs up, I know I'm in trouble. Not because of Viktor. Not because of Cillian. Not because Liam is currently glaring at me like he wants to handcuff me to the hospital bed. Because of one sentence. ‘Come see me.’I shouldn't have said it. I know that. The problem is, I meant it. Every word. Every syllable. The silence that follows the call feels heavier than the conversation itself. I stare at my phone. At the dark screen. At my own reflection staring back. Christ. I've completely lost my mind.Liam is sitting in the chair across from me. Watching. The bastard has been watching me for the entire call. Not listening. Just watching. Which somehow feels worse. "How bad is it?"I look up. "What?"He points toward me."Whatever's happening in your head."I snort. Pain immediately shoots through my ribs. Fantastic. "Mind your business."“Aye." He nods. "That's usually how I know it's serious.
MayaI spend forty-five minutes staring at my closet. Not because I don't have clothes. Because apparently I'm losing my mind. I pull out a black dress. Put it back. Try a green one. Hate it. Try jeans. Put those back too. By the time I've changed outfits for the fifth time, I'm ready to throw myself out the window.The problem isn't the dinner. The problem is everything else. The explosion. The kiss. The hospital. The texts. Declan. Especially Declan.My phone sits on the edge of my bed. Silent. For now. I glance at it. Then immediately look away. Pathetic. Completely pathetic. Sophia would never let me live this down. The thought alone almost makes me call her. Almost. Then she'd start asking questions. Questions I don't want to answer.Questions like: Why are you smiling at your phone? Why do you look nervous? Why did you spend twenty minutes staring at a text that says "Don't tempt me sweetheart”?
DeclanI hate hospitals. I hate the smell. I hate the machines. I hate the nurses. And I especially hate the fact that everyone seems to think nearly dying means I should sit still and behave myself. It's insulting. The television drones quietly in the corner of the room, some daytime talk show nobody actually watches. My attention isn't on it.It hasn't been on it all morning. My attention is currently on my phone. More specifically, on Maya. The woman has occupied every bloody thought in my head since she walked into this hospital. The kiss didn't help. If anything, it made everything ten times worse. Now I know she still feels it. The pull. The attraction. The thing we've spent years pretending wasn't there.And now she's going out with a Russian. A Russian. Christ. The door opens. Liam walks inside carrying a folder. One look at his face tells me this isn't a social visit. Good. I don't want company. I want information. "What?"He tosses the folder on
ElenaHis hand doesn’t leave my waist. Not when the music shifts. Not when people start watching. Not when I try to create space between us. If anything, his grip tightens.“Dance,” he says quietly.Not a requ
ElenaMy arms are shaking. Not visibly. Not enough for Liam to call it out. But I feel it. Every muscle tight, every movement just slightly slower than it should be as I raise my hands again, trying to keep my stance steady.“Again,” Liam says.Of course. I exhale
ElenaI don’t realize how tense my body is until he tells me to walk again.“Come,” Cillian says, his voice calm, controlled, like everything in his world already bends to him, and I hate how my body reacts to it before my brain does. I hesitate for half a second, just enough to remind myself I don
ElenaI stay where I am for a second longer than I should, my back still pressed against the wall, my lungs working too hard as I try to steady my breathing. My heart hasn’t slowed since the auction. Since the car. Since him. Every word he said is still sitting in my head, sharp and suffocating: ma







