LEO AND DECLAN 1: Under His Touch

2

"If you do this to me I will never, ever, ever forgive you," I said, totally serious.

Declan laughed. "It's an action movie Leo, not Chinese water torture."

"Might as well be," I mumbled, following him down my steep apartment stairs. I did not want to sit through two hours of a bunch of crusty old white dudes clinging to the remnants of their fame by beating each other up, as if that was what would prove their masculinity.

Declan? He thought it would be amazing.

Explosions and fake punches were the first and last in his desirable movie checklist. I wanted to see this new psychological thriller that had just come out, but he wasn't having it. Sure, my movie would probably see a gun being waved around at one point or another, but it would also include a lot more talking and fewer car chases. That, and better actors. Plus crazy chicks who framed their husbands.

That was always fun, right?

"You'll like it," he promised me. "Lot's of hunks for you to gawk at. All those biceps? Mmmm." Declan waggled his eyebrows at me, and I snorted. It was a lot of effort to hold back that the only biceps I was interested in these days were his, but then, I'd had a lot of practise keeping my mouth shut lately.

He turned and jogged down the last few steps.

I reached forward to smack the back of his head and tilted too far off balance. My toes scuffed the edge of the staircase and I tumbled forward. At the last second, Declan whipped around, barely managing to catch me before I slammed against the stairs and cracked my damn forehead open.

I really had to install a new railing.

Dec's thick arm snaked around my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, while the other reached across my back, fingers squeezing my shoulder.

Fire spread through my body.

"One day," he said, "you're going to get yourself killed."

"Uhhh. . ."

I was too focused on his arms around me to notice the danger I'd just avoided. I could barely breathe, feeling his heat so close like this, let alone form words.

I glanced to my left and found our faces were mere inches apart, the black stubble lining his jaw tantalizingly close. His steady gaze found mine and for a second we stayed like that. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I was sure my feelings must have been written on my face, and I felt a blush rise beneath my tan skin.

Dec cleared his throat and stepped back. He grinned ear-to-ear. "You're lucky I have such amazing reflexes. Who's your Prince Charming?"

I almost fainted.

When I finally found my voice all I could say was, "Let's go! We're gonna be late."

Declan laughed and led me out the front door into the kiss of the cool night air and the buzzing of the streetlights, waiting while I locked up behind us, but all I could think about on the way to the Cineplex were his sculpted lips and the scent of him, an earthy musk and the sharp twinge of something like citrus, a fancy cologne, as he'd loomed so close to me.

God, I was pathetic.