Gwen hadn’t been wrong. The guys were seriously into big houses, if Garrett’s place was anything to go by.

“Here, you look like you could use this.” I turned just as Gina reached me, extending a glass of champagne my way.

“Thanks,” I said appreciatively, taking a huge gulp as I glanced around at the people gathered in the impressively large family room. The furniture had been moved so the room could be set up for Garrett and Gwen’s reception. They’d decided on a small ceremony with a justice of the peace, with Corrine and Declan going as witnesses and Liddy as their flower girl. Ian had tagged along as security, of course, but everyone else stayed behind to get the house ready for the party that Gwen wanted to have after. There were caterers in the kitchen, a bartender at a makeshift bar in the far-left corner of the room, and across from him to the right was a DJ, setting up the music for the evening. All the people they cared about were gathered around to celebrate the happy couple.

And I’d never felt more out of place.

True, I’d grown up with the guys in Civil Corruption, and at one time they’d been my best friends. But years had passed, times had changed, and because of that, it felt as if I was standing in a room full of strangers, having crashed a celebrity wedding. I wished Lyla could’ve made it to the wedding, but she was still dealing with things back home, trying to take care of her parents and keep Will’s garage running. It would’ve been nice to have her with me.

The other thing weighing me down and keeping me from completely enjoying the evening was the fact that since my little chat with Gwen, I’d been able to think of little else but her suggestion that Declan had changed. I hadn’t seen him in the past two days, and I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Why do you look like you’re about to cut and run?” Gina asked, drawing me from my depressing thoughts.

“I’m not about to cut and run.” I gave her my best semblance of a smile, even though I wanted to do exactly what she’d just claimed. “I just don’t know a lot of these people.”

She nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I think a lot of them are part of their crew whenever the guys tour. And that guy there”—she pointed to an elderly man standing about thirty feet away—“I think he’s their agent, but I’m not sure. Oh, and that lady he’s talking to,” she continued, speaking of the older woman who looked to be about the man’s age, “is Bernie, or Bernadette. She owns the coffee shop where Gwen and I work. And that about sums up everyone I recognize.”

“You don’t know Killian and Mace?” I asked, looking over to the guys already at the bar.

Her cheeks flushed bright red. “No, not really. I mean, I’ve been around them a few times, but the only ones I’ve really talked to are Garrett and Deck. Honestly, Killian kind of… intimidates me.”

She said it in a way that made it sound more like she was crushing on him than scared of him, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Is that right?” I teased, glancing toward the man in question “Well, I guess he can be a bit… intimidating.”

Gina rolled her eyes on a quiet giggle. “Don’t give me that look. He’s just too damn sexy for his own good, all right? I mean, what normal human being is that good-looking? It should be illegal.”

She wasn’t wrong about that. Killian had always been attractive. Hell, all four of those guys were. With his sandy brown hair and tall, sculpted frame, the man had never been short of admirers. But I think it was his eyes that drew women in the most. They were the most beautiful Caribbean-ocean blue. Couple all that with the five-o’clock shadow that he always wore and the tattoos, and he wasn’t just hot, he screamed bad boy.

But as far as I’d always been concerned, he didn’t hold a candle to Declan.

“They’re here! They’re here!” Garrett’s housekeeper, Sylvie, cried enthusiastically. It was cute how attached she and their cook, Rosita, were to the Wilder family. I was glad Garrett and Gwen had people like that in their corner.

Everyone gathered in the center of the family room and waited. The first to walk through the door were Liddy, Corrie, and Ian, with the big man carrying the giggling little girl on his shoulders. The smile on my face at the sound of Liddy’s laughter quickly fell, and all the air whooshed from my lungs at the sight of the next person to enter the room. In all the years I’d known him, I’d never once seen Declan in a suit. It was a freaking thing of beauty that, quite literally, took my breath away.

“Careful, babe. You’re drooling.” I jerked my head around to shoot an amused Gina a murderous glare that only made her laugh harder before she turned to talk with Corrine and Ian, who’d just arrived at her other side.

Unable to keep my eyes off him, I looked back to admire Declan. His charcoal-colored suit and dove gray shirt looked custom-made, fitting his muscles to perfection. His dark hair was styled so that it looked like his hands had been dragging through it, but he still managed to make it looked fashionable. The color of his shirt made his eyes stand out even more, and when they turned on me, I could’ve sworn I felt that look caress my skin. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t a look, it was a goddamn smolder. And, as usual, my body reacted to that smolder. My skin broke out in goose bumps, my panties grew damp with arousal, and my belly flipped.

I hated myself for having such an intense physical response, but it was completely out of my control. I watched, transfixed, as his mouth quirked up in a tiny smile that I felt in my core, a smile just for me, as he made his way into the family room and in my direction. Once he reached my side, he leaned in close and spoke softly in my ear. “Hi.”

I swallowed thickly. “H-hi.” I wasn’t sure why I suddenly felt so nervous in his presence.

“You look beautiful in that dress.”

Shit. He was playing dirty. My brain knew that, but my nipples didn’t seem to give a damn as they grew hard and tight. “Thanks,” I whispered in return, all other words having escaped me.

“Unca Deck! Catch me!” Liddy screeched just a second before launching herself off Ian’s shoulders. Sucking in a startled breath, I lifted my arms to keep her from crashing to the ground and hurting herself. But before I could get my hands on her, Declan was there, snatching her right out of the air and swinging her around, causing a peal of laughter to escape her lips before he finally settled her on his hip. Just the sight of him holding sweet little Liddy so affectionately was enough to make my ovaries explode. Add his sexy suit to the mix and I was a goner.

A sigh of relief passed my lips when Garrett and Gwen came walking in at that moment. All the attention shifted to them as everyone cheered and rushed to congratulate the newly married couple. I was able to step away from the crowd, and Declan in particular, and pull in a much-needed breath.

Something had shifted in me since Will’s death. While the distrust and anger of his betrayal were still as fresh as an open wound, the hatred I’d harbored for Deck all these years was beginning to fade, hatred I needed in order to keep my heart protected.

Because without it, I was terrified of what I might do.

* * *

Declan

I’d been content to take it slow and cautious. Well, that wasn’t totally true. I wasn’t so much content as resigned. I’d forced myself to concentrate on the long game, not immediate gratification. Winning Tatum back was going to take some serious work, and I’d already pushed as far as I felt I could by getting her to agree to manage the band and move her ass to Seattle. I didn’t think now was the right time to take more action.

But then I’d looked in her direction and found her watching me with a familiar desire shining in her eyes that she wasn’t able to hide from me. And I decided to hell with cautious. All night long she made an effort to avoid me, moving to the opposite side of the room from wherever I was. And all night long, despite her evasion tactics, I caught her staring when she thought I wouldn’t notice.

I downed the last of my Jack and waved the bartender over for a refill and a glass of champagne. With the drinks in hand, I moved with determined strides across the room. She wasn’t going to get away this time. I’d track her down wherever she tried to run to.

Sure enough, once she noticed me closing in, that panicked, deer-in-headlights look flitted across her face, and she quickly muttered something to Gwen and her friends before turning and skirting the tables in an attempt to escape.

Keeping my pace unhurried and relaxed, I continued after her as a small, knowing smirk pulled at my lips. She darted through the entryway and turned left. There were only a few hiding places in that direction, and I had a gut feeling I knew exactly where she was going.

Resting my back against the wall across from the closed door, I set the glasses on the small table beside me and stuffed my hands into my front pockets, settling in to wait her out as long as necessary.

Ten long minutes ticked by at a snail’s pace, and I was starting to worry that she might’ve passed out in there when the knob finally turned and the door to the bathroom swung open.

“Oh!” Tatum gasped in surprise as soon as she stepped out, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Drink?” I asked, picking up the glass of champagne I’d brought for her.

She hesitated for a few seconds before taking a couple cautious steps toward me. “Thanks,” she muttered, taking the drink from my hand and downing half in one gulp. The hiccup that followed and the slight pink to her cheeks alerted me to the fact that she’d had several glasses already.

“So, you enjoying the party?”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed, looking anywhere but at me. “I am. It’s a great party. Are you having fun?”

“I would be, if you weren’t spending all damn night dodging me.”

That finally got her attention, and her eyes shot my way. “I’m not dodging you.”

“You sure about that?” I asked with a tiny smile.

Her eyelids pinched into slits at my taunt. “Of course I’m sure. Why would I need to avoid you?”

“You tell me,” I continued to prod. “Maybe it’s because I make you nervous. That’s the only thing I can think of.” If there was one thing I knew about Tate, it was that she’d never been able to back down from a challenge, and I wasn’t above using that knowledge to my advantage.

“Pfft,” she scoffed. “Please. You don’t make me nervous, you egomaniac.”

That was when I went in for the kill. Pushing off the wall, I took a step in her direction so we were only inches apart. “Then prove it,” I said quietly.

That panicked expression returned, and she began stuttering. “W-what? H-how?”

It was almost as if God was looking down on me at that very moment and decided to cut me a break. The fast-paced song that had been playing ended, a slow one following right after. “Dance with me,” I dared. “Prove I don’t make you nervous by dancing with me.”

Tatum let out an indignant snort and began sputtering, “That’s… that’s…. You’re… God, you’re so full of yourself!”

“Scared?”

For a second, I worried for the safety of my balls and nearly covered my dick protectively before she finally snapped, “Fine! Stupid jerk.” She downed the last of her champagne. “You want to dance? Let’s dance.”

Taking the glass from her, I set it on the table next to my abandoned Jack and grabbed her hand. But I didn’t lead her into the room where the makeshift dance floor had been set up. Instead, I took her in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she walked quickly to keep up, her heels clacking along the marble tiles as I led her down the long hall toward the back of the house. I kept going, through the formal dining room and kitchen to the french doors that opened to the patio.

The backyard had also been transformed for the party, complete with paper lanterns hanging from the deck beams and pergolas. Twinkle lights had been wrapped around all the trees, and the pool was lit with pale blue lights.

Fortunately, the chill in the air had kept everyone else inside, allowing me some privacy with the girl who’d been torturing my mind and heart for the past decade.

The sound system in the house carried the song from the family room all the way out into the backyard.

“Declan, I don’t think we should—”

Not wanting to give her a chance to run, I used my grip on her hand to pull her into my chest, then wrapped my other arm around her waist, holding tight as I began to sway us to the music.

Unable to help myself, I leaned in close enough for my breath to slide across her skin, relishing in the way her body trembled as I whispered, “Scared yet?” in her ear.