Paige took Declan back down to where she’d parked her car and followed his directions south, her curiosity growing about the next stage of their date. “Do I get a hint?” she asked, passing Sweetbriar Cove, the highway winding through the country.

“Nope.” Declan chuckled. “Take a left here.”

Paige did as instructed, expecting a restaurant or bar, but they pulled up outside a large, low concrete building set in the woods. A minivan parked beside them, spilling a group of rowdy pre-teen boys who raced towards the entrance with a weary parent trailing behind.

Paige raised her eyebrows. Declan grinned. “Time to blow off some steam.”

He got out and came around to open her door before Paige could even reach for the handle. “Thank you,” she smiled, and he gave her a wicked grin.

“The chivalry stops at the door. Here, it’s every man—and woman—for themselves.”

Paige’s confusion lasted until they reached the front and she read the sign above the door. “LazerQwest?” she read aloud, giggling. “Really?”

“I’ll have you know, it’s a game of skill and nerve,” Declan said, mock-serious. “Matching wits, a fight to the death. You enter a cub and emerge a lion among men!”

“Well, OK then.” Paige laughed, following him inside to the front desk, where they stashed her purse in a locker and strapped into their harnesses. Paige had played paintball a couple of times as a kid, and this was a similar setup: a holster at her hip with her laser gun, and targets on her vest that would flash and alarm if she was hit. She tightened her belt, while Declan struck wild poses, shooting like something out of an action movie.

“I could just wait here, if you want to go play with your friends,” she nodded to the pre-teens, only half teasing.

“No way. You and me are in this together,” Declan said. He ushered them through the first doorway, into a dark corridor. It took Paige a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim lights, but she could make out the gleeful smile on Declan’s face.

“Go wild,” he murmured in her ear. “I dare you.”

Before she could reply, there was an alarm sound, and the door ahead of them clicked open. 

“Stay low,” Declan instructed, and then a group of kids barged past, and Paige was stumbling into a huge, dark space filled with shadowy structures and loud electronic music.

“Go, go!” Declan yelled in her ear, pulling her after him. Paige tried to get her bearings, but it was like a dark labyrinth of flashing lights and the blur of racing bodies. Someone loomed in front of her, and she fell back against Declan. His arms came around her protectively, but it was just a kid—who pointed his laser gun straight at Paige. Suddenly, her vest lit up with a siren.

Declan yanked her behind a low wall. “You’ve been hit.”

“Am I out of the game now?” Paige asked, still feeling turned around.

“Not just yet.” Declan popped up and let out a hail of flashes from his gun. He ducked back down again. “We should get to high ground,” he said, looking around

“Over there.” Paige pointed to a staircase, just past the wall.

“You go first, I’ll cover you,” Declan said, readying his weapon.

Paige took a breath, and then took off running, crouched low. She saw blurry shadows looming, but didn’t break stride, and hurried up the staircase with Declan following close behind. It was a small platform overlooking the gaming floor, and Paige was finally able to get a look at the room and the groups of players down below. Some were in groups, others stalked silently down the hallways, but she had a view of them all.

“Cover the stairs,” she told Declan, snapping into action. Her childhood memories were coming back to her now, and she knelt by the balcony and took aim.

POW! POW!

It sounded like a sci-fi movie, but it worked. She managed to get half a dozen hits, their vests lighting up, before people realized she was up there. Suddenly, they all started aiming in her direction, and Paige ducked down low. “They’ve seen us!” she called, laughing.

“Follow me!”

Declan grabbed her hand, and then they were on the move again, hurrying down the stairs and down another dark corridor. Paige’s blood was racing, and she felt like a kid again. “This is fun!” she exclaimed.

“Shh!” Declan tugged her into a secluded alcove as a group of kids approached. He held her close, his body solid against hers as they pressed back, out of sight.

“Where are they?” The kids charged past. “They’re going down!”

Paige stepped out of the alcove and quickly aimed at their backs. Their vests lit up in a blare of noise and lights, but she quickly ducked back out of sight before they could turn.

There was a flurry of complaints and whining, then they headed off, leaving Paige and Declan alone.

Declan looked down at her with admiration. “Ruthless, I like it,” he murmured, his breath hot in her ear.

Paige’s pulse skittered in her chest, from the adrenaline or his nearness, she wasn’t sure. The only thing she knew was she was having fun.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she grinned. Declan was pressed so close, their mouths were only inches apart. And maybe it was the adrenaline still pounding in her body, but something made Paige bold.

“It’s my turn,” she whispered, holding Declan’s gaze. “Truth or dare?”

She saw his lips curl in a smile. “Dare,” he told her softly, not looking away.

“I dare you to kiss me.”

It felt like it was a stranger saying the words, but they were out before she could take them back, even if she wanted to. Paige felt the warm breath of his exhale, and then Declan closed the distance between them and captured her lips in a slow, hot kiss.

Oh.

This wasn’t reckless, fiery passion. No, this was something smooth. Smoldering. His mouth was hot, teasing hers open. His tongue slid deep into her mouth, so shockingly intimate that Paige shuddered from the touch. The loud music melted away, until all she could hear was her own heartbeat thundering in her chest, and the only thing that mattered in the world was the feel of Declan against her, the intoxicating taste of him, and the havoc he was wreaking with just one achingly exquisite kiss.

Paige lost herself in him. She didn’t care if it was brazen to cling to his shirt collar, or press herself closer, or even let a moan escape the back of her throat as he bit down gently on her lower lip, and she felt it all the way to her core. She melted into the moment, her head spinning and her body—

POW! POW!

Suddenly, Declan’s vest lit up in a flurry of lights and music. He broke away, confused. “What the—?”

Laughter echoed, and Paige looked past him in time to see the flurry of shadows race away. “They got you!” she exclaimed, then sprung into action. “You cover me, I’m going in!”

“Give ’em hell.” Declan grabbed his laser gun. “I’m right behind you.”

---

They played until their time ran out, mounting an all-out attack on the group of pre-teens, and running around the course so fast, Paige was breathless and sweating by the time they emerged, blinking, into the fresh air. She’d lost track of time in the dark activity center, but outside, the sun had set, and it was already after ten p.m.

“Tell me you have a burger and fries stashed in that cooler,” Paige said, only half-kidding. The delicate crostini may have tided her over, but now her stomach was demanding real food.

“Close.” Declan lifted it out of the back and set it down on one of the picnic tables by the parking lot. “How about BLTs made with pork belly and a homemade tomato chutney?”

“Gimme.” Paige jokingly made grabby hands. Declan chuckled and unpacked the rest of their feast. Paige reached for the first sandwich and bit down ravenously. “Oh my God,” she moaned in appreciation. “This is the best BLT ever.”

“Sandwiches in a parking lot, I know how to show a girl a good time.” Declan kicked back on the bench opposite and dug in with gusto. Paige had to admit she’d eaten in more romantic locations, but right now, she didn’t care. In fact, she liked Declan’s confidence: he knew that the food was good enough—and the company charming—to make it so she barely noticed the gravel on the ground and the chain link fence.

“I’d rather eat here than Beachwood any day,” she said, naming the fanciest restaurant in town.

Declan looked up. “We don’t even speak that name,” he said, and it didn’t sound like a joke.

“A little friendly rivalry?” Paige asked.

He snorted. “Not at all. If people want to spend hundreds of bucks on mediocre lobster bisque, they can be my guest.”

“You are rivals,” she laughed.

“Well, maybe just a little,” Declan admitted. “But only because they keep ripping off my menus. And stealing my wait staff. And outbidding the rest of us on the good fish supplies.”

Paige smothered a laugh. Clearly, Declan’s laid-back persona didn’t stretch to the kitchen, but it was kind of cute. He got the same fiery passionate look in his eyes talking about cooking as he did when . . .

When he kissed her.

Paige swallowed hard. Declan glanced over and caught her eye, and she flushed, remembering the feel of his body hard against her—and how much she’d wanted more.

“Too spicy for you?” he asked, and she realized she must have been blushing.

Paige shook her head. “No,” she smiled, her heart racing again. “Just the right amount of heat.”

“Good.” Declan’s smile turned flirty. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Paige said immediately. OK, so she was feeling braver now, but that didn’t mean she was quite ready for whatever challenges Declan had up his sleeve.

“Hmmm.” Declan looked thoughtful as he took another bite and slowly chewed. “OK. What are you wearing?”

Paige blinked. “Umm, you can see,” she said, confused. “Pants, and a tank top, and—”

“No,” Declan interrupted her. “I meant what are you wearing, underneath?” He gave her a mischievous grin. “Do you wear your own designs, or do you save it for your clients?”

“Oh!” Paige laughed. “Yes, I wear them,” she said coyly. “And as for tonight . . .” She paused, but the heat in Declan’s gaze was infectious, and she couldn’t help the wicked urge to stoke the flames higher. “Peach silk,” she said softly. “Lace trim, hand-stitched ribbons.”

“There are ribbons?” He was leaning closer, his mouth dropping open.

“Mmhm.” She nodded, holding his gaze. “On the panties. If I just give them a tug . . . well, I like my designs to be easy to slip into. And out of.”

Declan exhaled a ragged breath, then grabbed a bottle of water and gulped. “Do the designs come with a warning?” he asked. “Because my blood pressure just got dangerously high.”

Paige smiled, pleased to see a reaction. She wasn’t the most experienced flirt in the world, but it looked like she had some skills, after all.

“What about you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you wearing?”

Declan grinned. “Who says I’m wearing anything at all?”

She laughed. “Isn’t going commando kind of uncomfortable? All those seams in the wrong place.”

Declan shook his head. “I tell her she’s going commando, and the first thing she thinks about is the garment construction.”

Paige grinned. “I can’t help it!” she protested. “It’s the way my brain works. If I told you I was spreading chocolate on my naked body, you’d probably ask if it was milk or 70% cocoa solids.”

Declan arched an eyebrow. “You want to test me on that?”

Paige flushed and looked away, just as the clerk from the arcade came over. “Sorry, guys, but I’m closing up,” he said, as the exterior lights turned off and they were plunged into darkness. “I have to lock the gate behind me on my way out.”

“No worries, mate,” Declan said, rising to his feet. “We’re just on our way.”

But where to? Paige shot Declan a glance as they loaded up her car with the empty cooler and climbed in. She didn’t want to call it a night just yet, but what was she supposed to say: Any chance of extending the date a while longer? You haven’t had a chance to ravish me yet.

“It’s getting late,” Declan said, as if reading her mind. “How are you holding up?”

Paige tried to give a casual shrug. “I’m good.” But her body betrayed her, and she let out an involuntary yawn.

Declan smiled. “I should get you home.”

Paige tried not to feel disappointed. But he was probably right. After all, they’d finished the night’s entertainment, and everything on the Cape was probably shutting down about now. “OK,” she agreed, lying. “I can drop you on my way back, if you’ll just give me the directions.”

“It’s not far,” Declan said. “Just head north, back the way you came.”

Paige nodded, and started the engine. She felt curiously torn between not wanting the night to end, and not quite being ready to just invite him home with her. It reminded her of being a teenager, those summers she would park with her date and make out for hours, suspended in that dark, tempting space around midnight.

“What’s that smile for?” Declan’s voice came, and she glanced over, self-conscious.

“Oh, nothing,” Paige quickly replied. “I was just remembering . . . coming here for the summer, when I was a teenager.”

“I bet you had every boy in town panting for you.”

Paige laughed. “Not all of them, but . . . some,” she said with a smile. “There was just something about being on vacation, it felt like I could do anything.”

“And you don’t feel that way about regular life?”

“It’s different.” She gave a shrug. “You don’t just pack up and leave when summer’s over. There are consequences.”

Declan was quiet a moment, then he spoke up. “Got enough left in you for one more round?” A smile was playing on his lips, that teasing look that made her stomach flip in reckless anticipation.

How was she supposed to say no to that smile?

“OK,” Paige agreed. “One more.”

“Then take a left here.”

Paige followed his directions, turning off the highway and along a driveway with a lush, manicured hedge. She blinked. “You think we’re checking into a hotel?” she asked as they approached the chic, stuccoed building, lit up with spotlights in the dark. “I mean, I knew you were cocky, but—”

“Hold your horses,” Declan laughed, interrupting her. “Keep driving, around the back.”

Paige did so, pulling over in a parking spot between a couple of delivery vans. She didn’t even have a chance to ask Declan what they were doing before he leapt out of the car. “Come on.”

Paige slowly cut the engine. What the hell. It looked like tonight’s mysterious scavenger hunt wasn’t over yet, so what was the harm in one more stop?

She climbed out and followed Declan to the back gate. He punched in a security code and then held it open for her. She paused. “Why do I get the feeling we’re not supposed to be here?”

He chuckled. “Come on, you’ll like it, I promise.”

“That’s what Eliza said when she decided to cut my bangs,” Paige told him, stepping past him. “It didn’t exactly turn out so great.”

“Where’s that adventurous spirit?” Declan asked, leading her around the corner of the building. “Warrior woman, slaying all foes.”

“She doesn’t want to get arrested, either.” But she passed through the gate all the same. She wasn’t turning back now, and she was curious, too, about what adventure he was leading them into next.

Declan skirted the building and they emerged on the back lawn of the hotel, on a hillside overlooking the ocean. It was silent and dark out, with nobody around, and just the light of the moon and the glow from the hotel pool sending eerie blue light rippling across the grass.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Declan turned to her with a smile. “Truth or dare?”

Paige’s pulse skipped. It wasn’t even her turn, and she knew she should play it safe and take another question. After all, she was already in way too deep, and who knew what wicked plans Declan had in store.

But his smile was intoxicating in the moonlight, and she felt that restless itch scratching lightly in her veins, urging her on.

“Dare.” She almost whispered it, but when she saw Declan’s smile turn smoldering, Paige knew he had heard her loud and clear.

“Let’s take a swim,” he said.

Paige blinked. Whatever she’d been expecting, it wasn’t this. “Here? Now?”

“I dare you.”

In one smooth motion, Declan pulled his shirt over his head and reached for the fly on his jeans. Paige’s jaw dropped, but he turned his back and took a running start, cannonballing into the water before she could glimpse more than a flash of tanned skin.

He hit the water with an almighty splash, and Paige yelped. She froze, half-expecting security to come storming out, flashlights blazing.

“Declan!” she whisper-hissed. “Declan, what are you doing?”

He surfaced, laughing, and rolled onto his back. “Come on in,” he called, “the water’s perfect.” 

“We’re trespassing!” Paige gulped.

“So?” He tossed his wet hair back like some kind of bronzed Greek god, treading water in the deep end with his tanned skin a blur beneath the surface.

“So, someone will see! Security, or other guests.” Paige looked fearfully around. This was an expensive, luxury hotel, she could tell from the rows of wrought iron loungers and pots of hydrangeas, blanketing the night air with a sweet floral scent.

Expensive hotels tended not to like strangers breaking in to go skinny-dipping in the pool.

Not even if they looked as good naked as Declan. 

“Relax,” he told her, swimming over. “Nobody’s here. There was a big wedding a couple of days ago, and now everybody’s gone home and the staff have the night off.”

“How do you know that?” Paige paused.

“Because Brooke always comes begging me to cater her big events,” he replied, splashing her playfully.

Brooke. Paige exhaled with relief. She was one of Eliza’s closest friends, and if this was the hotel she managed . . .

Well, she wouldn’t go sending them to jail.

“What’s it going to be, sweetheart?” Declan splashed around invitingly. “You’re not going to wimp out of a dare, are you?”

Paige swallowed, her heartbeat suddenly thundering in her chest. She wasn’t going to just take off all her clothes and go hurtling into the water, was she?

Yes.

Yes she was, she realized with jolt. It was a good thing she’d picked her best lingerie.

“Turn around,” she called, reaching for her waistband.

Declan whistled. “Oh yeah, it’s all coming off!” he hooted, and she laughed, gesturing. 

“Eyes down, Mr. I mean it!”

“OK, OK!”

She waited until he had his back turned before quickly peeling her tank top over her head and shucking off her pants. She darted over to the edge of the pool and dipped a toe in to test the water.

“It’s cold!”

“Not once you’re in.” Declan started turning back towards her, and Paige knew she didn’t have time to dawdle, not unless she wanted him to get an eyeful of her nearly naked body.

And, let’s face it, she would need another bottle of champagne for that.

“Three, two— ARGH!”

Paige closed her eyes and cannonballed into the water.

SPLASH!

The cold hit her all at once, and she surfaced spluttering. Declan whooped. “There you go!” he cried as she swam around in circles, adjusting to the chill. But he was right, submerged, the cool water felt amazing against her bare skin, and the summer night was perfectly warm.

“I didn’t think you had it in you,” he said with a grin. Paige flipped into her back and floated, feeling weightless.

“I never back out of a dare,” she said, gazing at the stars. Back in the city, it was hard to make out the sky under the lights, but here, it was crisp and dark, the constellations scattered brightly in the sky.

A happy glow spread through her, something breathless and giddy.

“Thank you,” she said, twisting over to tread water, just a few feet away from him. 

“What for?”

“Giving me the push. I never in a million years would have done this on my own, but now I’m here . . .” Paige’s breath caught in her throat as Declan swam closer. His eyes drifted lower, and Paige registered for the first time that she was in her bra and panties, only partially hidden beneath the water.

She flushed, her pulse racing. Alone in the dark pool, lit only by the eerie blue, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Declan reached her, treading water just inches away. He was close enough that she could make out the individual droplets of water running in rivulets down his jaw and over his broad, muscular chest.

Close enough to see his eyes turn focused, lingering on her mouth.

Close enough for Paige to lean in and taste him for herself like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Yes.

She sighed against him, feeling the rush surge through every inch of her body. Declan’s arms came around her, his strong legs keeping them both afloat as she sank into the kiss: his hot mouth, and solid heat, and the way just the feel of his torso against hers set the world on fire. Declan steered them to the edge of the pool and set her back on the shallow steps. Her hands slid over the broad planes of his back, loving the feel of his damp skin, lower until she felt—

Fabric.

Paige smiled against his lips as she snapped the waistband on his briefs. He wasn’t commando, after all.

“Liar,” she whispered, and Declan chuckled.

“Shh,” he cut her off, moving between her legs as he kissed her again with a blatant hunger that made Paige pant.

God, what was she doing, kissing him like this when she was practically naked? 

Having the time of her life.

Declan kissed a trail along her jawline and down the curve of her neck, and she shuddered, gasping for air. His touch was electric, fire and ice, and her body pressed into his hands like it had a mind of its own. His fingertips skimmed her waist, making her moan against him, and every touch, every searing kiss, was like a drug.

She needed more.

His palm slid higher, grazing over the swell of her breast, and Paige moaned at the touch. She arched against him, her blood running hot, and an ache twisting low between her thighs—

Suddenly, all the lights turned on.

Paige froze. “What was that?” she yelped, splashing back into the water to hide her nakedness. She peeked her head up and looked around. “Is someone there?”

Silence.

“It must have been a timer,” Declan said, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. “Nobody’s around.” He pulled her closer, leaning to drop a kiss on her bare shoulder, but Paige’s mood was well and truly killed.

“I should get going,” she said, slipping out of his embrace. She submerged and swam underwater to the other end of the pool, coming up for air with a gasp. She needed to put some space between them before she lost her mind completely, and she couldn’t think straight with Declan’s hands on her.

And as for his mouth . . .

She scrambled out of the pool, dripping, and wriggled back into her clothes, not caring that they hugged her skin in wet patches. That had been close. Not just the damp friction of his body against her, but how near she’d come to totally losing all control. She may have thrown caution to the wind tonight, but even New Paige had her limits.

And third base in a hotel pool was way over the line.

She heard Declan splash out of the water, and when she finally turned, he was back in his clothes again: damp, and dripping, and utterly edible—

Nope. Not tonight!

“So, this was fun!” Paige said brightly, like they’d just been to a tea dance. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.” She stopped. “I mean, umm . . .”

Declan grinned, closing the distance between them and tilting her face up to his. “Count on it,” he murmured, his breath hot on her cheek. He kissed her again—a light, almost chaste kiss after the inferno in the pool— then stepped back. “You should get home, have your beauty sleep,” he said, smoothing her wet hair back from her face.

“I can give you a ride,” Paige offered, busily ignoring just how good he looked. She checked she had all her clothes and slipped her sandals back on. “Where do you live?”

“It’s close. I can walk,” Declan replied. He gave her a wry smile. “Cool down a little.”

Paige bit her lip, pleased she wasn’t the only one still breathless and spinning from that encounter. “OK. If you’re sure.”

He walked her out, back to her car, then paused by the driver’s side. “Tonight was . . .” He paused, his lips curling into a smile. “Unexpected,” he finished, and Paige felt a kind of victory.

She’d take that as a compliment.

“Goodnight.” She leaned up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek, not quite ready to risk another intoxicating embrace. Maybe Declan felt the same, because his lips only brushed her cheek in return before he stood back and opened her door for her.

“I’ll call you,” he said as she got inside.

“You do that.” Paige managed to give him a flirty smile, before turning on the engine—and almost driving straight into the wall.

“You, uh, need to put it in reverse,” Declan pointed out through the open window, amused.

Paige coughed. “I know. Bye!” She yanked the gearstick, and backed out of the space, driving away before she could see Declan’s laughter—or crash her car into anything else.

She headed out the driveway, and hit the highway again, her headlights shining through the black. The wind was cool on her wet skin through the open windows, but she rolled them down even further, feeling weightless, like she was flying.

Already, the night felt like a dream. The smooth weight of the water closing around her. Declan’s mouth against her own. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before.

And she couldn’t wait to do it all again.