We dance and I don’t remember having this much fun. She dances with me but she keeps a distance too. We sway our hips and move and suddenly she turns to me and I think she is going to kiss. . . but no, that wouldn’t be possible. She said she’s never been kissed. This is not a place someone wants to have their first kiss either. . . in front of an audience. But her eyes drop to my lips and her beautiful eyes go round.
“What is it?” I shout over the music, my gaze trained on her full lips. I want to kiss her. Bad. This doesn’t happen to me. Sure, as a Dragon, we are surrounded by beautiful girls in the hockey house but I’m not attracted to them, not really.
She licks her lips, but she looks almost frozen, and I’m confused. . . she pulls me by the hand and leads me toward the back of the bar where there’s an exit. I allow her to lead me but I’m wondering what the heck is going on.
“What just happened?” I ask. One minute I think we may kiss and the next she’s running away like the place is on fire.
She pants out of breath. “Um. . .”
“What?” I ask again because she is starting to make me nervous.
“My brother just got to the bar,” she says nervously.
“Okay,” I chuckle. “Who cares?”
“My brother is Ryse McGuire,” she says. FUCK ME my heart skips a beat. She pulls me out the door because I think I’m frozen, and we end up in some dark alley.
NINE
Poppy
“Are you kidding me?” Declan asks. “You’re Ryse’s kid sister?”
We are in some back alley with no one around. It’s dark outside and the air is cool, but all I can think about is his reaction. Will he care like all the other guys? Will he treat me like a kid instead of a woman?
I nod. “It’s no big deal. Get over it,” I say dryly because I am so over being ‘Ryse’s baby sister’ and there’s no way I’m going to show him that I actually feel something for him.
“Ryse will beat me up for hanging out with you,” he informs.
“No shit. Get in line,” I answer. “So you scared of my brother?” I can’t help but goad him because of his reaction.
“I’m not scared of your brother. But he’s the other winger on the team. We play together. If he’s pissed at me then we won’t work well together on the ice, and he also happens to be my best friend.”
“Okay, well, we haven’t done anything wrong anyway. I’m interviewing you for a story. Ryse knows about it,” I inform him.
“He does?” Declan asks, surprised.
“Yes, and besides him being an overprotective jerk sometimes, he’s all I got. We’re close,” I snap back.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. Shit. I had no idea that Ryse grew up poor. He doesn’t let on,” Declan says.
“And you’re going to keep that secret safe,” I say, my tone carrying warning.
Declan laughs. “Look at us racking up secrets.” He licks his perfect lips and my gaze draws back to them, and I think about how I wanted to kiss him just before Ryse showed up at the bar.
Declan takes a step toward me. “I remember what you said to me that night.” His tone is deep and throaty and his proximity makes my mouth salivate and my stomach flip.
“What do you mean?” I swallow hard. My heart picks up pace as he moves even closer. The sandalwood scent of him doing wonders for my pheromones.
“You’ve never kissed a guy,” he says and his gaze drops to my lips. “And I want to kiss you, Poppy, but knowing I would be your first kiss places a lot of responsibility on me, and I don’t have much to offer.”
“Who says you don’t have much to offer?” I ask so quietly I’m practically whispering. I want Declan to kiss me so badly. Having him this near and not claiming my lips makes me feel like I’m lost in a desert with no water.
“I don’t,” he confirms.
“I’m a big girl, Declan. I know what I do and don’t want.”
“Oh yeah. And what do you want, gorgeous?” he asks.
No one has ever called me that before.
“I want you to kiss me,” I say breathlessly.
He takes a step back and I don’t like it one bit.
“Don’t,” he says.
“Don’t what?” I ask feeling confused.
“Pout. It makes me want you more,” he admits. His stormy eyes in the dark of night watch me and I wonder what he’s thinking. I know what I’m thinking. That I’d like to more than kiss him. I’ve definitely never wanted to go for a hockey jock, and I’ve been around them plenty because of Ryse, but Declan is different.
“I’m not going to beg you, Dec. . .”
He takes a step toward me, his hand coming up to my neck gently, and he presses his lips to mine. It takes me a millisecond to catch on to what is happening and then my arms wrap around his shoulders. His mouth opens and I do the same, our tongues slowly move and heat sparks low in my belly. He tastes of mint and something distinctly him, and I can’t get enough. His palms come up to my face and he holds my cheeks gently, and then his hands move into my hair and he is pressing me against the wall. My body bursts into flames as something I’ve never felt before takes over. His hands move to my shoulders and I feel something hard press into my belly. This is the best first kiss anyone could ever ask for.
He pulls away and we are both breathing hard. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“I’m glad it did,” I retort, feeling insulted.
“It was a damn good kiss. I just mean I shouldn’t have kissed you,” he says, raking his fingers through his chocolate brown hair. I think it’s something he does when nervous.
“Okay, don’t go getting all scared of my brother right now. We don’t need to tell him it happened,” I say like it’s obvious.
“And we probably shouldn’t do that again,” he says, waving between us. His lips are wet and swollen, making him look even hotter.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” I agree, but I’m really thinking I want to do so much more with Declan. There’s something about him that draws me in. Sure, there have been other guys I’ve crushed on. They were usually older and knew my brother, but I never felt this kind of spark. It’s like a magnet pulling me toward him and not only because he’s hot, but because he’s complex and sweet.
“We shouldn’t go back in there,” he says and adjusts himself in his jeans. “I’ll want to dance with you and I don’t think interviews involve dancing. I’ll call us an Uber.”
“Thanks.” Truth is I don’t want to go back inside either, but I don’t want to say goodnight to Declan.
We walk away from the Black Market and head toward a quiet street. Declan calls the Uber. “Which dorm do you live in?” he asks, I’m guessing to input the address. I figure he waited to call so that we don’t bump into my brother outside the bar. It’s funny because Ryse introduced me to his teammates at the beginning of summer, but none of them seem to have connected the dots that I’m Ryse’s sister. It doesn’t matter. I’m used to not being memorable.