“Don’t you want to know what this is between us?” he asked.
“I…I do,” she said.
He leaned close, his breath warm and sensual on her neck and ear as he whispered, “So you admit it’s more than sex?”
She swallowed and nodded leaning back to look him in the eyes. “This thing between us makes no sense.”
“This is just as unexpected to me.”
Tilting her head, she studied him. She knew his words were true. The press had made him out to be a bit of a playboy. He’d dated a couple of models and even an actress. Funny, but until this moment she hadn’t even thought of that. She supposed it should make her feel insecure, but it didn’t. The attraction between them was real. Her concerns about Declan didn’t come from his prior personal life. But then, right now as he leaned toward her again, his spicy male scent sliding into her nostrils, she couldn’t remember what her concerns were.
“Let’s go to my place.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. His place? That meant no control for her. It scared her. She should insist on going to her apartment. But then, the chance to see more of his world appealed for some unknown reason.
“All right. Your place it is.”
* * * * *
They stepped onto the sidewalk and made it all of a foot before cameras started going off. Declan felt his stomach tighten. Shit. The last thing he needed was his picture in the paper with Marks’s daughter. He pulled Zoe close and lowered his head. “I take it this is about your father?” he asked.
Before she could answer, reporters started cramming microphones at her and asking questions.
“Is your father guilty?”
“Will you support him in court?”
“Ms. Marks…”
“God,” Zoe said, “I hate this.”
Declan turned her toward the restaurant and shoved her through the door. He shoved money at the hostess. “I need a back door and a cab.”
He was almost certain he’d avoided the cameras. Almost. Telling Zoe about his firm was now mandatory.
Damn it. Progress made. Progress lost. No telling how she was going to react.
Chapter Thirteen
Declan’s apartment had a comfortable feeling. As if it was home. Which, of course, to him, it was. The thing that struck Zoe as odd was that it made her feel that way. Warm browns helped set the comfortable mood as did dim track lights. There weren’t flashy colors or fancy statues. The large living room sat directly off the entrance. A huge bar framed a large kitchen. A stairway led to the other rooms.
Sitting on an incredibly soft, light brown leather couch, Zoe waited on Declan to pour her a glass of wine. He seemed intent on taking things slow. She wasn’t against it tonight. Everything she was feeling was foreign and hard to digest. Directly in front of her was a brick fireplace. Above it a huge picture of a landscape. She knew the artists. After all, the men in her life had all been artsy to this point.
Declan appeared, holding two glasses, and sat down next to her. She accepted her drink and smiled. “I like your place. It’s not what I expected.”
“And what exactly did you expect?” he asked, sipping her wine.
“I thought it would be more bachelor-like.”
“I’m not sure I know what that means. How does a bachelor’s place look?”
She shrugged. “I just thought it would be more about bells and whistles than comfort.”
“You have a lot of preconceived notions about me.”
Her eyes dropped to her glass and she remembered what Lucy had said about judging Declan unfairly. “You’re right. I do. I mean I did.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I’m trying to be better.”
Declan reached for her wine and deposited both of their glasses on the marble coffee table. When he turned back to her, he slid closer and his palm did a soft glide across her cheek before he took her hand. “I know why you’re afraid of me.”
“Why is that?”
“You think I’m like my father.”
“Like mine.” She paused. “Like my father.”
“My guess is they’re a lot alike. I see my mother’s pain. I see how she needs my father and he isn’t there.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but to leave like your mother has is brave. My mother wanted to leave but she never did. She died unhappy.”
He didn’t respond immediately and seemed to his drift into his thoughts for a moment. “I hope this wakes up my father.” Then in a lower voice more to himself than anything. “But I doubt it.”
“How is your mother?”
His shoulder sank into the couch, leaning into it but still facing Zoe. “Hurt. Emotional. I wanted to stay the night with her, but she wouldn’t let me. I called her best friend to stay instead. At least, I got her to agree to that. I didn’t know what else to do.” He scrubbed the evening shadow now present on his jaw. “Hell, at times like this, she needs a daughter around, not a son. Somehow I felt she needed another woman. I’m glad she had a close female friend.”
“Believe me,” Zoe said. “With three brothers, I can tell you that sometimes siblings only complicate matters. I mean, sometimes, it’s nice having a larger family. But sometimes it’s not so great.”
“I would think now would be a time you were happy for your brothers and the strength and support. It must be hard getting all this press.”
Her stomach knotted. It was doing that a lot the past week. She turned and slid down on the couch a bit, resting her head on the cushion and staring up at the ceiling.
“They don’t offer much support. In fact, they tell me as little as possible. It’s made it harder dealing with all of this. My father says he’s innocent.” She expected Declan to respond but he didn’t. Still, the silence between them felt okay. He was looking at her, his eyes warm on her skin. “I’d like to believe he is.”
Declan brushed his fingers along her hairline. “Of course, you do. He’s your father.”
She turned to her side, facing him as she leaned on the cushion. “Yes, but it gets more complicated. His innocence means someone else’s guilt. The man he’s blaming for all of this is so close to the family. I call him Uncle Ray.”
Declan took a few moments to respond. “So I guess that means you’re close to this man?”
“I have fond memories of Ray from my youth. He always had a smile and a way about him that wasn’t all business. He was at our family functions. Even at my college graduation.” She paused. “I love Ray.” Her lashes fluttered. “I love my father. I don’t want either one of them to be in trouble.”
“It’ll work out.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Zoe…” He seemed to hesitate as if he wasn’t sure what to say.
She sensed he wanted to comfort her and it felt good. He felt good. Without another thought, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you,” she whispered against his mouth.