Declan shrugged and pushed up his glasses, the confusion and embarrassment in his expressive gray eyes doing nothing to dim his good looks. She’d turned him down? Had Little Finn gone off her meds? It didn’t make any sense.
“It slipped out. We were talking about last minute errands for the wedding and she mentioned being relieved that she’d been spared from marrying the wrong man.”
“Let me guess,” Trick said wryly. “You asked if she’d have a problem marrying the right one?”
Declan looked irritated. “Something like that. She laughed until she realized I wasn’t joking. When I explained that you and I had discussed the benefits, that I’d gotten her father’s approval… She didn’t react well.”
Trick was no longer questioning Jen’s sanity. He was questioning Declan’s. “Hell, man. You have all those degrees and I keep trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you’re making it hard.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t imagine a less romantic way to propose, unless you brought out a list of pros and cons. Tell me you didn’t make a list. I’m begging you.”
“I didn’t get the chance,” he answered, still brooding. “She told me she needed some space to think. And now she’ll be spending the night with her sister-in-law, working herself up into never speaking to me again.”
“I won’t give her the chance,” Trick assured him. “I’ve been invited to join them.”
“You have?” Declan didn’t look too happy about that. “So you’re both leaving me?”
“You just want me to stay and help move those chairs around,” Trick teased.
Declan started to walk away but Trick pushed him back against the wall, using his body to hold him where he wanted him. “Hey, it’s only for the night. But I’ll give you something to think about while we’re gone.”
Declan melted into the kiss, moaning as Trick’s tongue fought a sensual battle with his, tilting his head and offering everything. A question kept swimming around his desire drenched brain, refusing to disappear. “Did she use those words? Space to think?” Trick asked when he lifted his head to drag in some much-needed oxygen.
“What?” It was gratifying to see him so dazed.
“Is that exactly what she said?”
At Declan’s nod, Trick smiled. “Follow me, Professor. We can fix this.”
His first instinct was to pull Declan to the floor and distract him. It was his second and third instinct too. It always was. He could spend a lifetime enjoying Declan’s body. But then his deep-thinking lover would spend the rest of the night angsting himself to death over what he should have said. Jen would act tough, but she wouldn’t be much better.
Relationships were a lot of fucking work.
She was exactly where he knew she would be. Downstairs in the library, curled up in a chair and staring at Declan’s art collection. He remembered when he told her about those paintings. That they were all of her, in one way or another. That he and Declan had always been waiting for her. Was she thinking about that now? Or wondering if they could still be together after she’d rejected Declan’s offer?
“Hiding from the wedding chaos?” Trick asked lightly, his grip bruising on Declan’s wrist as he dragged him inside and locked the door behind them.
Jen jumped and pushed back her mane of fiery hair, biting her lip. “I guess. I was just thinking about heading toward Tasha’s.”
Trick strode over to her and pulled her to her feet. “You’re not dressed.”
She looked down at herself with a frown. She was in yoga pants and a festive green Christmas shirt that said, Just Say Ho. “Yes I am. I’m only goi—”
He kissed her and she gasped into his mouth. One instant of surprise and then her stiff muscles were melting and her arms were lifting to wrap around his neck. Neither one of them could resist him. He used that to full advantage, pulling off her shirt and pushing her stretchy black pants down her legs. “Oops,” he said wickedly. “I meant, you won’t be dressed for a while.”
“Do you know how many strange people are in this house right now?” She moaned when he dropped to his knees and bit the inside of her thigh as she stepped out of her pants entirely. “Trick…”
“Trick,” Declan echoed, though his voice had an edge that told him he wasn’t unaffected by his actions. “Maybe this isn’t the best time.”
He stood and palmed Jen’s braless breasts, pinching her nipples roughly and making her back arch in reaction. “Because she said no to that sad proposal?” Jen jerked under his hands. “If you think that’ll stop me, you’re insane.”
“He told you?” Jen’s blue eyes went wide.
“Of course he told me. Clearly the man has issues with romantic proposals, but if he were perfect he’d be boring. And he has other qualities we both enjoy, so I guess we’ll have to forgive him and fuck instead.”