“That does sound perfect.”
“Then, let’s have a do-over. Only this time, you’ll stay conscious so you can enjoy it with me. I’ve already seen you at your…wormst?” Atlas asked, his head tilting as he considered.
“Stop!” Declan covered his face as it began to burn. “I didn’t mean to and I was really scared. I’m afraid I’ll panic again.”
Atlas shushed soothingly and pressed a kiss to Declan’s forehead. “You won’t because Sage and Blake feel terrible. And even if you did overdo it with the jelly beans again, I’d happily stay and feed you roast and potatoes like a baby. You were sweet and I had fun.”
“You know what? I’ll find a way to hold it together because I owe you. Thanks for being so understanding about the jelly beans and for giving me another chance.”
“You don’t need another chance, remember? Our first weekend together was a smashing success, even if you weren’t there,” Atlas added with a cheeky wink as he set Declan away from him.
“Our first weekend?” Declan said and Atlas blushed as he rubbed his cheek against his shoulder.
“It was nice, just being able to…be here with you. You’re extra cute when you’re unconscious.”
“Don’t get used to it, OK,” Declan said, pretending to be stern.
Atlas hummed as he cupped Declan’s cheek and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. “I’ll call and check on you when I get in.”
Declan grabbed Atlas’s shoulder and held on, clinging to his lips for just a moment longer. “I wish you didn’t have to go,” he whispered.
“I already miss you. Still want Sage to come over and hang out?” Atlas asked as he rose, but Declan shook his head.
“I’m not feeling as loopy as when I woke up, but I think I’ll stay here and catch up on all theBake Offthat I missed,” he said, pulling the throw blanket around him.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Atlas said, looking disappointed as he backed toward the door. His eyes lingered on the spot next to Declan longingly before he tapped his brow and left.
“No,” Declan said, once Atlas’s car had pulled out of the driveway. “The plan is to show Atlas you’re ready and to pay him back for being a gentleman and the perfect date while you were away.” He nodded firmly, resolving to do whatever it took to make their do-over weekend even better. “Now, if there was just some way I could get Atlas to be less of a gentleman…”
ChapterEleven
So much for their do-over. Atlas stuck his tongue out at the email on his laptop’s screen. Jack Fillmore was supposed to be the duty agent and on call for the weekend, but Atlas was stuck because Jack needed hip surgery.
It wasn’t really Jack’s fault and Atlas would have felt sorry for him if it weren’t for Declan. “He’ll be crushed and he’s going to think I’m blowing him off because he turned into a worm,” Atlas predicted. His lips twitched into a smile before Atlas burst into laughter.
“You good, boss?” Cathy called from her desk outside Atlas’s office. He waved and gestured for her to ignore him.
“Fillmore wrecked my weekend, but I remembered something amazing.”
“Quit whining. You just can’t leave the city,” she called.
Atlas grimaced at his phone. She was right. He had to stay close in case there was an emergency and even then, Atlas would call whoever was on the roster with a team ready. He thought of inviting Declan to stay for the weekend, but Atlas didn’t like the idea of taking him out of his comfort zone and making him feel pressured in any way.
His phone rang and Atlas gasped in relief when he saw Paul Sloan’s name and number. “Just the man I needed to talk to,” Atlas said when he picked up.
“Is that why my ears were burning?”
“Probably. I think I’m in over my head in Lake Cliff.”
“What are you talking about?” Paul asked. “Everyone’s happy, including Speed. He says you barely bother him and the director just called to tell me how impressed he is with your work there.”
“I know that’s all fine. It’s Declan. I’m doing my best to tread carefully so no one gets hurt and there’s no drama, but I think I might be doing more harm. You saw what happened last weekend.”
“That might have been all the ‘help’ the two of you have been getting. I had a talk with Reginald, Blake, and Sage. They’ve promised to stop meddling and putting pressure on poor Declan.”
“I’m pretty sure they all meant well and I don’t think they realized that they werealldoing it or how much it was getting to him. Declan’s such a people-pleaser, he couldn’t tell them to back off before he cracked,” Atlas said.
“Let’s hope this teaches everyone a lesson. We’re all a little guilty of pushing you two together.”