I stare down at the phone still in my hand for a few seconds, almost unable to believe I told him no, before I set it down on the coffee table by the couch. Even after the terrible dinner I had with Aaron, I still almost crumbled and gave him another chance, but I’m so glad I didn’t.

That night wasn’t a total disaster, though. Because as painful as dinner with Aaron was, spending the rest of the night with Declan was something I won’t forget for a very long time.

I shiver at the memory of the way he kissed me, but I can’t get distracted with that again right now. To take my mind off it, I yank my bag off the counter and start to unpack it, but as I do, my brows furrow.

“What the…?”

I blink as I pull out a cellphone. It can’t be mine because mine is still sitting on the coffee table.

My heart skips a beat. This one must be Declan’s.

When I moved his bag away from mine and spilled his stuff everywhere, his phone must have fallen in my bag without either one of us noticing. And he left so quickly that he still might not even know it’s gone.

My pulse quickens as I stare at the little black device. Without overthinking it, I grab my keys. I need to return this to him—now, not later. And if that means I get to see him one more time tonight, well… I’m not complaining about that either.

I’m halfway to the door, already rehearsing what I’ll say when I find him, when a sharp knock makes me freeze. My heart skips a beat as I pull the door open.

Declan stands on my doorstep, his hair windblown from the motorcycle ride, his rich brown eyes locking onto mine.

“I think you have something of mine,” he begins, nodding toward the phone in my hand. “I realized it was missing when⁠—”

I don’t let him finish as all the tension I’ve been fighting inside myself crashes through my last defenses.

Instead, I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips to his.

25. Declan

Chapter 25

Declan

Hannah’s soft body presses against mine as our tongues explore each other’s mouths, and there’s something in the way she kisses me that makes my blood ignite. We’ve kissed several times now, but never like this. This kiss is laced with a sense of certainty and purpose that makes my heart race.