A Surprise Favor – Chapter 14

I bake on the beach throughout the afternoon, and then Saif, Kalvin, and Takemo head back to the Lee villa while Nina and I stay behind. I wish she would go home too, but this is her job — to protect me. As stupid as that sounds. I mean, I have Ai on the job watching Dominic. He’s not even in the same system right now. I don’t think he’s going to show up out of the blue.

But there’s the press, the media. They’ll do anything for a story, as I saw with Vivian. They’ll be one of my biggest enemies from here on out.

Nina’s out patrolling the perimeter and checking all the doors while I take a shower and change in Declan’s giant bathroom. Secretly, I hope that he’ll come in and join me. It’s been a whole six hours since I last had sex, so why not? I laugh at myself as I soap up, rinse, and dry off. I went almost two years without sex from another human being. You would think I’d have gotten used to it.

I throw on a flowered dress, put my hair in a low ponytail, and swipe on some lip balm. Whatever happens now with dinner is in the hands of the gods.

But this is a man I need, I want on my side, so I have to work it.

Work it, Skylar.

I enter the kitchen to the warm smells of garlic and onions. Mmmm. My stomach grumbles. Declan is standing over the stove, stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce with one hand while adding freshly grated cheese with the other.

“Smells good,” I say, peeking over his shoulder.

He smiles, glancing up at me. “It better be. This is my grandmother’s recipe.”

Nina is outside on the deck, doing her security job of watching the property, her hands on the railing, leaning out to gaze up and down the beach. She’s taking her new job quite seriously, but I know the pretense will end as soon as we speak of the military and their jump rings that span space and time.

Tomorrow. We’ll talk about that tomorrow.

I block her out of my mind so that Declan and I are the only two people in the world. Declan’s eyes flicker down to my lips for a second before he turns his attention back to the pasta. The air between us buzzes with electricity, and my heart rate picks up a notch.

“So are you sure Nina won’t mind if we eat dinner together?” he asks playfully.

“Well, are you going to give her some? Or let her starve?”

Declan laughs, stirring the sauce faster now. “No worries — she’ll have her own plate. But she’ll just have to sit outside while we enjoy our dinner.”

“Fine by me.” I let my hand linger at his waist before I pull away.

He dishes up the spaghetti and grated cheese onto three plates, delivers one to Nina, and carries the other two to the table, gesturing for me to take a seat. I slide into the seat and grab a fork as he does the same.

“This looks amazing.” I bring my hands together for a brief thanks before twirling some noodles around my fork and lifting them up to my mouth. The flavor explodes on my tongue, and I close my eyes, savoring the taste. “I love pasta. Mmmm. This is superb.”

“It’s better than I thought it would be,” Declan says, taking a bite. He nods. “Must be the fresh tomatoes.”

He pours us both a glass of red wine, and we sip it slowly, letting the conversation drift from topic to topic. We talk mostly of mundane things like movies and books, and I find myself entranced by the way he speaks, so passionate about the little details that make up our world. I’m glad I asked Ai to fill me in on what’s popular in culture nowadays. I missed a lot while in flight school.

“I love your house here. It’s very cozy, even though it’s quite large. Thanks for the tour.” I dab my mouth with my napkin and sip my wine. “I saw the photo of your sister on your desk. Are your parents nearby?”

He pauses for a moment, his eyes flickering away from mine.

Uh oh. My ability to read people is on high. Something is finally about to be said.

“My mother…” he begins, his voice faltering. His eyes don’t meet mine, and my heart sinks as I realize what he’s about to say.

“She’s, uh, gone,” he whispers, his voice soft and measured. “My father. He was a…” He sips his wine again. “It turns out he was a Reformer.”

My body cools as I wait for the bomb to drop.

“He had definite anger issues.” Declan folds his hands together over his dinner. “He beat her, my sister, me. It’s not something I talk about, but…”

But he wants to be a part of my network, and I would know eventually.

I hold very still.

“Mom’s other husband, my sister’s father, left when I was ten. I got my sister out of there as soon as I could, in my late teens. We didn’t speak to my mother or father for years after. Then…” He shrugs, but I can see the emotional cost of that shrug on his face. “He killed her and killed himself. About ten years ago now.”

A lump forms in my throat as I imagine what kind of pain and sorrow he must have gone through. Fucking Reformers. They ruin everything good and pure in this universe with their anger and hatred.

Tears well up in my eyes, but I keep them at bay, desperate to show him the strength he needs at this moment.

My heart breaks for Declan. So much of his life makes sense now — his desire to be a successful lawyer, his need for peace and security, the depth of sorrow behind his eyes when he speaks of his mother. He’s gone through an unspeakable tragedy, and I have this sudden urge to take away all of his pain, if only I could.

My own pain is just as bright and piercing.

How can I possibly help him?

I reach out and cover one of Declan’s hands with mine, squeezing gently in an attempt to provide some comfort. His fingers thread through mine in response, and my breath catches in my throat as understanding passes between us yet again.

“I’m so sorry. The Reformers have really fucked things up. But I, um…” I clear my throat. “I need to tell you about what I have to do tomorrow.”

He squeezes my hand and our fingers untangle. “Thank you for understanding. Let’s finish the meal while you fill me in.”

Slowly, I unknot my tongue to explain the situation I’m in, how the data drives will hopefully exonerate me and prove that my childhood was an abusive mess.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself to explain what I’m about to do. “Tomorrow, I have to go retrieve the backups from a facility in Naranja. They contain evidence that I was… that things weren’t great in my childhood. Dominic, you remember him,” I say, inclining my head. Declan nods. “He’s a Reformer, too, and he terrorized the other dads and me growing up.”

He sits still while I give the overview explanation of my childhood situation. I hate rehashing this over and over, but maybe this will be the last time?

God, I hope so.

Declan’s expression is inscrutable as he listens to me, and his eyes are dark with concern. “I’m so sorry,” he murmurs, and the compassion in his voice is almost too much for me to bear. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I quickly blink them away.

“It’s okay,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “It’s a lot on my plate, but I can handle it.” I nod and try to will the tears from my eyes. “I can handle it,” I repeat, as if trying to reassure myself.

But knowing that Declan went through a very similar upbringing only makes the hurt raw and enraging.

Neither of us should have gone through that.

“Of course you can,” Declan agrees, reaching out to take my hand again. His grip is gentle yet firm, like he’s offering silent strength through our connection. Courage wells within me and pushes away the fear that’s been growing since this morning. That I wouldn’t be able to fight this lawsuit. That I’m doomed to be indentured to my mom and Dominic forever.

Declan changes everything.

“I should be with you tomorrow,” he says, filling our wine glasses again. “You may need someone who can argue law over the staff there if they give you trouble.”

I shake my head. “I don’t want to keep you from anything important.”

“You’re important,” he insists. “And I don’t have any cases open right now.”

The clock strikes ten, and we move to the couch. I’m nestled in Declan’s arms, my head resting on his chest as we listen to music. Hmmm, this is nice. This is something I never did before Saif. It’s actually relaxing to be held, to be loved. And holding me like this, it’s as if everything that happened before today doesn’t matter anymore. We’re just two people in a moment, and nothing else matters. We can move on from the past.

I don’t know when it happens, but I nod off while staring into the fire in the fireplace. I’m more tired than I realized despite the naps, and Declan is comfortable, comforting. He fills a void the other men in my life don’t.

Declan’s voice is low and gentle when he finally speaks, and I inhale as I wake up. “It’s getting late,” he murmurs, pressing a sweet kiss to my temple.

I start to protest, but he shushes me with another kiss and helps me off the couch. Nina moves from her spot on the deck and enters the house.

“I’ll be out in the car,” she says, grabbing her bag and sweater. “Thank you for the dinner. Skylar, I’ll grab your stuff for you.”

Declan holds my hand all the way to the front door, and I’m surprised at how relaxed I feel with him after such a short time together.

“It was a wonderful night. Thank you for having us here.”

He moves closer, one arm snaking around my waist as he leans down. His eyes meet mine for a moment, his dark eyebrows raising in an expression of tenderness. The firelight in the room casts a golden hue over us as we kiss, and I’m filled with warmth that radiates from his lips to my toes. It’s short but powerful and causes shivers to climb my spine. He tastes like sweetness and excitement, with a hint of the tartness of wine we had earlier. Mmmm. His lips are firm and soft against mine, the perfect balance of pressure that sends a wave of anticipation through me. I want to take him to bed.

But not tonight.

My body responds to the pressure of his embrace, edging closer to him. The kiss deepens, and his lips move gruffly against mine. Oh yeah, that’s nice.

It takes a few moments for me to remember how to breathe again when he pulls away with an intense look on his face, reminding me there are still other things we could do, but not tonight.

“Good night,” I say, pulling my lower lip in between my teeth. “See you tomorrow?”

“Without a doubt.”

He watches me all the way to the car. I slide into the backseat, and Nina directs the car onto the street. She raises her eyebrows in curiosity as she glances at me through the rearview mirror. “So? How was dinner?” she chirps. “He’s a good cook.”

I smile at her. “It was everything it was supposed to be, so there must be something very wrong with him.” And not just what happened with his mother.

“He didn’t object to all the media frenzy?” Her tone of voice is skeptical. Hell, I’m skeptical.

I shake my head. “It didn’t come up.”

Nina is quiet almost the whole way back, but the pops of flashes outside the villa make her groan as we approach.

The paparazzi and their camera drones have set up camp outside the gate, and as we drive in, they swarm around us.

“Great,” I mumble. “Fucking vultures.”

Nina slowly pushes the car through them, the faces and voices of incessant curiosity blending into a cacophony of questions.

Why did your mother decide to sue you now?

Does she have a valid reason?

How did you find out about it?

What was your reaction when you heard?

I school my face into a passive mask, grateful for the tinted windows.

At last, we make it past them and into the safety of the Lee villa, the gate rolling shut behind us. As I step out of the car, Saif is there to greet me with a hug.

“Tired?” he asks, taking my bag from me. His touch is calming after the harried paparazzi’s questions. His warmth reaches into my bones like a balm. “Come in,” he says softly. “We can ignore them now; they won’t get past the gate. Let’s head to bed.”

“Yes, please,” I say with a yawn. “I was falling asleep at Declan’s.”

I follow him inside, relieved to be out of the sight of prying eyes. Takemo and Carlos are having beers in the living room. Everyone else must already be in bed.

Takemo jumps to his feet. “She get in okay?” He swoops in to inspect me.

“I’m fine.” I place my hand on his chest. Wasn’t it just a few days ago when I thought he still hated me?

He frowns as he leans in to kiss me on the cheek. I have to stop myself from flinching and remember that he cares. Takemo’s eyes tell me he cares.

Upstairs in my room, I kick my shoes into a corner and drop my sunhat on top of them. Brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I leave the lights off, and I don’t look at myself. If I make eye contact with anyone, I’ll remember the pain in Declan’s voice when he told me of his parents. I can’t. Not now.

In the bed, Saif draws me close and holds me tight against his chest as if nothing else matters. I melt into him and let go, safe in his arms. Safety is hard to come by these days.

This is why we build networks.