Declan (Wild Men Book 8)

by Melissa Belle

  “So you’re going to watch the game from our couch?” he asks me the next day.

  “Yes. Jamie Beth is coming over. We’re going to have a hockey party for two.”

  “Well, make sure you watch closely. I’ll dedicate my first goal to you.”

  And…swoon.

  Yes, I’ve been swooning a lot this past week.

  Because Declan isn’t just sweet; he’s a freaking boss on the ice.

  It’s practically orgasmic to watch him with that stick in his hand as he manhandles the puck like the stick is a part of him. No one—literally no one—can take that puck away from him when he’s going full steam ahead down the ice. Number twelve is officially my new favorite number.

  “Wow,” Jamie Beth says later that night. “Your husband’s a freaking ice god, Mia. I’ve never been into a hockey player before, but Declan Wild could definitely get me interested.” She winks at me. “If he wasn’t already married to my bestie, of course.”

  I playfully slap her arm. “I don’t think Declan’s who you’re truly interested in, anyway. Maybe one of his cousins though…”

  “Stop.” She stands up and heads for the kitchen. “No more talk of me with boys. We need to focus on you. Your first big event as a married couple is this weekend, right?”

  “The team dinner.” I groan. “Normally, these types of business functions are effortless for me. I’ve been doing them for years with my job. But, now I’m supposed to act like someone’s wife. What does that even mean?”

  Jamie Beth shrugs as she returns with a plate of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa. “No clue. I’ve never been somebody’s wife. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out. It can’t be that hard, right?”

  Right.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Mia?” Declan’s deep voice echoes down the hall and into the bathroom where I’m currently standing in front of the mirror, dressed only in a towel.

  My mom’s birthday week has passed, and tonight’s the night that Declan and I are attending our first event together, a Wild Kings charity dinner. And I know how important this evening is for Declan.

  The entire team, including the board of directors, will be there.

  The board is the reason Declan needed an arranged marriage, so it’s imperative that they think we’re believable at this event as a just-married couple in love. I want to make sure I hold up my end of our deal, which means we need to put on a united front as happy newlyweds.

  “Hi!” I call back to Declan through my closed bedroom door. “I’m almost ready!”

  “No rush. We’ve got plenty of time.”

  Time.

  It’s something I’ve never thought so much about until I got married.

  Declan and I have been married nearly two weeks now.

  Two weeks fraught with sexual tension and awkward moments we cover with bad excuses like, “I have to um…go shower.”

  Yep, things are just as weird between us as they’ve been since we exchanged vows and agreed to only be friends.

  But now, we have to attend our first event together. As a couple. A married couple.

  And I have no clue what to wear.

  Which is why I have Jamie Beth on standby. I reach for my phone sitting on the counter next to the sink.

  “I told you to go with the little black dress,” Jamie Beth says without preamble. “You can’t go wrong with that.”

  “You don’t think it’s too short? Or too formal? This is a team-sponsored charity event. I don’t know what Declan’s wearing.”

  “Go ask him.”

  “What? No, I’m in a towel.”

  My best friend sounds like she’s fighting a laugh. “Even better then. Go. Ask him.”

  And because I’m compelled to do whatever my best friend asks of me, especially if it involves getting close to my brand-new husband while wearing next to nothing, I leave the bathroom and open my bedroom door.

  Peeking my head out into the hallway, I call out, “Declan?”

  No answer.

  “I think he’s in his room,” I whisper into the phone. “I’m just going to…”

  “Mia? Did you need someth…whoa.” Declan halts at the edge of my doorway.

  He’s so close to me I could easily reach out and touch his tie, which is black and silky and looks sinful. Kind of the way I’m feeling right now.

  I lift my gaze to his, and our eyes clash. His gray ones are like storm clouds.

  Oh, wow.

  Declan

  Yes, I’ve been avoiding being alone with Mia.

  This moment is exactly why.

  As I stare at her clad only in a fluffy, white towel that barely covers her breasts, my fingers twitch with the urge to touch her.

  I long to flick the knot of her towel until it comes undone and the fabric drops to the ground, exposing her to me. I want to be naked with her, and I know she wants it. Her eyes dilate as she stares at me, and I can see the outline of her pebbled nipples protruding against the towel.

  “Um…” She gathers herself and steps back a pace. “I wanted to see what you’re wearing tonight. I want to make sure I’m not overdressing.”

  “Mia.”

  My voice comes out harsher than I plan, and Mia widens her eyes like I’ve scolded her.

  “Are you angry about something?”

  I reach for her arm to keep her from moving. “No. Not at all. I just...” Can’t see you like this. “I’m sure whatever you have planned will be perfect.”

  “Okay.”

  My self-restraint is so frayed right now. I force myself to take a step backward. “I’ll see you after you’re dressed.”

  Mia nods and shuts the door, and I stand outside the wood barrier in silence.

  I raise my hand to knock on her door. I’m this close to throwing our just friends vow out the window. I know that decision will have consequences, but my dick doesn’t give a shit about consequences. He likes what he likes, and she’s behind that door. Just a few feet away from me.

  I’m mindlessly flipping through TV shows from the couch when Mia steps into the living room looking like a freaking goddess.

  “Wow.” The remote drops out of my hand and crashes to the floor.

  And I can’t stop my jaw from dropping at the same time.

  Mia’s wearing the hell out of a little black dress that stops mid-thigh. Her legs are bare again like they were the first time we met, and her black heels are sexy as fuck. I raise my gaze to her face, and she smiles at me as I blatantly check her out.

  She twirls around. “You like?”

  God, yes. “You look gorgeous,” I tell her as I stand up and walk over to her.

  She does that adorable thing she does when she’s suddenly unsure. One hand goes to her hair and the other to her chest. “Are you sure? Jamie Beth said it would work. I’ve always been terrible with fashion. Maybe because I lost my mom so young and I only had my dad, who’s absolutely hopeless with style sense. If I wore sweatpants and a hockey sweatshirt to this event, he’d probably think that was great. His only idea of stylish is a blue suit and tie, the same one he wears to funerals, weddings, and everything in between. He wore it to our wedding.”

  Our wedding.

  I can’t help but smile at those words.

  Mia notices, and she smiles, too. “I kind of like having a special day together, even though it’s fake.”

  “Me too.” I reach out and play with a loose tendril of her hair. “And for the record, you look sensational in that dress. It’s perfect for tonight.”

  “Oh, thank God. I didn’t want to go back into my closet. I didn’t consider how the most exhaustive part of your events will be figuring out what to wear.”

  “I can set you up with a clothing consultant if you’d like,” I say. “I love everything you wear, but if dressing for these occasions stresses you out…”

  Mia hesitates.

  “It’s on me,” I say immediately.

  She smiles. “Thank you for the offer. I’m just not bi
g into clothes, to be honest. Jamie Beth always tells me I need to woman up and get my ass to the mall. Confession—I loathe malls. And shopping.”

  “I can understand that. It sounds like something you’d have done with your mom. You must miss her.”

  She nods, a shadow of gloom crossing her face. “I do, but the funny thing is my mom hated shopping, too. Like me, she’d much rather have been outside. But that’s what made it bearable—we shopped together, and we made a game of it.”

  “Like how?”

  “She would bet me that I couldn’t find a dress before she could. You know, the right dress that fits me well. She played on my competitive side to fill my closet. At least fill it enough that I could go out in public.” She laughs.

  “She sounds like she was a great mom.”

  “She was.” She grabs her clutch off the counter. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Darling, I am not sweet.” The flirtatiousness in my tone was not supposed to be there.

  Mia flushes. “Well, I disagree. You are sweet.”

  A sweet man wouldn’t want to do all the dirty things with Mia that are running through my mind right now.

  I run my hand across my jaw.

  Mia’s heels click across the wood floor as she heads for the coat closet. She’s already struggling into her long, black coat before I scramble to reach her.

  “Let me help you.” I hold out the coat so she can slide her arms into it.

  I wrap the coat around her and start buttoning the buttons from where I’m still standing behind her.

  God, this was a fucking mistake. Mia lets out a gasp that she tries to suppress as my fingers make their way up her coat from one button to the next. By the time I reach the button between her breasts, I’m fighting a serious hard-on.

  As I successfully close the button, I can’t keep myself from lightly dragging my hands across her breasts. Just once before I pat her arms briefly and step back.

  “All set.” My voice is gruff. Shit, I need to tamp down my lust for her.

  Tonight is a business event, Wild. It’s not a fucking date.

  But, when Mia turns around to look at me, her eyes are wild with need.

  “Ready to go?” she says in a calm tone that belies her expression.

  She’s a true professional. Like me. Maybe we’re too good at business and don’t give ourselves a break to have any pleasure. But, that’s the deal we struck, and I’m not going to break my promise to her.

  I give her a quick nod. “Ready.”

  As we step outside the cabin and walk the few steps to my truck, I glance at Mia’s bare legs. “Will you be cold?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m a Montana girl, Wild. You’re the Southerner.”

  I chuckle and open the passenger door for her. “That’s true. I’ve lived in Colorado and Montana for years, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get fully used to the cold weather.”

  Mia steps up into the truck. “Maybe you just need someone to keep you warm.”

  My heart lurches, and I close the door behind her before I give my answer to the cold Montana air. “Maybe I do.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mia

  Declan sticks right by my side as we walk through the hotel ballroom. I look around at the large space decorated in Wild Kings swag. The blue and silver Kings banner hanging across the main wall is eye-catching, and the silver and blue balloons scattered throughout exude a sense of celebration.

  “Everything looks so beautiful,” I comment as we walk across the floor.

  Declan rests his hand lightly on my lower back, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is all for show. Every time his hand shifts and his thumb lightly grazes my back, my thighs clench.

  This is so not good. At this rate, I’ll have to excuse myself for the restroom so I can calm my hormones.

  “Are you all right?” he whispers into my ear.

  “Uh-huh. Fine.”

  He runs his thumb over the thin fabric of my dress again, and my stomach goes into knots.

  Maybe if he would freaking stop touching me…but he seems incapable of keeping his hands to himself tonight. His hand leaves my back but only so he can take my hand in his.

  “I like being here with you,” he murmurs in my ear.

  I bite down hard on my lip so the moan threatening at the base of my throat won’t come out.

  This is going to be a long night.

  Declan

  As soon as we walk toward our dinner table, my teammates swarm Mia.

  Jared wants to know how she stands my moodiness.

  Max asks her if I hog the remote the way I always do when he visits.

  Arch just wants to shake the hand of the woman who can put up with my shit.

  Mia laughs it all off. “Declan’s an amazing husband,” she says so genuinely I nearly believe she means it.

  I push them out of the way and wrap my arm around Mia. “Give her room to breathe, you asses,” I say.

  I introduce each of them in turn, and then I walk with her to meet my coaches. And then, the board.

  Mia’s a superstar with the way she handles all of it. She makes small talk with the members of the board, discussing everything from black bears in the area to the current mortgage rates. She acts like she’s done this a million times before.

  Me—I spend the time admiring this side of her I haven’t seen before.

  She’s so laid-back at the ranch. When we met at the bar, she was a bad-ass. Tonight, she’s a cross between social and business. And the combination is perfect for this event.

  We pose for photos for the few members of the press allowed in to cover the event.

  One of them insists on a short interview. I try to decline, but Mia puts her hand on my arm and whispers that she’s fine with it if I am.

  And the truth is that she’s better at handling the reporter than I am.

  “How come you two had such a whirlwind romance?” he asks us like a nosy asshole. “Why not take your time?”

  I glare at him as my hands automatically clench into fists. “Rick, I don’t think that’s an appropriate ques…”

  “Because life is short, Rick,” Mia cuts in smoothly. “Haven’t you ever woken up in the morning and wondered why you’re putting off your dreams?”

  Rick’s gaze shifts from me to her with interest. “Maybe I have done that,” he says.

  “Right?” Mia says with a smile. “If I’ve learned anything in life, I learned that you can’t count on tomorrow. You can only live your life to the fullest today. When I met Declan, I knew we had something special. And I decided, why wait?”

  “Why wait?” Rick repeats as he stares at my wife, mesmerized.

  And I again resist the urge to throat-punch him.

  I end the interview as politely as I’m capable of, at the moment, and guide Mia away.

  I knew we had something special.

  Her words stick in my head as we walk together through the room and while Mia’s chatting with Coach Tucker.

  “Your wife sure is comfortable with the spotlight on her,” Max says as he joins me at the bar. He nods his head in Mia’s direction. “In a good way, I mean.”

  “She is,” I agree.

  “Helps to explain how she can be so comfortable being Declan Wild’s wife.”

  Yes, my wife is full of surprises, and all of them draw me to her even more.

  “As great as she is at handling all of this, Coach is starting to wave his arms,” I say.

  “Uh-oh.” Max grins. “That means he’s revving up for a full-blown rant about something. He’ll be tough to shut up.”

  “And that’s my cue to rescue her. Excuse me.” I push off the bar and head for Mia.

  Just as I reach her and Coach, it’s mercifully announced that dinner is being served.

  I shadow Mia to our table, wanting to protect her from my nosy teammates.

  I’m acting like a caveman, and I don’t care. I’ve never had a wife before, and I have no idea how I’m
supposed to behave. But I don’t think leaving her to fend for herself among a bunch of professional male athletes is the right thing to do.

  About half the guys on our team are married, but my closest friends—and the ones we’re sitting with—are all single. I went from being just like them to having a wife. So, I don’t blame them for being curious.

  Doesn’t stop me from wanting to kill them.

  “Do you two eat dinner together when Declan’s home?” Tex asks as soon as we sit down at the round table near the front of the room by the stage.

  “We eat with his cousins,” Mia says before I can stop her. “It’s a family affair every night.”

  Before I can apologize to her for that, she says with complete genuineness, “I love it. I missed out on having a big family.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I murmur just to her.

  She turns her head toward me. “I didn’t expect you to. We’re just getting to know each other.”

  Getting to know each other.

  I like the sound of that.

  Maybe I should stop trying to push Mia away and just enjoy her company. And if we end up fucking, well, we can cross that bridge then.

  Coach Tucker steps onto the stage to announce that the auction is starting and to make sure we buy raffle tickets. He says the winners will be announced on the team’s website in a few days.

  “I forgot that I promised my dad I’d buy a ticket,” Mia says. “You mentioned there’s a painting by Marilyn Cross, right?”

  Marilyn Cross is a local artist who specializes in painting ranch life.

  “Yes,” I tell her. “Does your dad like her work?”

  “My mom loved it,” Mia says. “So my dad tries to buy as much as he can get his hands on. I wanted to check which painting is at the auction.”

  “It’s a one-of-a-kind. She’s auctioning it off because the cause is close to her heart. Her grandfather was homeless for a time as a kid.”

  “How amazing that she’s doing that,” Mia says. “I don’t tend to have good luck with raffles, but I’ll give it a shot.”

  As soon as dinner ends, I’m going to buy as many raffle tickets as I’m allowed. But no matter what, I already know I’m going to make sure Mia gets that painting.