Risking It All (Rebels 0f Forbidden Lake Book 5)

by Elana Johnson

“We need to talk?” he asked, putting his ankle on his knee and relaxing back into the chair.

  “Yeah,” she said, tucking her wavy hair behind her ear. “So I had a crazy idea about how we could see each other.”

  “We need a reason?”

  “Yes, Declan, we need a reason besides just lying to my parents.”

  He held up one palm to say he didn’t want to fight about it. They’d never really fought anyway. Just more of a passionate argument that he actually enjoyed, and then he got to kiss her later as he apologized for being a tool.

  He hoped he could leave this office with a kiss too.

  “So I’ve spent some time looking at everything Declan Phelps on the Internet. And I found this woman from your past that you had a restraining order against.”

  Declan narrowed his eyes, distrust filling him though he tried to remind himself that this was Mia. His Mia.

  “You looked me up on the Internet?” he asked. “Didn’t I tell you not to do that?”

  “I don’t believe anything I see,” she said. “But my idea is that you need to hire me. Well, technically, I can’t be hired. I only do pro bono cases here. But say you needed help with this woman. I do restraining orders for people in my sleep.”

  Declan caught where she was going instantly. “So I’d need your legal help.” He needed so much more than that, but he was willing to start at the beginning.

  “Right,” she said. “For a very complex case, as this woman seems to have relocated. And can I help it if we have to meet behind closed doors? Or discuss business at odd hours?”

  Declan could add a few more items to the list, but he simply smiled. “Where do I sign?”

  Mia’s lips curved up too, and she pulled open a drawer in her desk. “I’d need you to fill this out.”

  “Oh, I don’t fill out forms,” he said in mock horror.

  “Stop it,” she said with a giggle. Maybe not a giggle. Mia may only be thirty, but she was very mature. Devoted to her family. Worked for the family business. Had a law degree. On paper, she wasn’t the woman for him.

  But in person…Declan felt lit up like a Christmas tree.

  He leaned forward and took the clipboard after she’d secured the paper to it, keeping his eyes on hers for an extra moment before looking at the paper. “What is this?” Declan was very careful about what he signed.

  “It’s an intent to hire form,” she said. “It secures me as your legal counsel and allows our conversations to be privileged.”

  Oh, he liked the sound of that. He wrote his name and number at the top, had no idea what his address was, and signed the bottom of the sheet.

  She took the clipboard and set it on her desk without even looking at it. “So, Declan. Should we discuss this case over dinner?”

  Heat flared to life right behind his heart, and he tipped his head back and laughed. “Is that allowed?”

  “I take my clients to dinner all the time,” she said.

  “Let’s go somewhere besides around here,” he said, tired of the same old cuisine.

  “Do you have somewhere in mind?”

  Heck yes, he did, and he wondered if Mia would go along with it. “Chicago,” he said.

  “That’s a six-hour drive.”

  “Five, tops,” he said. “Detroit?”

  “That’s four hours.”

  “New York City,” he said standing and refusing to look anywhere but into her eyes.

  “Your jet is at the airport, isn’t it?”

  He shrugged, though of course his jet was at the airport. “It’s an hour to Chicago,” he said. “Over three to New York. I really think Chicago is the better bet.”

  Mia’s eyes shone like stars, and Declan had the very real feeling he was about to have most of his dreams come true. “How long until the plane will be ready?”

  “I’ll call right now,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “I have to go home and change,” she said, coming around the desk.

  Declan swept his free arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. “Mm, no you don’t. You look great as you are.” He skated his lips down the side of her face as his call was answered. “Yes,” he said. “I need immediate departure to Chicago tonight. And a return flight back after dinner.”

  “Just a moment,” the agent said, and Declan thought maybe he could kiss Mia and arrange the flights at the same time.

  But she planted one palm against his chest and pressed. “No kissing, Declan.”

  Confusion ran through him. She’d researched him for two weeks, pulling up some insignificant restraining order he honestly couldn’t remember…and there would be no kissing?

  “We can leave in seventy minutes, sir,” the agent said. “I can get Carter to pilot. Return flight at ten-fifteen.”

  “Let’s do it,” Declan said as Mia slipped out of his arms. He finished the final details with the agent and then turned toward her. “Seventy minutes. Five-forty. Return flight at ten-fifteen.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded, her eyes filled with worry.

  “No kissing?” he asked, taking a couple of steps closer to her.

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “I want to go slower this time. I want to really get to know you.”

  Fear struck Declan right in the back of his throat. “You do know me,” he said.

  “No, not really,” she said. “I know what you do. I see what you let everyone see.” She replaced that palm on his chest, and she was really going to have to stop doing that if she didn’t want him to kiss her. “I want to see what you don’t let anyone else see.”

  Fear skipped through his bloodstream, but he found himself saying, “Fair enough. So no kissing tonight.”

  “No.”

  “Can I hold your hand?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Are you making these rules up as you go?”

  She smiled in that beautiful, soft way that tugged at his heart. “That obvious?”

  He chuckled and pushed her hair out of her face and over her shoulder. “You make me crazy in the best way possible,” he said, gently nudging her back until she met the door. He put both hands against the wood, trapping her between the door and his body. “You’re my secret weakness,” he whispered, leaning down.

  Her eyes closed, and she didn’t protest. But Declan didn’t kiss her—after all, she’d told him not to.

  He just pressed his cheek to hers, drew in a deep breath of the powdery, fruity scent of her hair and skin, and dropped his left hand to the doorknob. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I have to see to some items for the flight.”

  Their eyes met again, and Declan knew: Mia wanted to kiss him. Wanted to kiss him badly. Armed with that knowledge, he slipped past her and kept walking right out of the law offices of Bromley, Bailey, and Boyd.

  Chapter Five

  Mia couldn’t breathe for the longest time after Declan left. Oh, he was dangerous to her health—and not playing nice, trapping her against that door like that. He’d done it before, only last time, his mouth had been hungry against hers, almost clashing against her lips until he’d taken what he wanted from her.

  And she’d given it. Would likely give it to him again.

  Then he’d kissed her slowly, murmuring how much he liked her, and why couldn’t they be together. Nine years wasn’t that big of a deal.

  Intellectually, Mia thought that too. But she knew Declan had lived a radically different life than she had. He was much older than her as far as life experiences went, but she didn’t see why that meant they couldn’t be together.

  Her parents had simply envisioned a different life for her. One that kept her in the house on the lane where all the Addlers lived, where the cherry orchards ruled their life, and where they had Sunday dinners every week.

  And Mia loved that life. Had never wanted a different one. In fact, she hadn’t even been sure there was more out there than Sunshine Shores Orchards and Resort, her five sibli
ngs, and helping battered women.

  But there was.

  There was Declan Phelps, who’d traveled all over the world while Mia had literally only been out of the state of Michigan twice in her life.

  Twice.

  Tonight would be the third time, as Chicago was in Illinois.

  Chicago.

  The thought sent her flying over to her desk to collect her purse. Donald would be thrilled she’d booked another client, even in the work was pro bono, but she left the clipboard with Declan’s signed intent paper on it on the desk, fumbled for her keys, and left the office.

  He’d told her she didn’t need to change, but she did. She’d never flown on his private jet before, and tonight felt special and simple at the same time.

  She didn’t want to wear office clothes to dinner, and she switched out the blouse and skirt for a long, flowing dress that skimmed the top of her feet when she walked. It was black, with bright, splashy flowers on it in gold, and she slipped into another pair of heels so the fabric wouldn’t drag.

  Without much time to touch up her hair and makeup, she did a quick fluff with the blow dryer and slicked on dark red lipstick. It was a shade Declan himself had given her for their one-month anniversary last time they’d dated.

  They’d never made it to two months, and he kissed all her lipstick off every time she wore it.

  “But not tonight,” she vowed again. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Declan she really wanted to get to know him. The real him. Maybe she’d allowed herself to be swept off her feet by the good-looking, rich rockstar last time.

  But this time? If she was going to start keeping secrets, he needed to be worth it.

  Satisfied with her appearance, she headed out again, glad the airport could be accessed without having to go through the downtown area. It did sit on the other side of town from Sunshine Shores—and Mia’s house—but she made it with forty-five minutes until take-off.

  It was then that she realized she had no idea where to go. As if summoned by her thoughts, Declan’s face appeared on the screen as a call came in.

  “How close are you?” he asked.

  “I’m here,” she said.

  “So don’t go in where the regular flights are,” he said, seemingly distracted. “You go past the car rental and past both terminals. On the right, you’ll see a tiny sign for private flights. Turn there. Give them my name. The flight number is two-thirty-seven.”

  “Two-thirty-seven,” she repeated, checking her blind spot. “Where do I park?”

  “They’ll take your car.”

  Of course they would. Whoever “they” were. Mia felt slightly crazy as she drove past the terminals and spotted the sign. She turned and went down a road between two buildings she’d literally never seen before. Her family didn’t take a lot of vacations, and she could hear her father’s voice in her head saying, Our whole life is a vacation. Who wants to go to the beach today?

  She smiled. She did love her parents, though she wasn’t super happy with them right now.

  “I have a flight on a private jet,” she said when she came to the small hut with a gate blocking her further entry. In front of her, it looked like she’d be out on the runways, and she added, “Flight two-thirty-seven with Declan Phelps.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the officer said, reaching for her radio on her hip. “The princess is here.”

  “Princess?” Mia asked, instant blood shooting to her brain. Who did this woman think she was?

  “The owners name their guests,” she said with a friendly smile. “Your escort is on his way. Do you have baggage?”

  “No,” Mia said, her anger taming into something controllable. But Declan had named her Princess? She was going to have to talk to him about that.

  “Then you can just step out,” the woman said. “Officer Travis will take your car to the parking lot. When you get back, you simply give them this ticket, and they’ll retrieve the vehicle.” She handed Mia a pink ticket, her voice a bit on the rehearsed side. But she’d probably said this a million times.

  “There’s your escort. You can leave the key in the ignition.”

  Mia got out of the car, though it felt like the wrong place to do so. A golf cart approached with a man driving that was easily four times her size. “Him? I’m going with him?”

  “Officer Clancy is on escort duty tonight, yes,” the woman said. Before the golf cart had arrived, Mia’s car went through the gate, and the female officer went back inside the hut. She felt like she’d been left out to dry on this cold, damp night.

  “Evening,” Officer Clancy said in a big, booming voice. “You’re with the Prince, right?”

  Mia smiled at that nickname. Code name. Whatever it was. “Yes,” she said, sliding into the golf cart. Her nerves twitched as they made the quick drive across the cement to Declan’s plane, and she went up the steps by herself.

  It was warm and bright inside the cabin, and Declan practically leapt from the captain’s chair where he sat. Snacks sat on the table beside his chair, and Mia could only stare around at everything.

  “This is incredible,” she said. The seats didn’t run in rows like a regular airplane. Six huge seats lined the area in front of the windows, but they faced her. The walls were a light cream, with wood accents around the doorways. Four chairs stood in the middle of the plane, and as Declan had gotten out of his quite aggressively, it still swung in a full circle.

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, wow,” he said, taking her hand and stepping back to admire her body. “Come sit down.”

  “What’s back there?” she asked, nodding toward the doorway that led out of the room.

  “Sleeping quarters.”

  “You’re kidding.” She didn’t go with him to the chairs in the middle of the plane but toward that doorway. She went through the dark curtain hanging down, and sure enough, there were four beds back there, stacked in twos.

  “The whole band flies.”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice still behind her. “So you can sleep on the way home, if you’d like. Did you bring pajamas?”

  “Very funny,” Mia said, but a sense of wonder kept the bite out of her voice. She returned to him and sat across from him, the chair the most comfortable one she’d ever sat in. That wasn’t extremely hard, as she usually sat on wood when she lifeguarded, and her office chair left a lot to be desired.

  But wow.

  “The pilot is going through his pre-checks now, sir,” a woman said, and Mia turned toward her. “Is everyone here?”

  “Yes, Sandra. Mia, meet Sandra.”

  “Hello.” Mia stood up and shook the woman’s hand.

  “Something to drink?”

  “Uh, yes,” Mia said. “I’m definitely going to need something to drink. Ginger ale, please.”

  Sandra smiled and went back through the doorway at the front of the plane. Mia could still see part of her there as she worked, and she turned her attention back to Declan. “This is incredible.”

  He gave a light laugh and opened a package of beef jerky. No crummy peanuts here. “I forgot you’ve never been on the plane.”

  “I mean, I’ve been on a plane.” Mia met his eyes, and she fell into the depths of them. Struggling back to the surface, she managed to ask, “And where will we be dining tonight?”

  “There’s a private club I like,” he said. “It’s called Promontory, and they have the best macaroni and cheese bites you’ve ever had.”

  Mia trilled out a laugh, feeling freer than she had since he’d left. “I don’t think I’ve ever had macaroni and cheese bites.”

  “So these will be the best you’ve ever had.” Declan smiled at her dangerously, and Mia couldn’t help the smile she gave him in return.

  Her phone beeped, and she immediately looked down into her lap. Declan swept the device away from her with, “No phones tonight.”

  Sandra arrived with Mia’s ginger ale, and Declan handed the flight attendant the phone. “Put that with mine, would you?” She t
ook it and Declan added, “Thank you, Sandra.”

  Mia accepted the glass of ginger ale—a whole glass, like what she got at a restaurant—and smiled at Sandra too.

  “Would you like a snack?” she asked.

  Mia glanced at Declan. “How long until dinner?” She normally skipped lunch, and today was no exception.

  “She wants a snack,” Declan said. “Bring them all out.”

  Sandra nodded and turned to go back to her station. Mia watched her carry her phone farther from her before looking back at Declan. “Bring them all?”

  “There’s quite the assortment.” He popped a piece of jerky in his mouth.

  “And you chose beef jerky.”

  “It’s my favorite,” he said, his eyes burning into hers. “There’s something you don’t know about me. Something real.”

  “Hmm,” Mia said, liking this flirtatious, fun-yet-serious side of Declan a whole lot.

  “What’s your favorite snack?” he asked.

  “We’re about to find out, aren’t we?” She took a sip of her ginger ale. “And hey, what’s with Prince and Princess?”

  He laughed and rolled his eyes. “They make you come up with the stupidest names.”

  “So you do this a lot?”

  “Hardly,” he said, leaning forward. His eyes took on an edge she’d only seen a time or two before. “How many women do you think I’m flying to dinner, Mia?” He spoke softly, the syllables of her name floating out of his mouth like clouds.

  Wow, he should say her name every second of every day. She felt like a puddle of goo, but she managed to shrug. Take another sip of the very cold soda, which helped her focus. “I don’t know.”

  “In case you were wondering, or had forgotten from last time, I don’t do casual. I don’t sleep around. And you’d be the first woman to be on this plane that wasn’t the pilot or the attendant.”

  He carried an undercurrent of anger in his voice that Mia wanted to erase. “Oh, come on, Declan,” she said, the flirt high in her voice. “I’m supposed to believe Chris hasn’t had little love trysts in that back bedroom?” She shook her head and laughed. “I don’t think so.”

  Declan blinked, and then he dissolved into laughter too. “Fine. My first female guest.”