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You’re a pirate, damn it. And a pirate could not be vulnerable, could not show any emotion except ruthlessness, and maybe lust, but even that was curbed by the rules of Cregah.
“Secrets can weigh you down, it’s true. They’re not good for the heart.”
The Rogues had improved their methods, it seemed.
“Oh, have you deemed me worthy of conversation?”
“I wouldn’t say worthy, but you’re the only one here.” “So you do have a sense of humor.” That smile flashed again, and she wanted to smack it off of him.
knowing she wouldn’t explain why the Rogues needed the dagger on such short notice.
When he was sure she’d cleared the doorway, he pushed it closed, wrapped his right arm around her waist, and spun her toward the wall, turning her until her back was against the stones, pinning her wrist behind her. He pressed his body firmly against hers as his left hand covered her mouth, stifling her yelp.
He couldn’t describe the effect, exactly, but the word magical seemed fitting.
he and his father had read about the rise and fall of the King of Tyshaly.
“Eavesdropping isn’t polite,” Tommy muttered as he turned back to Declan, shooting him an amused look. Aoife spoke up again. “Apologies. I didn’t mean to. Difficult to ignore noises when you hear them.”
He moved before she could, grabbing her by the arms. Lifting her easily, he swung her over him until he had her pinned down on the feather bed, his full weight holding her down. The book—still in her hands—pressed against his sternum, and his face hovered only inches from hers. He considered all the ways she could retaliate and prepared himself for any of them, but she merely lay there, with a look of shock and fear in her eyes. He pressed his hips harder against hers and licked his lips. It was a show, and yet there was a small part of him that wanted to do exactly what he was threatening.
Though Tommy was beside him, they walked in silence—another reason he had hired Tommy. He could be silent. Too many people had to fill in the silence with small talk and awkwardness.
“Your actions here matter. We each have a role to play. Don’t let yourself ever believe that yours is less important because it’s done in the shadows.”
She wasn’t as acquainted with death, had been sheltered from it her whole life, while Declan seemed destined to be its eternal companion, his hands and heart forever stained by it.
“Aye. But perhaps I came to realize if we don’t enjoy ourselves a bit, if we don’t keep our mind focused on the good things we have—or could have—then what is the point? Is success worth losing sight of everything worth living for?”
Something in him had snapped when he took that pirate’s head and freed her, creating a connection, a link between the two of them. Whether it was friendship or not, he didn’t know, but a life without her around? Unacceptable.
“you always seem to be elsewhere. And I don’t think it’s merely being lost in a daydream or in thought. It’s as though your mind is on distant lands you’ve never seen, on adventures you’ve yet to take, and on a life you have only been able to imagine.”
Looking into her eyes felt like returning to the home he desperately missed. And the shock of that realization threatened to suffocate him, ripping the breath from his lungs.
These attacks are not you. They do not define you. And while they can seem insurmountable, they are not.”
“I said I love you, Aoife.” He paused, but she only stared at him, her expression blank as her eyes searched his. “I didn’t expect this. Didn’t want it. But here I am, a wreck of a man, drowning in uncharted waters.” He took a step toward her, and then another until they were inches apart. “You wrecked me, Aoife, and I’d have it no other way.”
