Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(18)

He'd never asked to shower here. He always left, saying he had somewhere to be or an early call on the set. But over the last few days, things had slowly started to change. We were spending more time together. He would stay longer, and we'd even spent time chatting on the phone. Something between us was changing, like some new level of comfort, and I was trying desperately not to analyze it too closely.

The shower shut off, and I watched from my spot on the bed as he stepped out of the shower. The water droplets slid down his naked skin, and I had the sudden urge to lick every single one of them off his rock-hard body. We'd just spent hours devouring each other, and I was already eager for his touch again. I'd never felt this kind of desperate, raw passion for a man before. Even when I had been with Daniel, a man I'd thought I was going to marry, I hadn't felt this never-ending, consuming need to touch him, inhale his scent, and feel him buried deep inside me.

Just then, Declan caught me looking at him, which caused a slow grin to spread across his face. "So, are you going to stare at me all day? Or are we going to go do some babysitting?"

So damn cocky.

I threw him an equally smug grin as I crawled out of bed, creating a bit of a show as I went. His attention went directly to me as I bent down to pick up clothing, making sure my ass was in full view.

Turning around, I gave him a wink. "Be ready in twenty, Hotshot."

~Declan~

We pulled up to Logan and Clare's nineteenth-century home situated in a quaint neighborhood. It was tucked away in a small suburban neighborhood outside of Richmond. The trees were as old as homes, and the entire neighborhood had that perfect-postcard look everyone wished for. Children were running up and down the streets, some were on bicycles and skates, while people jogged by and waved as we exited my rental car.

It was nauseating. I felt like I was in a late-night Nickelodeon rerun. I couldn't believe this was Logan's life now. The man who, a year ago, had done body shots off a bikini model and then proceeded to take not only her but also her two best friends back to our hotel for an entire evening of debauchery. He was my legacy. I'd taken a quiet, reformed rich boy and turned him into a lesser version of me.

Well, I had until he'd met his first wife. He'd tamed down for a while, and we had drifted apart. But when those divorce papers had gone through, who had been the first person he'd contacted? His old buddy, Declan. I'd reminded him of how good being single was, and I'd thought he was cured until several months ago when I walked into a bar and came face-to-face with a certain blonde. That certain blonde knew my buddy, Logan...because she was his girlfriend's best friend.

Girlfriend...and now wife...with a kid.

A kid that I am apparently babysitting.

Babysitting. Why the f**k did I agree to this?

I walked behind Leah on the narrow walkway that led to the front door, noticing the way her ass seemed to be made for the jeans she was wearing. It was like she was poured into them. They molded to her curves perfectly. Her hips swayed as she walked, causing my dick to twitch. Her wheat-colored hair was loosely braided and draped elegantly to the side. It gave me visions of what it would be like to wrap that silky hair around my wrist and f**k her from behind. Just thinking of it was getting me in trouble. Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the door opening and the child barreling toward us.

"Leah!"

"Hey, Short Stack!" Leah said to the little girl who was now wrapped in her arms. "Does Mommy know you're out here?"

"Um..." the girl responded.

"Come on, let's get you inside before we both get yelled at!" Leah said.

Leah shifted the child in her arms and hollered up at Clare that she had arrived as we all headed into the house. The girl was draped over Leah's shoulder, giving me a curious look as we walked passed family photos and portraits from Logan and Clare's wedding I never attended.

Worst friend ever.

We settled ourselves in the living room, and Leah set her precious cargo down.

The little girl immediately turned to me as I sat on the sofa with Leah. "My name is Maddie. Who are you?"

She smiled, and I couldn't help but return the gesture. She really was cute —for a kid. With strawberry-blonde curls and dark brown eyes, she was like a little angel, minus the talking.

"I'm Declan."

"Are you my auntie's boyfriend?"

Wow, this kid is abrupt. Are all kids like this?

"Uh...well..." I stammered.

"He's my friend, Maddie. Don't you have friends who are boys at preschool?"

Maddie thought about this momentarily. "Oh, yes! I have a friend named Tommy. He likes to make sandcastles with me, and he's fun to play with on the monkey bars!"

"Well, Declan is just like that!" Leah said, giving me a wry smile.

Mmhmm, I would do a round with Leah on the monkey bars any day.

"Oh! Okay! Hey, Declan, want to watch Dora with me?"

And just like that, we were buddies.

She took me over to the TV area where all the movies were stored, and we started to sort through them as she showed me her favorite ones. There was quite the collection. They also had a great selection of grown-up movies that I'd definitely have to check out later.

"Hey, Leah!" I heard someone shout from the top of the stairs. "Next time you see that good-for-nothing friend of my husband's, ask him if he suddenly forgot how to use a phone!"