Chapter Six

Not Drowning, Waving

Yuki had barely managed to haul herself out of the tub; her head was spinning so oddly. Or it might have been the tub that was spinning. But who’d ever heard of a spinning tub? She’d somehow wrapped herself in a large plush towel and ended up sprawled on the enormous bed with deliciously soft covers. On top of the covers. Well, it was too hot for blankets.

She was just dozing off, falling into the start of a dream about warm, strong arms wrapped around her, a voice like whiskey in her ear, when she heard a knock at the door. Pounding, really. Her eyes popped open, staring straight at the ceiling fan, but the rest of her felt stuck to the bed by the weight of arms and legs coated in concrete.

“Yuki, are you in there?” The voice had that same warm, delicious tone as the one in her dream. “Yuki?” The door handle rattled.

Declan. That’s who the voice belonged to. Well, he could come in. She’d missed him.

She coughed, trying to get her throat to remember how to speak. “Come in.” Her voice sounded as if it came from deep underwater.

A chuckle like thunder rolled over her skin, raising goosebumps. “I can’t come in, love. Your door’s locked.”

Oh. “Oh!” She sat up, the room rotated, and she almost lay back down. But she could do it. The door was only a few steps away…

Yuki rolled off the bed and landed on her knees with a huge crash. The force of the impact jarred her entire body, but she lurched forward into a crawl. Halfway across the hardwood floor, she had to stop to catch her breath and close her eyes for a second. Little stars danced behind her eyelids. The door handle rattled again.

“Yuki, should I call someone? Are you alright?”

Oh, right. Declan was here. He’d know what to do about concrete legs. He was smart. She inched forward like a caterpillar.

Before she knew it, she was at the door, flat on her stomach, waving one arm above her head, trying to reach the handle. When it didn’t come any closer, she lurched up from all fours to grab the metal handle and yanked it down with a great tug. As she fell back onto all fours, the door cracked open, and a shard of piercing light hit her right between the eyes. It was like fireworks exploding in her brain.

She slapped a hand over her eyes. “Ow. Turn off the light.”

“Oh God. Yuki?” The door clicked shut, and the fireworks faded.

Declan was suddenly there, crouched by her side, his thick thighs right beside her face. She lifted her head and rested her cheek on his leg. Surprisingly comfortable.

His hand stroked her hair, tangling in the lengths around her shoulders. “There now. What happened?”

“I-I fell off the bed. My head was all spinny.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve got you. I’m going to lift you back onto the bed now.”

Then Declan’s arms were around her, just like in her dream. His big hands spread over the skin of her thighs, his fingers digging into her flesh as she flew up and over the side of the bed.

She landed with an “oof” as the air left her lungs and looked up to find Declan staring down at her with an odd expression. His face was slack, maybe in shock.

Yuki was pretty sure she must be in shock. She shivered as the overhead fan blew a fresh breeze across her skin, goosebumps prickling everywhere. She went to adjust the towel around her body, only to find it gone. With a gasp, she slapped one arm across her breasts and the other covering her bikini area. Too late—he’d seen the whole show. He’d seen it all before, of course, but that wasn’t the point.

“Er, here’s a blanket. You look a little cold.” Declan tossed the cotton blanket from the end of the bed over her and roughly tucked it around her as if she were a toddler.

A flush of heat passed through her. “I can do that.”

She tugged the blanket up, covering all the vital areas. The thing was, she wasn’t embarrassed about being naked. She was embarrassed at being seen as incompetent or immature. Needing to be looked after. Okay, she was a teensy bit shy about being naked in front of this particular gorgeous man.

“Right. Of course.” Declan sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his distance. “Can you tell me what happened now?”

His voice was kind. And the way he looked at her, carefully keeping his eyes on her face, made her heart expand and throb in her chest. “I took a bath, and I must have dozed off. When I woke up, I felt all woozy, and I had trouble getting into bed. My balance is off.”

“You don’t say?” His wry smile slid into concern again. “Can I feel your forehead? You might have a fever.”

Yuki nodded, and then his warm hand was on her skin again, covering her brow. “You feel good to me. Perfect, in fact.”

He cleared his throat and sat back again, watching her squirm. Because she was definitely squirming. His gentle touch had sent sparks of electricity shooting in all directions in her body.

Declan glanced around the room. “Is there anything I can get you? Water? Should I call the doctor again?”

With a sigh, Yuki settled more comfortably on the bed. “Water, please. I had some medicine earlier. Maybe that’s what made me dizzy.”

He frowned at her. “What medicine?”

“Just something to relax. I think I left it in the bathroom.”

He nodded, scratching his chin. “I’ll be right back.”

Yuki watched his fine form leave the room, then got under the bedcovers and closed her eyes. She just needed a little rest.

“Yuki.” Declan reached out to stroke her cheek. She looked so peaceful and innocent, sleeping like an angel. He could almost forget he’d just seen her naked. Almost.

Truth be told, his pulse still hadn’t quite recovered its normal equilibrium. To be totally fair, he’d struggled for a long time to regain his equilibrium after he and Yuki parted ways. He’d missed her—more than he cared to admit. She was the one who got away.

“Yuki, can you hear me?” He stroked her cheek again, so smooth, so velvety. God, she was beautiful.

“Mmm.” Her eyelashes fluttered open, but her eyes remained unfocused. “Hi, Declan. Did you say something?”

“Er, yes. I got you a glass of water. Try to keep your eyes open and sit up for me.” She sat up, but in such a rush that she looked dizzy. The blanket slipped a good inch down her chest, nearly baring her sweet little nipples again.

Lord, give me strength… He sucked in a sharp breath and looked away for a moment. Yuki was stunning, but no way should he be touching her—or even thinking about touching her—in her present state. She could barely control her own limbs. However, it didn’t stop him from being affected by her. He carefully adjusted how he sat, wanting to let a little more blood circulate below the belt area.

Declan picked up the glass of water from where he’d placed it on her bedside table. As he raised it in her direction, Yuki grasped the sheet and blanket and pulled it up to her chin. Yes. Good. All covered up and decent.

She took the glass from him with shaky hands and gulped down half of its contents in one go. “I didn’t realise I was so sleepy. I drifted off in the tub.”

He nodded. “I found your medicine. Valium. You took one after drinking alcohol?”

Yuki set the glass down on the bed beside her. It wobbled precariously. So did her chin. “I… took two pills. I forgot I had the piña colada. And the daiquiri.” Her eyes filled with tears.

Declan reached out and stroked her cheek. “Ah hell. Don’t cry. I wasn’t sure you realised they shouldn’t be combined. That Valium’s extra strength too.”

She smiled but it was an off-centre effort that made her look a little lost. “Yeah, I should have checked the milligrams.” Her voice was deadpan serious, but he knew her too well.

That was a romantic comedy movie reference. He’d bet on it. “I know that one. Working Girl. Great film.”

She bit her lip, holding back a laugh. “You know it?”

“Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith, both in their prime. How could you go wrong?”

“Don’t forget Sigourney Weaver in killer shoulder pads.” She grinned at him, and it was like a ray of sunshine wrapped in a lightning bolt. Seriously, she had the ability to sear him from the inside out, like a reverse chargrilled steak. Or maybe he was just hungry.

Yuki was gazing at him like he held the moon and the stars in a trust account just for her. “There aren’t many men who enjoy rom-com movies and openly admit it. I like that about you. A lot.”

“I like you. I’ve missed you, Yuki.”

She stared at him, an impassive look that had him worried he’d taken it too far. Not that he’d said much at all. Declan still feared her anger would rise again, like a coiled snake set to strike.

Yuki placed her glass on the bedside table and looked away. When she met his eyes again, it was a furtive glance before she studied her fingernails. She seemed nervous. “I like you too, Declan. I always have. But that doesn’t mean I can instantly trust you.”

He nodded and moved farther away from her. He perched on the edge of the bed, still a little too close to her gorgeous self.

She sighed and snuggled down under the bedding. “I suppose you should tell me what you’ve been up to. Apart from still being a handsome billionaire and all.”

Declan stifled a laugh. “You know, I’m not really a billionaire. I sold off the majority of my IT and consulting businesses in the past couple of years and donated a lot of the proceeds to charity. I’m getting into the eco-resort business with Gabe, but that’s just for fun. Soon I’ll be mostly retired. Focusing on learning new things, trying to do something positive in the world.” He grinned down at her confused face. “Still a handsome devil, though, it’s true.”

Yuki sputtered a little cough. “Well. I haven’t read anything about that… I-I mean, I haven’t heard what you were up to lately.” She winced and covered her head with the sheet.

“I’ve kept a lot of information out of the press. But I’m interested that you’ve been keeping track of me.” It wasn’t a question. It was obvious that’s what she’d meant.

She popped her head out from under the bedding. “Okay, yes. I’ve kept tabs on you. You’re friends with Sinead and Gabriel. Why shouldn’t I want to know what happened to you?”

Declan inclined his head to one side while trying to suppress a grin. “Aye, that’s logical. A friend of a friend. Except you’re lying through your pretty teeth. You missed me too.”

She blew out a gust of air. “Fine. I missed you a little bit. Tiny, really.”

“I’m not so tiny.”

“No, you’re not.” Yuki ran her gaze over his body, and his skin heated with the weight of her attention.

Declan stood, needing to escape this madness overtaking him. Because he wanted to kiss her. Not only that—he just wanted her. To push her down on the bed, lay his body over hers, and listen to her soft exhalations as she melted into him like she used to. He gazed down at her as he straightened up, running his fingers roughly over his hair.

“Don’t go.” Yuki reached for him.

He was powerless to resist her, of course. Declan could only do what she asked, could never do anything else. He took Yuki’s hand and lay down beside her on the bed, deliberately on top of the sheets.

Declan ignored both the lump in his throat and the other rock-hard appendage that had caused him nothing but trouble over the years. He didn’t want to scare her off, demanding things his body was ready for when, emotionally, they weren’t even close. For once, he wouldn’t be an arse, and he’d concentrate on putting his recent therapy to good use.

If he played his cards right, he might have another shot with Yuki. But first, he needed to look after her. And he needed a plan.