Page 34 of A Convenient Secret

His hands are in his pockets as he stands casuallyin the middle of his kingdom, owning the air, owning the narrative, owning my dignity. And now, owning a small piece of my secret.

“It’s none of your business,” I snap and whip around.

“You look better without them,” he says, and grunts like the words cause him pain.

Just go away, for the love of God.But I don’t wait for him to leave anymore; I need to get out of here, and I no longer care if I add my current unresolved living situation to the list of humiliation this man has inspired.

Gripping the sleek handle, I yank the door of the closet, but it doesn’t budge. I shake it again.

Declan’s scent envelops me as he reaches from behind me and pushes at the wooden surface. The door clicks open.

Goddammit. I can’t catch a break tonight.

His proximity sends shivers down my spine.Stupid, treacherous body, we’re leaving. Forever. Don’t get any ideas.

Stepping to the side, I pull the handle toward me to fully open the closet, and graze Declan’s shoulder in the process.

Graze is a diplomatic way to put it; I pretty much hit him with his door. As a thank you for helping meopen it. And for not having me fired this week.Good job, Lily.

He doesn’t flinch or acknowledge the attack. I’m mildly aware of my irrational agitation, but him finding out my glasses are fake… What if he snoops around to see what else is fake?

He wouldn’t. He doesn’t have time. Nor does he care enough about me. But still, it was a close call. I need to be more careful.

“What is that?” he asks as I haul my suitcase and box from the closet.

I sigh, closing my eyes briefly. It has been the longest night ever, and its ending negates all the pleasant parts. “I robbed you, obviously.”

He frowns. “Okay. Hopefully nothing I would miss.”

Is he cracking jokes now? I try to load the box on top of my suitcase, but it keeps sliding. By now I have tears in my eyes, the effort to get out of here frustrating me.

“Let me help you.” He picks up the box. “Can I get my driver to take you somewhere?”

Jesus. My mind scrambles for a reasonable way out. Unfortunately, it settles on verbal diarrhea as my best shot at saving my dignity. I snatch the box from him.

“My landlady threw me out, and I was busy with the kids and forgot to arrange a weekend stay with Cora… I should have called her. Also, you’re too busy to be helping me with this… I don’t want to be a burden… I should have moved my things to Cora’s this afternoon, and I didn’t, and now it’s late. And I just really want to leave. This is not your problem… I’m fine. I’m really fine—”

“Lily.” His voice is a warning, and I halt. “Are you telling me you have nowhere to go?”

I nod, heat scorching my cheeks. The stupid glasses slide from my nose, but my hands are full. I’m painfully aware I must look deranged after my confession.

He snatches the box from me, tackling it effortlessly under his arm and grabbing my suitcase in his other hand. “You’ll stay here tonight.”

It’s not a polite offer. It’s a decision he made for me. He doesn’t even wait to see if I follow as he carries my things.

Sighing, I decide not to argue. It’s not like I have other choices. As much as I hate not having choices, I got myself into this mess.

I’ll set my alarm for five and get out of here before they are up.

With that solution in mind, I trudge after Declan upstairs. He opens the door of a luxurious guest room and puts my things down.

“There is an en-suite bathroom. You should have everything you need here, but if not, you know your way around the house.”

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to…”Okay, shut up now, Lily.

He looks at me deadpan. “Good night, Seagull.”

He rasps the nickname like it pains him, but somehow, his using it makes everything just marginally better. Like everything is okay, even though the night has been full of weird twists and turns.