Declan

D eclan wasn't sure how he was supposed to make good on the promise that he had just made to Danger. Yeah, he knew that getting involved with the sexy blond was probably a mistake, but she seemed so desperate to find her brother. He knew exactly how she felt since he couldn't wait to get to America to make sure that his little sister was safe. The Dead Rabbits needed to be stopped, and if MI6 wasn't willing to help Danger find her brother, he'd find a way to help her.

"Do you have a place to stay while you're in the states?" he asked Danger.

"Um, no, but I can find a little motel in town or something. I don't know anyone here, and I don't want to leave Huntsville if my intel is correct, and the Dead Rabbits are keeping Anthony in town. I'd like to stay close," she admitted.

"Well, then," Cillian said from behind her, "I know just the man you both should speak with." He patted a burley man with a gray beard and fierce eyes on the back and looked his brother over as if he had lost his mind. "This here is Savage."

Savage held out his hand to and for a split second, he thought about rejecting it. Savage was the one who had promised his mother and father that he'd watch over Cillian when they moved back to Ireland. His promise was the only reason his parents had agreed to leave their oldest son behind. Savage should have done a better job keeping an eye on Cillian, but instead, he let him get into enough trouble to send him off to prison and wasn't sure if he could forgive the big biker for that.

"Don't be like that, brother," Cillian whispered as if reading 's thoughts. "I've already told you that my going to prison was entirely on me. I was the one who made foolish mistakes, not Savage. He tried to stop me, but I was too stupid to listen."

"It's not all your fault, man," Savage insisted. "I should have tried harder to stop you. If I would have just sent you back to Ireland, to be with your parents, none of that would have happened."

"Bullshit," Cillian said. "We've been through this, Savage. You weren't to blame."

"That's good enough for me," breathed, shaking Savage's hand. "If my brother says that you weren't to blame, then I believe him. It's good to see you again, Savage. I'm James," he reminded.

"I remember you, , and while I appreciate the vote of confidence, I'm not sure that it's warranted. Cillian and I will have to agree to disagree, as we usually do," he said, glancing back at 's big brother. "Cillian said that you needed my help."

"Um, yeah," said, "I could use a place to stay for a bit, while I'm in the States."

Lil crowded into the inner circle of men, just as she used to do back home when she didn't think that anyone was paying attention to her. "Do you mean to say that you're not staying here in America?" she asked. "You've only just arrived and you're talking about leaving."

"I'm not talking about leaving," insisted. "I just don't know if I'll be staying when all this shit with the Dead Rabbits is over. Ireland is my home, just as it was yours."

"Right, and now, Huntsville is my home," Lilliana corrected. "Just give this place a chance, . You might actually like it here." He nodded, not wanting to continue going back and forth with his sister on the subject with everyone else watching them.

"We can talk about all of that later," Cillian said, saving him from their little sister's prodding. "Right now, we need to get and Ms. Danger into their rooms and then, maybe later, we can come up with a plan to figure out where the Dead Rabbits are laying low."

"It's not Ms. Danger," she insisted, "just Danger." chanced a look over to where she was standing in the corner as if not wanting to be involved in their family matters but sticking close enough to hear every word that they were saying.

"Sorry," Cillian said, "I stand corrected, Danger."

She nodded and stepped forward from the wall that she was casually leaning against. was beginning to wonder if anything could faze the woman. She was so calm and collected, he was sure that nothing would.

"As for a place to stay, I'd appreciate it, but I can find a place in town, if necessary," she insisted.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Savage said. "You see, there's a military base in town, Redstone Arsenal, and they are hosting some big summit this week. Everything in town is booked up. But you're in luck since I have a room available and it's yours and 's, free of charge."

"I'm sorry," Danger spat, "did you say that the room is mine and 's?" she asked.

"I did," Savage said, "is that a problem?" Danger stared him down as if daring him to repeat what he had just said.

"Actually, it is a problem," she insisted. " and I aren't together. In fact, we've only just met."

"Right, and she did hold me at gunpoint and forced me to leave the bar to talk with her," reminded. "We haven't exactly gotten off to the best start. Sharing a room would probably be quite uncomfortable for Ms. Danger," he said. He knew that he was poking the bear by challenging her to admit that she was uncomfortable at the idea of sharing a room with him, but a part of him thought that staying in close quarters with Danger might provide some much-needed entertainment. It had been a damn long time since he had any fun, and watching the MI6 agent squirm was quickly becoming his favorite pastime.

Danger turned to stare him down and he didn't hide his amusement. She was quite stunning when she was pissed off and for some reason, seemed to do just that every time he spoke to her. "I would not be uncomfortable sharing a room with you," she insisted.

"Great, then it's settled, we'll take the room," he said to Savage. He didn't miss the knowing smirk on both Lil and Cillian's faces. They both knew him well enough to know that he was having a bit of fun with Ms. Danger.

"I'll run back to my office to grab the keys for you," Savage said, not missing a beat.

"Now, just wait a minute," Danger spat. "I didn't agree to share a room with you," she said, pointing her finger into 's chest. He couldn't help himself; he grabbed her hand into his own, holding it against his chest. He loved the little gasp he elicited from her parted lips when she realized what he was doing. She quickly pulled her hand free from his and took a step back from him.

"We will not be sharing a room," she insisted. Danger turned and walked out of the bar, not bothering to say her goodbyes and a part of felt sadness at her departure. What the hell was that all about? He had only just met the blond she-devil, and here she was causing him to feel sad by walking away from him.

"Where do you suppose she's going?" Lilianna asked.

"I'm betting that she's going any place but here," Cillian said. "You tried, brother," he said, patting on the back.

"I wasn't trying anything," lied. He was giving her his A game, trying to convince her to stay in the same room as him, but Ms. Danger wasn't having any of it.

"Sure, brother," Lil said. "I'm sure she won't go far," she said.

"Why do you say that?" asked his little sister.

"Because, the Dead Rabbits still have her brother, and she seems like the type of woman who won't stand for something like that. She's going to need our help to get him back, and Ms. Danger knows it." knew that Lil was right, but a part of him still worried that he had just let the only woman he wanted in a damn long time walk out of that bar—and that was a shame.

tossed in turned in the lumpy bed, sleep eluding him as he tried to figure out what to do about Ms. Danger. The bar had closed down hours ago, and everything was quiet after all the bikers went home with their women. He tried not to think too much about the fact that it had been ages since he had taken a woman home to share his bed with him.

Back home, his dating prospects were slim. He had worked his way through the women in town and was actually contemplating moving a few towns over to start dating again. How pathetic did that make him sound? He felt hopeless and honestly, the Dead Rabbits coming for him, asking about Lil, gave him an excuse to head to America and possibly even make a new start for himself—not that he'd give his little sister that bit of information. She was already gunning for him to stick around, and he wasn't sure what his plans were yet, so why give her false hope?

Just before dawn, he gave up on trying to sleep and went down to the bar to see if he could find a coffee pot anywhere. Savage had mentioned something about having one in his office, but finding his way through the maze of doors and hallways wasn't an easy task. glanced out the front window when a black SUV caught his eye. He was worried that the Dead Rabbits had caught up with him and was suddenly grateful to his sister for leaving him a gun. He protested having one in his possession, but she insisted that the Dead Rabbits didn't play, and if they found him, he'd be glad to have protection, and she was right.

He quickly made his way back up to his room and found the gun on his nightstand. He checked to make sure that it was loaded and slipped on his shoes and a T-shirt. If he was going to face the Dead Rabbits, he wasn't going to do so undressed.

stepped out of the bar, through the back door, not wanting to give himself away. He hissed at the cold air that hit him as he made his way across the parking lot. For some reason, he thought that Alabama was always hot, but the winter months were proving to be quite brisk, and he wished that he had grabbed his jacket on his way out of the bar. Sneaking up on the SUV was no easy feat, but when he got to the driver's door and found Ms. Danger sleeping inside, he couldn't help his sigh of relief.

He knocked on the window, hoping like hell that she wasn't a deep sleeper like his sister was. Waking Lil was like waking the dead, and she was quite a bear when she woke up. It was his responsibility to wake her for school after his parents were gone, and he didn't relish the idea of having to wake another woman from her peaceful slumber.

"Ms. Danger," he shouted through the glass, giving it another tap with his knuckles. She opened her eyes and stretched, and all could think about was what she'd feel like doing just that while pressed up against his body.

She quickly put down her window and grimaced at him. "It's just Danger," she insisted.

"Right, just Danger," he repeated her words. She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.

"What can I do for you, Mr. James?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, you can tell me what you are doing sleeping in the parking lot," he said. "You do know that the Dead Rabbits have eyes and ears everywhere. You aren't safe out here," he insisted.

She patted the gun on the passenger seat next to her and smiled back at him. "I'm perfectly safe," she assured. "You needn't worry about me nor my safety," she said, suddenly sounding more British than before. "I can take care of myself."

"Right, but let's just say that you can't," challenged. "If the Dead Rabbits were to show up here, they wouldn't show up with just one or two men. They'd send a slew of them. Can your gun handle ten to twelve men coming for you at once?" Danger shrugged as if she didn't care, but he could see in her blue eyes that thought scared the hell out of her. Hell, it scared the shit out of him too.

"I'd figure something out," she insisted.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are too stubborn for your own good?" he asked. She shot him a look that told him that she had been called that before and he smiled back at her. "Listen, there is safety in numbers. We can help each other out—you know, have each other's backs if the Dead Rabbits do show up here."

"No," she breathed.

"Plus," he continued, ignoring her one-word attempt to dismiss him, "Savage has a great security system in the bar. Out here, you're not protected, but in there," he said, pointing at the building as if trying to get his point across, "you'd be safe."

"You can't guarantee that, and I've already told you that I won't share a room with you. I don't care if it's actually the last room available in this whole God-forsaken city or not. We won't be sharing a bed, Mr. James."

kept his smile pasted on his face, not wanting to let Danger know that she had hit a sore spot with him, or even possibly hurt his feelings. She'd probably take some sort of delight in knowing so. "Well, Ms. Danger, I never said anything about us sharing a bed. In fact, you can have the bed. It's quite lumpy and uncomfortable. I'll take the armchair that's in the room. I'll probably get more sleep in that thing than I did in the bed."

"You'd actually give me the bed?" she asked.

"Yep, but we'll still have to share the room and a bathroom. Are you willing to accept my offer?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

"You want me to shake on sharing a room with you?" she asked.

"Yep, to keep things strictly professional," he insisted. She rolled her eyes again at him and he couldn't help but laugh.

"What's funny?" she asked.

"You," he said, "I seem to make you want to roll your eyes a good deal."

"Well, you do vex me, Mr. James. I guess it's just my natural reaction to your insane proposal. But I will take you up on your proposition," she agreed, shaking his extended hand through her open window. "And this will be strictly professional. You promised to help me find my brother, and that's all this is."

"Understood," he lied. He wasn't sure why they had to keep things professional. They were two consenting adults—well, he was at least. Having a bit of fun to kill some time sounded like a good plan to him, but then again, that just might be his overly active dick thinking for him. Either way, the first step was getting Danger to agree to come into the bar. The next step might turn out to be a challenge, getting her into bed with him, but he was always up for a challenge.