His smirk slipped—just a flicker—but it was enough. I saw it before he covered it with that cocky shrug of his.
“Well, you make it difficult not to.”
The air shifted—thicker, heavier, like the silence between us was holding its breath, waiting for one of us to say something we wouldn’t be able to take back. I tilted my chin up, refusing to look away. He was too tall, like the rest of them.
Ronan lifted his hand, slow and careful, like I might bolt. His fingers brushed the edge of the bite mark on my shoulder—justa whisper of contact—but it sent a jolt right through me. My breath caught in my throat.
His expression darkened. The playfulness vanished, replaced with something far more dangerous. His blue eyes were ice and fire at once.
“The vampire who did this…” he murmured; voice rough as gravel. “Deserves to die.”
A smile curved across my lips, holding his gaze. “Don’t worry, he did.”
His fingers lingered at the bite for a beat too long before they drifted down my arm—unhurried, deliberate. Goosebumps chased his touch, but I stayed perfectly still. I wouldn’t let him see how easily he got under my skin.
I couldn’t.
Then his eyes lifted, catching the spark behind mine. His expression shifted just enough—half knowing, half amused—like he could read me in ways I didn’t care to admit.
“That so?” his fingers brushed my wrist. The touch barely registered, but I felt it like he was touching me all over. “Guess I don’t need to track him down and rip his heart out then.”
A laugh escaped me. “You’re a little late for that.”
A soft hum left him as his fingers threaded through mine—effortless, like it had been his place all along. His other hand lifted to toy with a strand of my hair, letting it coil lazily around his finger. The red-tipped ends caught the light, a bold reminder of who I am.
His gaze held mine. “You’re beautiful, Cherry.”
Just a few quiet words, but they settled deep within me. And annoyingly, my heart skipped a beat.
“I’m sure you tell all the girls that.”
Something shifted in his pretty eyes, like a door slamming shut on the teasing glint that had been there a second ago. The air thickened, and before I could move, his hand tightenedaround mine, tugging me into him. Hard. Our bodies collided, like magnets snapping together.
His other hand found the small of my back, holding me there with a grip that left no room for arguments or escape.
“There are no other girls,” he said, voice low, nearly a growl. “Fuck, there’s only you.”
That caught me off guard.
“I don’t know why I feel like this… why I want you this badly. But I can't deny it. I want you, more than I've ever wanted anything.”
My heart skipped. Then raced.
His grip tightened as his lips hovered just a breath away from mine. My pulse thundered in my ears, but I didn’t pull back. I couldn’t.
I didn’t want to.
“I want to kiss every inch of your skin.” His hand slid along the curve of my spine, like he owned the map to every inch of me. Heat flared under his touch, and I couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through me. His gaze flicked to my mouth, and I knew he felt it too.
“I want to learn what makes you laugh,” he went on, softer now, more ragged. “So, I can see that little crinkle on your nose, the dimple in your cheek. All of it.”
The confession cracked something wide open in my chest. But it was what he said next that destroyed me.
“When I saw that vampire almost sink his teeth into you…” His jaw flexed, like he was holding his rage back. “I lost it. I have never felt rage like that. Not once in my entire fucking life. I wanted to rip him apart.”
My breath caught. Not because I didn’t believe him, but because I did. It’s because it felt right; he felt right.
That’s what scares me.
