“I’m not talking about before. I’m talking about after. Why do you think Karl wanted to kill you?”
Ronan jerks back, his eyes going round. “I never touched Manu after she met Karl. I swear it on my life.”
I push him back. “Don’t lie to me. Karlsawyou!”
“I don’t know what Karl saw, but I didn’t so much as get near Manu. You know I’m not lying. Search the bond. You can feel what I feel, remember?”
My pulse is drumming in my ears now, loud and almost deafening. He’s right. I don’t sense any duplicity coming from him. If he didn’t sleep with Manu, then we’ve been apart all these centuries because of a trick.
I hug my middle, trying to protect myself from the onslaught of emotions. “I’ve trained myself to block you. It hurt too much,” I breathe.
“You don’t think I wasn’t in pain? You don’t think it took every ounce of self-control I had not to rip the heart out of every male you allowed near you?”
My lips quiver, then I shake my head. “I had to give myself a chance at happiness. I didn’t think we would ever be more than sire and made vampire.”
“You were always more to me—so much more. You are everything I’ve ever desired but never dared to dream. I love you, Cheryl. I’ve loved you for centuries, and my feelings have never wavered, never lessened. I meant every word I said to you when I thought you were sleeping. Everydamnword.” His voice cracks at the end, and that punches a hole in the walls protecting my heart until they crumble and fall.
Hot tears wet my cheeks. Ronan stands his ground, but his body is as tense as a coiled spring. He’s waiting for me to decide what to do with his declaration. Without breaking eye contact, I reach behind my neck and release the clasp. The dress Ronan hates so much slides down my body, and almost immediately, my skin breaks into goose bumps, not from the cold, but from the wave of desire that hits me like a cannonball.
Ronan’s chest rises and falls and his lips part, showing his long fangs. His eyes glow red, burning with lust.
“You’re bossy and infuriating, but so help me God, I love you too, Ronan. So much that it hurts.”
He pulls off his tunic, revealing his massive chest and hard muscles. His skin is smooth save for the few scars he acquired over the years. I want to lick every inch of his body, explore every ridge and every plane. I never had a chance to fully satiate my hunger for him on the evening he made me, after all. There aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want to do to him.
Ronan is breathing hard as he shortens the distance between us. My own breathing is ragged, as if I just ran a marathon. There’s barely any space between us when he frames my face with his calloused hands and tilts my chin up. He moves with restrained calmness, and it’s driving me crazy that he’s not relinquishing control when I can feel his heart racing as fast as mine.
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” I ask.
“I’m thinking about it.” He smirks, then wipes my wet cheeks with his thumbs. I forgot I had cried.
My gaze drops to his lips. “You think too much.”
A throaty chuckle escapes his mouth, a sound so rare, I want to put it in a box as a keepsake. He angles his head, and his hot breath fans against my skin, making me shudder. As he pulls me closer, his teeth graze my lower lip.
I’m done with the teasing and the restraint. Throwing my arms around his neck, I rise on my tiptoes and crash my mouth against his, desperately and with a ravenousness that knows no bounds. I’ve been craving this male for centuries, starving, and now… I want everything from him.
His control finally snaps, and with a groan, he lifts me off the floor. My legs wrap around his hips while his fingers dig into my ass. My throbbing core rubs against his abs, but the friction isn’t enough to douse the fire consuming me from the inside out.
Our mouths are still fused together when we find the bed. My back meets the soft mattress with a bounce, but that’s as far as I get before Ronan covers my body with his and brands me with more scorching kisses. My hands are everywhere, grabbing and scratching, because I can’t quite believe this is happening. It feels like a fever dream.
When he leaves my lips to shower my neck with attention, I arch my back and moan, “Ronan… I missed you so much.”
He runs his tongue over my pulsing vein, making me shake from head to toe with need. I want him to bite me, but all he does is tease my skin with his fangs before he nibbles my earlobe. “I’ve missed you too, Cher.”
I grab his face between my hands and force him back so I can look into his eyes. I must be frowning because he furrows his brow almost immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me what’s wrong. I’m naked and burning for you, while you still have your pants on.”
His eyes widen. “Oh. So that’s what’s got you mad?”
“Damn straight.” I push him until he’s sitting on the backs of his legs. His arousal juts against the leather pants someone gave him to wear. Probably that cunt who wanted to jump his bones. I glare harder.
“They’re coming off, love. You don’t need to look at me like that.”
“How am I looking at you?” I lean on my elbows.
“With your wolfish eyes. You partially shifted.”
