I watched as he closed the distance between us.
The second Ronan stepped in front of me, before I could even ask him what the hell he was doing here, he pulled me into a kiss.
A deep, toe-curling, earth-shattering kiss.
The kind of kiss that made my knees weak.
The kind of kiss that made my brain short-circuit.
The kind of kiss that made me want to give him everything.
I clutched his shirt, grounding myself as heat flooded my body. He kissed me like he was starving, like I was the only thing he craved, and when he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against mine, his breath warm and uneven.
“I needed that,” he murmured.
I blinked up at him, dazed. “You’re supposed to be in New York.”
His lips twitched. “Right.” Then, just as quickly, he pulled meback in, kissing me again.
I pushed at his chest, breathless. “Ronan, the exam—”
“Already done,” he said before capturing my lips once more.
I pulled back sharply this time, searching his face. “What?”
“Baby,” he said, brushing a curl from my face, “I took the exam earlier so I could be here.”
I stared at him, still trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. “Okay… and here for?”
He exhaled, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “I bought it.”
I blinked. “Bought what?”
“The store.”
My mouth fell open. “Ronan…”
He sighed, his eyes scanning my face. “You’re tired, baby. You’re working too hard, and you’re flushed.”
“That’s the reason…?”
“That’s one of them.” His jaw clenched. “They don’t treat you well, and before I committed arson and ruined my reputation, I figured I’d buy it.”
I blinked again, my brain struggling to catch up. “How?”
“From my investment trust account. As my father frequently says, real estate and retail are always good business.”
“Ronan, that’s…” I trailed off because I didn’t even know what to say.
His hands came up to cup my face. “I never did it to make you uncomfortable or overwhelmed, but now I’m in control, which means you’re in control, Nina. You won’t let me help you with school, you won’t let me do anything—”
“You, yourself, are in medical school,” I argued.
“That’s not the point, and the circumstances aren’t the same.”
He was right.
I huffed, crossing my arms, but he tilted my head up with his fingers, his lips brushing mine. “Stop overthinking it and kiss me.”
