Page 146 of End Game

“Thank you,” He says quietly.

I turn my head enough to look at him. His face is so close to mine. I can feel his breath on my lips.

“For what?” I manage to ask.

“Not asking too many questions.”

My mouth curves into a small smile. “I can if you want.”

“I don’t.” His mouth twitches.

The hand on my back doesn’t leave.

His fingers travel upward instead, catching lightly at the hair at the nape of my neck before sliding through it once.

My breath stalls somewhere in my chest.

It’s barely anything.

Ronan has touched me before in passing. This shouldn’t feel that different.

But it does.

This is just Ronan standing beside me in the kitchen with his fingers in my hair because apparently that’s where he wants them.

Then his hand falls away—I miss it immediately.

I turn to talk to him, but his phone buzzes against the counter, saving me from having to say anything for now.

Ronan glances at the screen and frowns. “Fuck, it’s Margot now.”

“Is everything okay?” Cami asks from the living room.

He reads the message, and some of the tension leaves his face and shoulders.

“Yeah. Actually,” he finally answers.

Ronan turns his phone toward me, and I realize that Dex and Cami are there, too, reading over my shoulder.

Margot

Mom called me

For the record you’re not wrong

You aren’t making anyone choose

Ben did that when he put his hands on her

We’ll figure something out, don’t let her guilt you into changing the boundary just because there are Christmas lights involved

Dex lets out a breath. “I like your sister.”

“So do I,” Ronan says.

Cami wipes quickly beneath one of her eyes and sniffles.

Griffin slides his hand onto her hip. “Hey.”