Page 206 of End Game

Cami went out to do some kind of nighttime content with a client, and Dex texted that he's staying late at the bar because someone called out.

Nobody waits in the living room to see whether we hold hands coming through the door.

I appreciate that more than I know how to say.

Ronan hangs his coat in the entryway.

I do the same.

Then we stand there for a second.

Which is ridiculous.

We've both lived here for years.

I've walked these halls drunk, half-asleep, bleeding, laughing, carrying furniture… carrying Cami.

I've never been nervous about going down a hall before.

Ronan turns toward me. “Do you want to come to my room?”

My pulse shifts.

There's no ambiguity in the question.

“Yes.”

He watches my face for another moment.

Then he nods. “Come with me.”

The words hit harder than they should.

I follow him. His bedroom looks exactly the way it always has.

That's somehow the weirdest part.

Same dark bedding. Same books. Same lamp on the nightstand. Same chair in the corner with nothing draped over it because Ronan isn't a normal person who lets laundry become furniture.

But tonight I notice everything differently.

The bed.

The closed door.

The fact that he locks it.

Ronan turns to me. “Before we do anything, I want to be clear about something.”

“Okay.”

“This is not a scene.”

“Okay.”

“And I don't want to put you into a role just because we're attracted to each other.”

That makes me smile a little. “Ronan.”