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“I’m not here for him. I’m here for you.”
“Oh?” Ronan was never a threat to me, so I didn’t care about his unexpected visit.
“Have lunch with me, if you don’t mind closing up your shop for thirty minutes.”
I wasn’t sure if having lunch with Ronan would make Bosco jealous, but it would be ridiculous if he were because neither one of us would ever cross the line. Ronan loved his brother, and I wasn’t interested in anyone but Bosco. “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”
We went to a little café where they had espresso and sandwiches. We both ordered coffee and lunch before we took a seat at a table together. Ronan insisted on paying, and since he wanted to be a gentleman, I allowed it.
The clouds covered the city, and it seemed like rain was in the forecast. The clouds were deep gray and pregnant with rain. I might have to take a taxi back to the shop because I didn’t bring an umbrella.
“Are you working today?” I asked, trying to think of something to talk about besides Bosco.
“No. Bosco is working tonight.”
I couldn’t keep the disappointed look off my face.
“He told me you hate it when he works.”
“It’s not that I hate when he works,” I corrected. “I don’t care what he does for a living. I just hate how late he’s out. Sometimes he’s there until like three in the morning, and I can’t sleep when he’s gone.”
“I assure you, there’s nowhere safer in the city than his penthouse. His windows are tinted and bulletproof, plus there’re two dozen armed men in the lobby.”
“That’s not what I’m afraid of.”
“Then what are you afraid of?” he asked before he took a bite of his sandwich. Like his brother, he ate with perfect manners and kept his gaze focused on me throughout the conversation.
“I’m not afraid of anything. I’m just used to sleeping with him, I guess. Now it’s part of my life, and when it’s off, I can’t get comfortable. I’m used to the way he keeps the sheets warm. I’m even used to the slight dip on his side from his weight. I know it’s stupid, but it’s just a habit now.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s stupid. I’d say it’s sweet, actually.”
I avoided his gaze and drank my espresso, needing the caffeine to pick up my mood despite the gloomy weather. “Are you seeing someone?”
“Not really,” he answered. “I go from fling to fling. Nothing ever serious.”
He sounded like Bosco before he met me.
“When I meet the right woman, I’m sure things will be different. But I haven’t run into her yet.”
“Are you looking for her?” I asked.
He shrugged before he took another bite. “Not actively. Anytime I meet someone new, I just assume it’s not her. I think if I’m meant to meet her, she’ll pop up eventually. They say that’s how those things happen…when you least expect them.”
I liked that his brother had an open mind about finding the right woman, but he wasn’t in a hurry either. If it were meant to happen, it would. No need to rush. “When she’s ready, she’ll find you.”
“And I’ll get her chocolates and flowers,” he teased.
“Yes. She’ll love that.”
He finished his sandwich then wiped his fingers with the napkin.
I wanted to ask him what the purpose of this lunch was, but since that seemed rude, I didn’t. If Bosco had a problem with this, he would have intervened by now. He knew the moment Ronan stepped inside my shop.
“So…this is the last week, right?” Ronan held his cup with both hands as he looked at me.
I was surprised he brought it up. “Does Bosco talk about it?”
“No, not really.”
I wondered if he was lying. He would never throw his brother under the bus, so there was no way to know.
“I hope that this isn’t the last week, for my brother’s sake.” Ronan kept looking at me, like he was trying to gauge my reaction to the whole thing.
I didn’t know how to react, so I didn’t give any reaction at all.
Ronan kept looking at me.
The silence became tense.
Ronan spoke again. “My brother is head over heels. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.”
“And I love him too…” More than Bosco even understood.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen my brother happy since our mom died. He can actually take a joke once in a while. He’s actually made an effort to rebuild our relationship. He’s…showing all the good qualities I forgot he had.”
If Ronan was guilting me on purpose, it was working.
“I don’t want to see him get hurt. I don’t want him to go back to where he started. Losing you…will probably devastate him even more than losing our mother.”
God, he was torturing me.
“So if you’re on the fence about it…I want you to know that. I’m at the casino with him a lot. He couldn’t care less about the dancers, about the woman who makes passes at him. He never smokes, even when there’s no way for you to find out about it. And I don’t need to remind you what he did at The Brawl…risking his life just to have the honor of protecting you.”
