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Around one in the morning, Ronan slipped out from behind the bar and went into the back without further comment. Moira breathed a sigh of relief. She found it was rather difficult to do her job when Ronan was clearly angry with her.
“Wow,” Ty commented. “What the heck did you do to him?”
“He's being a jealous idiot,” Moira answered. “I made peace with Sarge and Ronan just kinda flipped out on me.”
“I've never seen him act like this before. Maybe you're something special,” Ty suggested.
“So the crazy jealousy isn't normal?”
“Nope. Where you're concerned, I suspect nothing is gonna be normal for Ronan.”
Moira frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”
“You should ask him. I probably already said too much,” Ty admitted.
Moira just shot him a baffled look and then grabbed her drinks off the bar. “Thanks, I guess.”
At the end of her shift, Moira cautiously opened the door to Ronan's apartment, uncertain what to expect. She found him sprawled out on the futon, beer in hand, watching television. He didn't even look up at her when she closed the door.
“Ronan?” she asked hesitantly. He looked up at her, but didn't speak so she continued. “I don't know what you think happened, but the only person in the bar that I'm at all interested in fraternizing with is you.”
“You were all over Sarge,” he said quietly
“No I wasn't,” she denied, starting to feel the beginnings of annoyance. “I freaking touched his shoulder because he said something to me that I desperately needed to hear. It's not like I crawled into the guy's lap
. Besides, I believe that we already discussed the fact that Sarge wasn't my type.”
He seemed to weigh her statement for a long while. Eventually, he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the television. He deliberately raised the volume and mumbled, “Whatever.”
“No! Not whatever,” Moira said, raising her voice for the first time. “Get your head out of your ass and think about this for just a second! You were inside me less than twelve hours ago. Do you seriously think I'd be hitting on some old man who frankly scares the bejeesus out of me in the bar that you own? If anyone here has a right to be pissed off, it's me. I'm the only one of us that's been lied to.”
“‘Scuse me?” Eyes blazing, he asked, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You think I didn't realize you were lying to me this morning when I asked if you knew why you started to shift during sex? Newsflash. You're a shitty liar, Ronan. I let it go ‘cause I assumed you'd tell me at some point if I needed to know. Considering how graciously I overlooked that, the least you can do is stop acting like some man child and talk to me.”
Ronan carefully set his beer down on the table and turned off the television. “I saw him touch you and it made me angry. I damn near shifted in the bar and attacked him. It was that kind of angry. I don't like not being in control of myself, Moira. I saw red, okay? Is that what you needed to hear?”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Then she figured, to hell with it, and shouted, “You think I'm in control, here? I'm not in control either! I hate to get all emotional on you, but I'm drawn to you in a way that I don't understand and it fucking terrifies me. There are a million excellent reasons why I never should have gotten involved with you. I keep telling myself I'll stop it, but I can't. I wish I could just say it's the sex, but it isn't.”
His eyes blazed with unchecked lust and, if she wasn't mistaken, hope. It spurred her on.
“I don't understand it, but I feel this weird, unshakable connection to you. It's almost...”
When she trailed off, Ronan asked, “Soul deep?”
Moira nodded, her heart pounding. “Yeah. Soul deep.”
Ronan rubbed a hand over his face, then gestured to the space next to him. When she settled next to him, he immediately picked up one of the hands that she was twisting nervously in her lap. Holding it, he said, “I'm sorry. Intellectually, I know you're not lying to me. I'm not even mad at you. I'm mad at me. I'm just way out of my depth here and I fucking hate it.”
“Well, jeez,” she said, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest. “I'm not exactly making demands on you. If you'd rather cool things off, that's fine. I should be able to move out in another week or so. I wasn't exactly in the market for a ready-made relationship either, ya know?”
“Stop. That's not what I meant at all. I don't want you to go, cupcake. That's my point. Shit. I'm not explaining this right.” He sighed deeply, not releasing her hand. “You're my mate. Without getting all spiritual on you, I'll just say that the Earth Mother knew when she made us dual natured, both man and wolf, it would be a difficult life to lead. For each of us, she chooses a mate. One person, be it human or shifter, to be a lover, a friend, and a lifetime companion. We have a connection unlike any other to that person. A special closeness and need for one another. You're my mate.”
“And how can you tell?” she asked, even though a million other more important questions swirled through her mind. The connection they had was unnerving. She'd felt a sense of loss earlier when he'd left the room. It hadn't just been the fact they were fighting. A piece of her had gone missing. Maybe there was something to this whole mate thing.
“I feel it. It's an overwhelming urge unlike anything I've ever experienced. The moment I woke up pressed against you that first morning. I suspected it then. That's why I got up and went to the bathroom.”
“I thought you were going to go jerk off in the shower,” she said with a smirk.
