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23: Selene
It feels like I’m coming to after losing consciousness, but I don’t think I was asleep. I blink, looking up at the ceiling. I’m lying on my back, splayed across the bed. My body is so spent I’m not sure if I can move.
Ronan props himself up next to me and reaches for my hands. He unfastens the knot, slipping off the tie, and brings one arm to his mouth. He kisses the vulnerable skin on the inside of my wrist, rubbing the base of my palm with his thumb.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
“Yes. You didn’t hurt me.”
“Good.” He kisses my other wrist, his lips warm on my skin. “Did you learn your lesson?”
My mouth turns up in a smile. “Yes.”
“Are you going to be a naughty girl again?” he asks.
“Definitely.”
He laughs and kisses me again. “You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, Selene Taylor.”
“And you are nothing like I thought you would be, Ronan Maddox.”
I glance over and look at the time. “We should probably get up. We’re going to be late.”
Reluctantly, we both get up and get dressed to meet Braxton and Kylie. I’m hit with another flutter of nerves. Back before Brax and Ky got together, the triple date test was always important to me. The three of us are so comfortable with each other, hanging out is as natural as breathing. But anytime we added a boyfriend or girlfriend to the mix, the dynamic changed. I insisted we get together as couples to make sure we could all still hang out—that if one of those relationships turned out to be the relationship, it wouldn’t separate us as friends. Since Braxton and Kylie married each other, the worry over whether either of them will wind up with someone the rest of us don’t like is gone. Now it’s down to me.
I’m in so deep with Ronan; I’m worried I’ve fallen too fast. He hasn’t passed what’s now the double date test. He met Braxton and Kylie the night I was assaulted, but that wasn’t under regular circumstances, and he and I were still dancing around our attraction to each other. Or rather, I was dancing around my attraction to him, keeping him at a distance, while he made it abundantly clear what he wanted from me. But tonight is the test. Braxton is always suspicious of the men I date, so I don’t expect them to be fast friends. But will there be a glimmer of hope that the four of us could spend time together and it wouldn’t be strained?
I don’t know if I’ve made it completely clear to Ronan how important Braxton and Kylie are to me. They’re almost the entirety of my family. Brax and I don’t have anyone else left. Our parents died, and our one living relative was the aunt who raised us. She died years ago, and it’s been just the two of us ever since. The two of us, plus Kylie and her dad, Henry. That’s it.
We have friends, and coworkers, and people who have moved in and out of our lives over the years. But aside from that, there’s no one else. I can’t have a future with any man who puts a wedge between my brother and me. And as I freshen up in Ronan’s bathroom, I find myself desperately hoping that tonight goes well. I want to keep the flame of hope alive, that Ronan is something special.
We get to the restaurant later than planned, but Brax and Ky aren’t here yet either. We find a booth in the bar and order drinks.
I still feel flushed from earlier. Ronan leans back in his seat, looking completely relaxed, his arm stretched out behind me. He didn’t put the suit back on, nor the tie, opting instead for a casual blue top with three buttons at the collar, layered over a crisp white t-shirt, and a pair of muted green slacks. My hair doesn’t look quite as nice as it did when I first arrived at Ronan’s place, but I managed to tame it down and fix my makeup. I put my gold halter top and jeans back on, and feel reasonably put together for a Friday night out.
Braxton and Kylie show up a few minutes later. Brax is sporting his fifties bad boy look with a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Kylie is cute, as usual, in a pale blue top and little black skirt, her dark hair down around her face.
“Hey, sorry we’re late,” Kylie says.
“It’s fine, we pretty much just got here,” I say. “So, you guys met Ronan once, but Ronan, this is my brother Braxton and his wife, Kylie. Guys, this is Ronan Maddox.”
Braxton looks Ronan right in the eyes and gives him an easy smile while they shake hands. “Nice to see you again.”
Kylie smiles and greets him warmly, and they both slide into the booth across from us.
Brax sits back, his face totally relaxed, and drapes his arm across the seat behind Kylie. “Did you guys order yet?”
“Just drinks,” I say. I keep waiting for the tension to rise, but Brax looks … happy. He plays with Kylie’s hair and asks Ronan a few questions. The two of them start chatting about football—one of Braxton’s favorite subjects—and Kylie gets up.
“I just need to run to the ladies’ room,” she says. “Can you order for me?”
“Sure, baby girl,” Braxton says, his mouth turning up in a lazy smile.
I get out of the booth and meet Ronan’s eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
I follow Kylie to the bathroom, grateful there’s no one else in there when we get inside.
Kylie looks at herself in the mirror and fluffs her long, dark hair. “Sorry, I’m um … a little warm.” She fans herself.
