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His eyes never leave mine but his tone changes acknowledging Dan when he comes up to us. He winks, picks up his glass and leaves me with Dan.
I watch him walk up to the VIP section, but my heart stutters when I see Maxim standing by the rail, watching me. He gives me a small smile before turning to his right to greet Ronan.
It’s been a long night. The club has been at capacity since ten p.m., we ran out of limes by one a.m., lemonade by two, had six different fights break out, and some guy almost overdosed in the toilets. I haven’t seen the O’Farrell’s or Maxim since midnight. The brothers went out back after the overdose and I heard Finn saying something about doing sweeps to ID any other users or dealers.
Maxim I haven’t seen since I watched Ronan walk up the steps to the VIP area earlier in the night. I’ve text him to let him know I’ll be done with work in about thirty minutes, but I haven’t heard from him.
I’m clearing the VIP section when my spine tingles and my senses feel heightened. There are eyes on me––his. He’s watching me. I stand, looking down towards the bar when I see him. He’s standing against the wall, arms folded, eyes fixed on me.
He’s staring so intently I feel like he can see into my soul.
We continue to watch each other for a few minutes, when Connor puts his hand on his shoulder, saying something, and I watch as Ronan nods then follows him into the back towards the office.
“That guy who overdosed in the toilets is okay, they pumped his stomach and he’s on a drip. He’ll be in there for a couple of days but he’ll recover,” Dan reports, joining me in the VIP section.
“Oh, that’s good news.” I don’t bother looking at him, he’s already moved to the back table to clear there.
Twenty minutes later, we’re both in the locker room, grabbing our things.
“You need a ride, Liv, or is one of the guys taking you home?”
“Erm, I have a lift, thanks, Dan. Have a good night, see you next shift.” He smiles and winks before turning and heading out the door.
I sit in the locker room for another twenty-five minutes. I’ve tried calling Maxim, but his phone goes straight to voicemail. Not once have I had to make my own way home since October when Killian and Connor moved me into my new apartment, but realising Maxim isn’t coming, I decide to just make my own way. I grab my bag, closing my locker door and head out back. I hear talking in the main office as I pass, and I’m almost certain that it’s all of the brothers, but I can’t work out what is being said. I rush past as quickly and as quietly as I can and leave by the rear entrance.
Almost an hour later, I finally make it home. I still haven’t heard from Maxim, and I know I should be a little more concerned, but truth is, I’m glad. I’m really not in the mood to talk to anyone.
I make it inside my apartment, but just as I’m about to close the door, a hand shoots out of nowhere, blocking me.
“Hey…” I stop mid-sentence as Ronan yells at me, “Are you fucking serious?”
“Oh great, what the hell do you want, Ronan?”
He pushes past me and into the apartment without answering me. He looks enraged––I really don’t need or want his drama tonight. “What the fuck were you playing at leaving work without one of us? Do you like taking risks with your life?”
“What?”
“What? That’s it? That’s all you have to say? How the fuck did you get home from the club? We were in the office waiting for you and you didn’t appear, so we went looking, but you were already gone. Why the fuck didn’t you wait like you were told to?”
I huff out a breath and head to the fridge to grab a water. I throw a bottle to Ronan; figure he could use it for his throat with all the yelling. “I walked, and when was I told I had to wait for one of you?”
His eyes almost shoot out of his head they widen so much. “You what? You walked? Fucking hell, Liv.” He stalks towards me, slamming the bottle on the counter.
“Can you please stop yelling? I get it, you’re mad, I’m sorry. Now can you please leave, I’m tired.”
“No, we need to talk, and we need to lay some ground rules, starting with you do not leave the club without one of us, you––” I raise my hand, stopping him mid rule and walk to the front door. I open it, waving my hand from him to the door, making it clear he needs to leave.
He folds his arms over his chest, standing taller, trying to intimidate me into doing what he wants. But not tonight. I really can’t handle his shit right now, I just want to shower and sleep, I just need some space.
I take a deep breath, slowly turning my head to face him. “Get. Out. I need you to leave, Ronan, right now. Get. The. Fuck. Out,” I spit, my voice laced with venom.
His body shrinks only a little, and I see it flash in his eyes––if I hadn’t been looking so closely, I might have missed it, but it was there, that look of disappointment.
He drops his arms, slowly making his way to the open door. Stopping right in front of me, his hand comes up, cupping my face. He leans in, only millimetres from me… if I move forward just a breath, our lips would connect. My heart races at the thought and I lick my lips. He notices, and his eyes watch my tongue glide from one side of my mouth to the other. He swallows and leans in, his lips at my ear.
“I’ll let you rest tonight, but tomorrow, mo grhá, we need to talk.” He kisses my cheek and heads out of the apartment, taking a left towards the elevator.
Chapter 19
