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Ronan wanted it to last forever, wanted her to stay with him forever, and he often had to remind himself that the situation was a product of her tragedy, something that made him feel ashamed for the sheer joy her presence broughthim.
Declan set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Ronan and gestured to a paper bag on the counter. “Nick brought homebagels.”
“He sleeping?” Ronan asked, sitting next to Julia and shoving a bite of eggs into hismouth.
“I assume so,” Declansaid.
“Did you have any luck last night?” Julia asked, her plate untouched in front ofher.
Ronan shook his head. “Afraidnot.”
Her shoulders sagged. “I thought this round of names was going to get ussomewhere.”
It had taken them weeks to work through all the long-standing members of the Whitmore Club, weeks of surveilling homes and businesses and pied-à-terre.
Three weeks ago they’d reached the last ten board members on the list. After this they were out of leads unless Clay cracked the people behind Gold in Dubai, or even more unlikely, caught a break on the digging he was doing on the Darknet about Manifest’smembers.
“It’s not over yet.” Ronan was glad Nick wasn’t in the kitchen to give him a meaningful glance. It would be an unpleasant reminder of their conversation in the car, and one Julia would more than likely notice. “All we need is onebreak.”
She nodded, but he could see that she wasn’tconvinced.
He wanted to tell her not to worry, that he would find the break they needed if it took him the rest of his life, that he would leave MIS if it came to it, travel to the ends of the earth, spend every last dime looking for hersister.
He was self-aware enough to know it was irrational. Worse than irrational: it was bad business, but in the Berenger case he’d found the perfect storm of psychological fuckery — a chance to save someone like Erin before it was too late and a chance to do it for the woman who made him realize he’d been a fool to think he’d ever been in lovebefore.
“I’m going to get ready for work,” Declansaid.
Ronan covered his heart with his hand, feigning shock. “I don’t believe myears.”
“Don’t get excited,” Declan said, heading for the hall that would take him to his wing of the house. “I have a date with the hottest blond I’ve ever seen tonight. Don’t expect me in at alltomorrow.”
“Thanks for breakfast,” Julia called afterhim.
Ronan stared at her, a smile creeping onto the corners of hismouth.
“What?” sheasked.
He shook his head. “What kind of magic are you workinghere?”
“What do youmean?”
“Dec’s making breakfast, going into the office. What’s next?Monogamy?”
She laughed. “You give me too much credit. Monogamy for Declan is way above my paygrade.”
He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Not wanting to spook her, he chose his words carefully, mindful of the way she skirted any talk of their future like an animal steering clear of predatory territory, the way she held something back even when she told him she loved him, even when they were naked andintertwined.
“I like having you here,” he said. “Nick and Dec like having you heretoo.”
She smiled. “Thanks for letting me stay while I sort thingsout.”
He swallowed against the implication — that it was temporary, a product of Elise’s disappearance, of the memories dredged up by the apartment she and Elise hadshared.
“You can stay as long as you want,” hesaid.
Stay forever. Never leave myside.
She touched her lips to his, pressing against him until his cock jumped to life in his jeans. Her mouth was soft and yielding, her hands trailing his chest, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all a distraction — another way to avoid a discussion about thefuture.
