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She reaches for my hands, cradling them with hers.
“I’m okay. The cream helps.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’ll be able to look after you. We’ve got you through here.”
Niall isn’t here, but he must have called ahead while we were at the medical clinic. She leads me to their glorious guest bedroom with the comfortable, white quilted bed that makes me want to weep. Ronan trails after us, setting my purse on the easy chair near the door.
Mellie draws the curtains, hiding the glorious view, but now night has fallen, giving me privacy. When she moves to sit on the bed, Ronan finally speaks.
“If ye’ll give us a moment, Mellie?”
She starts in surprise, but nods, offering me a warm smile and a comforting squeeze of the upper arm as she walks out of the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her.
Once we’re alone, I sit on the edge of the bed, and Ronan moves to kneel on the floor in front of me. I’m short enough that we’re eye to eye in this position.
“Ye know who did this to ye.” It’s not a question.
“I know who did this to me,” I whisper back.
His eyes flash, and he blinks quickly, but I see the fury in them. The fury he’s trying to hide from me.
“Ye need to tell me,leannán,” he murmurs, picking up my hands and smoothing his thumbs lightly over the cotton of the gloves. No. I can’t. I don’t want to be some pitiful woman who needs protecting. This is my problem.Mine. I don’t need a white knight.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Ronan,” I whisper, and he sighs.
When I lift my gaze to meet his, I can see he’s about to argue, to try to make me tell him. I have no choice but to go on the offensive.
“I like the way you smell too.”
Ronan’s mouth drops open as he stares at me in surprise.
“Now it’s your turn.”
He groans, dropping his head to my shoulder. I turn my head the tiniest amount, trying to sniff without noise – drawing his scent deep into my lungs, comforting myself.
“If I tell ye something about myself, ye have to tell me who did this,” Ronan bargains, his forehead still pressed against me. I have a better idea. One I think he’ll go for.
“If you tell me something about yourself, I’ll let you stay here with me all night. But no sex or anything,” I quickly amend.
Ronan lifts his head to search my face, and I catch a flash of longing across his face. Holy hell, he wants this. Wants this badly.
“All right, lass, ye win,” he whispers.
He climbs to his feet, and my heart thuds painfully as Ronan turns, moving to the door. Shit. This is it. The moment Liam warned me about. When I pushed Ronan too far, and he gave up on me.
His long fingers flip off the light, turning back to me. My breath catches as he holds my gaze in the nightstand light and removes his clothes except for his boxer briefs.
I tip my head back as he closes the distance between us in three strides, kneeling before me to help me out of everything except my panties.
I would be offended that he doesn’t even try to ogle my tits if it was anyone else. But this is Ronan. The man watches me strip nightly and spends the entire time glaring at other people, so they look away.
His fingers brush over my cheek, my breath catching again as Ronan’s hand closes around the oversized sleep shirt Mellie has left on the end of the bed. He carefully pulls it over my head, helping me slide my arms through the sleeves.
Standing, he turns back the coverlet, and I gratefully slide into the bed. I need a new mattress. This is amazing. So. Amazing. Ronan hesitates for the briefest moment, sliding into the bed with me. His arms come about me, hugging me to his chest. Ronan’s face nuzzles my hair as I snuggle against him.
RONAN
I inhale deeply, breathing in Fiona’s roses and lemon scent. Reveling in the feeling of having her in my arms. In a bed. She’s still and quiet, and I remember our bargain.
