AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And a very annoying sound pulls us out of this spell. His phone rings on the nightstand, but he ignores it until it stops. Only, it starts again immediately after, and he sighs as he stretches to grab it without getting off me.
“This better be good.”
His muscles tense against me, most definitely not in a good way.
There’s too much silence. He’s listening too intently.
“Where is he?”
He slowly shifts off me, and I roll over to see him. With every second, the frown lines on his forehead deepen. His eyes flash to me, but avert quickly enough that something strange grows in the pit of my stomach.
“How much time do we have?”
I can’t put my finger on it, but it reminds me that the man next to me is not just any man—he’s part of an underworld I know almost nothing about.
“Ten. Yes. Bye.”
He turns completely, throwing his legs off the bed, rising into a sitting position, and sighs heavily as he runs his fingers through his soft blond hair. I want to ask, but I’m not sure where we stand when it comes to his business, talking about it. I don’t want to intrude or be nosy. More importantly, do I want to know?
“We have to talk.” He turns to me, his gaze not just serious, but it looks somewhere close to being unhinged, cutting off my thoughts.
That answers it—I want to know.
“What happened?”
“Let’s get dressed. We need to get Finn and Hanna.”
“Ronan, what the hell is going on? Why do we need them?!”
I crawl next to him, sitting on my knees on the bed, not just suspicious, but uneasy down to the bones. This is about me. Hanna as well? He captures my chin between his thumb and index, pulling my lips to his, dropping a quick, but deep kiss.
“Get dressed.” He orders me before he rises and disappears in his closet. Moments later, he has sweatpants on, hanging low on his hips, the elastic of his boxers showing just above, then he slides a white t-shirt on.
“Now, Annika. I’m gonna go get them and bring them to the kitchen. Wait there.”
I take a deep breath in, and it seems to get lodged in my lungs until the bedroom door shuts behind him.
“What the hell is happening?”
I make quick work of pulling some leggings and a t-shirt on and all but run to the living area.
Faint voices sound on the other side of the penthouse, the whole place split in two with the living area in the middle, Ronan’s side to the right and Finnigan’s to the left.
They own the whole building—well, technically, his parents do, but my understanding is that this particular building has been transferred to the brothers. It’s a skyscraper reminiscent of the golden age but modernized.
I busy myself with the espresso machine and begin making some coffee, instead of spiraling into my own thoughts.
Before I turn, I already know Ronan came into the kitchen. He’s quick, sidling up next to me, one hand around my waist, sorting his own coffee with the other one. He kisses my forehead without a word, giving me a bit of reassurance.
He guides me to the dining table and sits next to me just as Hanna and Finnigan appear, dressed comfortably, but sleepy and confused. At least Hanna. Finnigan seems to carry the same sort of hard expression as his brother. It looks even more strange on the man who seems to be eternally happy and easygoing.
The morning sun streams through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, a contrast to the silent, yet heavy atmosphere. Dread has closed in around me, my chest tight as Ronan sets his forearms on the table, clutching his hands together.
“What’s happened?” Hanna speaks first.
It’s almost like I’m back in our business meetings, craving to blend in with background. It’s not an option now, though, with Ronan’s eyes fixed on me.
“You said once that you keep tabs on the people who have bought paintings from you,” Finnigan responds, his serious tone making me even more nervous.
