Chapter 2
Mine.
Ronan had one word on repeat in his mind. When he’d first seen Vivyan’s SUV pulling up behind him, something had come over him. His body tingled, much as it had when he’d been active duty that had saved his life many a time. It was an alert. Telling him something was coming, something important.
And that feeling had been correct. This woman was his. Cold and angry, he’d not been sure what he would come up to when he moved toward her vehicle. Hell, he’d not been sure that it would have been a woman.
Heat had slammed into him the second he’d spied her through the windshield.
Enough that he’d not remembered he was near frozen after being without heat in a blizzard for a few hours.
A full-figured woman with curves he couldn’t wait to explore.
Smooth dark skin, full lips and brown eyes that resided behind black and tortoiseshell rectangular glasses.
Slightly wavy hair had set piled haphazardly on the top of her head.
He wasn’t about to let her get out into the cold and had held the door closed, refusing to allow her to step out. It didn’t matter that he was near to freezing having been in his cold truck for hours, the heat within him flared to life the second he’d spied her.
Now, he stood behind her, loving the way her jeans molded to those curves, as she unlocked the room they would be sharing for the night.
The first night of many.
He wasn’t sure what she was doing in Sander’s Point, hell, some days he wasn’t sure why he’d even been on his way here.
He couldn’t call it his home. Not a good one anyway.
A question that had been haunting him since the moment he had been discharged from the Army.
The resident bad boy who’d been from the wrong side of the tracks, he’d not been able to do anything right in the eyes of the town.
But, his grandfather had passed and left him his house.
That’s what had brought him back. And his way out resided in his pocket, an offer.
Pushing thoughts of death and unpleasantness to the back of his mind, he stared at the angel in front of him.
There was one bed in the room and his cock thickened in his jeans at the mere thought of being curled up to her curvaceous body all night.
Being able to keep her incredible scent right up to his nose.
He took a deep breath. Pushing her, wasn’t something he would be doing.
He’d found his woman he could afford to take his time.
Cock kicking harder, he realized, not that much time.
Patience, he told his rebelling dick.
He watched the rise and fall of her shoulders, digging his fingers into the straps of both bags he held to keep from dragging her into his chest. Holding her.
I’m the one to slay all your demons, angel.
“Wishing you’d not stopped for me alongside the road?”
She jolted, like she’d forgotten he was there. Whipping back toward him, eyes wide she blinked rapidly a few times. “What?” A firm head shake. “No. Definitely not. I would never wish that on anyone.”
He kicked the door closed behind him, locking them in together.
Noticing how her gaze moved up and down him like she couldn’t help herself, he hid a grin he’d forgotten he had.
Allowing the bags to slide toward the floor, he stopped before they hit and carried them to the chair to keep them from being on the carpet.
“What is it, angel? I told you I’ll never hurt you.”
Her smile, while a bit strained, lightened his heart. “I’m not used to sharing a room with a stranger.”
He stepped toward her, noting the flare of her nostrils and the heat in her gaze. She didn’t back away, neither did she openly welcome him.
“Not a stranger, angel.”
“Vivyan.”
She turned back to the window as it shook with the force of the wind and snow that slammed into it. The pelting alerted him to it was more than simply whipping snow, the ice and sleet had arrived.
“You have to be tired after driving in that. You can shower, I’ll head out and see what I can find in the way of some food.”
His angel met his gaze in the window reflection and she nodded. “Thank you.”
Making sure he had the key he made himself walk away, understanding this was a lot for her. Him too, but in his mind, they could figure the rest out later. He was hers. She was his.
Nothing else mattered.
Ronan walked down the darkened hallway, hearing people’s conversations, kids yelling and babies crying.
It didn’t bother him, he wasn’t expecting a five star hotel, Sander’s Point wasn’t that kind of place.
There was a nicer hotel toward the middle of town but he got why she was here, it was right off the interstate and they had a lot of travelers through there.
Or so they had when he’d lived her prior to his stint in the military.
Closer to this hotel than the nicer one downtown.
Yeah, he wasn’t necessarily welcome in the nicer part of Sander’s Point. Or hadn’t been. In any part of Sander’s Point.
If my truck hadn’t crapped out I’d be sitting at my grandfather’s old house, freezing my ass off because no way he had decent heat in that place.
He paused at the vending machine, taking in the offerings.
Slim pickings and he wasn’t entirely sure what his angel preferred so he got a variety of things, keeping in mind there were others who would be needing food as well, especially if this weather did as he expected. Get far worse before getting better.
The slam of a door had him tensing, but he didn’t whip around, didn’t reach for the weapon that had been an extension of him for years, so he was taking this as a win.
Tiny footsteps thundered up the hallway behind him and he bent to pick up his selections, using the glass front of the vending machine to see what approached.
Two brunet boys ran heads down, arms pumping just as hard as they worked their legs. Cute. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so carefree.
Never, his mind reminded him. Not with a drunk of a father and a mother who used men and drugs interchangeably. One to get the other.
A slim black woman paused in the hall, pressed a hand against her swollen belly as she appeared utterly exhausted.
“John, James. Stop running this instant. This isn’t our house and if you run into someone…so help me, you’ll not be sitting for a month.”
Like a brick wall had appeared in front of them, they went rigid, arms stiff and straight at their sides before turning back slowly, ever so slowly, to their mother.
She glanced at him and tried for a smile.
He nodded once and winked at the boys who watched him, before walking away, he had a woman to return to.
Pushing into the hotel room, he pocketed the key card and instantly scanned for his angel. She wasn’t there but the shower ran and he saw her backpack open on the bed. Tossing the bags of snacks beside it, he skimmed what he could see.
Neat. Organized. All of her clothing had been rolled tight, darker colors and everything had its place. He reached out but pulled back before he dug around in her bag. She would share with him but it was going to be her decision, not him being nosy.
Not that we have secrets between us. Or not that we will.
He cracked his neck as he reached for the ice bucket and headed back out once more to get some ice, he wanted a cold drink and knew this woman sharing a room with him kicked up his internal temp so he needed to not be a Neanderthal.
Right?
This time when he swiped the card to get back in the room, he hooked the security chain once fully inside. The click of the bathroom door snagged his focus as the soft scent of candied grapefruit and cedar filled the air along with steam.
With a deep breath, he turned toward her and swallowed. Hard. This woman had such a natural beauty, it took him out at the knees. She looked adorable and sexy.
Hair up once again in that haphazard bun, he longed to undo and learn how long her hair was, how wavy it actually was and experience it moving over his skin.
A large worn wheat hued long sleeve shirt hung off one shoulder, exposing her smooth brown skin to his starving gaze.
On the front he read Iowa Wild and there was a red and green logo he didn’t quite get, but it made sense as he had no clue who they were.
Her pants were the same green on her top and baggy, hiding the curves that her jeans had showed off spectacularly.
What he liked was how relaxed she appeared. He gave her a smile. Pointing to the bed as he set the ice bucket on the table, he said, “I don’t know your likes and dislikes yet, angel, so I brought a selection. If that’s not good I’ll head back out.”
“Vivyan.”
He smiled larger as he unwrapped a cup and filled it with ice.
Then repeated the motion before uncapping one of the waters and filling their plastic cups.
Carrying one to her, he held it out to her, she still stood in front of the bathroom door, the steam curling about her body in a lover’s caress as it escaped from the heated room.
“Thank you.” She carefully took the cup, not allowing their fingers to touch.
Ronan wasn’t a fan of that but he didn’t push. Not yet. He dipped his head so it was closer to hers, loving the way her pupils dilated as he got near. “You’re welcome, angel.”
The pulse on the side of her neck kicked up to a faster speed and he wanted to sink his teeth into it. Not to bleed her, no, but to feel how it pounded, especially with him up close.
“Vivyan.”
He stroked his beard, loving how her gaze followed his movements, even as she tried her best to pretend indifference. She sipped her water and it was his turn to follow movement.
“But you’re my angel.”
Her eyes flickered up to his, sadness lined her beautiful brown eyes. It killed him, he hated to see any sadness in her expression.
“I’m not anyone’s angel.” She drained her water and sucked up an ice cube. His cock swelled further and he nearly stepped into her but held his ground, sure his approach wouldn’t be approved.
“You’re mine.”
She patted his arm, paused with her palm on his bicep and gave him a small squeeze before seeming to realize what she was doing, for she shook her head and pulled away. “I’m sure you’ll see different in the morning. How do you want to handle sleeping?”
He took a deep breath and waited for her to give him her eyes once more. It took her a while but eventually she did.
“Angel, I feel if I tell you, you’ll run from me, so I’ll follow your lead. Do you want me to sleep on the floor or in the chair?”
Vivyan glanced to the queen sized bed in the middle of the room, gulped then back to him. One shoulder shrug before she watched him, zero expression on her face.
“It’s below freezing out there and the floor isn’t heated. That’s crazy for you to be there. We can share if you’re okay with that.”
“Angel, I’d never turn down the opportunity to share a bed with you.”
She flicked her tongue over her lips and he barely bit back his groan.
I’m in trouble.