Chapter 8
The next thing I knew, Ronan was whispering my name and gently shaking me awake. I slowly opened my eyes, rubbing them as my vision cleared. His features came into focus, and I sat up on the couch.
“Where is Char?”
“She is in de shower off de master bedroom where ye grandfather slept. Dat is where she is going to sleep until de window gets fixed. She knows ’ow pissed off ye are, and she doesn’t want to deal wit dat right now.
Ye anger is justified, but right now she needs calm and rest. Ye can talk to ’er tomorrow.
Also, fer ye piece of mind, de problem ’as been taken care of. ”
“Where is Maddox? What time is it?”
“He just left, and it’s about noon.”
“Well, why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep. I slept the whole time you were gone.”
Before I could register what was happening, Ronan reached down and lifted me effortlessly. He threw me over his shoulder and carried me up the stairs. Inside my bedroom, he kicked the door shut behind us and playfully tossed me onto the enormous, plush, bed.
“I’m not tired yet; I ’ave to unwind.”
He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside; exposing every rippling muscle and the clean, powerful lines of his body.
“I thought we were waiting,” I teased.
I propped myself up on my elbows, and he grabbed my ankles, yanking me toward the edge of the bed. I laughed at the boldness of it.
I barely had time to sit up before his mouth crashed into mine, hot and urgent, the kiss full of adrenaline and something far more reckless. His hands found the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, breaking the kiss long enough to free me from the fabric.
He sat beside me on the edge of the bed and began unbuttoning my jeans.
“Do ye want me to stop?”
His breath was hot against my ear. The words, low and rough—an offer, not an expectation.
He didn’t wait long before his mouth claimed mine again.
He unzipped my pants and slid his hand beneath my panties, the heat of him impossible to ignore. The room still felt charged from everything that had happened. Whatever restraint either of us might have had earlier was gone now.
“Don’t stop,” I breathed.
My head fell back, and a soft moan escaped as my hips began responding.
His fingers left me, as he peeled my jeans from my body and stood next to the bed. He shed his remaining clothes as I stared at him—yearning for him. I pulled my lip between my teeth, impressed by his size.
My legs fell open as my gaze drifted up his body to his face. A silent invitation pulling him closer.
Ronan moved over me slowly, dragging his tongue along my skin as he climbed the length of my body. Every touch left a trail of heat in its wake. His hardness pressed against me while his hands slid beneath my bra, freeing me. His mouth and hands followed the curve of my breasts.
His hand trailed down my stomach again, slipping inside my panties as his teeth closed around a hardened nipple. He sucked and nibbled until my body arched against him, begging for more.
He paused for a moment, taking me in. The look on his face made me want him even more. At this point, he could have whatever he wanted.
Because I had already decided—I wasn’t waiting.
Before another thought could form, he pulled the last barrier between us away. I lifted myself to help him, seconds later the tension that had been building between us snapped.
His mouth found mine again as he pushed inside me slowly.
Finally.
He was giving me exactly what I wanted—and maybe more than I had bargained for.
He gripped my hips and rolled us over, pulling me on top of him. I lifted and lowered myself slowly, tightening around him. I sank down fully, taking all of him as I began rocking my hips.
Leaning forward, I kissed his open mouth.
Ronan braced his feet into the mattress and met my movement with his own. The rhythm built between us—sharper, faster.
And he didn’t slow down.
I pushed back against him, matching him. My head fell back as the orgasm tore through me. My body tightened around him instinctively.
Ronan pulled me down against him as his control slipped. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight against him as his mouth found mine again.
We collapsed into the sheets; tangled and breathless.
Ronan kissed me again, slower this time.
“I have been wanting to do that since I first laid eyes on you again.”
“Well now that you have it out of your system, maybe you can squeeze in a nap before you spend tonight explaining what the hell happened with Charlotte. Not to mention who the hell took her.”
“I will explain everything when I wake up.” His voice was thick with exhaustion, his eyelids already growing heavy.
I hadn’t even realized how worn out I was myself. Before I could even think about getting out of bed, sleep claimed me again.
When I opened my eyes, the sun was already dipping low in the sky, its golden light spilling through the window.
I quietly slid out of the bed and slipped into the bathroom. After showering and dressing, I made my way downstairs.
The kitchen clock read five o’clock.
I opened the fridge and studied the options. I had a feeling it would be a while before anyone else even rolled over.
In the end, I chose shrimp, risotto, and stuffed mushrooms. I prepared a salad and set the table, channeling my anxious energy into slicing, dicing, and stirring.
By the time everything was underway, I found myself sitting at the nook with a glass of wine, watching the light fade outside.
Ronan entered the kitchen wearing a pair of shorts and a ribbed tank top, looking unfairly attractive.
He leaned down and kissed me softly.
He crossed the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee from the pot I had brewed, clearly anticipating the need.
“I ’ave to ’ave coffee before I can drink anything else,” he said with a smile.
I stood and moved over to the stove, turning on the burner. Everything was ready. The mushrooms were already in the oven. The risotto needed only to be finished.
“Charlotte should be up any time.”
“She was tired and scared, but she was unharmed, so we could probably finish cooking and den wake her. She will more dan likely be famished.”
I nodded in agreement and set to work finishing the dinner preparations. Ronan began rinsing dishes and loading the machine.
When everything was nearly done, I ran upstairs and knocked on Charlotte’s door.
“Yeah?”
“Food is ready when you are. You need to eat, and we need to talk.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I returned to the kitchen. I had just finished putting the food on the table when Charlotte came down the stairs and entered the dining room. None of us were wearing anything more than pajamas, and all of us were starving.
We began piling food on our plates and passing bread around the table. Two bottles of wine circulated as we filled our bellies. When the food started to dwindle, I opened a third bottle and settled into my chair while I waited for them to finish eating.
We worked together to clear the table of plates and serving dishes. We cleaned the kitchen in silence, not talking, just working intently beside one another.
“I need to run outside for a moment,” Ronan said, sliding his boots on.
Charlotte and I finished up in the kitchen and returned to our wine in the dining room. He reappeared in the doorway.
“Ye two want to go out and sit by de fire?” As he asked, holding a joint between his thumb and forefinger.
“A man after my own heart,” I said, rising from my chair and sliding on shoes.
I grabbed an extra blanket off the back of the couch on my way to the patio door.
Ronan picked up the bottle of wine from the table and followed behind me.
Charlotte shuffled toward the door in her sweats and fuzzy slippers, snatching another bottle of wine from the rack as she passed through the kitchen.
Once we were all situated and passing our vices around, it was time for some truth.
“So, Ronan, are you ready to share a little? A lot would be preferable. I get the distinct feeling that there is a lot I am not aware of.”
“I suppose if I ’ave any ’ope of ye joining me and carrying on de work dat was started a long time ago, I better start wit some ’onesty.”
“You probably need to start being honest with me if you want me to join you for anything in the future.” I could tell by the expression on his face that he knew exactly what I was implying.
Charlotte still hadn’t said anything other than maybe, “Please pass the salt.” I wasn’t sure how much of the passiveness was an act and how much came from what she endured. Doubting her came naturally to me—sad but true.
“Okay, well how about Charlotte tells me if the guy that kidnapped her was Sean—the same guy she disappeared with the first time. That time being of her own accord, I might add.” I turned my head toward my cousin and waited for her response.
“No, dey were not de same person,” Ronan said, pulling my attention back to him. “De person dat took ’er was not Sean. He did, however, notice ’er while she was wit Sean at de club. He ’ad been watching ’er—‘unting her really.”
“Hunting her? What the fuck is that supposed to mean exactly?”
“Okay. Let’s back up. Has anyone ever told ye dat de Boogie Man doesn’t exist?
Childhood monsters, ghosts, faeries and trolls—dat all dose things don’t exist?
Dat people are de real monsters in de world.
Dat is because people ’ave motives, and dose motives can vary from person to person.
Animals operate on instinct; not on malice. ”
I deeply disliked this conversation, but I didn’t interrupt him.
“Dis belief can be built upon and den ye will be able to begin to understand dat de biggest, most dangerous monsters would be humans dat ’ave been altered to be a little bit of both. If ye combine an animalistic nature wit a destructive personality, hell-bent on malice, den what do ye get?”