Chapter 15 #2
Stupid, handsome face that makes me want to know more about him. To get closer to him. To kiss him.
I shoved a strawberry into my mouth, chewing it as if it would distract me from the sudden tension in the air. It didn’t.
Drew had no concept of awkward silences and ploughed ahead like a wrecking ball.
“Yeah, sure. You keep telling yourself that. I see the way you both look at each other, and the way he talks about you all the time with Kieran.” He waved a fork between Ronan and me.
“And listen, Ronan doesn’t bother with girls at all, but you must be pretty damn special, even Keirans stopped fucking girls. ”
“Seriously, Drew, shut it before I shove that fork up your ass,” Ronan mumbled before finishing his food.
That was weird, Kieran not sleeping about.
I knew what he was like; I heard it from most of the women who live in Velmore.
There was no way he was going to stop doing what he was known for just because he met me.
However, I appreciate that he and Ronan hadn’t told anyone about Vespera being my grandmother.
And there was that little nagging feeling of ease knowing he wasn’t fucking around anymore.
“And Darian rants about you constantly, it's actually hilarious. I remember him coming home years ago, talking about a friend he made who was meant to be a secret, with heart-shaped eyes and everything, until you disappeared. Now he’s so riled up every time Ronan even mentions you.” This time, Daleyza kicks him underneath the table.
Ronan exhaled slowly through his nose, his jaw flexing hard enough to crack stone. He was watching me now, and all I wanted to do was talk to him. He doesn’t know about my past with Darian, and I doubt he has told them anything but that he hates my guts.
“What’s your name anyway? Ronan calls you Cherry, and Darian never mentioned your name.”
“I told you my name.” I popped another strawberry in my mouth, and I didn’t miss Ronan's heated look on my lips.
“You haven’t told anyone your name, Cherry.” I swallowed. Then I remembered what he said when we first met.
Consider it a little deal between us. When you can trust me, you can share it.
Over time, even if it has only been a short time knowing him. I do, mostly. I also know who he is meant to be to me, so I finally reveal what nobody else but Malrik knows, and that’s just because he’s my crazy ass stalker.
“It’s Ravena,” I said, letting the name slide out carefully. I met Ronan's eyes, and for a heartbeat, he smiled—a small, quiet thing, but it carried weight. He knows now that I trust him.
I picked up my coffee and took a long sip as my fingers trembled slightly. The warmth seeped into my bones, rich and slightly bitter, and a contented sound slipped out before I could stop it.
Ronan stilled, his body tense, fingers tightening around his own mug. Then the door opened and shut with a thud. Two figures stepped inside, their conversation cutting off the second; they noticed me.
Darian and Kieran, and while Kieran looked mildly curious to see me here, face unreadable, Darian looked pissed. His eyes narrowed to slits as he stalked toward me, radiating nothing but pure hostility.
“Fuck no,” Darian snarled, his voice slicing through the air like a blade. “Get out. Now.” I had time to process the words before he was standing in front of me, fists clenched at his side.
Well, someone wasn’t happy to see me.
“Darian, don’t start.” Ronan glanced between us both as I slowly stood, careful not to touch him.
I could feel the darkness as I looked at his face; it was small, but it was there, deep in his skin.
The room fell silent, all eyes shifting to him as the air thickened with unspoken tension.
Kieran, without breaking his gaze from me, snagged a whisky bottle, poured himself a glass, and took a long, deliberate sip.
“I am fucking starting Ronan,” he snapped. “She shouldn’t be here. Not near my family.”
Darian stepped closer to me, “I don’t want you here, I will never want you here. I don’t care what happens to you. Now get out before I drag you out myself. Piece by fucking piece.”
Prick.
Nobody moved, and Darian’s patience snapped first. He had his gloves on, which I guessed helped with his OCD, but I didn’t know if it stopped his power.
“You won’t touch me,” I tell him, gesturing to the gloves.
“Try me, I don’t mind as long as it gets you the hell away from me.”
I stood up, careful not to touch any part of him. “Go on then, and see what happens.”
Darian doesn’t scare me, never has. There’s just a sadness there when I look at him. I still see the boy I once knew… but he's not entirely him anymore.
I could see him thinking, the crease between his brows deepening as his anger simmered. His eyes scanned my face as if he was searching for something.
Before he could touch me, Ronan was there, stepping in front of me. One hand pushed Darian back, the other found my hand. Darian stumbled, then straightened, nostrils flaring, his fury simmering just beneath the surface.
“I love you, man”, Ronan said, voice calm. “But if you ever speak to her like that, or try to touch her again, I will break your fingers.”
Darian's eyes flicked between us, his expression torn between disbelief and barely contained rage.
For a long, heavy moment, no one spoke. The only sound was Darian's sharp inhale before he turned and stormed out, the door slamming behind him with enough force to rattle the frame.
Kieran barely reacted, twirling his drink around before drinking the rest.
“You’re really choosing her over Darian?” He asked Ronan, voice calm but testing.
I lifted my free hand and pressed it against his back, feeling the warmth of him beneath my palm. It wasn’t something I thought about—I just did it, and it felt right. He had defended me. Stood between me and someone he called family.
I want him. I need him. I’m done holding back, done pretending I can ignore the pull between us. Every nerve in me screams for him, and I don’t want to fight it anymore.
Ronan didn’t hesitate. “Right now? Yeah. You’re the one being a dick, man, and I trust her. Especially after last night, I always will.”
Drew stood up with his sister and grinned at me.
“We do too, Kieran. She saved Daleyzas' ass last night, and she didn’t even know who she was. So, unless she’s playing some really long game to con us or something, I’d say we’re all good.
” Kieran looked at all of us, and when it landed on me, I met his stare.
It was calculating; he couldn’t quite figure me out, couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t taking Darian's side in all of this. He would never believe me if he knew, none of them would.
Finally, he rolled his shoulders and nodded. “Alright. I trust you, Ronan.” His lips twitched. “You two can help me find your brother.”
With that, he turned and headed toward the front door. Drew followed but paused in the doorway, smirking as he threw a wink over his shoulder.
“Have fun, lovebirds. Bye, best friend.”
Then they were gone, and I was suddenly aware of how close Ronan was, the warmth of his presence wrapping around me.
He turned and looked down. “So, just us now.”
I nodded. “You’re not leaving?” I felt like I was suffocating from the sexual tension between us, the way he had been looking at me through breakfast, and the way he had defended me.
He smirked at me, a playful and dark edge to it. “Not a chance, Cherry.”
Then his lips were on mine, and every thought in my head vanished—there was only him, only this, only the pull I’d been denying far too long.
Heat flooded through me, a slow-burning fire that caught and spread the moment his lips met mine. I missed his lips, his touch, his everything.
I melted into him, my fingers curling into his shirt as I kissed him back.
Ronan didn’t hesitate; his grip tightened, one hand sliding to my waist, the other threading into my hair as I melted into him. His tongue swept into my mouth, teasing, demanding, tasting me like he wanted to do it for the rest of his life.
I wouldn’t mind that one bit.
A soft noise escaped me, and he groaned in response, pulling me flush against him. Every inch of me pressed into him, and he was solid, all heat and strength, his body promising me things I wasn’t sure I was ready for —but damn, did I want.
I don’t know how long we stood there, lost in each other, but when he finally pulled back, his breathing was heavy, his forehead resting against mine.
“Fuck,” he murmured.
His thumb brushed against my lower lip, blue eyes flicking down to my mouth like he was already thinking about doing it again.
And honestly? So was I.
“God, I want you.” His voice was thick with hunger.
I licked my lips, still tasting him. My body was already responding, heat pooling low in my stomach, my skin buzzing with anticipation.
“I want you too,” I admitted.
Ronan stilled for a beat, his eyes searching mine, almost like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
“You sure?” He rasped out. “Because if you say yes, I’m taking you to my room, and we won’t leave for the rest of the day. I’ve wanted this… wanted you… for so long.”
His fingers brushed down my arm, barely grazing my skin, but it was enough to set every nerve in my body alight. “And once I taste you, Cherry,” he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear, “I won’t ever let you go.”
I swallowed hard, my heart slamming against my ribs. My body had already decided, but my lips sealed it. I stood on my toes, brushing my mouth against his—soft and slow.
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life than I am about you.”
A low growl rumbled from his chest before he grabbed me, strong hands gripping my thighs as he lifted me effortlessly.
My legs wrapped around his waist, and he didn’t waste a second.
His mouth crushed against mine, hungry and claiming, as he carried me through the apartment, the sound of his footsteps echoing as he took me toward the bedroom, never breaking the kiss.
The door slammed shut behind us with a resounding thud, but it was his hands, his lips, his body that consumed me completely.
There was nothing else now—only him.