Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
I hesitate, hand still on her leg, and watch her carefully. “Is that something you want?” I ask, aware of the strange flutter in my heart.
“It wasn’t supposed to be forever when I came here, right? I don’t want to impose on you. I feel like I’ve already taken a lot.”
“You’ve given back plenty.” My grip on her leg tightens. All at once, emotions flood me. I picture my house without her: quiet, cold, and empty. I don’t want that, not even a little bit.
And it’s not just about having another person here. If I needed any company, I’d get a fucking roommate. It’s about her, about waking up with her in my bed, going to sleep with her at night, laughing at her jokes and teasing her until she gets all mad then making her make up with me afterward. It’s about the sex, but also about the way I can tell her anything without feeling like I’m burdening her. It’s about wanting her to burden me with all her problems, just so I can make her feel a little bit lighter.
“I don’t know. I’m scared about this Cormac stuff. I don’t like that we had to get Julien involved, and I’m just—I’m afraid for you, Ronan.”
I lean toward her and tilt her chin in my direction. “It’s going to be okay, love. No matter what happens, none of this was your fault. If anything, you’ve made my life easier.”
“How’s that?”
“You brought in business when we desperately needed a win. Not all our plans went smoothly, but the chop shop and Rocco’s club are both profitable and going well so far. That’s more than enough.”
She shifts her position and leans closer to me. “I’m just saying, I can go back to my place and we don’t have to worry about this anymore.” She gestures between us.
“I’m not worried about it.” I take one of her hands. “You’re staying with me, and we aren’t hiding it anymore.”
Her eyes widen a fraction. “Ronan—”
“Listen to me. My family’s in chaos right now. Cormac stole my product and he’s threatening to hurt anyone associated with me. Even Seamus went with him, and that breaks my fucking heart.” I grind my jaw for a moment to keep from snarling with frustration. I knew Cormac had his hooks in Seamus, I just had hoped that I’d earned Seamus’s trust back. Apparently, that didn’t happen.
“Which is why I should go.”
“No, love, all of that is why you should stop and you should stay.”
“I’m a burden. I’m just a problem.” She blinks rapidly, eyes going shiny with tears.
I lean forward and kiss the corner of her mouth. “No, love, you aren’t. But that’s the problem. You’re convinced that all of this is somehow your fault, when it’s far from it. What happened with your family was bad, and I’m sorry you’re still carrying that with you, but you don’t have to let it hold you back.”
“It’s just hard. I’ve always felt like—like I’m useless. Like I’m worthless and just more trouble. Even when it was just me and Marco, I spent half the time sitting around and watching reality TV because I couldn’t face up to any real responsibility. These days with you have been some of the best of my life, but I’m afraid I’m just going to bring you down.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I kiss her again, this time on the lips. I wipe a tear that rolls down her cheek. “Listen to me, love. You have a place with me. Do you get that? I need you here, and even if you leave, I won’t let you go. It’s time we stopped pretending.”
“Pretending?” She tilts her chin up, pretty mouth parting.
“That we’re less than what we are.” I kiss her again. This time, I linger. “I want you, Valentina. I want you to be mine, and I want my whole family to know it.”
“Ronan.” She kisses me, hands reaching up to touch my face. “You know what’ll happen, right?”
“I don’t care.”
“They’ll use it against you. They’ll try to hurt you. They’ll use me—”
“I said I don’t care.” I kiss her, and this time, I let my tongue invade her mouth. She whimpers into my kiss as I drag her into my lap. Her legs spread as she straddles me, and I cup her ass with both hands, pulling her tight against me as I kiss her. I love her mouth, her lips, that tongue, the way she moans as I touch her and explore her body.
I hate how much she worries. It’s so obvious she blames herself over and over for anything bad that happens and really internalizes all that pain. What happened with her family was terrible—but I’m not in that same situation, and she can’t possibly be held liable for anything going down with Cormac.