Always Will: A Bad Boy Romance (12 page)

Ronan puts his phone down. “I called the police and told them what I know.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

“Come here,” he says and gently takes my wrists. He pulls me against him and wraps his arms around me. “It’s over. He won’t touch you again.”

I let Ronan hold me. I don’t care that he’s my boss, or that he feels so good I don’t want him to let go. Right now, I need him. I need him to keep his arms around me. I need to feel his breath against my hair, his strong hands on my back. I relax into him, closing my eyes.

After long moments, he pulls back and touches the side of my face with a gentle hand. “Did he hurt you?”

I nod and touch my jaw. “He hit me here.”

Ronan’s eyes flash with anger and his nostrils flare.

“Anywhere else?” he asks.

“I’ll probably have bruises where he grabbed me, but I don’t think it’s serious.” I brush his chin with my fingers. “You’re bleeding a little.”

He licks his lips and moves his jaw around. “I’m okay.”

My body is still pressed against him, my face close to his. He leans his forehead against mine and wraps his hand around the back of my neck. I tilt my head so my mouth moves closer to his. Despite the way my jaw aches, I want him to kiss me. I want to feel his lips against mine. My heart beats faster, and I slide my hands around his waist.

His phone rings and I gasp. I step back, and he grabs it off the counter.

“Yeah. Yes, it is.” He listens for a long moment. “Okay, thanks for letting us know.” He hangs up and puts his phone down. “That was the police. They’re sending someone over to the bar. They’ll call tomorrow if they need you to give a statement.”

“Okay,” I say.

He touches my face again. “You should put some ice on that.”

“So should you. There’s a bathroom over there if you want to clean up.”

Ronan goes to the bathroom and I get a couple ice packs out of the freezer. I wrap one in a paper towel and press it to the side of my jaw. Now that I’m calming down, pain blooms across my face. My cheek throbs; my lip feels swollen. My stomach turns, and I’m dangerously close to losing it. I close my eyes, leaning against the counter to steady myself, and take slow breaths. I felt better with Ronan close, and I hope he hurries back out here.

I’m okay. It’s over. I’m okay.

The front door opens. I hear footsteps coming toward the kitchen.

“Selene?” Braxton says. “Are you here?”

Ronan comes out of the bathroom holding a washcloth to his lip just as Braxton and Kylie walk in.

Braxton looks from me to Ronan, then back to me again. His eyes widen. Anger rips across his features and his body tenses up, his arms flexing.

“What the fuck?” Braxton asks and starts moving toward Ronan.

“Wait,” I say, holding up a hand, and Braxton stops. “Don’t, Brax. He didn’t do this.”

Kylie runs forward and puts her hand on Braxton’s arm. Ronan looks between Braxton and me, like he’s ready to get in his second fight of the night.

“What happened?” Kylie asks.

“Some psycho at the bar,” I say. “Ronan stopped him.”

Braxton glances at Ronan again, then rushes into the kitchen. “Are you all right?” He tips my head to the side and looks at my face. “Did someone fucking hit you? Who was it?”

“I don’t know who it was,” I say. “Some guy grabbed me when I came out of the bathroom. He shoved me outside. I…” I look away. I don’t want to tell them. I’ll have to see it again if I talk about it.

Braxton’s anger is so strong it makes my heart race faster. It’s a twin thing; I feel his emotions sometimes.

“Did you call the police?” Kylie asks.

“Ronan did,” I say. “They’re sending someone to the bar.”

“We realized we hadn’t seen you in a while,” Kylie says. “We were already on our way over when we got your text.”

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to get out of there.”

Braxton brings me in for a gentle hug, and rests his chin on the top of my head. I can hear his heart beating fast. “Holy shit, Selene.”

Ronan walks over and stands on the other side of the island. I pull away from my brother and hand Ronan an ice pack. Braxton looks back and forth between us a few times.

“Thank you,” Brax says to Ronan.

Ronan nods. “I’m just pissed it happened at all.”

“I’m glad you were there,” Braxton says. “Fuck, I want to kill that guy.”

“Okay, Brax,” I say, putting a hand on his arm. He is not helping me calm down. “Why don’t you and Ky go home. I just need this day to be over at this point.”

“Fuck that, we’re not going anywhere,” he says.

“Braxton.” I meet his eyes. “I’m serious.”

“I’ll stay,” Ronan says.

I look at Ronan. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Do you have a spare bedroom, or am I sleeping on the couch?” Ronan asks.

“Really—”

“Let me make this very clear,” Ronan says. “If you ask me to leave, I’m going to sit on your front porch all night. So what’s it going to be? Couch? Spare bedroom? Or am I sitting on the steps outside?”

I open my mouth to tell him he doesn’t need to stay, that Brax and Ky will stay over if I need someone here. But as crazy—and probably foolish—as it is, I don’t want Ronan to go.

“There’s a bedroom right over there,” I say, pointing to Kylie’s old room. I look over at Braxton. “Brax, you guys can go home. I’m really okay. I just need to go to bed.”

Braxton eyes move to Ronan, then back to me. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” I say.

Kylie meets my eyes. If I needed her, I’d be able to tell her with a look. I nod, assuring her I’m fine.

“We’ll call you in the morning, okay?” she says.

I nod. “Sure.”

Kylie tugs on Braxton’s arm and speaks quietly to him. “You know she means it. She’s okay.”

“Lock the doors,” Braxton says.

“I will.”

He takes Kylie’s hand and they walk toward the front door. I can feel his reluctance to leave, and he looks back at Ronan one last time before they disappear into the entryway.

The front door opens and closes, and I let out a long breath. “I’m sorry. Braxton can be … intense.”

“It’s fine,” he says. “I don’t blame him. I’m surprised he was willing to leave.”

“I am, too.”

“I guess you don’t need two of us standing guard over you tonight,” he says.

I laugh, although smiling hurts. “I guess not.”

Ronan comes around the counter and runs his hands up and down my arms. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll be here if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” I say, and meet his eyes. “Really, Ronan. That would have been so much worse if you hadn’t been there.”

“But I was,” he says. “I did what any man would do.”

I don’t think just any man would, but I smile. “Still, thank you.”

“Get some sleep,” he says.

A part of me wants to invite him upstairs. I’m exhausted, but I don’t really want to be alone. I don’t even have to wonder whether he’d accept. I know he wants me; he’s made that perfectly clear. But my logical side speaks up, reminding me that I’m hurt and vulnerable. It would be easy to take solace in Ronan’s arms, but what would happen next? What would we do when the adrenaline wears off and we have to face life again—the life where he’s my boss and I have to keep him at a distance?

“I’ll see you in the morning,” I say, and go upstairs to bed.

***

“Selene.”

A voice jolts me awake and I clutch at the sheets. My heart is racing, and I’m so disoriented I have no idea where I am.

“It’s okay.” There’s a gentle hand on my shoulder. “I think you were having a nightmare.”

I blink a few times and realize what’s happening. I’m at home. We were at a bar, and … oh, god, I don’t want to think about that. Ronan is sitting on the edge of my bed, his face almost lost in the darkness.

I take a few breaths, trying to calm down. “What happened? Did I wake you?”

“No, I wasn’t asleep,” he says. “I heard you cry out, so I came to see if you were all right.”

“I’m so sorry.” A wave of embarrassment washes over me. This night just keeps getting worse.

“Don’t be,” he says. “Were you dreaming?”

I pull the sheet up higher. I’m only wearing a thin tank top and panties, and I’m suddenly very aware of Ronan’s closeness. “Yeah.”

“About what happened?”

I nod. “I can’t seem to get rid of it. Every time I close my eyes, it’s like it’s happening all over again.”

Ronan takes a deep breath. “Scoot over.”

“What?”

“Scoot over,” he says, lifting the sheet.

I move and he slides into bed with me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He lies down. “Come here.”

I hesitate, still holding the sheet.

“I swear, Selene, you can trust me. I just want you to feel safe tonight.”

I move in toward him. He puts his arms around me, and I lay my head on his shoulder. His body is so warm, his arms strong. He brushes my hair back from my face, careful not to touch me where I’m hurt.

God, he feels so good. I squeeze my eyes closed, willing myself to stop thinking about all the reasons this is a bad idea. Maybe I should have just let Braxton and Kylie stay, and insisted Ronan go home. He’s my boss. I have to go to work on Monday. Am I supposed to pretend this didn’t happen? I’m completely vulnerable—scared, hurt, and exposed—and in this terribly intimate moment, Ronan is here.

But his body next to me feels so right, I can’t tear myself away. I’m melting into him, my limbs relaxing, my breath calming down. I hear his heartbeat, and mine slows to match his. Even with my brother’s fierce protective streak, I’ve never felt as safe as I do in this moment, with Ronan’s arms around me.

“What time is it?” I ask.

“A bit after two.”

“You couldn’t sleep?”

“Not really,” he says.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “You probably should have gone home.”

“No,” he says and his arms tighten around me. “You needed me here. Sleep now, Selene. Don’t worry about tomorrow.”

I keep my arm draped across his chest, my head on his shoulder. His clean scent fills me, and I let my eyes drift closed. The last thing I feel are his lips on my forehead as I fall asleep.

16: Ronan

The eggs sizzle in the pan, and I flip them over. I have no idea if Selene likes eggs, but she had some in her fridge. The toast pops up in the toaster, and I pull it out, putting it on a plate.

She was still asleep when I woke up. I laid next to her for a while, just watching her breathe. In the dim light, it was harder to see where that asshole had hit her, although her lip still looked swollen. It pissed me off all over again, and any chance I might have had of going back to sleep was gone. I got up as quietly as I could, so I wouldn’t wake her.

I take the eggs off the stove before they burn. I don’t know what she’s going to think about me sleeping in her bed last night. Before she woke up, I was too amped with adrenaline to sleep, so I paced around the house for a while, hoping I’d calm down enough to get some rest. Out of nowhere, I heard her cry out. She’d been dreaming. I knew she wasn’t going to get a decent night sleep alone, and my desire to make her feel better was overwhelming. So I did the only thing I could think to do, and climbed in bed with her.

And fuck, she felt good in my arms. Too good. She was barely dressed, her skin soft against mine. She relaxed quickly and fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. Not long after she drifted off, she draped her leg across mine, like she needed to get warm. I drew her closer to me, breathing in her scent. It was so intimate, yet I wasn’t tempted to do anything other than hold her. Part of that was knowing what almost happened last night. The last thing she needed was another man slipping his hands, or his dick, where they weren’t invited. But more than that, it felt so good just to have her near me.

I feel like I cheated—like I got away with something I wasn’t supposed to. A night like that should be reserved for a man who has her trust. Maybe her heart.

I wasn’t sure what to do this morning. I could have gone home, and called her later to see how she’s doing. Her brother and his wife live right around the corner. If she wants company, she has them. God knows they almost didn’t leave last night.

But I don’t want to go. I want to see her come down those stairs and smile at me. I want to touch her face and check her bruises. I want to spend a leisurely morning with her over coffee and breakfast.

I want to stay.

I get another hit of fear. It tightens my chest and makes me feel like I can’t get enough air. What the fuck is that about? I wasn’t afraid when I went after that douchebag last night, and he got in a good shot. I touch my jaw and move it around a bit. Definitely sore, and my knuckles are bruised from hitting him. Apparently jumping in to save a woman from being attacked isn’t cause for fear, but the idea of spending a quiet day with her is what’s going to scare me? There’s definitely something wrong with me. I imagine what Sarah would say. Or my brother. They’d tell me I need therapy again.

Fuck that. I need to go jump out of an airplane. That will get my head back on straight.

Selene comes down the stairs, tying a lightweight robe around her waist. She smiles, but her brow furrows a little. God, I could get used to that sight. I’m so fucking glad I stayed.

“Morning,” I say, and push a plate across the island toward her.

“Wow, thank you.” She sits down on a stool and I pour her a cup of coffee.

“I don’t know how you take it,” I say as she takes the mug from me.

“There’s cream in the fridge,” she says.

I get the cream for her and she pours a splash into her mug. I pour myself a cup.

“Did you sleep at all?” she asks.

“Enough.”

She takes a sip and looks at me over the rim of her mug. “Ronan, I need to thank you for last night.”

“It’s all right,” I say.

“No, I mean it. And, um…” She pauses, looking away. “I’m glad you stayed.”

I walk around the counter and touch her chin with two fingers. “Let me see how this is doing.”

She lets me turn her face. I gently brush my thumb across her lip and along her jaw. There’s still a bit of swelling, and her skin is discolored, but it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would.