A bank notification. A transfer.
One million dollars.
The numbers blur as my eyes fill with tears. This can’t be real. We agreed on three hundred thousand—an obscene amount already. This ... this is life-changing. Life-altering. This is my mother’s full treatment, rehabilitation, a safe place for her to recover. This is freedom from Lucian King, the loan shark whose calls I’ve been avoiding for almost a week. This is?—
“Sweetheart, let’s talk.”
I spin around, nearly sloshing coffee all over my pajamas. Ronan stands by the kitchen with nothing but a poor excuse of a pajama bottom. His chest is bare, marked with faint scratches I left lastnight. He crosses his arms, flexing those biceps, his expression unreadable.
“What is this?” I whisper, holding up my phone with the notification still glowing on the screen.
“Exactly what it looks like.” He moves closer, bare feet silent on the polished floor. “A payment.”
“This isn’t what we agreed on.”
“No.” A slight smile curves his mouth. “It’s what I decided your weekend is worth.”
My defenses rise automatically. “You don’t know me that well. You don’t even have any idea about my favorite color, my favorite movies, or whether or not I like pumpkin spice, or give a damn.”
“Then tell me about you.” He stops just inches away, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his skin. “Let me in, Rayne. Because I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.”
“This was supposed to be a weekend,” I insist, but my voice lacks conviction. “That was the deal.”
“The deal has changed.” His hand comes up to cradle my face, thumb brushing over my cheekbone. “You’re mine. I knew it the moment I saw you.”
His certainty is staggering. No hesitation, no doubt. Just absolute conviction that I belong with him. My walls—the careful barriers I’ve built to protect myself—begin to crumble.
“Why are you doing this?” I whisper.
“Because I can’t let you go. Because whatever’s haunting you, whatever brought you to that auction—I want to face it with you.” His eyes, usually so hard, soften. “Let me help you, Rayne.”
Oh God. I’m actually considering it.
But…
Maybe it’s time. Maybe I don’t have to carry everything alone anymore.
“I want to show you something,” I say finally. “Someone, actually. The most important person in my life.”
His expression doesn’t change, but something in his eyes sharpens. “Your mother?”
“Yes.”
His thumb traces my lower lip. “When do we leave?”
I glance at the clock. “Visiting hours start in an hour.”
“I’ll have the car ready in thirty minutes.” He kisses me softly, briefly. “And Rayne? Thank you for trusting me.”
He turns to leave, but I catch his wrist. “Ronan? Thank you. For everything.”
His smirks. “We’re just getting started, baby.”
The hospital parkinglot is always busy on a Monday morning. As Ronan’s sleek black Bentley glides into a space near the entrance, I feel a flutter of nervousness in my stomach.
I have never introduced anyone to my mother.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Hospitals aren’t exactly fun Monday activities.”
