But when his retreating footsteps don’t come, I know he doesn’t believe me. Not that I blame him, but still.
“You can come in and see for yourself if you prefer."
Not even a second later, the door opens, and Ronan barges in, his eyes scanning for any sign of danger.
"Ronan!" I scramble to pile more bubbles over my chest. "I didn’t actually think you would come in!"
“I’m just checking that you’re all right.”
“I’m in your jacuzzi bath; why wouldn’t I be all right?”
Will he still be this protective when he learns I’m carrying the heir to the Sullivan empire?
“Because you’re alone.” He gives me a look that makes my blood heat—not because of the hot water. “Besides, you literally invited me to come in.”
He leans against the doorway with his arms crossed and a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.
"But you didn’t have to barge in likethat.” I adjust the bubbles again, trying to shield my naked body from view.
"Don’t worry, I've seen it all before."
I shoot him a glare. "What is it this time, or are you just here to annoy me?"
His smirk fades, and he runs a hand through his hair, pushing it back in that distracted way he always does when he's stressed. "I need to head out. But I’m... I don’t know. I guess I’m having trouble leaving you here."
I sit up a little, careful to keep the bubbles intact.
"You’re seriously worried about me being here in our house with a full team of security?"
Ronan’s expression hardens as he loses himself in thought for a moment. It’s clear something is bothering him.
“Ronan, talk to me.”
His gaze drops to the floor. “There’s someone on the team I can’t trust. I don’t know who it is yet, and that fact is eating away at me. What if whoever it is manages to break through our security system? What if something happens while I’m gone?"
I groan. There goes my relaxing jacuzzi bath.
"You can trust Stephen, right? You know he wouldn’t let anything happen to me."
He doesn’t respond, but I notice his eyes darken.
There’s a restlessness to him that I find unnerving, but if we’re going to survive in this world together, he needs to learn to trust me—and himself.
I point to my towel hanging on the heated rail. “Hand me that, will you? And turn around."
He grabs the towel and walks over to the edge of the bath, but instead of turning around, he holds it open for me to step into.
"Seriously?"
"I’m not looking." His eyes remain fixed on me.
It’s not that I’m self-conscious about my body, but ever since I found out I was pregnant, I’m hyper-aware of every little change.
I may not have a visible bump, but I’m definitely more bloated than usual, and I’ve already noticed my breasts have gotten larger and a hell of a lot more sensitive, which Ronan is bound to notice sooner or later.
With a sigh, I climb out of the bath and step into his arms, letting him wrap the warm towel around my body. I shiver as his large hands move up and down my arms, toweling me dry while his gaze stays locked on mine.
"You’re my number one priority,Tine Bheag."
