Ronan had got into an argument with the flight attendant shortly after boarding, when she’d insisted that I needed to sit in a separate seat for take-off. He’d not been happy.
“I have a flying phobia and without Pixie, I might lose my shit. Nobody wants that to happen.”
Conal had rolled his eyes and poured a massive drink while I tried not to feel hurt Declan had opted to stay in Sicily.
He’d reinstated his barriers all over again. Freezing me out.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Conal asked as he handed me a hot coffee with cream and extra sugar. I preferred my coffee black and extra strong, but I wasn’t averse to cream and sugar. After the shit I’d been through, I figured I deserved a treat.
Hearing the concern in Conal’s voice almost broke me. Seeing the way he looked at me, like I’d papered over the cracks in my shell with a brittle smile, told me he believed I’d fallen apart all over again.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
I didn’t need him to feel sorry for me.
Or try to fix me.
That wasn’t the relationship either of us deserved.
And as for Ronan, well, it had become very clear to me that Ronan Kelly was not used to living without female attention. Had he ever been single?
The man had codependent tattooed on his stupidly handsome forehead.
I took the coffee and moved across the aisle to a seat by the window, ignoring Ronan’s protests.
“I’m fine, thank you. Just tired and also--” I pointed at my grubby clothes. “Filthy.” The adrenaline of being chased through the forest, followed by my desperate battle to stay alive while Marku held a gun to my head, had long since faded. It was a miracle I hadn’t lost my shit, but strangely, the experience had rewired my fucked-up brain.
I felt less nihilistic about my future. It would be a stretch to say my mental health issues had miraculously vanished, but I was no longer willing to let life’s fuckwits push me around.
Whatever the future held, it was time I took back control.
“There are some clean clothes in the master bedroom. We won’t arrive for several hours, so take a shower and change, sweetheart.”
My mind drifted back to Declan. He’d barely looked at me once we arrived back at the airport. It was pretty clear the man had intimacy issues. And since I had my own issues to manage, it was better if we drew a line under whatever had happened between us.
I hoped one day he’d decide he wanted me, but I refused to hang around waiting for him to pull his head from his ass.
“Need some company?” Ronan grinned at me hopefully from across the aisle, but I shook my head. His face fell in disappointment and my heart twinged, but I steeled my resolve. The only way to figure out if he was serious about me was to make him work for it. That man had never had to work for a woman’s attention in his life.
“Nope, I’m good.” I picked up my coffee and headed toward the master suite at the back of the plane, making sure the lock engaged behind me so nobody, aka Ronan, got any ideas.
A loud banging on the bedroom door pulled me from a heavy sleep.
“Verity, wake up. We’re making our final approach. It’s time to get strapped in.”
Swallowing a curse, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Thank God I’d pulled some clean clothes on after showering. I had found a closet full of joggers and loose tees, all men’s sizes. Nothing I wore fitted me, and I probably looked like shit, but never mind. There wasn’t time to worry about my appearance if we were landing soon.
Once we arrived, Thea and her guys would meet us and take me back to her place. No doubt she’d have a million questions.
When I unlocked the door, Ronan stood waiting with a scowl on his face.
“You shouldn’t have locked the door!” he grumbled.
“I thought you’d have a key.” I fought back a smile at his almost feral expression. The man’s abandonment issues were in full swing.
“There is, but Conal confiscated it so I wouldn’t disturb you.”
Before he could carry on bitching, the flight attendant appeared and said if we didn’t take our seats, she’d lose her job. Ronan hovered as I hurried to a spare seat, but I ignored him. Conal winked when I caught his eye, but I gave him a weak smile and turned to stare out of the window.
