“I’m going to have to give you a raise. This goes way beyond the call of duty.”
“That’s not why I’m doing it, Jacquelyn. You should know that by now.”
I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, well…” I stammered, unsure of what to say. I had a knack for being well-spoken in any given situation, and this man had me stumbling all over my words like a little girl at her first boy-girl party.
“All right, I’ll bring her upstairs if you want to go ahead and get a washcloth for her face and hands.” Together, we tucked her into bed and told her goodnight. My heart melted, even more, when Ronan leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“Are you turning in for the night?” Ronan asked once we were in the hallway.
“I was going to go to my room, but it’s too early for me to fall asleep despite how tired I am.”
“Good. Come with me. I want to show you something,” he said and didn’t wait for me to agree.
I followed him down the stairs and to the door to the garage, where he handed me my coat. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said and went out into the garage.
“Ronan, I can’t leave Gabby in the house alone,” I protested.
He gave me a look that could only be described as “Really Jacquelyn?” and proceeded to open the garage door.
Seth stepped inside and silently nodded at Ronan. “He’s going to stay with Gabby in case she wakes up. We won’t be gone long,” he reassured me.
I trusted Seth completely and Gabby was very comfortable with everyone on my security team as well as my driver, so I shrugged and sat down in the golf cart beside Ronan.
“Close your eyes.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Close them, or no surprise for you,” he said playfully, though I didn’t think he was joking.
“Fine,” I huffed in mock annoyance and dutifully closed my eyes.
“Don’t open them until I tell you to,” he said as the cart slowed to a stop. With an extended hand, he helped me to my feet and carefully led me to where he wanted me to go. “Okay. Open!”
I gasped at the sight before me. The lights we’d worked on all day were on for the first time. Our little village was twinkling in the night and it looked positively magical. “It’s perfect!” I breathed.
“I hate that Gabby isn’t here, but I couldn’t wait for you to see it,” he said softly and took a step closer.
I turned to face him with a smile so wide my cheeks were starting to ache. “I still can’t believe how much we’ve accomplished in a few short days. It’s simply amazing.”
He took two steps closer, effectively closing the distance between us. “Jacquelyn.” Just one word. My name. But by the way he said it, I knew it meant so much more.
“Ronan,” I whispered with a very subtle nod.
And that was all he needed. My permission. My acquiescence. His large hands cupped my cheeks while his soft lips landed on mine before I could blink. There was no refusing the demand of his kiss and I melted into him. Years of denying my feelings for him, his feelings for me, the passion that was always crackling beneath the surface whenever we were near one another. All of it poured out as the sparks flew between us.
When he finally broke the kiss, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to remain standing on my own. Thankfully, he kept his arms around me and held me close while he said, “If I don’t stop now, I won’t. And that’s not what this is about.”
My body shivered at the conviction in his tone. With my head resting against his chest, I nodded. “Okay.”
We stood for a few more minutes, taking in the village, before going back to the house. Then, he walked me to my room, gave me a chaste kiss on the lips, and told me goodnight, leaving me swooning against my bedroom door before I climbed into bed and replayed the feel of his lips on mine over and over until I fell asleep.
7
Ronan
Everything was coming together perfectly. Jacquelyn never ceased to amaze me. She only stopped working when she was sleeping, yet she still made sure Gabby was having fun and she even had time to prepare and host Thanksgiving dinner, which provided a much-needed break for her before the village was set to open over the weekend.
