I nod. We might not be capable of an entire unspoken conversation, but it’s like he can see I’m drowning in my own thoughts.
He turns his face to mine. ‘Don’t panic. I’ve got you,’ he whispers. The same words he said in the pool when my nerves were eating me alive.
Our eyes meet and the smile that he offers lights the room like the morning sun. He emits a warmth, a radiance that I hadn’t fully appreciated until lately. Now I’ve seen it, it’s hard to unsee it.
Is it any wonder my daughters adore him?
Hell, I do too.
Oh god. I’ve got a feeling this weekend is going to get me into more trouble than I can even comprehend.
Given what happened in the car, it already has.
‘I’m exhausted,’ Jessica announces, palming her bump.
‘Let’s get you to bed.’ Jake wraps his arms around his wife, pulling her back flush with his chest and reaching a hand around her body to stroke her stomach.
Another pang shoots through me. My own pregnancy springs to mind. No one touched my bump. No one.
He-Who-Has-Never-Been-Named had ghosted me, andthe only attention my fathers gave my stomach were matching looks of sympathy.
‘Thanks so much, guys.’ Ronan leaps to his feet. He’s probably counting down the seconds until we’re alone.
‘Are you guys staying the night?’ Jake asks, his tone not entirely devoid of teasing.
‘I’d say so.’ How Ronan manages to keep a straight face is beyond me.
As if he didn’t bomb down here with the sole purpose of getting me out of the city and to himself for the night.
His dirty words flash through my mind again and I press my thighs together, the anticipation building in my core.
‘At least you won’t be plastered, drunk and disorderly, all over tomorrow’s papers.’ Jake nods towards me. ‘She’s a good influence on you.’
The question is, is Ronan a good influence on me?
I’m about to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Four
RONAN
‘Your friends seem nice,’ Savannah says, as she tidies the remnants of our midnight feast away.
‘They are nice.’ I grab a cloth and wipe the crumbs from the counter. ‘I can count my friends on one hand, but those I do have are my ride or dies.’
‘And am I included in those “ride or dies”?’ Savannah turns to me, swallowing hard.
‘You, my “friend”, are the top of my ride list.’ I grab her waist and tug her towards me, tossing the cloth on the counter. Her dress matches the deep denim of her sparkling eyes.
Her teeth sink into her lower lip like she’s biting back a smile. I’m on her in seconds. Lips capturing hers, parting them, exploring the moist, wet, wine-flavoured softness with a hungry fervour.
She presses every perfect curve of her killer body against my frame, tight enough that I can feel the pounding of her heart as her chest presses against mine. ‘Where do you want me?’
‘Everywhere I can get you.’ I swing her around until she’s backed against the island, and cup the smooth globes of her ass cheek, hoisting her onto the cold granite surface. Her thighs part to accommodate my hips. I wanted a bed for our first time, but this island is big enough to spread her out on and worship her beautiful body. It’s better than a sacrificial altar and I’m pretty certain devouring Savannah on it will be a religious ritual in itself.
My hands slide between her legs, and I hiss as I find her soft, wet centre.
‘Ronan,’ she mumbles into my mouth.
