Page 52 of Stranded

I can’t help laughing as I sit on the arm of the sofa next to him, and he leans the side of his head against my knee. “What’s wrong?” I ask him, gazing down at the top of his head. It’s all I can do to resist stroking his hair, because if I do that…

My self-control will crumble.

Instead, I gently rest my hand on his shoulder. “Is this your schoolwork or something?”

Ronan shakes his head. “Not even. I did something dumb. Maybe smart, but really dumb.” He looks up at me.

My breath catches in my chest. Even with his sweaty cheeks and tangled blond hair, he’s… angelic. I can’t stop looking at him. I bite my tongue and wait, praying that I come off more cool and calm than my heartbeat is right now.

“I asked Professor Meyer what I should do to improve my technical skills. And now I have…” he waves a hand at the row of cardboard boxes. “My first official job in the industry.”

“Whoa.” I squeeze Ronan’s shoulder and grin at him. “Congratulations!”

He doesn’t look as excited as I might have thought. “Professor Meyer told them I can start right away as long as it wraps up in November, so it won’t interfere with my showcase.”

That sounds even better to me. “So what is it?” I ask, shaking my head. “And why does it take up half the living room?”

“Piecework. Grunt work, basically,” Ronan explains before I have to ask. “For an outdoor gear company. Exactly what my parents were afraid of me doing. But… I guess it’s better if I’m choosing to do it?”

I lightly run my hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, and then I rub gentle circles with my thumb. “I’m proud of you. That was a great idea, asking her what you need to do. She wouldn’t have hooked you up with them if she didn’t think you’d learn, right?”

Ronan doesn’t hesitate. “No. You’re right.”

“And she wouldn’t have recommended you to them if she didn’t think you were good enough.”

Ronan actually stops and stares at me. “Oh,” he says at last. “I hadn’t thought of that.” But he’s still not quite as happy as I might have thought. He’s watching me warily, and I have the feeling I know what that look is.

He thinks he’s about to disappoint me.

“So, what’s the catch?”

Ronan swallows hard and looks across the living room to the bookshelf, now filled with his books and magazines and art supplies. “I’m already starting from scratch on the biggest project of the semester. And now I’ll be working. I’m not going to have time to doanythingbut study, work, sleep…”

Now I see where this is going.

Ronan’s lips curl even further down as he gazes sadly up at me. “I’m not going to have enough time with you.”

He’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

“Oh, Ronan,” I murmur, leaning down to wrap my arms around his shoulders and hug him from behind. “There’s never enough time with you. I accepted that from the beginning.”When I let go of him, I scoot over onto the couch and nudge him to join me.

“No, but…” Ronan sits next to me, curling his legs up under himself. Both his hands rest on one of my thighs as he gazes anxiously up at me. “After last weekend, I just… I don’t want to ghost you.”

I chuckle. “We’re living together,” I point out, as gently as I can, though I don’t think that’s what he’s really worried about. “And I’m not going anywhere, either.”

Ronan quickly glances down at his hands, drumming his fingers lightly on my legs. Then he slides one hand up my thigh toward my crotch, peeking up through his lashes at me.

His touch never fails to make my skin light up. Goosebumps race along my forearms, and my heartbeat speeds up.

But Ronan isn’t… for lack of a better word,sparkling.

I press my hand on top of his, stopping him. When he looks up at me, I just tilt my head and ask the question with my eyes.

What are you doing?

He licks his lips nervously. “It won’t be crazy busy all the time,” he tells me softly, like he’s trying to negotiate with me, and he thinks I have the upper hand.

Okay. I’m stopping this, now.

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