Page 132 of Deceit

“Lame and crowded.”

“Did Skyla have a good time?” I ask, watching with intrigue as his eyes dilate slightly when I say her name.

Interesting.

“Yeah,” he nods coolly, though he’s already given himself away.

“Good.”

“You gonna go in there too?” Asher asks, a hint of bitterness to his voice.

For a moment I contemplate it, but another pleasure filled moan sounds through the door and I’m suddenly second guessing it. She’s having a good night, a great one from the sounds of it. I’m not going to ruin it with heavy shit like this.

I look at Asher, wondering if I should tell him before I think better of it. He’s not going to like this anymore than she will, none of us will, honestly. So I’ll let them have a little longer, I’ll wait until it’s absolutely necessary.

“Nah, I just wanted to check on her. I’ll see her tomorrow. You staying?” I ask with a curious brow.

He shrugs, leaning against the wall with his foot kicked up on it, like he’s more than happy hanging out in the hallway.

“Yeah, gotta get the princess her food when she’s done,” he says, rolling his eyes in irritation that I feel is only partially authentic.

I nod, clapping his shoulder as I turn on my heels and head home. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to look my baby in the eye until that conversation comes. This is so fucked.

Chapter Forty Six

Skyla

Ronan has been distant lately. I’ve tried to get him to come over, or to let me come to him. Instead, he dodges me at every turn. The last few times I went to the pool he wasn’t even there, some substitute swim coach in his place. I’ve asked all the guys, wondering if they know what has been going on, but they’re as clueless as me.

The worst case scenarios come to mind, and they taunt me daily. Has he gotten sick of this arrangement? Does he want me to himself, or not at all? Has he found someone else? Someone who is more ‘appropriate’, given our situation? My stomach works itself into knots when a text lights up my phone, forcing me to spring out of bed.

Liam and Vincent stir beside me, Vincent obviously much more alert than Liam as he reaches for me.

“What’s wrong, Siren?”

“Ronan texted me,” I say as I read it over as fast as I can manage.

“Bout time,” he grumbles.

Ronan: Will you meet me at my place in an hour? Bring the guys. I love you.

My heart flutters at that simple I love you, but when it comes after nearly two weeks of hardly any contact, I can’t deny I’m more than slightly irritated. Okay, so he definitely still loves me, unless of course he’s only saying that to get me over there, so he can break my heart properly, in person. Though, if he was planning that, why would he tell me to bring the guys? He has to know that if he breaks my heart, the guys will lose their shit on him, Asher included.

He's been surprisingly protective of me over the last few weeks. Ever since the carnival. We are definitely friends at this point, maybe more? I don’t know. I tried to bring up the almost kiss the next day, but he brushed it off like he didn’t know what I was talking about.

Is it bad that a small part of me hoped that when he came back from getting takeout he’d walk in, see me and the guys together and get jealous? Want to join? Or watch? Something?

Instead, he just sat outside and waited for us to be done before giving me my food and leaving at the same moment. After that though, things were semi-normal. Except anytime one of his little groupies would give me a dirty look or a whispered remark, he’d practically charge them. It took Liam and I both to hold him back from Bridgette one day when she called me a two-cent whore. After he nearly crushed her trachea in the dining hall, you’d think she’d be a little more careful. Or maybe she’s just dumb, probably the latter.

Regardless, it made my heart swell each and every time he defended me. Jeremy and Dane just glanced at me the other day, and Asher wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively, giving them both a murderous glare that shouldn’t have been as sweet as it was. They scrambled out of there, despite Dane being in a wheelchair. Vincent said he fell down a flight of stairs orsomething, but the twinkle in his eye told me he had something to do with it. I should probably be way more concerned that one of my boyfriends is clearly a dangerous man. Tell that to my love-struck dumb little heart, though.

“He said that we need to come over to his place in an hour,” I say.

Liam groans as he wraps his arm around my stomach.

“Fuck him. Tell him we’ll go when we’re good and ready,” his sleepy voice grumbles.

I laugh lightly, but honestly I need to get out of this bed. The anxiety rising inside of me wouldn’t allow me to sit still and wait around even if I tried. Slipping out of bed and onto my feet, I make my way into the bathroom where I take a quick shower, skipping my hair this morning before getting ready.

---