Page 43 of Yours

He led me to a private room at the back of the restaurant, the sound of the dining room fading as he opened the door andushered me inside. The space was dimly lit, the walls lined with dark wood, and a single round table sat in the center, empty.

The door clicked shut behind him, the soft sound of the lock sliding into place making my stomach twist.

I turned to face him, my breath catching as I realized how close he was. His dark eyes pinned me in place, and for the first time that night, I felt genuinely nervous.

“Ronan,” I said, my voice quieter now.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze unrelenting. “You wanted my attention, Kiera. Now you have it.”

CHAPTER 15

Kiera

“You didn’t have to lock the door,” I muttered, my voice far poutier than I intended.

“Didn’t I?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

My cheeks flushed and I looked away, focusing on the dark wood paneling lining the walls. The room was small, intimate, with a low-hanging chandelier casting a golden glow over the empty table in the center.

“You didn’t have to drag me in here at all,” I said, forcing some defiance back into my voice.

Ronan took a step closer, and I could feel the dark promise in his gaze even though I refused to meet it.

“You’ve been pushing me all night, Kiera,” he said, his voice calm, but carrying an edge that made my pulse quicken. “So, tell me—what is it you want? Another spanking? More of my cock?”

I bristled at the question, my arms tightening across my chest. “I want to go home,” I snapped.

“No, you don’t,” he said smoothly, taking another step closer. “Try again.”

I finally looked up, glaring at him despite the heat spreading through my cheeks. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been testing me since the moment we left your apartment,” he said, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. “You think I don’t see it? The sass, the defiance, the way you try to see how far you can push before it burns you?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off before I could speak.

“You’ve been trying to get a reaction out of me, Kiera. And now you have it.”

I hated how my body reacted to his words—the way my heart raced, the way my skin prickled with awareness.

“I’m not trying to get anything out of you,” I said quickly, though the words sounded weak even to me.

The curve of his lips was dark and deliberate. “You can lie to me, love,” he said, his voice dipping lower. “But I see you. I’ve always seen you.”

The room felt too small, the air too thick. I took a step back, my shoulders brushing against the wall, and his gaze followed me, cold and unrelenting.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?” he asked, his tone sending a shiver down my spine. “For you?”

My chest tightened, the words hitting me harder than I wanted to admit. “Ronan…”

“You’ve been mine since the day I walked into your dorm and saw you,” he said, his voice steady and certain. “And now, I’m done waiting.”

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. His words hung heavy in the air between us, their weight sinking into my chest as I struggled to process what he was saying.

“You can’t just… decide that,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

“Can’t I?” he asked, stepping closer until there was almost no space left between us.

The heat of him, the sheer presence of him, was overwhelming. My back pressed against the wall, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I tried to hold onto some shred of defiance.

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