Page 65 of Yours

I shook my head, taking a small step back even as he loomed over me. “No. That’s not fair.”

“Fair?” His brows lifted, like the word itself was laughable. “You think this is about fair, Kiera? My sister is missing, and you’re feeding me half-truths. I’m done playing games with you.”

“She’s not missing,” I shot back, though my voice lacked the steel his carried. “I told you—I handled it.”

He didn’t budge. “Your phone, Kiera. Now.”

My hands trembled as I held it out to him, though my pulse pounded so loudly I thought my chest might explode. Ronan snatched it from my grasp without hesitation, his jaw tight, but when his thumb hovered over the locked screen, he glanced back at me.

“Unlock it,” he ordered.

“No.”

His gaze snapped to mine, sharp as a blade. “What did you just say?”

I straightened my spine, though my legs felt like jelly. “I said no. I’m not giving you the code.”

The air between us crackled with electricity, tension building with every second that ticked by. Ronan took another step forward, closing the space between us until I had to crane my neck to look up at him. His presence was overwhelming—his dark eyes boring into mine, his body a wall of unrelenting power.

“Give me the code,” he repeated, his voice low and dangerous, the kind of tone that made most people snap to attention.

But I wasn’t most people.

“No,” I said again, forcing the word out even as my throat tightened. “It’s not mine to give. Leena trusts me. She gave me the number in confidence, and I’m not breaking that. It would… it would be against girl code.”

“Girl code,” he repeated, the words dripping with disbelief. “Kiera, this isn’t some high school sleepover. This is my sister’s safety we’re talking about.”

“I know that,” I shot back, my voice shaking just enough to betray me. “But she’s fine. I told you she’s coming back, and you just need to trust me.”

Ronan’s jaw clenched, his patience clearly beginning to wear thin. He leaned in closer, so close I could feel the heat of him, the weight of his authority pressing down on me like an iron fist. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I refused to look away.

“There are three things you need to understand,little girl,” he said, his voice low and lethal, like the quiet before a storm. “First—you don’t get to keep things from me. Not when it involves my family. Not when it involves you. Not ever.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off with a look that could have frozen fire.

“Second,” he continued steadily, “trust is a two-way street. If you want me to trust you, you’ll need to give me a reason to. Lying to my face isn’t a good start. I’ve never lied to you, and I never will.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. I wasn’t lying—not really—but I couldn’t tell him that without giving up Leena.

“And third…” His voice dropped, softer now, but no less dangerous. “You’re about to have your tight little ass fucked.”

“What?” I squeaked.

“Now I’m going to be calling my sister. You get to decide if you’re going to give the passcode to me like a good girl or if you need it to be with my cock in your bottom like a bad girl. If you decide on the latter, though, I’m going to be fucking that tight little bottom a lot longer, a whole lot harder, and you’re going to be sobbing when you come for me instead of just simply screaming.”

My stomach flipped, a mixture of nerves and something akin to reluctant arousal. I swallowed hard, trying to hold my ground. “Are you threatening me?”

“Threatening you?” His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smirk. “No, sweetheart. I’m promising you.”

Ronan’s words lingered in the air, wrapping around me like chains. My pulse pounded in my ears as he towered over me, his gray eyes dark and unrelenting.

My throat was tight, my fingers gripping the edge of the couch like it might anchor me. “You wouldn’t actually—” I faltered, the words catching on my tongue.

“Wouldn’t what?” Ronan interrupted, his voice low and razor-sharp as he took another step toward me. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating in a way that left no room to breathe, no room to fight. “Wouldn’t punish you? We both know the answer to that, love.”

I looked away, my cheeks burning. My heart was racing now, thudding so hard I thought it might bruise my ribs.

“Fine,” I whispered, forcing the words out. “I’ll… I’ll tell you.”

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