Page 62 of When He Hunts

“Stop scaring him,” Luna ordered. “I’m not bruised.” She tugged her hand from Ronan. He let her go. She frowned at the shaking pianist. “Told you, I’m not interested. But thanks for playing the piano for me.” Her brow furrowed as she focused on Ronan. “Now, are we going to our room or are we standing on stage all night?”

Shit, were they still on stage? They were. Without another word, he climbed from the stage, then turned to catch her waist so that he could lift her back down onto the sand.

A few people clapped for her again as they passed through the crowd. She blushed a bit more and offered her thanks. Luna scooped up her sandals, and they hurried away from the tables and the lights. They snaked through the palm trees and ambled along the faint path that led to their bungalow. As soon as they were away from the crowd, though, Luna stopped. “I forgot that you now get to play the role of jealous husband. Nice job, by the way. Completely believable. For a moment there, I thought you actually were jealous. Didn’t realize you had such strong acting talent.”

It hadn’t been a role. Hehadbeen jealous. A very new emotion for him. “I don’t share.”

“Okay.” She swung the sandals in her hand and rocked forward onto the balls of her feet. A large palm tree waited right behind her. “Again, great acting. Because you totally had me believing that you’re super jealous and ready to rip apart any man who touched me.”

“I am.” Flat. Truthful. Completely disconcerting.

She sank back onto her heels. “Excuse me?” A laugh. Nervous. “It’s just us. You don’t have to pretend any longer.”

“Screw pretending.” He crowded in close to her.

She backed against the tree.

“I am jealous.” Something he would have to deal with. He didn’t like the feeling, Ronan knew that for certain. It twisted his guts and made him want to drive his fist into the faces of any men who were lusting after her. “You were fantastic on that stage.”

Shadows surrounded her, but he caught the flash of her smile. “You think so?” Her smile dimmed as she rushed to add, “You don’t have to lie. I was so nervous that my knees were knocking together. I just kept looking at you, though, because I knew you weren’t going to laugh at me.”

Laugh at her? What?

“You were my strong spot. I used strong spots starting in high school. Whenever I got nervous on stage, I’d find one person in the audience I could count on. It used to be my mom. Tonight, it was you.” She threw her arms around him. Squeezed. “That was nerve-racking and incredible at the same time. Thank you.” The sandals banged into his back.

His hands curled around her waist.She’s thanking me, and I just nearly broke a man’s hands.“I don’t think you’re understanding things properly.” She shouldn’t thank him for being a jealous asshole.

She pulled back. “You did something really nice for me.” A brief pause. “I think your heart is way bigger than you realize.”

Something was way bigger than she realized, and growing more so by the second. Not his heart. Nope. Not that.

“The doting husband and then the jealous lover. Two big roles in one night. I think I could learn some things from you when it comes to acting.” Her hands—and the sandals she still grasped—fell back to her sides. She started to slip around him.

He raised his hands and caged her against the palm tree. “We have a problem.”

“Oh, no. What is it?” Alarm flashed in her voice.

“Iama jealous lover. I didn’t like his hand on you. You were trying to get away from him. He didn’t let you go. He pulls that shit again, and he’ll be dealing with me.”

No response. Right. Because he sounded like a crazy person. Ronan cleared his throat. “You were gorgeous on the stage. The light was behind you. Your body was fucking perfection. And your voice—sin and sunshine. How the hell can that even be a combination?”

But wasn’t that what she was? Sin and sunshine for him? The best of both worlds with her witchy, sexy looks and the innocence that just wouldn’t dim? “What the fuck am I supposed to do with you?” Ronan wondered.

He heard a faint thud. One, then another. The sandals had hit the sand.

One of her soft hands rose to press to his cheek. “Protect me.”

Yes, that was exactly what he was doing.

“And, I thinkfuckingme sounds like a really good option, too.”

She almost got fucked then and there. Right against the palm tree. It would be so easy to lift her up. To shove Luna’s short dress out of his way and take her there. But…

No protection. No condom.

If he fucked her and got her pregnant, he wouldn’t be able to let Luna go. She’d have to stay with him. Forever.

Why was the thought so dangerously tempting?

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