Page 24 of The Rancher's Pregnancy Surprise

She suddenly turned, their gazes colliding, and the icy clarity of her bright blue eyes showed everything.

I want you.

I miss you.

I love you.

Every damn thing she felt, including the words that she obviously had no desire to tell him.

Don't wait until it's too late, and you've already lost everything.

His fists clenched against his sides. He tried to think of something to say, but instead he saw her eyes darken with pain, and the next words he read in them had his face whitening.

I can't be with you anymore.

Ronan felt as if he had been punched in the guts.Why?Why the hell was she thinking that?

She approached the elevator hesitantly, as if unsure whether to wait for the next one.

"You're, um, not coming out?"

Instead of answering, Ronan simply stepped to the side, and her eyes widened. "Oh, um..."

"You should get in," he said silkily. "Unless you don't mind causing a build-up?"

A look over her shoulder at the growing line of people behind her had her cheeks flushed, and Acacia quickly joined him inside the elevator.

"Are you here for your checkup?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

She nodded, and he pressed the corresponding floor for the obstetrics department.

Before either could say another word, a flood of people squeezed into the elevator behind them. As bodies pressed forward, Ronan instinctively moved to shield Acacia, guiding her into the corner with a protective hand at the small of her back.

The sudden crush of people pushed them closer together, forcing her against the wall of the elevator. Her breasts flattened against his chest, and he felt her sharp intake of breath. She swallowed hard, her gaze fixed determinedly on his collarbone rather than his face.

The scent of Acacia's perfume wrapped around him, stirring memories that had his body growing rigid.

He remembered the taste of her on his tongue.

The moist, tight heat of her passage.

And the sound of her voice as she cried his name out.

Don't wait until it's too late, and you've already lost everything.

The elevator stopped at each floor, disgorging passengers in twos and threes. With each departure, Ronan could have stepped back, giving her space to breathe. But he didn't. He kept her walled in, one hand braced against the panel beside her head, his body forming a barrier between her and the rest of the world.

The last passengers filed out, and he saw her sigh in relief.

Not so fast, darling.

He slammed his hand against the emergency stop button, and a strangled gasp spilled past her lips as the elevator jerked to a halt.

"W-What do you think you're doing?"

Acacia tried reaching around him for the control panel, but he caught her wrist, tightening his grip when she tried to yank free.

"Look at me," he said quietly.

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