Page 82 of Ronan

“We’re taking that with us, too.” I gesture at the solar panel that is larger than the van, and Reyes sighs, continuing to pretend I’m not here.

“You know you could do better, right?” he says to Cameron, and my mouth drops as my mate laughs. Helaughs,but doesn’t answer, and something ugly and brambled burrows into my chest. Tendrils of anger slither under my skin as my breathing grows shallow.

“You aren’t mad I’m taking all these books, are you?” Cam asks as he gestures towards the overflowing box full of colorful covers, oblivious to my agitation behind him.

“Nah.” A hint of a grin tugs at Reyes’s lips as he glances beyond Cameron to me, and I barely contain the urge to smack the smirk off his stupid face. “There are so many in there that I’ll never get through them all. It makes me happy they’re going with someone who will appreciate them and not just use them for a fire.”

“Aw, thanks, man,” Cameron says, and Reyes reaches to pull him into a hug.

The final thread of my restraint snaps as I charge forward with a furious growl. Cameron grunts a quiet, “Oof,” as I yank him against me, glaring at Reyes. “You tell him he can do better and then put your hands on him? I will remove them from your useless body if you even think about touching him.”

“Ronan,” Cameron scolds, and I turn my anger towards him.

“You are not off the hook, either. If you allow another man to insult me, you do not get to be upset when I do something about it. Maybe you need the reminder of exactly what I’ll do to someone who tries to take what is mine.”

“Ronan,” he repeats, gentle this time. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Another growl rumbles low in the back of my throat as I bare my teeth at him. “You did nothurt my feelings.”

“Mo’sziv,” he whispers, and I divert my gaze, trying to hide the way my heart squeezes when he uses those words with me. “You told me something once that stuck with me, and I’m going to say it now, because you need to hear it.”

His eyes are bright as the afternoon sky as I glance at him, wondering if he possibly knows how important he has become to me. “What is it?” I ask softly.

He presses a kiss to my lips before pushing our foreheads together, his eyes never leaving mine. “You are a stupid monster.” Surprise has me blinking at him as he throws my own words back at me. “Such a stupid monster to think I’d ever want anyone else. Have I not shown you by now exactly what you mean to me?”

My teeth clench, the muscles in my jaw tight as I stare into those blue eyes. “There are certain parts of my instincts I am able to fight when it comes to you, Cameron, but seeing your hands on someone else is not one of them.” My hand creeps up until it gently wraps around his neck, tugging him so close our lips brush. “No one else touches what is mine.”

His breath shudders out in a quiet whimper as I drag him forward, pressing a kiss to his lips as my thumb strokesover his Adam’s apple. “Make no mistake, Cameron. I will not share you.” If Reyes wasn’t standing right there, I’d bend him over the counter and give him a reminder that would last for days, and the needy gleam in his eyes tells me he’d love every second of it.

“Now,” I whisper, voice so quiet it doesn’t carry beyond the two of us, “tell your friend goodbye before my need to claim you wins out over logic, and do it in a way that doesn’t trigger my monster.”

His tongue darts out between his lips and he gives a shaky nod. “Yeah, okay.” My grip loosens, some of my tension dissolving as he presses a lingering kiss on my lips. “Thank you,” he whispers.

I tilt my head curiously as I pull back. “What are you thanking me for?”

“Wanting me…choosingme,” he whispers, and just like that, my anger is gone, replaced with blinding affection for the man in front of me.

“You are the only choice I’ve ever made with my whole heart, Cameron, and a choice I will continue to make every single day I wake up in this life.” His lip wobbles as I drag my thumb across it, but then forms a sunny smile. He kisses me one final time before composing himself, turning around to finish his goodbyes with Reyes.

My eyes never leave the other man, and his hands stay far, far away where they belong. Boomerang leaps into her spot in the van as we climb inside.

And then, we leave.

Chapter 25

Cameron

A strange mix of excitement and trepidation churns in my stomach as we pull away from the gate, watching Reyes’s silhouette in the rearview mirror. The stifling heat has me reaching for the air conditioning, but Ronan’s gloved hand stops me with a sharp swat.

He’s wearing his full armor for the first time since our arrival, and has me clad in a pair of leather pants along with the jacket he swiped from the base.

Protection, he says.

More like torture.

“Come on,” I whine. “It’s a hundred degrees and I’m sweating in places that ought not to be sweaty.”

“Air conditioning will hurt our gas mileage. Roll the window down.”

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