Page 79 of Ronan

“But we’re not… we’re still…” Flustered, I shove my hand through my hair. “You’re mine,” I stress, unable to form any other thoughts. “Always mine… you promised…”

“I’m yours,” he agrees in a whisper, grabbing my neck and tugging me down until I cover him like a blanket. “Nothing’s different, okay?”

Panic swarms in my stomach as I shake my head. “Why would our marks go away, though? What if the fates are trying to send us a message? What if something haschangedand we don’t know it yet? What if—”

“Ronan, slow down.” His palms slide onto my cheeks as he pulls me in for a kiss. “What did you tell me once? The marks could disappear, the fates could change their mind, and you’d still want me? Has that changed?”

“Of course not,” I argue, and he silences me with another kiss.

“Okay, so let’s figure this out without the drama queen tendencies, huh?” My face tucks into his neck as Icurl into him, hiding the grin that tugs at my lips despite my worry.

His throat clicks in a swallow before his tone becomes more serious, his words tripping on themselves as they come out. “You don’t… feel any different, do you? About me?”

“No, my feelings for you have only grown stronger. Don’t ever think that, Cam.” His arms wrap around me, squeezing as he breathes a quiet, relieved sigh he thinks I don’t hear. “May I offer a suggestion?”

“Got a bright idea?”

“Well, actually, yes. Literally.” Untangling myself from him, I drag him into the bathroom, then shut the door and flip on the light.

“Fuck, my eyes!” They slam closed behind his glasses, but mine lock on his arm. “A warning would be nice next time.”

“Cam, look.”

“Give me a moment to walk away from the light,” he grumbles, squinting his eyes open by the tiniest sliver.

“Look, damn it!” After taking a full second to scowl at me, he follows my gaze to his upper arm. If it wasn’t so late and we both weren’t so stressed, the way his eyes bulge would almost be comical.

Where it previously glowed a faint yellow, the mark on his arm is now a familiar dusty mauve—the same shade as my skin. Roughly the shape of a handprint, there’s no longer any light behind it. In sync, both our gazes move to my hand as I open it, finding that most of my palm has turned the golden tan of his complexion.

“That’s trippy,” he mutters, grabbing my wrist and tugging it to his face as his fingers trace the pattern. “What do you think changed?”

“I have no idea,” I admit, more than a little uncomfortable at being Fate’s guinea pigs. “Could it be due to… physical reasons?”

Right on cue, Cameron’s cheeks redden up like a tomato as his eyes dart away. “I… wouldn’t think so. It’s… well… it’s not the first time you’ve…” He trails off, and I fight a smile as his flush spreads to his ears. “… been inside me.” Those last few words are mumbled so softly that I need a moment to understand them.

“Yeah, I guess that’s technically true.” His gaze flips up before dropping back to the ground. He’s so adorably shy that I can’t stop my laugh as I wrap my arms around him. “Want me to fuck you again and see if they’re any different in the morning?”

“What?” he breathes, whipping his eyes up to mine.

A wide grin tears across my face, enjoying the teasing far too much as I adjust his glasses. “Or if you’re too sore, you can always fuck me.” This time he inhales so quickly he chokes, ducking away and thumping his hand on his chest as he coughs. I rub my palm over his back and swear he’s blushing there, too.

“Real confidence booster,” I tease, his snark returning as he glares at me. “Way to make a guy feel good about himself.”

“You… really want to do that?” he asks when he’s gotten his attitude in check.

I wait until he looks at me to make sure he sees my slow nod. “You’re experiencing a lot of things for the first time, Cam. There’s no right or wrong way to have sex, andjust because I have more experience than you—” He cuts me off with a low growl, and my smile isecstaticat the show of possessiveness.

“I am not interested in hearing about your exes… or hookups…” His lip lifts in a snarl as he says it. “Or anyone from your past. It doesn’t matter who they were, and I sure as fuck don’t want to hear what they did to you, because you’reminenow.”

“Yours,” I promise, meaning it to the very depth of my soul as I lean in and claim his lips in a drawn-out kiss. “Always yours.” The animal inside him seems appeased as he nods, resting his cheek against my chest as I run my fingers through his hair. “Let’s go back to bed.”

Pitch black surrounds us as I flick the switch off, and the heat still lingers between the covers as we climb back into their warmth. Cameron curls into me, slinging a leg over my hip and tucking his face against my neck.

I hum a contented sigh as his lips graze my skin. “Now, can I finish my statement without you going all growly again?”

“No promises,” he mutters, and I chuckle.

“What I was saying is this—my experience doesn’t mean I make the rules. What you want, or think you want, is just as important as my preferences. Anything you’re interested in trying, tell me. Will you promise me that?”

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