Page 10 of Ronan
He stands up a little too proudly as Emma flips him off, but Atley squirms. Does she want that? Does she want that from fucking Orion?!
“I’d rather not talk about any of it, honestly. Why don’t we just talk about something normal like the weather?” Atley’s eyes flick to me like she’s afraid I’m gonna judge her, and she’s right. As her big brother, I can’t really let this slide — even though it was me she was talking to. She clearly doesn’t know that.
“We can move on when you tell me she’s lying.”
Shit. It’s out of my mouth before I can catch it, and I watch her face fall. She always has hated disappointing me. I wonder if she’ll word vomit an explanation like usual.
“She’s not lying. I’d never done it before, this guy called, and I spilled wine on my shirt because it startled me, and the next thing I knew he was saying things that felt really nice and I took my stupid wine-stained shirt off but I’d forgotten to put a bra on and he saw my piercings and asked if he could show me his and...”
Emma looks at her slack-jawed. “Jesus. I thought you guys just said some dirty shit. I didn’t know you took your shirt off.” Atley’sblush deepens so suddenly, Emma catches it. “More? You showed him more?”
She showed me all of it.
Only she doesn’t know it’s me, so in her mind some other dude is the one that made her feel good.
I don’t realize I’m moving at all until I’m standing right next to her, and when her scent hits me, I nearly spill all of it. “Don’t answer her.”
Her eyes slowly travel up my chest, stopping on my lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up at all, you don’t want to think about this. It’s gross. I’m sorry.”
Gross is the last word I’d use when it came to anything that involves her. “Well if you guys keep going, I’ll have to kill my best friend. This isn’t something I want him picturing.”
Emma huffs. “Me either. Let’s talk about the non-sexual part.” She looks at me with a smug expression. “She likes him.”
Atley groans, hiding her face in her hands. “Emma, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to set you on fire and put you out right before you die so you have to live like that forever.”
In spite of everything, I laugh. She’s still the same girl I’ve wanted since I was 16 years old, andthat attitude right there is what first won me over. “Brutal. Come get a drink with me in the kitchen.”
I tug on the sleeve of her hoodie and turn away, smiling to myself when she follows so closely, she steps on the back of my shoe. “Sorry,” she hisses. “You save me and I step on you, sounds about right.”
I’d let you do worse.
“Good thing you have tiny feet. So, are you gonna tell me about this guy?”
She sighs, taking the White Claw I hand her. “It’s stupid. He’s a content creator and I entered some contest to win a FaceTime with him. I won. Given the content he posts, I expected it to get sexual, I just didn’t expect him to be as... sweet as he was.”
She thought I was sweet and all I wanted to do last night was break inside her shitty apartment and take her. “Have you talked since?”
“He texted me to ask if he could call me again.” Her eyes drop to the top of her can. “I said yes.”
There’s a glint of shame in her eyes, but it’s overshadowed by something else. Is that hope? “And did that text he sent make you smile?”
“Yeah,” she says quietly. “Is that stupid? It’s stupid. But I don’t know, there’s something so familiar about him. I just felt... safe and beautiful and wanted. I guess I’d like to feel that as many times as he’ll let me before he gets bored and moves onto the next thirst comment that makes him cringe.”
You will always be safe with me, and you are always beautiful.Too bad I can’t say that. “I don’t think it’s stupid. I think most people want that deep down, whether they admit it or not. I don’t like the idea of some stranger in a mask seeing my little sister’s pussy, but I don’t think I have the right to tell you to stop.”
Yet.
Good thing it’s me, because I wouldn’t be able to bite my tongue if it was anyone else.
“So is it just this guy you’re talking to?”
She nods, leaning back against the kitchen counter. “Yeah. I’ve been going through a bit of a dry spell, honestly. I think working from home is making me socially awkward. This whole anonymous, masked thing just seemed easier.”
“I definitely feel you there,” I admit, meaning it a little more than she thinks, and once again I find myself jealous of myself. What a mind fuck.
I take a big drink of my whiskey and stare at her for longer than I should.
Her freckles are popping out more, bringing out the yellow flecks in her brown eyes. She looks tired, but excited. “So you’re not seeing anyone either?”
