Page 38 of Ronan
“No, I don’t know, and no.”
“Damn girl. You guys are really riding this anonymous train. Are you at least a little worried about what’s under that mask?”
“Why would I be?” I counter. “I don’t care what he looks like, Emma. This is the best sex I’ve ever had and it’s not even close.”
She snorts like I might be joking, then drops the smile. “Holy shit, you’re serious. What if he’s a fucking gremlin under that mask? Could you see yourself actually walking around withthatholding your hand?”
God, she’s such a bitch. A superficial one at that, but even in this moment I can tell she doesn’t realize how fucked up she sounds.
Orion really does deserve better, and I should probably do a little more vetting before finding roommates online. “I’ve seen enough of his face to know he’s not agremlin, but even if he was, who cares? Looks don’t last forever and I like the way he treats me.”
“Well, that’s sweet.” I almost believe her. “So the best sex? Let me see his dick. I showed you Orion’s.”
“I would, but I don’t actually have any pictures of it. Or him at all,” I lie. “Once I get one, I’ll show you.”
No, I won’t.
“You better.” She types away on her phone as she shivers and cusses under her breath, then sets it down with a thump. “I just told Orion I’m coming over to talk, and he just told me not to bother. What the fuck is that?”
“I’m gonna be honest with you, Em. I think you might’ve pushed him too far this time.” And every time, he’s just finally had enough. “Try apologizing.”
“Apologizing? He’s the one that should apologize for being a walking red flag. That boy would be lost without me and he knows it. Fuck this, I’m going over. You shouldn’t stay here, it’s going to be a cold ass day and even worse tonight.”
Yeah, but I can’t keep running to Ronan every single time something goes wrong, especially now. I don’t want to make Emma’smistakes. “I’ll be fine, I don’t mind the cold. Have fun, and maybe try to remember that he set boundaries that you decided weren’t valid. If you’re not okay with his boundaries, maybe it’s time to walk away. Now quit making me side with a man. It’s gross.”
“Itisgross. You’re my friend, not his. If he wants a woman to respect boundaries then he needs to find himself a sub. That’s not me.” She picks up her phone again to stare down at it with narrowed eyes. “Are you fucking Orion?”
It’s not the first time I wondered that, but Night isn’t crazy enough. Not by a long shot. “Why on earth would you think that? Respecting boundaries doesn’t have anything to do with Dom/sub dynamics. That’s just a basic compatibility thing.”
“Whatever. If you’re not fucking him, why did he just say he doesn’t give a flying fuck about our furnace being out, but that you’re welcome to come over if you need to?”
My eyebrows shoot up. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s trying to show you how bad it hurts when you want to hang out with other guys instead of him.”
“Asshole. He knows Ronan would kill him if he even thought about touching you.”
She begins angrily typing away on her phone with a scowl on her face, but I’m not ready to move past this.
“What do you mean? Ronan doesn’t care who I fuck, he barely even yelled at me for meeting a stranger at a gloryhole.”
Snorting, she rolls her eyes at me and furiously types away on her phone. “Ronan wouldn’t yell at you if you punched him in the dick. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t care.”
“Seriously, Emma. Just try telling him you’re sorry and see what happens. We don’t have to be right all the time.”
“You don’t understand. Guys like Orion are just waiting for us women to bend to them, and I refuse to say I’m wrong when he was wrong first. Maybe that makes me a bitch, but he’s threatening me now and saying he’s going to work at that stupid sex school, so he’s just as bad. You know damn well he’s just saying that to push my buttons, and if I let him see that it works, he’ll win. That school would never hire him, he’s too possessive and I’m pretty sure they all share.”
“Not all of them. There are plenty of dorms that specialize in monogamous submission,” I correct. “But the broaderpoint is that you guys aren’t right for each other. You have to know that.”
“We’re definitely not, but I’m going to go fuck him one last time just to know I can. Are you sure you want to hang around here?”
Blinking, I nod. “I’d rather sit here then listen to you two fight, fuck, fight again, fuck again, then fight until one of you starts throwing things. Have fun, though.”
“Alright, but if you change your mind, go to Ronan’s. He’d never turn you away.”
She grabs her purse and stalks off without another word, finally leaving me in peace.
––––––––
Thirteen unanswered calls to my landlord later, I’m about to pull my hair out. Work was miserable today. I sat on a heating pad, wrapped myself up in a blanket, wore fingerless gloves, and I still shivered the entire time. This house iscold.Brutally, unforgivingly cold. Yet as much as I’d like to go running to my step-brother to save me again, I won’t. With any luck, Night will show up soon for round two and then I’ll be sweating.
