Page 145 of Not Another Yesterday
Tonight, he’s wearing light-washed jeans sitting low and leisurely on his hips and black long-sleeved shirt hugging every sculpted inch of his arms and back. His V-taper is visible even through the fabric, andhis sleeves are pushed to his elbows, begging me to trace my tongue along his forearm veins. His dark-blond hair is tucked beneath his black ball cap, and he moves with the ease of someone who has no idea just how devastatingly perfect he looks.
Saoirse blinks at the table beside us, clearly scandalized. She turns to me. “Does this not bother you?”
I smile. “Not really.”
“Really?”
I shrug. “This happens all the time.”
“Thisobviously?”
“Oh, this is tame,” I say. “You wouldn’t believe how handsy some of them get.”
“No!” Saoirse gasps.
“Yep. Especially when they’re drunk.”
“Like… where do they grab him?” Penny asks, totally invested now.
“Wherever they can reach. His chest, his butt, his…” I trail off with a pointed look and a laugh.
“Mygoodness,” Saoirse says, shaking her head.
“What does Ran do?” Penny asks.
“He tries to get away. He’s polite, sometimes too polite, honestly. He lets them down easy if he can.”
“You’re so calm about this,” Saoirse says.
“There’s nothing I can do,” I say. “I don’t think Shane would appreciate me throwing down in here,” I add with a giggle.
“You’re not worried he’ll give in at some point?” my dad asks with that smug look on his face I’ve come to expect whenever he makes a dig at Ronan.
I turn to him with a firm shake of my head. “Never. I trust him.”
Saoirse smiles gently, and I can feel everyone else at the table quietly acknowledging my dad’sbare minimumtolerance of Ronan. No one calls him out, though. Yet.
At the table beside us, the blonde—Kaylee—is still going. “I’m gonna ask for his number,” she announces.
“Kaylee, guys that hot are always taken, gay, or have serious issues,” one of her friends says knowingly, though she’s still eyeing Ronan like he’s on the menu.
“I’m not trying tomarryhim,” Kaylee laughs. “I just want to take him home for a night. Let him ruin me.”
“Oh my god,” Penny mutters, eyes wide. “No wonder you’re pregnant.” She leans toward me. “Did you let that boyruinyou?”
“Penny!” my mom gasps.
“What? It’s a compliment,” Penny says, laughing. “Look at him.”
“You remind me of my friend Vada,” I tell her, laughing too. “She’d say the exact same thing.”
But that’s enough of this. I push back my chair and get up, my gaze zeroing in on Ronan, who’s just come back around the bar. His eyes land on me and his whole face lights up like a kid on Christmas morning. That slow smile spreads across his lips, and my heart does a little somersault.
“Hey baby,” he says, but I’m already moving. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him like it’s the only way I know how to tell him how much I love him. I feel him exhale against my mouth, his hands settling on my waist, steady and sure, before he tugs my body flush to his. When I finally pull away, he looks dazed.
“Well. Hello,” he murmurs, eyes still on me. “That was a nice greeting.”
“Just needed to remind the room who you belong to,” I say, brushing my fingers through the hair peeking from beneath his ball cap. “Also, I love you.”
