“What?” He kept blowing me away with his out-of-character behavior. “I didn’t tell you one thing and it wasn’t purposeful! Jesus, Ronan, you’re being—”
He cut me off again. “Were you just going to go off and meet her and not tell me? Have a sweet reunion with your lover?”
I pushed his chest and wrenched my arm free from his grasp. “I get that you’re upset about Finn, but what you’re saying is beyond unacceptable.” I leaped from his lap before he could grab me again. “You’re squeezing me too hard, Ronan. You told me to tell you if you ever did. Well, here we are. You promised you’d ease up if I asked.”
He glared at me from his chair, his fingers digging into the padded arms. “I don’t want you seeing her. She’s after you in one way or another. That’s the end of it.”
There was no chance I was staying here another second. I cared for him deeply, but he was so wrong, and bending even the slightest now would have me breaking in the future.
“Then I guess we’re not going to agree.” I checked my phone. “Bill’s outside waiting for me. I’ll pack my things when I get back.”
Ronan sprung from his seat, moving into my space. “I’m asking you not to go, Iris. I don’t trust her.” Behind his anger, there was a note of desperation. He seemed to believe his iron fist was protecting me, but it only felt like I was being held down.
I shook my head. “You don’t trust me, and that’s what it comes down to. If you did, it wouldn’t matter what Megan’s intentions were.” I headed for the door, and he was on my heels.
He breathed down my neck as I unlocked the door. “Don’t go. It’s not safe and I won’t have you putting yourself at risk,” he gritted. “I’ll ease up when you agree to stay.”
I refused to turn and look at him. My shoulders were stiff. My hands were balled in anger. If he had any clue how I felt about him, how I’d opened myself up to him in a way I never had before, he wouldn’t be saying this. But he should’ve known. If he’d been paying attention, he could have read me like a book.
“Check your messages. I think you’ll feel like a pretty big jackass after.” I yanked open the door and slid my eyes to his over my shoulder. “I’m so disappointed in you. So very disappointed, Ronan.”
I strode away with my phone clutched in my hand so tight it had to be close to cracking. He didn’t chase me, but I felt the weight of his gaze on my back all the way down the hall until I was out of sight.
Finn was waiting outside the restaurant when I arrived. I’d asked him to come as my bodyguard, but after his blowup with Ronan, I hadn’t expected him to show.
“Hey.”
He tipped his chin. “Is it okay I’m here? I’m sure you’ve heard I’m no longer an employee of LSS.”
“Will you still jump in front of a bullet or crazed fan for me?”
Finn breathed out a heavy sigh, then his mouth quirked. “Definitely. You wouldn’t even have to pay me.”
“Good, because I’m pretty pissed at you for throwing me under the bus. I might have to arrange for one of those things to happen.”
His head canted, and realization dawned. “He’s mad at you too?”
I held up two fingers an inch apart. “Little bit, yeah.” It was easier to make light of Ronan’s wrath to Finn rather than focus on the place where my chest was caving in.
His brow knitted, and he cursed under his breath. “I’ll fix it. I’ll explain to him—”
“I’m not sure there’s anything to fix.” I tipped my head to the door. “Let’s go in. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
His hand wrapped around my bicep, and he leaned down to speak low in my ear. “I won’t allow my screw up to come between you two. I promise, I’ll make it right.”
My pulse stuttered, but I didn’t answer. What could I say? After the way Ronan had spoken to me, how he’dlookedat me, I wasn’t sure there was any making things right anymore.
Megan had chosen a light and airy cafeteria-inspired spot for our lunch. Despite being a last-minute plan, she’d snagged a table in a prime location, slightly tucked away, beside a window overlooking a private courtyard with a bubbling fountain in the center.
Jumping up from her chair, she wrapped me in a tight hug, pressed her body to mine, and kissed me just below my ear. “Hi, gorgeous. I missed your pretty face.”
In my periphery, I saw Finn settle on a barstool, his attention honed on the area around our table, fingers tapping on the bar top.
“Missed you too, honey bunny.” My heart wasn’t even close to being in it, but I went through the motions, telling her how great she looked in her little green wrap dress.
Her bright eyes roved over my face when I sat down. “How are you, sweetheart? The last time I saw you, you were being carted away by your giant hunk of a bodyguard.” She winked. “I guess I should call him your boyfriend now, huh?”
I gave her my best half smile even though the mention of Ronan had my heart racing and stomach plummeting. “I’m good, just had a weird afternoon. Now, I want to eat and listen to you tell me about your LA adventures.”