Moving to my knees, I shifted to face him fully. “Isn’t that it, Ronan? Were you jealous, imagining me with someone? Another man...or maybe a woman? Would that be worse to you?”
“Iris.” He said my name like a command.
Stop talking now.
Don’t move.
Don’t come any closer.
My hand darted out and grabbed his tie. He stopped breathing, staring at me like he didn’t understand what I was. Or who I was. Or why he was here.
Lost Silly Soldier
I shuffled closer, getting right in his face. “You really can’t stand not being in control of me, can you? Does it keep you up at night, knowing I won’t obey your every command? Do you fantasize about the day I say ‘yes, sir, please, sir, anything you say, sir’?” I pushed out my lips and fluttered by lashes to mimic the damsel Ronan wanted me to be.
Ronan moved even faster than I had, shoving his fingers into the side of my hair and gripping me so tight I saw stars for a second.
“I’m protecting you, Iris. If you continue to push me, we’ll have problems.” He slid his hand to the back of my head and tilted my face back. My breaths came in short gasps and my nails dug into his chest, but I didn’t fight. My pussy pulsed to the same beat of my throbbing scalp.
“Do you not call this a problem?” I breathed. “Are you protecting me now?”
He pulled me to him, so I was practically in his lap. “We’re setting things straight. Firming up the boundaries we have. Having a civilized discussion about what it means for me to guard you and you to allow it.”
“This is civilized?” I glanced down at his lap. Ronan’s erection bulged against his zipper, almost obscenely in his fancy suit pants.
“As it can be.” He cupped my jaw with his free hand, bringing his nose within inches of mine. “Do you know what could happen to you if you aren’t careful? Do you have any idea of the sick fantasies some of your fans have regarding you? I’ve seen letters sent to other famous women. I’ve spoken to stalkers and psychotic fans who would do anything to get to their idol. That might seem far off to you, and maybe it is, maybe no one will ever come near you. You can’t deny someone in your life broke into your apartment and destroyed your things. Whether it was Logan, Megan, or someone else, they got too close, too easily. I’m here to make sure that never happens again. But you have to let me. I can’t keep you safe if you’re your own worst enemy.”
I tried to cant my head, but he held me firm. “If I’m my own worst enemy, then I guess I don’t have to worry about anyone else?”
Ronan stared at me for two beats before he heaved a breath and let me go. He rose from the bed abruptly, and without him there to brace myself on, I fell on my side with a whimper. My scalp hurt, my pussy ached, and my mind was filled with reckless tornadoes.
He strode all the way to the door, then turned back. Seeing me sprawled on his bed, he rubbed his jaw roughly with one hand and curled his fingers around the doorframe with the other.
“Don’t fight me just because you can. Neither of us will win.”
I propped myself on my elbow, knowing it had to be driving him crazy to have me on his bed. To be honest, I was driving myself a little bananas.
“Don’t try to control me just because you can. You know downloading that app without telling me crossed a line. If you deny it, I’ll scream.”
Ronan lowered his chin, gazing at me from beneath a furrowed brow. “You’re right. I can’t seem to stop crossing lines with you.” He walked away, leaving me angry and breathless.
And I couldn’t recall a time I’d ever been so turned on in my life. I fell onto my back, staring up at the ceiling and clenching my thighs. What the hell was I doing? Ronan was the opposite of what I was attracted to. In fact, his type normally repelled me. And he did, his personality made me want to ram my head into a brick wall.
But I couldn’t seem to stop provoking him.
Maybe I was bored since I wasn’t recording an album or on the road and Ronan was my new hobby. Or perhaps thinking about him was a distraction from thinking about my true problems. It could also be I was a little bit of a masochist and Ronan’s overbearing nature and habit of being just the right amount of rough with me was a shot of pleasure directly into my veins.
“Iris! It’s time to go!” Ronan’s bellowed command landed in my belly, and I jackknifed upright with a panicked need to obey. Right below that and rising to the surface was the simmering desire todisobey and see what happened.
I met my two sides in the middle, taking my time leaving his bedroom, once I rolled all over his sheets and pillows, hoping my scent caught his nose later and drove him crazy. A shiver traveled down my spine, imagining Ronan in this bed, unable to escape me even in his sleep.
Ronan paced near his front door, shaking his hands in front of him like he was preparing to throw a punch. When he saw me approach, he yanked open the door and held his arm out to usher me through it. I straightened his tie as I passed, then trailed my nail over his scruffy cheek.
He ignored me as well as he could while also watching me like a damn hawk. Bill, the driver, was waiting for us out front, and Ronan roared a sigh of relief when he locked me in the back seat.
He and Bill talked while I sat quietly staring at the app icon he’d downloaded to my phone. Sneaky bastard. I still couldn’t believe he’d done this. But...I wasn’t going to delete it now that I knew it was there.
At my townhouse, Ronan walked me to my door, his hand on the small of my back. He took out his own key to unlock the main entrance, but I stopped outside my apartment.