Ronan had told me, just like he had so many times, None of this was your fault, Summer.
But it still felt shitty as hell.
He’d insisted that if it wasn’t me Blair had chosen to fixate on, he would’ve fixated on someone else. That I was just unlucky as hell, in this instance. And that there may have been other women he was stalking, too.
That the guy was not right in the head.
Since then, I’d actually read about Blair’s case in the news. He’d be facing trial, and because of his involvement with a known criminal organization trying to make inroads into Canada, it seemed that officials were eager to press the case. Ronan’s partner, Naveen, said they wanted to make an example out of Blair. And that we were damn lucky they had enough evidence to do it.
That in a way, I’d had a part in that all coming about.
And now we could just watch the whole thing play out in the media—from a safe distance.
That was fine with me.
But fuck, I just wanted the whole thing to be over.
Ronan had assured me, many times, that it was over. That even if Blair was ever released, the Kings wouldn’t forget what he did. That he’d earned himself a life sentence on the streets, where trespasses weren’t forgiven.
Where there was no such thing as a fair trial.
He also told me something that I knew had to have been hard for him to bring up: that he couldn’t help thinking that Blair might never have noticed me at all if my brother hadn’t come under the radar of his motorcycle club.
Ronan told me how Justice had introduced him to a guy at his party who had a Bloody Bastards tattoo. He also told me that Blair grew up in Hope. He said he’d had his team run a check on Justice, and that there was no reason to worry about him. At least, not yet.
But he did advise me to mention to my brother that he should be a little more selective with his friends. That he didn’t want to affiliate himself with the Bastards, and he better stop whatever he was doing before the Kings up near Hope got him on their radar. If he was getting coke from this biker, socializing with him… whatever it was… he needed to stop.
I heard him on that. Loud and clear.
My brother liked his cocaine, unfortunately, and so far, it liked him. But he wasn’t stupid and he wasn’t all that reckless. He just had some growing up to do. So I spoke to him and I told him everything. I spoke to Mia, too.
And of course, they were both pretty upset.
But I’d chosen not to let myself spiral into worrying about it.
Instead, I’d decided to stay unworried unless there was a further reason to worry. And in the meantime, I’d asked Ronan if he might look in on Justice, so to speak, now and then. To make sure he was okay. For me.
I told him I’d cover whatever it cost.
He told me it was no problem, and there was no cost.
Of course there is, I’d said.
Not for you.
I get the preferred client discount?
You get the preferred everything discount, he told me.
And that was that.
Since then, we’d been blissfully playing house together, and there’d been not a moment of drama… from my brother, from the Kings, from Blair Sanchuk… or anyone else.
Which meant that as time wore on, I hoped, Ronan would be able to relax when he was with me, more and more…
Like tonight, at the Christmas party.
I was almost done wrapping gifts, and they looked fabulous. I bent over the couch, reaching for the tape that had rolled away from me… and a hand landed on my butt.
I squealed.
Ronan hooked an arm around my waist and tugged me against him as he sat down. Actually, he tugged me right onto his lap.
“I got you something,” he murmured into my ear, his teeth grazing my lobe.
I wriggled in his lap, and I felt the rigid hard-on beneath me. How long had he been standing there, staring at my ass? “Oh, yeah?” I purred. “Can I unwrap it now…?”
He held something up in front of me. It was a gift. A small box wrapped in gold paper.
“What!” I bounced a little, and he groaned as I gave him an unintentional lap dance. I snatched the gift out of his hand. “Oh, baby,” I gushed, “you shouldn’t have.”
Of course, he should have.
I smiled at him over my shoulder… and I saw his face. He looked horny, like he was enjoying my ass in his lap… but something was off.
He seemed… nervous?
I got up and strut over to the tree, and put the gift underneath with the others, so he could breathe easy. Then my phone started buzzing on the bar—and playing “Smooth Criminal.”
“Don’t answer that,” Ronan growled, sitting forward as I strode over to the bar.
I answered it. “It’s Ash, though,” I stage-whispered, as I lifted it to my ear.
Ronan sighed.
“Summer’s dildo factory! We have them in all shapes and sizes!”
“Shapes?” Ash said. “Do I wanna hear this?”
“Absolutely. We’ve got eggplant shaped, mini cucumber, stuffed sausage…”
“Would you shut up?” Ash chuckled. “I called to tell you something important.”
“Ohhh. What is it?” I leaned forward on the bar and thrust my ass in the air as Ronan stalked over. He slid his hands over my hips and gave me a squeeze.
“I married Danica,” Ash said.
“What?” I froze as Ronan’s hands strayed up my back beneath my shirt.
“I married Danica,” Ash repeated.
And he was totally, stone-cold-sober, absolutely fucking serious.
“You absolute asshole.” I straightened up and swatted Ronan’s hands away. “When did this happen?” I demanded.
“Yesterday.”
“What?” I literally did shit-all yesterday. “And you didn’t invite me…?” The words were out of my mouth before it dawned on me. That maybe Danica didn’t want me there? Ashley’s ex-girlfriend… at their special day? My head was reeling as I struggled to comprehend. “Talk to me. I
