Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 57891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Jesus fuck,” I gasp with the hand holding my phone over my heart.
“Sorry,” he softly utters. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just … fuck.”
“What?” I insist, sitting on the edge of my bed.
Ronan paces with his head back and his hands in his hair.
Shaking my head, I’m still confused by the turn of events. “What is wrong with you?”
“They know!” he shouts, abruptly turning to face me.
I’ve never seen him like this. I’ve only ever known this powerful man to be controlled, calm, and composed. It both thrills me and frightens me that he’s showing me a side of him I didn’t know existed. Ronan is older, and his family is slightly wealthier than mine, but there’s a darkness about him that fills the air around him to bend to his will. He’s always gotten everything he’s wanted and been out of reach.
For me.
And for everyone.
CHAPTER 2
Brooklyn
I don’t know what to do with the man standing before me. There’s so much I want to say, yet I can’t fathom one single thought of what he’s talking about or why he’s in my place to begin with.
I think back on his earlier question. “How did you know where I was staying?”
He’s again at the foot of my bed, indignant over something he seems to blame me for. He swallows so hard this time, I hear it before he looks me dead in the eyes.
In one determined breath, he informs me, “There’s a video of us last night.”
My heart sinks, and my blood goes cold as my unsteady stare widens.
“You’re lying,” I spew without knowing if there’s even a real possibility that this could indeed happen.
“It was emailed to me, and the university board was cc’d.”
I lightly gasp, taking in his words as if he just told me hell has frozen over, and in a way, it has.
What. The. Fuck.
In seconds, his eyes shine with rage and disbelief and regret. Making me feel like shit and ashamed.
“The board?” I repeat in disbelief, almost like I need to hear myself say it out loud to him.
That’s when it becomes real.
A nightmare come to life.
I open my mouth to ask about my father, but he reads my mind and cuts me off. “Yes, your father was cc’d as well.”
I stumble back, unable to hold myself upright for a second.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he orders in a stern voice, cocking his head to the side.
“Like what?”
“Like this is my fault.”
I resist the urge to attack him. Instead, I snap, “Who the fuck videoed us and emailed them?” My entire body shakes with anger, embarrassment, and even fear. Fear of what is to come…
From my father.
The university.
Ronan?
“It was anonymous, but they called for my resignation.”
My bottom lip drops open as I realize what he’s saying. Ronan’s a professor, but he doesn’t have tenure yet. They’ll fire him for this. My father, the dean, will make sure of it. No one crosses him.
Ever.
“What the fuck?” That’s all I can manage to whisper. “That explains the texts from my father.”
“Give it.” He snatches my cell phone out of my hand.
Fuck me.
I fall back onto the bed, the sheets unfortunately cold now, and blink away all thoughts of my father. I try to focus on last night and the reality that a video of what happened between us got out. My throat goes dry. It’s not like I have a stellar reputation, but I don’t need any more judgment. I don’t want people to see me at my most vulnerable.
Naked.
Spread eagle.
Begging to make me come.
It’s hard to breathe as Ronan drones on, cussing at something my father sent. I’m there, but I’m not. It’s like I’m having an out-of-body experience, hanging on for dear life.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Feeling snarky, I remind him, “I thought I did a great job of listening to you last night. I was such a good girl for you, remember?”
“I’m serious, Brooklyn.”
Not backing down, I insist, “So am I.”
Something about his tone begs me to look back at him. He tosses my phone on my bed and swallows hard. His Adam's apple is prominent in his throat, catching my attention without even trying. Heat overwhelms me, recalling the way my lips felt against his skin. Even if he is a selfish prick, Ronan has always done something to me that no one else ever has.
I thought last night would be a release. Just a one-night escape from the shit happening in my life. From everything I’ve been running away from, landing right in his arms and on his dick. Panic threatens to overwhelm me, but I don’t show him. I remain stoic and unbothered. That’s my reputation, and I have no plans of letting him see the real me.
Nobody does.
Not even my family.
I’m just a rich bitch who can’t get anything right. If they show that video, it’ll only harden my armor. It has to. The other option is to wither away to the nothingness my father tells me I am.