Deceit (Gallows Hill #1)

28. Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven

Skyla

R onan’s large hand cups my knee as he easily maneuvers us through the streets of Salem. There is a nervousness inside me, that I couldn’t put into words if I tried. He’s never taken me to his house before. This is the first time we will be spending an extended period of time away from…well, everything.

I’ve thought about this moment, thousands of times through my life and hundreds since meeting Ronan, but the fact that it’s finally here? My anxiety is currently running wild.

Turning to face him, I smile, which he returns with a swoony one of his own. I have nothing to be nervous about. If there was anyone I was going to give my virginity to, I’d want it to be him. He’s so kind and gentle with me. I know I’m in good hands and even more so, I want him to have it.

I have no doubt Liam will be upset that he wasn’t the one, but things with us are new. They don’t feel like they are in the same place as me and Ronan. That’s not a bad thing either. New is fun and exciting. New is…different.

A notification from my phone pulls me out of my thoughts as I grab my phone and glance at the screen. Irritation instantly rises in me as I see who it is.

Asshole Fiancé: Dinner at my father’s house tomorrow. Be ready by six. Wear something he will like.

Oh, fucking great.

I must make a displeased noise, because Ronan’s brows furrow as he looks at me.

“What’s wrong?”

I wave my phone at him and grimace.

“Looks like I’m having dinner with Asher and your brother tomorrow night.”

Instantly, he tenses. His hand on the wheel becomes stiff, and the hand that is cupping my knee tightens. I understand feeling on edge about Christopher, but Ronan is his brother. Surely, he can’t feel the same level of intimidation that I do, or even that Asher clearly does but won’t admit.

“Did he say why?” Ronan asks carefully.

“No, why?”

He presses his lips together in a firm line and doesn’t speak for a few moments.

“I’ll see if I can attend, don’t worry.”

I frown at that.

“Why should I worry? Is there something that I should be worried about?”

His icy blue eyes find mine as we come up to a stop light.

“When it comes to my brother? Always.”

A foreboding feeling settles low in my stomach. Well, great. I wasn’t worried before, just irritated that I’d have to spend an entire evening with Asher. Now I’m really worried as to what the night could be about.

“Do you think he knows? About you and me? Or me and Liam? Or, well, both?”

Ronan shakes his head immediately, giving me at least a semblance of relief.

“If he did, Liam and I would be rotting deep in the earth already.”

My face pinches at that.

“But, you’re his brother.”

“And if he finds out I plan on desecrating a match made by the Brethren, he’ll likely pull the trigger himself,” Ronan finishes.

I’m quiet for several seconds before I speak.

“You plan on desecrating our match?”

Ronan turns into a long road, mansions on either side of us as we cruise to the very end.

“Yes.”

“How?”

He lets out a heavy breath as we pull up to the house at the very end. A wrought iron gate swings open, allowing us inside before revealing a beautiful house. It’s not over the top and pretentious like my father’s home or Putnam manor. It’s elegant, without being ostentatious. The large pillars encasing the front porch are black, and as my eyes skate over the entirety of the house I realize that the entire thing is black. Such a stark comparison to all the typical crisp white homes I’ve seen so far. It’s beautiful in a gothic kind of way.

My admiration for the home is cut short, when he continues speaking.

“I don’t fucking know,” he says, with a shake of a head before leaning over and cupping my jaw with his hand.

“But I won’t stop until I find a way. I can’t stand back while you marry him. I refuse. The only person you’ll be marrying in this lifetime is me, that’s a fucking promise.”

I can’t help but smile into his hand.

“You want to marry me?”

“Fuck yes I do,” he says, a smile of his own playing at his lips.

“Think we could get your brother to approve a slight substitution? You’re still a Putnam,” I tease, though I’m really not teasing all that much.

His smile turns sad as his thumb runs over my lower lip.

“I wish, baby. We’ll find a way around all of this, though. I promise.”

I nod, believing he means every single word, before he pulls me in for a soft kiss. I try to deepen it, but he pulls away before I can.

“You ready?”

I smile and nod before he opens his door and makes his way around the car, getting my door for me.

“Thank you,” I smile.

He looks over his shoulder, as if to make sure no one followed us, before he slips his arm around my shoulders and guides me towards the front door.

When we step inside, the foyer is large and pristine, though that same gothic theme carries on in here. Onyx marble floors carry throughout the house, accompanied by charcoal gray walls. Somehow, there is still warmth to the place. It shouldn’t work, but it just…does.

Ronan moves into the kitchen, pulling me along with him before stopping at the island where a variety of ingredients are sprawled out.

“I didn’t have enough time to call my cook in, but I did have some ingredients delivered. I figured I could make you dinner.”

My eyes scan the ingredients before I smile.

“Spaghetti and meatballs?”

“One of your favorites,” he confirms with a soft smirk. “And extra garlic bread, of course.”

“Of course,” I tease. “Can I help?”

His brows dip a little as he cocks his head to the side.

“Do you want to?”

I nod and he laughs before shrugging his shoulders.

“I’d love that.”

Aunt Steph and I always made dinner together, okay not always. We always had our meals delivered or meal-prepped, but sometimes we made dinner together and when we did, it was always a good time.

Step by step, Ronan and I work in perfect unison as we make dinner. When I’m stirring the sauce, he cages me in from behind, wrapping his giant frame around me as I cook. Then, when he was bending over to put the bread into the oven, I obviously had to smack his biteable ass with a towel. To which, he chased me through the house and into the living room before pinning me to the couch and covering my face with kisses. The bread burned but neither of us cared.

Now that dinner is done and our dishes are clean, Ronan turns to me, leaning against the dishwasher. His sleeves are rolled up, showcasing his corded forearms and his dark hair is pushed to the side just enough to keep it out of his face.

“What do you think, baby? Want to watch a movie?”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out my thoughts.

“Not really.”

He looks a little surprised, but smiles at me regardless.

“Okay, what do you want to do?”

My mouth dries a little, as the nervousness from earlier creeps back in.

“I want…” I trail off for a moment, before attempting to appear a whole lot more confident than I feel suddenly. “I want to see your bedroom.”

His eyes flash with surprise again, but a satisfied grin quickly covers the emotion as he prowls towards me like a hunter.

“Yeah?” he asks. “Whatever you want, baby.”

Slipping my hand into his, he begins guiding me through the house and up the grand staircase. My heart is practically jack hammering out of my chest, which is stupid because I’ve never felt so sure about anything in my life. Honestly, I think it’s just more about the idea of the moment finally being here. About it not living up to expectation. About it blowing all of my expectations out of the water, and the consequences of us never leaving these four walls again.

He leads us into a room on the top floor, pushing the door open and revealing a grand master bedroom. If I’m honest, I’m not the least bit interested in how his balcony overlooks the property or what I can see is a large en suite. I’m far more enamored by the way Ronan looks at me. The way he turns to me like a hungry predator before backing me up to the bed, forcing me to fall with a soft bounce.

His body covers mine before I even have a chance to breathe, as his mouth presses to mine. Our tongues battle in a fight for dominance, a fight I lose remarkably fast. His hands are everywhere, roaming up and down my body before his mouth moves across my face and down to my neck. I feel his cock harden as he begins grinding himself against me through our clothes.

“There is a condom in my purse,” I gasp out, as he sucks on the sensitive flesh where my collarbone meets my neck. “It’s downstairs. Or if you have any up here,” I continue, before his entire body stills.

Slowly, he lifts himself up enough to make eye contact with me, his face practically devoid of all emotion.

“Come again?”

“A condom,” I say on an exhale. “You know, protection? I mean, I guess it’s not one hundred percent necessary. The school did force me to get the shot and an STD panel. I’m assuming the same happens for faculty so maybe—”

“We’re not having sex tonight, baby,” he says, cutting me off shortly.

All other words die on my tongue as I look at him, disappointment and confusion warring inside of me.

“Wait…why not? I thought…” I trail off, too humiliated to verbalize what I thought tonight was about.

“I asked you to come tonight because I wanted us to get some space from Gallows Hill, from the Brethren. I wanted to have a night of just you and me, where we didn’t have to constantly look over our shoulders. You thought I brought you here for sex?”

“I don’t know. I just…assumed. We’ve been seeing each other for a while and…I mean, don’t you want to?”

He pushes up from me completely, sitting at the edge of the bed as he blows out a breath and runs his fingers through his hair. Ronan sits there for several seconds as I sit up, watching him closely until he finally seems to settle on a singular thought.

“I want to, of course. I want you in every earthly way possible, but I can’t. We can’t.”

“But why?” I ask, the sting of rejection ebbing slightly, but not all the way.

His hand reaches up, gently brushing against my face as he speaks.

“If I can’t find a way to get you out of this marriage to Asher, if I can’t get my brother to reconsider…if you have to go through with everything, and they found out you weren’t a virgin?”

Ronan literally shutters, as if whatever he is thinking is so horrible he can’t even utter the words.

“We can’t let that happen, and the only way to make sure it doesn’t happen is to not have sex. Really, no penetration at all, if we can help it.”

I frown at that. “Liam fingered me, that’s penetration.”

Ronan’s teeth clench together, his jaw ticking as he speaks.

“Yes, and he was fucking stupid for that, something I’ve made him abundantly aware of.”

His hand grips the back of my neck, holding me in place as he presses his forehead to mine.

“I want to make love to you so fucking bad, but not at the potential risk to you. I’d sacrifice everything before you, Skyla.”

My heart flip flops in my chest at his words, and I find myself nodding against his hold despite how unfair this feels.

His lips press against mine, gently kissing me. Slowly, easily. Like we have all the time in the world. Well, if we can’t have sex, I know there is at least one thing he won’t deny me.

I don’t break our kiss as I move to slide in between his legs. He lets me move freely before I lower myself, peppering his neck and clothed chest with kisses. I pause when I come to his slacks, undoing them before pulling them and his boxers down revealing his hard cock.

There is a bead of pre-cum on the tip and when I flatten my tongue against it, Ronan lets out a sharp hiss through his teeth before he’s pushing my head down. He forces me to take him so fast that I can’t help but gag. Breathing through my nose, I allow him to do it again and again. I’m embarrassed that I can’t keep the gagging under control, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Fuck yes, baby. Such a good girl. Gag on my cock. Gag on daddy’s cock.”

Something completely fucked up in me practically melts at his praise, and I do my best to take him deeper. I moan around his cock before gagging once again. I feel Ronan’s fingers dig into my hair as he begins fucking my face, using me for every ounce of pleasure he can wring out of me. It’s an intense feeling, one I’ve become addicted to with him.

“Oh fuck, baby. Yes. God, yes. You’re daddy’s perfect girl, you know that? You know how perfect you are for me?” he asks as he pulls me back by my hair, looking down at me in a sort of reverence that has my pussy absolutely soaked.

“Tell me you want daddy’s cock,” Ronan says, lust completely covering his bright blue eyes.

I don’t hesitate for even a moment.

“I want daddy’s cock.”

Ronan forces himself back down my throat, causing tears to instantly spring to my eyes as he begins fucking my face again.

“Fuck yes you do. It’s because you’re such a good girl. Daddy’s girl. You gonna take my cum, baby?”

I nod the best I can when I have virtually no control over my face.

“Play with your pussy. I want you to come with me.”

I do as he says, slipping my hand inside my skirt, my fingers instantly finding my clit. I’m tempted to slip a finger inside, but I wonder if Ronan considers that penetration. I’ve done it before, and nothing has happened, so surely it wouldn’t be the worst thing. My thumb continues circling my clit as I slip a finger inside myself, groaning at the feeling of at least something being in me.

“There you go, baby. I love to hear you moaning on my cock. Does that feel good? Are you touching yourself just right?”

“Mhmm,” I moan around his thick cock as my pussy begins to tremble.

I push my finger in and out of me as Ronan’s grip on my hair tightens.

“Are you finger fucking yourself, baby?”

My watering eyes look up to see him staring down at me. I nod my head, and he snaps his hips against me hard, forcing me to gag and cough around him before he returns to his steady pace.”

“That’s so goddamn hot and unfair. Your tiny little fingers can play with that pussy all day long without risking you. If I slipped my fucking pinky in you I’d tear your fucking hymen in two.”

My thumb rubs against my clit faster and faster, my breathing becoming choppy before a blinding white light hits me. I come hard, moaning and groaning around his cock as my pussy pulses in pleasure. Just as my orgasm begins to subside, though, Ronan is reaching down, gripping my hand and sucking my finger into his mouth.

He lets out a feral sound around my finger as his cock swells, emptying his cum down my throat. I suck him harder than before, using my tongue to catch any spare drop I may have missed as his cock continues throbbing inside my mouth, his tongue tangled around my finger before he releases it with a pop.

Slowly, I pull away from him, releasing his cock as I stand up. I’m only on my feet for a second at most before Ronan is pulling me down.

“Let’s go again,” he smirks, before dropping to my thighs.

Four orgasms later, my head is resting on Ronan’s chest, some horror movie playing on the TV as his fingers tangle in my hair. We just got out of the shower, where he washed and rinsed my hair before dressing me in one of his shirts that looks more like a dress than a shirt on me. My eyes are just beginning to flutter closed when my phone buzzes.

Blindly, I reach over to see it’s a text from Liam.

Liam: Where are you?

I tap out my reply quickly.

Me: With Ronan.

Liam: Where?

Looking up at Ronan, I show him the text, silently asking if I can tell him. Ronan gives me a soft nod before pressing a kiss to my head.

Me: His house.

Liam: What the hell! You guys are having a sleepover without me?

I chuckle.

Me: Something like that.

Liam: Can I come over? Please, please, please? I’ll suck Ronan’s dick if that’s what it takes.

A scoff comes from above me, and I glance up to see Ronan roll his eyes and shake his head.

“I take it that’s a no to his generous offer?” I snicker.

“Yeah, that’s a fuck no. There is only one person I want sucking my dick, and she’s already here.”

“And her jaw is sore as hell,” I say, stretching out my jaw dramatically.

We both burst out laughing, allowing it to slowly subside until we are left in a comfortable silence, smiles on both of our faces.

“Do you want him to come over?” Ronan asks.

I pause for a moment before looking up at him.

“I like this right now. I don’t want him to feel left out but this feels good. Does that make me a bad person?”

“Not at all, baby. I’m sure there will be times you’ll just want to spend time with him and…that’s okay too.”

I smirk at him. “You said that a little begrudgingly.”

An irritated look passes across his face before he smirks.

“I’m trying. You’re lucky I agreed to share my woman at all.”

My smile fades a little, but before I can spiral or over think he’s right there.

“I’m just kidding. I…well, if I’m going to be honest, I’d share you with as many men as it took. Whatever you want or need to be happy, you can have it, as long as I get an equal piece of your heart at the end of the day.”

“I don’t want you to think you’re not enough. You are. You’re so much, you’re everything. I just—”

“Have feelings for Liam too. I know, baby. I’ve made peace with it, or I’m trying to. You might have to deal with a few more asshole comments here and there. I get it, though. This life we were all born into,” he says, gesturing around the room. “There are very few moments where we are allotted true happiness. When we find them, we have to grab on with both hands.”

My eyes flicker back and forth between his, so much care, so much adoration practically drowning them. My mouth moves before my brain can tell it no, this moment being too perfect, too pure.

“I love you, Ronan.”

I expect him to stiffen beneath me, look a little shocked or maybe even terrified. Instead of any of those, the opposite happens. He practically relaxes against me, sinking into the bed further than he was before as a heart melting smile spreads across his face. He cups my cheek with one of his hands, as he rests our foreheads together.

“I’m so fucking in love with you, baby.”