A shit-eating grin greets me.
“Tell her to take all the time she needs.” He waggles his eyebrows. “I’m available if she needs a hand.”
“Eww.”
“What?” He jokes. “If she’s texting while finishing up her orgasm then she’s not doing a good job. I can teach.”
“Keep your teachings to your horde of admirers, Ronan.”
“Just trying to be a good sport.” He grins and I can see why the girls at RES melt for him faster than cheese on pizza. His ruffled handsome looks are primary reasons, but it’s his charming nature and outgoing personality that makes him so desirable.
Ronan and Xander are more approachable than Aiden and Cole.
And more playful, too.
My phone vibrates again.
Kim: Shit! ORGANISING, not ORGASMING. Stupid autocorrect.
I laugh and thrust the text in Ronan’s face. “Happy now?”
“No.” He genuinely appears disappointed and I laugh harder.
He opens the door for me. “My offer still stands, though.”
“You’re an animal.”
We continue bickering on the way inside. A butler who appears as old as Bruce Wayne’s bows in greeting upon seeing us. He’s wearing a butler outfit all complete with white gloves and a white napkin dangling from his arm.
I bow back while Ronan nods in acknowledgement. He doesn’t seem the least bit phased, but then again, he has butlers in his house, too.
These people are on a whole different level with all their butlers and mansion-sized houses. RES is only a stop in a long chain of places they’ll rule in the future. Be it politics or economics or even sports, these guys have it in their DNA to be leaders.
Everything probably starts at school and builds up from there. After all, they’re more inclined to do business or politics with someone they studied with. It’s all about connections.
I was so stupid to think I could belong when I first joined RES. Outsiders like me will always be that. Outsiders.
But then again, I never wanted the connections they offer. RES was and will always be my stop for Cambridge.
Or at least it was until Aiden barged into my life at the beginning of this year.
All my cards are being shuffled without my permission.
My heart caves as I recall my quarrel with Aiden. I can’t believe I allowed Silver to get under my skin.
I look over at Ronan as he guides me down endless halls while texting away at his phone. “Do you guys hang out here a lot?”
“Not really. We usually go to the Meet Up.”
“The Meet Up?”
“Yeah. Our secret hideout.”
Oh. I wonder why Aiden never mentioned it before.
“Then why are we here today?” I ask.
“We come over when Uncle Jonathan isn’t around.”
“Do you bring girls, too?”
“Just Astrid and Silver.”
I come to a halt, my fingers digging into the straps of my backpack. So she’s been coming to Aiden’s house the entire time.
Of course, she does.
“Shit.” Ronan lifts his head from his phone. “Silver doesn’t come anymore, so forget I mentioned her, okay?”
“Why doesn’t she come anymore?”
He shrugs. “King doesn’t want her around.”
That’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t. My pessimistic brain conjures a different type of theory. If Aiden threw her out after he got tired of using her, then he’ll throw me out any time, too.
Ronan smiles. “We all grew up together. It sticks, you know.”
I knew he meant to reassure me, but his words only tie the noose tighter around my heart.
If Aiden discarded his childhood friend, what’s stopping him from throwing me out when he only knew me yesterday?
I’m being dramatic. After all, I’m the one who asked him to stay away from her.
“Margo!” Ronan all but yells.
My attention snaps back to the present. Ronan has led us into a spacious, sparkly kitchen. The decor is spotless grey and white like in those cooking TV shows. A petite woman stands behind the counter, closing the stove.
At Ronan’s shout, she turns around and comes out from around the corner. She appears in her mid to late forties. Her brown hair is pulled into a bun and covered by a disposable cap. She’s wearing a black skirt and white shirt all complete with an apron.
“You startled me, boy.” She scolds in a motherly tone.
“Sorry.” Ronan doesn’t appear sorry at all.
“Who’s this?” She asks as her kind blue eyes fall on me.
Ronan clasps an arm around my shoulder. “This is Elsa. You know, like the princess in Frozen.”
I elbow him and he winces. “Ouch. What was that for?”
Margo smiles. “I’m Margot, you can call me Margo like the boys. It’s rare to see a new face here.”
Interesting. So Aiden limits access to his house. Except for Silver, of course.
What? I’m not salty about that.
Not at all.
Ronan waggles his eyebrows. “She’s the one that got King all worked up.”
I elbow him again and this time, he lets me go. “And will break my ribs. Damn, Ellie. I didn’t know you were so strong. Are you open for threesomes?”
Margot is the one who hits him this time.
“On second thought, don’t tell King I mentioned that.” He looks around before whispering to Margot. “Are there listening devices here?”
“I wish there were.” Margot has a bit of an Irish accent.
When she faces me, it’s with a renewed type of interest. “I’m glad to finally meet you, Elsa. Do you want anything to drink or eat?”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“I do!” Ronan’s eyes glint like a kid waiting for his Christmas present. “Have you prepared the chips?”
She motions at the counter behind her where there are a few bowls of homemade chips. “They’re cooling.”
“You’re the best, Margo!” Ronan slaps a noisy kiss on her cheek.
“Don’t you have your own cook?” She sounds resigned as if she asked this a thousand times.
“They’re not as good as you.” Ronan snatches a chip and must’ve been burnt because he winces and drops it back down. “My offer to come over still stands. We’ll pay you double what King does.”
“Stop trying to take Margo away.” Comes Aiden’s familiar voice before he strolls inside with Xander on his toll.
Aiden changed into black trousers and a plain grey T-shirt that brings out the smouldering colour of his eyes. It doesn’t help that the cloth tightens around his chest muscles highlighting his agile, sculpted physique.
My cheeks heat no matter how much I try to control my reaction. Why does he have to be so hot?
Aiden spares me an unreadable glance before he focuses back on Ronan who still hasn’t given up on the burning chips.
Did I mention that I hate the tension between us?
No. Not the tension. I hate that he ignores me.
I’ve been his main focus since the beginning of the year, it stings to be reduced to nothing.
“I made an offer first, Ro. Get in line.” Xander tosses a ball in the air and catches it with his head.
“No balls in my kitchen. You broke the dishes the other time.” Margo scolds.