don't stay at Eclipse often?"
"Not like I should. It is my favorite place to be, but with work and all of my travel, it's hard to get away. Besides, I've never had anyone to share it with."
"I think it may very well become one of my favorite places to be too. I hope you don't mind?" I say, not even remotely joking.
His quaint, one-bedroom apartment above an old art gallery is without a doubt my new favorite place. The smell of salt in the air and the calm of the sun and the surf alone seem to be what I was always missing. Time at Eclipse also means alone time with my favorite real estate mogul. Time is a precious commodity for someone like Ronan, and I appreciate it more than he knows.
"My moon is your moon, baby."
Damn this man and his moon. I don't stand a chance against their power.
"Thanks for sharing, handsome."
He stops in the middle of the sidewalk and takes the hand he wasn't already holding in his and doesn't make a sound. Our soundtrack is the crash of ocean waves and the cries of the birds flying above the beach. He stares at me while our fellow pedestrians do their best to make their way around us on the way to their cars in the parking lot just a few feet away.
I'm sure it has barely been a minute, but after what feels like much longer, he pulls me into his body and holds me so tight you would think he was headed off to war or something. My big tough alpha male, who never seems short on words or afraid to tell me exactly how he feels, is at a loss. I totally get it. Things are moving fast, but this thing is something you can't really put into words or control.
It's powerful.
Special.
Pulling back, I push up on my toes and kiss him lightly. "Thank you."
I kiss him again. Still gentle but with all the sincerity I want to convey when I say again, "For everything."
I kiss him again and take a deep breath. "Ronan, today was perfect for me too. These past three weeks have been amazing, and I don't want any of it to end." I steel myself for what I have to say next. "That being said, I think I'm going to start looking for another job."
All color in his face vanishes, and his expression is one of shock, disbelief, and most of all fear.
"What?"
"Ronan, I just think—"
“No,” he says, cutting me off and pacing the sidewalk.
I can feel the panic radiate off him.
“It's not an option. Not yet. I'm going to figure this out, Olivia." His feet stop their steady back and forth, and he plants himself in front of me and takes my face in his hands. "You're not leaving, baby. Give me time. I think I have a plan, but it's not ready yet, but please don't speak of leaving again. Promise me."
I never meant to end our perfect day by causing him such anxiety. What I meant to do was show him I would rather leave my job than risk doing anything to damage our relationship. Hearing he is working on a plan helps, and I would do anything to erase the fear and anger seething from him right now.
"Hey, it was just a thought. I promise I won't talk about leaving until you tell me about your plan," I say, lifting my pinky finger to him.
He lifts an eyebrow as if questioning my sincerity.
"Pinky swear," I whisper, and he wraps his finger around mine.
"You know, I hear this is a binding agreement. You can't break a pinky swear, you know that, right?"
I smile up at the big, beautiful man who just proved he's not so big and tough after all. My mere suggestion at not working with him any longer got him more upset than I anticipated. As bad as I feel for worrying him, it was nice to see how much having me around meant to him.
I've spent much of the past few weeks scared out of my mind. What we have is different, and I feel more vulnerable than ever before. More afraid than ever before. It was nice to see I'm not alone, and he can feel that way at times too. His reaction may have brought out the alpha in him, but hearing him tell me it wasn't an option, and that I was never to speak of it again was kind of