Ronan’s presence should have been comforting. But all I could think about was the reason for it. Here I was, on the cold, hard floor, tears running down my face as though I’d been watching Jack and Rose fail to share the makeshift raft at the end of Titanic.
Meanwhile, Ronan stood against the wall, scrutinizing me like he thought I might bolt. Or disappear through another portal. Or maybe just sing him—or Killian—to death.
I was so tired.
Tired of confinement.
Tired of being made to feel like a criminal.
Tired of losing myself—and my memories—to my laments.
Most of all, I was tired of Ronan’s assumptions about me. Where was his compassion? His faith in me? Did our past not mean anything to him?
Pushing to my feet, I crossed my arms over my chest, which was more exposed than I would have liked in my thin slip. “Why are you here?”
Other than slow blinks, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t respond.
And that just chapped my hide.
I took a few steps toward him. “Seriously, Ronan. Why. Are. You. Here?” This time, I didn’t give him time to respond, too angry to stop my rant. “You knew I was lamenting and assumed the worst of me. That’s it, isn’t it?
“It’s not enough that I’m locked in this room in your own castle. You were spying on me and had to make sure I wasn’t doing something idiotic.”
I was so mad, my heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out any other sounds of life in this part of the castle.
“Because I would have to be an idiot to do anything to Killian, or anyone else, while I’m here. Is that what you think of me? That I’m an idiot?”
“Imogen,” he said on a heavy sigh.
“No.” I continued forward and poked him in his burly chest. “Don’t you dare Imogen me. You’ve been treating me like a beetle that you’d be more than happy to crush beneath your boot. And I’m done with it. Done with you.”
Ronan stretched an arm out and hooked it around my waist, yanking me to him. Before I had a chance to ask what he was doing, his mouth landed on mine, soft and insistent all at the same time. I froze beneath his touch, too startled to respond. But as his lips gently caressed mine, I found myself kissing him back.
He must have been waiting for me to reciprocate, because as soon as I did, he pulled me fully into his body and slipped an arm up my back to grasp the back of my neck. I gripped his jacket to steady myself. He towered over me, body humming with tension.
“Don’t say that, Imogen.” He pressed another kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Please.”
“Say what?” I couldn’t remember anything but the feel of his warm lips on mine.
“That you’re done with me.” Lowering his forehead to rest on mine, he whispered, “I couldn’t handle that.”
His words were a reminder of how angry I’d been with him. How frustrated. But no matter how much I may have wanted to recall that anger, I couldn’t. He’d literally kissed it out of me. That in and of itself made me a little mad—but only a little.
“I don’t understand what’s happening right now.”
He chuckled, his breath fanning over my lips. “Me either.”
Ronan didn’t know...which meant he probably hadn’t kissed me for the usual reasons. The boy-met-girl-and-liked-said-girl kind of reasons.
That realization cooled me off quicker than a dip in the loch in the middle of winter. I extracted myself from his hold and moved to lean against the opposite wall, needing the support.
“If you did that just to shut me up, tell me.” I could handle it if he admitted it now, before I’d had a chance to let the kiss sink into my soul.
His expression, which had grown unusually tender, fell. “That’s not what happened.”
“Then, what?”
“I don’t know.” He gripped the hilt of his sword like it was his lifeline. “You looked so vulnerable even amidst all your anger, and I couldn’t resist.”
My heart sank. That wasn’t the answer I’d wanted. But I couldn’t be surprised. This was Ronan, after all. “I should have known you’d go for the damsel in distress vibe.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. But when he looked at me, his expression was far from humorous. “There’s never been a damsel less in distress than you.”
“Bullcrap.” It wasn’t a personality trait I was proud of, but I was sort of a wimp. Just look at how I turned out from a year