Chapter 4 The towel is unnecessary in this heat, but I wrap it around my shoulders anyway as I stroll toward my house. I needed that swim. Something about the warm gulf water and the lapping waves and the endless blue sky above always calms me. But it didn't assuage the disbelief that still grips my every thought. I nearly took a third test when I got home from the Sea Witch after an afternoon of bumbling through paperwork, but distracted myself with the garden instead. That led to sweating under the hot sun, which led to the need to cool down. But none of these diversions change the fact that I'm as pregnant now as I was this morning. What do I do? Do I keep it? That's not a question I ever thought I'd be asking myself, but I always pictured reaching this milestone when I was happily married or at least in love, not accidentally and by a guy I barely know. I need to talk to Gigi is what I need to do. She's the least judgmental person in my life. She'll have good advice. I'll go tomorrow morning. I was planning to anyway. Right now, though, I need to rinse the briny seawater and clinging sand off before I attempt to make a salad for dinner. I follow the path to the outdoor shower at the side of the house. And jump as I come face-to-face with Ronan. "Hey." His voice is deep as his gaze drifts over my bikini-clad body. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." "You didn't." I swallow against my suddenly racing pulse, fresh memories of what we did on the tiki cruise yesterday-what I allowed to happen out in public-hitting me like a forceful gulf wave. "What are you doing here?" "I thought I'd stop in to see you since you didn't respond to my text." The corner of his mouth kicks up with amusement. He's direct, I'll give him that. And with everything else going on, I forgot to call Ryan. Shit. I'm a terrible business owner. "I'm glad to hear Katie's ankle isn't broken." "Yeah. Flying home tomorrow might be a challenge, but she's got crutches and help." His pace slows until he stops next to the outdoor shower stall, his polished shoes sending loose gravel skipping. He must have come from work, but his dress shirt is unbuttoned to reveal the delicious ridges of his collarbone and his thick, columnar neck. I wasn't sure how I would feel when I ran into Ronan again, given the present circumstance. But now that he's standing here, he's as jaw-droppingly attractive as before. And I'm still feeling that physical pull toward him, the urge to be close, that keeps getting me into trouble. In fact, it might be stronger now, this connection I feel. Because we are truly connected, in a way he has no clue about. What would Ronan do if he knew I was pregnant with his child? Surely he would not be looking at me the way he is-like he's deciding which string to pull on this bikini. No, he'd likely hightail it out of here as if I were a ticking bomb. And I guess I am. Or rather, this cluster of cells growing inside me is-a bomb that will blow up Ronan's life as he knows it. I couldn't really blame him if he ran-this is not what either of us was aiming for-and yet the thought disappoints me far more than it should. A furrow wrinkles his brow. "You okay?" "Huh?" I realize I'm staring at him. I'm always staring at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just ... today didn't go as planned." My entire life just swerved toward an unknown and chaotic road ahead. "Your captain spilled?" I frown. What is he talking about? "Your tiki captain, Jeremy. Did he tell the others they got blacklisted from the hotel?" he clarifies. "Oh. No." I pause with the reminder. I hadn't given that a moment's thought since this morning. "Jer promised he wouldn't say anything, but Cody probably will. Who knows when." Great. Now I get to worry about being pregnant and staffless in high season. It's shady beneath the canopy of the trees and beside the house, and a chill runs through me from standing here in a wet bathing suit. I duck past Ronan and drape my towel on a hook before stepping into the shower stall. "Wish I'd had a chance to punch that fucker in the mouth yesterday," Ronan murmurs as he sizes up the bamboo walls and river rock floor and the brass taps that give the outdoor shower an upscale feel. Frank cursed those stones while he was installing them like Gordon Ramsay berating his cooking contestants, but the end result is one of my favorite parts of the entire thing. "Consider yourself lucky. Knowing Cody, he'd sue you. He'll do anything for a fat paycheck. Trust me, I know. He tried to sell this place out from under me." A troubled look flashes across Ronan's face. "Yeah, well, his source no longer works for Wolf." "You fired her? I mean, you figured out who it was?" Which poor, foolish woman joined the ranks of those who fell under Cody's spell? "Wasn't hard. And yes, I did." More to himself, he adds, "At least I can do that much." "You didn't have to." "I wanted to." Though it doesn't change the reality that Cody can still ruin my reputation, that Ronan did that for me is ... something. "Thanks." His gaze roams my face, settling on my lips. "You're welcome." Any second now, I'm going to forget everything else except how good that mouth feels on mine. Needing a distraction, I crank the faucet and wait for the water stream to turn warm before stepping under the rain showerhead. "You use this a lot?" Ronan leans against the support post, pinning the bunched curtain with his shoulder. His pose suggests he has no plans on leaving. "Probably more than the shower inside." Everyone staying here does. There's ample privacy. Normally I would peel my suit off, but doing so in front of Ronan is an invitation for a repeat performance of our last two encounters, and now is not the day for that. I will admit, though, I like having his attention, and it is certainly rapt, his green eyes heated as he watches me. But what's more, I'm happy he's here, despite everything. I reach for my loofah. "So, Henry Wolf arrived today, right? How's that going?" "It's ... going." "That good, huh?" A big part of me is curious about the billionaire CEO. Is he truly as indomitable as the newspapers and magazines make him out to be? Ronan doesn't seem to like him much. Based on what Connor was saying on the cruise yesterday, it sounds like Ronan may have earned his plum job because of Henry Wolf's wife. What is the dynamic there? How did he end up being such close friends with her? And how does Henry Wolf feel about that friendship? I have so many questions. Ronan's throat bobs with a hard swallow. I may be out of sorts, but he seems on edge today too. That casual, detached swagger is missing. And that expression he wears now, he looks almost pained. "Seems like you had a tough day too." "Yeah, I guess you could say that," he answers gruffly. Warm water sluices over my head as I turn away from him, afraid he'll somehow read the secret on my face. Believe me, your day could get a whole lot worse with just two words out of my mouth. I close my eyes and let the salt water rinse off. I'll have to have a proper shower later, when I don't have an audience. Keys jingle behind me. I turn back around in time to see Ronan emptying his pockets onto a nearby shelf. "What are you doing?" He kicks off his shoes and socks. My heart pounds as his intentions become clear. "I'm not really in the right headspace for ..." My words drift as Ronan steps into the shower stall, still dressed in his work clothes. "Why does everything have to be about sex with you, Sea Witch?" Grabbing the nearby bottle of shampoo, he squirts a dollop on his palm, seemingly unfazed as the water soaks into his clothes. "Why can't we just talk?" I can't help but laugh. "Because ..." My voice falters as his strong fingers seize either side of my head. "We don't seem to know how to do that." "We haven't tried." "Fair enough." I study the hard lines of his jaw as he works the shampoo into a lather, a heady mixture of coconut and pineapple combined with his masculine cologne. "Is that what this is? You, trying to talk to me?" Because his overwhelming presence in this tiny space has my half-naked, traitorous body forgetting all my current troubles and eager to find new ones with my back pressed up against the wall. "I'm trying," he whispers, his touch sending a wave of shivers through me. "I'm not sure what you're angling for." "You wish." The way his fingers massage my scalp is both soothing and teasing, and a moan escapes me unbidden. The corner of his mouth kicks up. "See? I'm just a guy trying to have a conversation, and then you go and make sounds like that." God, his voice is so grating and deep. This is all so overwhelming that, for a moment, I'm afraid I'll lose my balance. My hands find their way to his waist, resting gently against his sculpted body. I barely know this man, but I'm positive that he's all wrong for me. Positive! Still, I could fall for him so easily, and that is a dangerous reality I'm struggling to come to terms with. "I can tell you what I'm not angling for, and that's a fuckboy." His fingers stall a moment on my scalp before continuing. "Neither am I." "You're not looking for a fuckboy?" I quip, unable to help myself. He chuckles. "You know what I mean." "But do you understand what I mean?" That came out patronizing. "I'm not sure we're looking for the same thing." I want a man I can sit next to on the beach and watch the sunset at night. Every night. From what Ryan alluded to, Ronan is looking for willing orgy participants. His lips curve into a wry smile. "I was in a relationship for four years, so yes, Sloane, I understand." His admission catches me off guard. Four years is longer than any relationship I've ever had. "How long ago was that?" "We broke up a little over two years ago." "What happened?" His minty breath skates over my face with his sigh. "She wasn't ready for a commitment." I can't help it-I snort. That earns a sexy smirk. "What? You don't believe me." "No. I don't. What actually happened?" I watch his face closely. Will he be honest? If he cheated, would he admit to it? "She's younger than me, and she wanted to experience other people before she settled down." That isn't the answer I was expecting. "Settled down like⁠-" "Marriage. Yeah, we'd talked about it." This guy? That's ... unexpected? "Did you love her?" "I did. Yeah." He reaches up to adjust the showerhead and then angles my head back with a finger under my chin. Water rains down, rinsing away the suds with the help of his fingers as I process this new bit of information-acutely aware of his gaze on me. So, Ronan is capable of commitment. But from the sounds of it, he can also fuck his way through a cheerleading squad. "Do you still love her?" "No." No hesitation. Not for a second. "Not even a little?" "No. I did, for months after we broke up. That's when I moved down to Miami and met Connor. And Ryan." Pieces in the Ronan puzzle are beginning to click. "That's when you two hooked up?" "Yeah, for, like, two weeks. If that. We were both freshly broken up, and neither of us was looking for a relationship. She hated my guts at the start, but we ended up being good friends. Then, Connor and I left for Alaska, and yeah, I'll admit, maybe I took full advantage of my single status." Meaning he fucked around. A lot. That part doesn't surprise me. "So, what Ryan said about you and Connor..." I let that question drift. "Ryan said a lot. You'll have to be more specific." By the twinkle in his eye, he knows damn well what I'm poking at, but he wants me to ask it. Where do I even begin with this topic? "Are you strictly into women? I mean, is Connor more than a platonic⁠-" "Only women." There's no waiver in his voice. "Dick doesn't do it for me. Pussy does." I inhale sharply, the sound of that single word on Ronan's lips stirring something deep inside. "But Connor and you have been with women together." "He's been involved from time to time, yeah." "Just Connor? I mean, you haven't tag-teamed with other men?" He hesitates. "Once, with a couple. Why all the questions about men and Connor? Is this something you've wanted to try?" "No." "Because Connor would be game⁠-" "No." Oh my God, just the thought has my cheeks burning. A slight frown furrows his brow. "So what are you concerned about, then?" "I'm not concerned. I'm just pointing out how different we are." "Right, the whole vanilla thing." He snorts, echoing my words from yesterday. "Tash and I would have been labeled that, and I never had any complaints, if that's what you're getting at." Tash. She's the one who was texting him on the cruise. "Do you still talk to her?" I ask as nonchalantly as possible, holding my breath as I wait for him to lie. "I didn't until recently, but we've reconnected as friends. She's coming to the hotel this weekend with a bachelorette party. Look, I don't care who you've been with or not been with." He pushes a strand of clinging hair off my forehead with gentle fingers. "And I'm not really interested in running through our score cards. Are you?" "No, I don't think I am," I admit. Maybe it's better I don't know how many women Ronan has slept with. That way, I can deceive myself into feeling like I'm enough for him. On a positive note, he didn't lie to me about his ex. That's something. "So, you went to Alaska and then what?" Something flickers in his eyes that I can't read. "Then I went back to Miami. I still wasn't anywhere near ready for a relationship. About a year ago, I decided to turn over a new leaf. No more meaningless hookups and friends with benefits. Then I came to Mermaid Beach, and I met you." He steps in closer, until our chests graze each other, and stares down at me with an intensity I wasn't expecting. What is he telling me-that he's looking to settle down? Another wave of nerves hits me with the stark reality that I am pregnant with this man's baby. Is it wrong to continue this charade? To hold this enormous, life-altering secret from him? Maybe not, but I haven't digested it myself. I'm not about to ruin the illusion of whatever this is between us yet. But the weight of this is almost too much to bear, and suddenly, all I want to do is use his strength. On impulse, I lean in and rest my cheek on Ronan's chest. He stiffens for a split second, but then his body relaxes, and his muscular arms fold around me. If Ronan is all wrong for me, then why does this feel so right? Why do I suddenly wish I could live in these arms all night, every night? Drag him into my bedroom and forget all my worries. I know where that would lead, though. Not that I'd complain. A loud rooster caw sounds, followed by another. It's Ralph's signature call. "Frank's home." Ronan groans. "His timing is impeccable." I try to pull away, but Ronan's grip only tightens. "Are we going to get in trouble, being in here together?" "I'll be fine," I joke, though I'm not so sure. What's Frank going to say when he finds out my big news? There's not much I can keep from that guy for long. And if Ronan does what I expect him to when he finds out-ghost me-then God help him if he crosses Frank's path in this town. "I should get home now anyway." He says this, and yet he holds me for another one ... two ... three long seconds before pulling away. "I have to memorize facts about Phyllis's cats and Layla's life-altering trek up Kilimanjaro. Don't ask," he mutters when he sees my face pinch with confusion. "I can't wait until this week is over." "Me too." Though it won't change anything. "The sooner I get used to having that stupid hotel beside me, the better." With another strange, hard look flickering across his face, he reaches around me to turn off the tap. Collecting my towel, he drapes it over my shoulders to cover my upper body. The simple move is gentle and kind. I tug at his soaked shirtsleeve. "This wasn't smart." "No, but it was safe. If I'd undressed, you would have taken advantage of me." "Shut up." I slap his chest playfully. He gathers my hand before I have a chance to pull away, weaving his fingers through mine. His other hand curls around my nape, pulling me toward him until our bodies are flush again. A grazing thumb strokes my skin, back and forth, teasing and comforting me at the same time. I tip my face up to meet his penetrating gaze. "Ronan." His name is barely a whisper. There's something I need to tell you. But no, not yet. Not now. Without any hesitation, he leans in to meet my lips with his in a fervent, frantic kiss, as if he wants to squeeze as much intensity into this moment as possible before we're forced apart. And maybe we will be-not by Frank or any other outside forces, but by the reality that we can't seem to be this close without losing control. Even now, with my hand fisting his shirt, wishing for it to vanish, for all his clothes to vanish, I sense our good intentions for an honest conversation about to go awry. My body certainly isn't helping matters, as it slides against his, reveling in the hard length pressed against my stomach. All I would take is a quick unfastening of his belt and fly, a tug on my bikini bottom string, and I could have Ronan exactly where I like him-inside me. As if sensing my thoughts, and perhaps sharing them, Ronan's lips suddenly break free of mine. "I really need to go," he whispers, the muscle in his jaw taut. My breathing is ragged. "Phyllis's cats." "Something like that." He releases me and backs up, collecting first his pocket's contents from the shelf, then his shoes. The prominent bulge in his clinging pants is unmistakable. My pulse races as I chastise myself for staring. That's how I got into this mess in the first place. "I have a dinner thing tomorrow night," Ronan blurts suddenly. "A dinner thing?" I echo. "Okay ..." "Come with me." "To your dinner thing?" Is Ronan asking me out on a date? "Yeah." His smile is wry. "It's at the hotel." Caution creeps in. "Who's going to⁠-" "Henry Wolf." My mouth gapes. "Are you crazy? You want me to have dinner with Satan himself?" The man would probably instruct the chef to poison my food. "Listen ..." Ronan purses his lips as he seems to choose his words. "I think it would be good for both of you to get to know each other." "Why? Do you think I'm going to be charmed by Henry Wolf, and everything he put me through in the last five years will suddenly be okay?" Does Ronan think I'm a fool? "No, he's a fucking prick. You won't like him." "So then why would I go there to meet him?" I'm baffled. "And, also, I thought he told you to stay away from me." "Yeah. He did." "So then ..." A thought strikes me. "Henry Wolf doesn't know you're inviting me, does he?" "He doesn't need to know. And I don't care about him. It's Abbi that I want you to meet." Satan's wife? "Why?" He bites his bottom lip. "Because she's one of my best friends, and it would be good if she met you." Why do I feel like there's more to his reasoning? Either way ... "I can't sit across from a table and play nice with that asshole. I won't be able to control myself. I'll throw my butter knife at him, and then I'll go to jail for assault." I'll be forced to have a baby in prison! Ronan chuckles. "There'll be a bunch of people. You won't have to sit across from him. I promise." I'm shaking my head when he pushes, "Just think about it, okay? I'll come by tomorrow at around six, and if you're ready to go, great. If not ..." His eyes rake over my towel-wrapped body, lingering on my bare thighs. "I'll convince you to come." "Good luck with that." My stomach clenches, though. Something tells me Ronan could convince me to do just about anything. Another door slams shut, signaling more arrivals. "Six o'clock. Wear something nice." He strolls away, his bare feet leaving wet prints on the stone. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. However, their love story takes a tumultuous turn when jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to unravel the delicate balance they've built. This modern romance novel delves into themes of hidden identities, unexpected love, and the complexities of maintaining a relationship shrouded in secrecy. With its blend of sweet romance and suspenseful twists, "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" stands out for its exploration of hidden feelings and the consequences of revealing long-held secrets. For readers seeking a captivating tale that combines elements of romance, intrigue, and emotional depth, this ongoing story is available to read at CrushReel. Immerse yourself in the world of Jane and Hector as their journey unfolds against the backdrop of hidden truths and heartfelt revelations.