I could have easily googled him and done some investigative research. What I did at the beginning of my journalism career and still occasionally did when I had the opportunity, simply because I enjoyed it. But, would it really matter what he did?
I wanted the man himself. His job, whatever it was, did not define him.
Unlike Ronan during our time at Duquesne, I really never gave money much thought because I’d always had it. Until now.
Currently, I was broke. I couldn’t fault Ronan if he still was, too.
Though, I’d be disappointed if he was since I had always wanted better for him. I figured once he found his footing in life, he’d go far and be super successful.
I kept my thoughts to myself as Ronan came over to where I stood near the main door. He stopped in front of me, his eyes dark and intense as he scanned me from head to foot.
He’d already seen me in only my swim trunks. This wasn’t checking me out because of curiosity, he was doing it as a power play.
I’d give him that because, while it might be a power play for him, it was foreplay for me. Having him take his time and explore my body, even with only his eyes, caused blood to rush to my cock, quickly thickening it from being semi-erect to a full-blown hard-on.
Since he carried no food, I was right about this solely being about sex and nothing to do with sitting down with me for dinner. Seeing him in those clingy short shorts that were tented, I was quite okay with that.
Dinner could wait.
Ronan would not.
“You stated you’d do anything for me to forgive you. Are you sure?”
Both his words and the deep rumble behind them sent sparks of electricity shooting through me, making me break out in goosebumps. My nipples tightened under my T-shirt and my cock flexed in my loose cotton shorts. “Yes.”
He cocked his head to the side and met my eyes. “What if I can’t promise that?”
Without blinking, I held his gaze to show him how serious I was about fixing things between us. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
He considered me for a few more seconds, his expression giving away absolutely nothing.
“Whatever you want, Roe,” I whispered.
“Whatever I want,” came his soft echo.
“I just ask one thing…”
His eyebrows jumped to the top of his forehead.
“Not on the rooftop. I’ve never… I’ve never bottomed and I know that’s what you want from me.”
“Never,” he repeated, his expression once again tightly under control.
“No.”
“I’d be your first.” Like with his face, he also gave me nothing in the tone of his voice. No surprise. No excitement. Nothing.
“Yes.”
When his eyes slid to the side to avoid mine, I knew he was hiding something. Because I watched him closely, I didn’t miss it when his jaw shifted the slightest bit.
It might be absurd, but in that exact moment, because of that reaction, I knew he still loved me. While it gave me some hope and something to work with, my biggest obstacle would be convincing him to forgive me. We could not move forward without that.
Tonight could possibly be the first step in that direction.
Jesus, I hoped so.
After a few long minutes of staring past me, he finally sliced his eyes back to me. “You’re willing to do that for me.” Again, it wasn’t a question but a surprised statement.
“I said anything, Roe,” I reminded him. “I meant it. But please, just not up here.”
Some of the tension I’d been holding onto disappeared when he nodded.
When I automatically moved back toward the main door, Roe stopped me with a sharp noise at the back of his throat and tipped his head toward the unmarked door he disappeared through the other night. As soon as we got close enough, the lock clicked and after he opened the door, what I assumed were motion lights illuminated a narrow stairwell.
I watched my footing as I followed him down winding metal steps and directly into what was a massive residential space. It took my brain a few seconds to register where we were and what that meant.
One of the neighbors had ridden down the elevator with me one morning and casually mentioned that the top floor of River View Heights only consisted of one penthouse and the building’s owner lived in it.
If I hadn’t seen him with a date the other week, I would have mistakenly thought Ronan lived in this space with the owner.
I now realized he was the owner.
Ronan owned the fucking building I lived in.
He lived in a penthouse that had to cost…
I shook my head.
A fortune. I didn’t even know what a place like this would cost. Or even what a whole apartment building would cost. I had never been into real estate. The only property I’d ever purchased was the house Dahlia lived in with my kids.