“Perfect. Do you mind if I take a shower?”
“Of course not. Would you like company?”
“No,” she told him, climbing out of bed and walking naked toward the bathroom.
He watched the door close behind her and heard the lock click into place. She was baffling. Hot and cold. He couldn’t tell if she just liked to play hard to get or was really so obstinate. Whatever the case, it was too late to back down now. He’d just have to tread carefully.
She emerged from the shower wrapped in a bath towel and retrieved her clothes from where they’d been discarded on the floor the night before.
“Let me grab a shower and we’ll go get your money.”
“Aye,” she replied absently, dropping the towel to get dressed.
He admired her perfect form for a moment before making his way to the shower, hurrying to get in and out so as not to keep her waiting outside too long. He stepped out and dried off, wrapping the towel around him as he walked back out to address her.
“I thought we’d grab some breakfast somewhere before we head . . . he started to say, only to realize he was talking to an empty room. He noticed a note tacked to the inside of the door. It was written on the hotel stationery from the writing desk that sat nearby. He picked it up to read it, muttering, “Fuck me,” under his breath.
Just call me when you have the money and I’ll meet you somewhere.
Ronan sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the note for a moment before laying it down and getting back up to get dressed. No need to hurry now. The bank didn’t open for a while yet and he could just grab a bite on the run if he got hungry on the way.
She made no sense to him whatsoever, and yet, the stranger she acted toward him, the more he felt drawn to her. Something was needed to figure her out, to understand her, and yes, he wanted to possess her—but he was beginning to have his doubts as to whether that was even possible with a woman like her.
Last night, she had given herself to him. They had shared an undeniable connection. Today, she was off to the races again. It was like trying to corral a wild mustang out in the fields. Could you break one? Yes, sure, but it wasn’t going to happen overnight, and you were going to take one hell of a beating getting it done.
He smiled as he pulled a clean shirt over his head. She might be a feisty lass, but she’d never met someone as stubborn as a McNally brother. He could do whatever he set his mind to, and no Omega was about to be a match for him when it got right down to it. She could deny him no more than he could deny her.
She was still heavy on his mind as he left for the bank, a half-smile etched on his face as he considered how best to tame a woman like Maeve. By the time he’d pulled out the money and called her, he was somewhere between amused, smitten, and determined.
He dialed her number and got voicemail, so he left her a message that he was ready to meet up when she had the time. He’d have to wait until she called him back, which he hoped was soon, as he had a hell of a lot of money in a black gym bag and didn’t relish just having it lying around for too long.
It was nearly two hours later when she finally called, telling him she’d stop by and grab the money on her way to “an appointment” she had in the city center. He was curious about what she was up to but didn’t ask. He considered whether he should tail her and find out what she was up to but dismissed it. It didn’t concern him, he told himself.
A knock at the door a half-hour later renewed his curiosity as he opened the door to find her standing there with several other women. He could smell that they were all Omegas, so he assumed they were her clansmen. Or was it clanswomen?
“Here you go,” he told her, handing her the bag out the door and closing it without another word.
“Bit of a dick, eh?” he heard one of them say outside the door.
“He’s an Alpha, so it comes with the territory,” he heard her reply.
“Oh, you’ve no idea,” he said as he grabbed his car keys and pulled on his jacket to head out.
He’d thought he might run into them again on the way out, but they’d made a hasty exit. The hotel clerk called out to him as he started to leave and pulled him back to the desk.