CHAPTER FIVE

R onan moved into the hallway and walked silently to his sister's door. He knocked but received no answer, so he opened the door a crack and was able to see Molly asleep on her bed from the light coming in from the hall. He moved quickly but quietly across the room and locked the door that adjoined her room to Aaron's. It did not sit well with him that the mechanic who seemed to have an unnatural attraction to his sister should have such easy access to her.

Aaron seemed on the up and up, but so did Jordan, so Ronan decided to err on the side of caution. He moved away from the bed after checking on Molly, who seemed to be sleeping off some rather powerful pain killers, and headed for the door.

He again checked the hallway before exiting and walked quietly back across to his own room. He nearly hit the ceiling when he turned after closing and locking his door and saw Lance lounging on his window seat. His legs stretched out in front of him, his back resting against the window, casing his arms crossed on his chest and his eyes boring holes through him.

Ronan stiffened and stepped back towards the door. The image of Lance sitting there regarding him with such an intense stare was a little scary but also exciting. Lance stood and walked slowly and seductively toward Ronan without saying a word. In a way, Ronan felt like he was being stalked like prey and easily captured because he could not make his legs move.

He stood there frozen in place, watching the grace with which Lance approached him. Ronan noticed that Lance's feet were bare, and he was wearing only jeans with the top button undone as if he had hurriedly put them on just recently. He suddenly recalled the man . . . wolf he'd seen outside of his window a few minutes ago, and the similarity hit him. He locked gazes with Lance as the man continued to move into his personal space, causing Ronan to press his back against the bedroom door. He realized too late that he had just trapped himself in the room.

Lance leaned forward and, closing his eyes, breathed deeply, pressing his face into the apex between Ronan's neck and shoulder. The intimate gesture raised goosebumps over Ronan's body and caused a sensual shudder to cascade from his head down through his body and end with the curling of his toes.

Lance let his eyes travel over and over Ronan's face, mapping every expression, every line, and finally came to rest on his plump, red lips. He moved, pressing Ronan against the door to capture the warmth and completion they possessed. All through dinner, all he could think about was the taste of Ronan and looked forward to their next encounter.

Ronan remained still and silent, watching the way Lance took him in and consumed everything about him. Breathless, he waited as Lance pressed his body against him and took Ronan's lips in a soft caress. Ronan closed his eyes and just melted into the feeling of his body against Lance's and the obvious arousal straining against him. Lance was everything he ever dreamed of in a lover.

Lance hadn't planned on taking Ronan, but as soon as he entered the room, the fear dissipated quickly into a heady lust; he had no defense. Ronan was responding to him in the most delicious ways. His inexperience was apparent in the hesitant exploration of his hands and mouth, but his exuberance was intoxicating. Ronan opened when Lance pressed and eagerly followed each of his leads. Even with what he had endured at the hands of Jordan Randall, he was still so innocent.

Ronan was becoming lost in the sensation and discovery of Lance. His body was hot and solid, yet his hands were soft and gentle as they caressed Ronan's face and body. Lance's hands moved so very slowly south on a sensual journey down Ronan's chest to his hips and then slid behind to cup his ass and pull him forward, causing their stiff cocks to grind together in delicious friction.

The sensations were driving both of them insane. Ronan steadied himself by gripping Lance's shoulders in a firm grasp and let his need and boldness take over as he wrapped his legs around Lance's hips. Lance lost it with the groans and moans which quickly accompanied Ronan rubbing his cock against Lance's abdomen. "Take what you need, Roe." Lance was beyond encouraged.

Lance cupped Ronan's ass and assisted him with the raw pressure he was craving. He eased his fingers inside the waistband of Ronan's jeans, thankful that they were loose enough for him to slip most of his hand inside and let his fingers travel the crevasse down to the entrance he so wanted to experience. His mouth moved from Ronan's to glide across his cheek to nibble on his jaw before pulling one earlobe into his mouth and sucking it hard.

"Roe, you taste fantastic." He said this as he moved abruptly to nibble on Ronan's lips and thrust his tongue inside his mouth over and over while his fingers played around the edge of his pucker. Lance experimented with applying the slightest of pressure against it with one finger gently breaching by a mere millimeter, but the sensation for Lance was mind-bending.

Ronan was responding deliciously. His hands held on tight and pulled Lance closer as he, too, engaged in a frantic oral exploration. "I want you, Roe. . ." He wanted to say more, but suddenly the air changed, and the mood went south swiftly.

Ronan panicked, removing his hands from Lance's shoulders so fast that he nearly lost his balance and fell to the floor. If not for Lance's quick response, Ronan would be picking himself up off of the floor right now. Once safely on his feet, Ronan started to push away from Lance, who was still holding him too close. He knew he was overreacting, but he couldn't stop himself. After Jordan Randall, it was hard to trust.

Lance eased away immediately in response to Ronan's discomfort. Ronan awkwardly adjusted his clothing and tried desperately to keep his eyes everywhere but on Lance. "I'm sorry." He whispered, embarrassment coloring his tone.

Lance held onto him while Ronan continued to fidget nervously. Lance let his hands travel up and down Ronan's arms, hopefully calming him and assuring him of his safety and importance. "No, baby, I'm the one who is sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you. I should have respected what you've been through and not demanded more than you're ready to give."

Lance pulled him close again and rested his head against Ronan's. Ronan nestled into his shoulder and took a deep breath relaxing with the comforting smell of this man. Damn, he smelled good. He wished he could bottle that smell.

"You smell good." Ronan blurted. He felt Lance chuckle, and then he squeezed him tighter.

"You smell good too, baby." He moved with Ronan over to the bed and sat down, pulling Ronan down with him and seating him on his lap.

Ronan could not come up with a good reason to pull away. The man felt like home, and he wanted to stay wrapped in his arms and sit on his lap for the rest of the night if possible.

"Jordan didn't rape me. He tried, but he didn't get that far. Molly arrived just as he'd managed to get my jeans undone, but he didn't get any further than that." Ronan wasn't sure why he needed to tell him that, but he wanted him to know.

"I'm glad he didn't get that far, but even if he had, it wouldn't change how I feel about you." He continued to rub the palm of his hand up and down Ronan's arm. "Jordan is an evil son of a bitch, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. The blame is his, and it stays with him. You are now with people who love and respect you. Jordan Randall will never hurt you again."

Ronan wanted that to be true but found it hard to believe. "Molly and I are not your problems." Ronan was shocked by the sudden angry expression on Lance's face and the way he tightened his hold.

"You are not my problem; you are my gift, my mate and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." Lance gritted out through a clenched jaw.

Ronan pushed away and struggled to stand. Finally, Lance relented and released him. Ronan backed away to the other side of the room and stared at Lance, who was still seated on the edge of the bed, looking at him like he wanted to eat him or something, but not in a bad way. His eyes, dark and lustful, tracked him like lasers as he moved back and forth, gathering his thoughts.

"What does that mean?" Ronan asked, exasperated. "You keep saying I'm your mate, but I haven't the faintest idea what that means. We just met; you don't even know me. Also, the pack, what is that all about? You mention it often enough, but you have yet to actually tell me what it is other than a group of like-minded individuals." Ronan stormed over to where Lance was sitting with determination in his eyes. "And was that you in the backyard earlier? I think it was." Ronan crossed his arms over his chest and continued to eye Lance accusingly.

Lance had gotten his back up when Ronan persisted with the statement that he was not Lance's problem. It bothered him more than he would admit that he wanted Ronan to feel the pull, the need to be close just as Lance was feeling it. But Ronan was human, so he had to take care and wait for the desire to take hold, and it would. He could already see the want in Ronan's eyes and the confusion that accompanied the feeling of longing. "Yes, it was me you saw in the backyard." He decided to start with the last question first, for it would answer the others.

"There was a dog with you, a large dog."

"No dog, just me. You saw me."

"I thought I saw a . . . dog." Ronan trailed off as he began to second guess his memory of what he thought he saw.

Lance stood slowly and walked towards Ronan. He reached out and gently stroked his cheek. "It was me." He whispered and dropped his head to place a light kiss on Ronan's full lips. Lance wrapped his arms around Ronan and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. He wasn't sure what more Ronan was going to ask, but he didn't want to go there right now. Ronan needed to process what had happened and what he had seen so far before Lance felt comfortable giving him all the truth. He would never lie to him, but he could distract him, so that was what he was doing.

When he drew the kiss to a close, Ronan seemed resistant and gripped him in a way to say stay, hold me, but Lance knew that the relationship needed more time. He could push Ronan now and probably get everything he wanted physically, but tomorrow he would be put in a category not much better than Jordan Randall in Ronan's mind. So, he resisted the call of his wolf and assisted Ronan in sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Relax, Roe, we will talk more tomorrow. For now, you have had a very traumatic day, and you need to rest. Sleep, my love, and we will talk tomorrow, I promise." He brushed the hair back from his forehead and laid a whisper-soft kiss on his forehead, and then quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Ronan sat there stunned for a few minutes and then stood to remove his jeans and put his pajama pants on before turning out the light and crawling into bed. He couldn't think right now; he just wanted to sleep. Lance said they would talk tomorrow, and that sounded like an excellent plan.

For now, he just wanted to forget everything except that amazing kiss and the feel of Lance's hard body pressed against him and those arms holding him, protecting him from the world. With those thoughts, he fell into a sound sleep for the first time in nearly a week.

…

Lance met Aaron exiting Molly's bedroom when he was leaving Ronan's. He nodded and indicated for him to follow. Once downstairs in the living room, Lance sat on the sofa, and Aaron took the recliner. "I didn't tell him, but he suspects. He isn't sure what he saw, but he knows that he saw something."

"Did he ask you about it?"

"Not exactly. He told me he saw a large dog in the backyard, and then he thought he saw me. He asked if it was me in the backyard." Lance smiled. "I told him it was me and left it there."

"He just let you leave it without further explanation?"

Lance lifted an eyebrow and confessed. "I distracted him with a kiss."

"A kiss?" Aaron declared and started to laugh loudly. He dropped his head into his hands and laughed until there were tears in his eyes. "That really worked?" He sounded incredulous.

"You doubt me?" Lance chuckled and leaned back into the sofa and crossed his arms on his chest. "My kisses are world-renowned for their ability to render one incapable of rational thought."

"It's a mate thing, isn't it?" Aaron concluded, ignoring the world-renowned claim.

"Yes." Lance conceded. "But it was still amazing, and I can't wait to do it again. Speaking of amazing kisses, how is Molly this evening?"

"Your mate locked the door that adjoins our rooms, so I had to enter by the hallway. Just thought I'd share that with you." Aaron looked a little peeved but not angry. "He worries about her a lot, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't trust me."

"Yes, he was in her room when I went to see him tonight, and you're right. He doesn't trust you or me, for that matter. I believe he is attracted to me and feels the pull, but he isn't ready to admit anything."

"Molly and I talked, and I asked her to stay here with me for a while. I told her it would be safer for her and Ronan and that I wanted to have more time to explore our relationship. She agreed." Aaron smiled so large that Lance thought his face would split. "She wanted to call her cousin Henry and let him know not to expect them, but I suggested that we, she and I, go see Henry in person."

"Why? Wouldn't it be easier to call?"

"I would like to get her away from Ronan for a couple of days, and this is the perfect excuse. Her loyalty is torn between Ronan and me and right now, as things are, I know she would choose him. I figure if I can get her alone for a while and ply her with my charms, I can speed up the bonding process.

Lance agreed, accepting the plan as logical. "Having Ronan to myself sounds like an excellent idea too. Divide and conquer, so to speak. He won't let her leave easily, you know. You had better have a good reason as to why you and Molly need to do this and need to do this together. Ronan is nobody's fool." They both sat back and relaxed, dreaming of their mates, who were both asleep on the upper floor.