214

RONAN

I stared at the ceiling as I stood in the bathroom. The faint scent of lavender from the bath still hung in the air. It was a reminder of the moment I had just walked away from. I could still feel the ghost of Maxine’s touch on my skin. The way her lips against mine and the way her body had pressed against me, were so soft and inviting.

I had almost lost control. I had almost given in.

The thought filled me with a bitter taste of something very close to defeat. It would have been so easy to keep going. To have let that moment consume the both of us and forget about the world outside this room. To have let myself forget about the bloodshed and impossible choices I had made to stay alive. I could have buried myself in her care.

But I couldn’t. Not when I knew that Liam still had a hold on her heart.

I splashed water on my face in the sink. I reached for a towel and grabbed it from the rack, rubbing it across my face and then my body. I did it with a little more force than necessar