Chapter 24: TWENTY-FOUR | CAUGHT IN THE ACT

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR | CAUGHT IN THE ACT

ASPEN

If only Ronan knew that his plan would end up backfiring, he wouldn't have done what he did. He hadn't expected Rachel to barge into the room, and he sure as hell didn't expect her to come into the bathroom without knocking.

He forgot one vital piece of information though… Rachel is his girlfriend, which makes her free enough to do whatever she wants whenever she's around his space.

My eyes closed on their own accord, following the rhythm of his lips as we kissed. It was slow, steady, and intentional, like he had just discovered a rare gem and was trying to explore every part with great care and curiosity.

I hadn't meant to kiss him back. I would have resisted if I could, but who could ever resist the want of a mate?

Rachel walked in on us just as he pulled me closer to him by the waist, the pace of the kiss increasing with urgency. The world around us both faded as we held each other tightly, him with both hands, while I wrapped my uncuffed hands around his neck.

We were so caught up in our thing that we didn't pay any mind to Rachel. At least, not until my eyes opened and I saw her teary face.

I pushed him off me immediately, horror flickering on my face. “Get the fuck off me,” I screeched, wiping off my mouth like I'd gotten kissed by shit itself.

It was damage control, pretending that I didn't enjoy it to make her feel better. But there's only little it could fix, especially in a situation like this.

I rushed to defend myself, but I was tongue-tied. Both from the shock and suddenness of the kiss, and also from the waves of electricity that shot through my body when he touched me.

Rachel moved closer to us, her feet dragging her body like she was under a trance. “What… what is going on?” she stuttered, the tears falling down her eyes nonstop. “Tell me it isn't what it looks like.” Her voice cracked, and my heart broke at the sight.

She didn't deserve this. No one did. She had been nothing but kind and caring to me since I came here. If not for her, my secret would have been out in the open, and I'd have faced dire consequences. And this is how I chose to repay her? By kissing the man she loved the most.

She stomped her feet, clenching her fists. Her eyes were red, and her body shook with rage. “Tell me what is going on right now,” she yelled.

Instinctively, I flinched, and my movements didn't go unnoticed by Ronan. He stared at me, a frown pulling on his face before he turned back to Rachel.

I knew what he was about to do even before he said it. The truth was evident in his eyes, and I wasn't going to let him break Rachel's heart that way.

“I kissed her because she is my—”

I cut him off hurriedly, my eyes widening in horror. “He kissed me because he was trying to stop me from screaming out your name and alerting your attention to the fact that he was holding me hostage.” I struggled to get out of the cuffs to prove my point.

“She’s my—”

“He threatened to hurt me, Rachel. I was so scared. He doesn't want me going on a date with Ryker because he believes that would easily blow my cover, and if the truth about me is revealed, you both would be dragged down together with me. He swore he would keep me chained down here until I promised to stay away from Ryker.”

Ronan's gaze met mine, his brows furrowing in irritation. I knew he wanted to tell her we were mates, but I would allow it only over my dead body.

Rachel assessed my movements for a while before a wide smile stretched on her face. “Oh, that's a relief. I was so scared he was cheating on me or something.”

What do they say about blondes again? That they're dumb, right? I'm not sure about other blondes, but Rachel does nothing to beat the allegations. She didn't even try to think about the possibility that we could be lying to cover things up, even though she met us in the most compromising position ever.

She moved towards Ronan and hit him as hard as she could. “What have I told you about bullying people and forcing your will down their throats? Aspen is a grown woman. If going on a date with Ronan is what she wants, then let her have her way.”

Searching his pockets, she found the keys to the handcuffs and released me. I smiled gratefully, massaging my sore wrists. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Ronan and I are going on a date. We'll see you later.” I watched her wipe Ronan's mouth, irritation on her face, before dragging him away.

Even as they left, Ronan didn't take his eyes off me, which meant that this discussion wasn't over. I simply hoped he wouldn't make the mistake of telling Rachel about our status.

Since that was over, I decided that it was time to go out and see Ryker. Not because I liked him or I was trying to prove a point to Ronan, but because I needed to take my mind off things and let go of the guilt that was slowly eating me up for keeping such a big secret from Rachel.

To my shock, when I walked into Ryker’s office, I saw Rachel and Ronan there.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We're going on a double date,” Rachel squealed, rushing over to me and holding my hands in excitement. She could barely stay put. “Ronan suggested we go on a double date.”

My eyes snapped to him, and as expected, he had a victorious smirk on his face. I sneered, wanting nothing more than to smack that look off his beautiful face.

“Actually, I'm here for something else.” I changed plans quickly. “I can't go on the date today, I have an unbearable headache. I guess my body hasn't fully recovered from the almost-death experience.” I shot him a pointed look, and for the first time, he looked away in guilt.

“You're such a cool guy, Ryker, but I don't think I'm ready to be involved with anyone. There are people trying to kill me, it's best I stay focused to avoid getting carried away.”