I cleared my throat and reached inside my bag. “In all the intrigue of vigilante justice, secret hideouts, and mind-blowing oral sex, I nearly forgot. I have something for you.”
Something I spent two solid weeks making because…casual.
I took Ronan’s hand and dropped the pendant in his palm. “Happy Birthday.”
Ronan glanced at me, then at the necklace in his hand. It had turned out pretty well, I thought. A sleek silver North Star with four short and four long points radiating from the center, each one sharp. I’d carved little sigils of lines and ovals in a repeating pattern around the star and then ringed the entire pendant with a rope-like design to give it a sailing, compass-like look.
“For when you feel adrift,” I said softly.
Ronan frowned, then looked up at me, confused. Touched. I took the two ends of the silver chain and reached around his neck to clasp them. The pendant lay against his chest, heart-level.
“I’ve never had something like this.” He was holding the pendant but looking at me.
My heart thumped too hard and broke a little at the same time.
“Now you do.”
Chapter Seventeen
Male voices sounded from outside, rescuing me from a moment that was growing too soft. Miller and Holden had arrived, and I was suddenly nervous, as if I were about to go in for an important job interview.
“It’s cool,” Ronan said. “They knew you’d be here.”
I nodded, smoothing down my skirt and watching as Ronan tucked the compass pendant under his T-shirt. A twinge nipped at me until I reminded myself, we’d agreed not to show each other off.
Ronan’s just following the rules.
Except he read my expression and explained, “It’s fucking perfect, but I don’t like people in my business.”
Or not.
I turned away before he could see the flush in my cheeks.
Outside, Miller and Holden stood near their beach chairs, talking. They both looked up, and Holden be
amed like a proud parent. He approached me, hand outstretched.
“You must be Shiloh Barrera,” he said cheerfully. “Ronan has told me almost nothing about you.”
I laughed. “Sounds about right.”
Up close, Holden was devastatingly handsome in a completely different way from Ronan. Elegant, refined, with dyed silver hair and piercing green eyes that glinted with intelligence. Ronan had street smarts; Holden looked as if he had a hundred libraries behind his eyes and smelled of expensive cologne, clove cigarettes, and vodka. Like what I imagined a Parisian department store might smell like.
“Make yourself at home,” he said with a bow. “And might I add, it’s about damn time. Now if we can get Miss Violet here…”
“I’m on the job,” I said and joined Miller where he sat tuning his guitar.
He gave me a dry look. “That must’ve been some birthday present.”
“Oh hush. Are you cool with this? I don’t want you to feel like your private space is being invaded.”
“It’s fine, Shi. I’m really glad you’re here. With him.”
My cheeks flushed all over again. “Right, well…will Amber be coming tonight?”
“No,” he said, his expression darkening. “Please don’t tell her about it either, okay?”
“I won’t,” I said slowly, my brows furrowed. “I just thought since you’ve been together for months…”