SARA'S POV
Ronan was already waiting by the time I slipped into the parlor. He was leaning against the window frame, his shirt half unbuttoned, as usual, looking too calm for a man who looked like he spent his life scheming in the shadows. He looked up when I walked in, and something about the glint in his eyes made me feel like he’d been thinking too much.
“We need to talk,” I said simply.
He pushed off the frame and nodded. “About your cousin?”
“Obviously,” I said, settling into the armchair across from him.
“Let me guess,” he said. “Ciara and Darragh are still playing happy mates, and you’re seething because you still have to pretend like you care about being bonded to me.”
I smiled, just a little. “You say that like it’s not true.”
He smirked, but the moment passed quickly. “Wha
