Chapter 5-- Oh dear

Sarra’s POV

“Do you always stare at women like this when they're trying to get dressed?” I muttered struggling with the zipper of my dress from last night.

Behind me Ronan yawned. “I know you're sneaking out, I just can't prove it yet.”

I turned around, my dress half zipped and my hair messy. I decided I'd arrange it in the cab. “This was a mistake.” I blurted out.

He arched an eyebrow lying on the bed with his bare chest and his hair a wild mess from last night. I pulled my eyes away from his early morning hard dick, to his face. He looked… unfair. Arrogant, relaxed, beautiful in that careless way only men like him could manage.

“Sweetheart you promised you wouldn't regret it. Besides, if this was a mistake then I'm begging for more mistakes.” He winked at me, and I imagined throwing a pillow at his smug face.

I pulled my zipper all the way up, and grabbed my heels from the floor. “I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“You were thinking just fine.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling on sweatpants. “Don't rewrite history because you're scared.”

Scared? “I am not scared of you. This just…shouldn't have happened. You're my best friend's brother. She'll kill me.”

He padded barefoot into the kitchen, leaving me standing in the middle of his room. In the morning light, the house was even more breathtaking.

It felt like waking up on a tropical island. The floor to ceiling door in his room opened up to an infinity pool. It screamed money and power and a bachelor pad. It screamed Ronan Vale.

I followed him to the kitchen after I was done putting on my heels and fixing my hair in the mirror. My mascara was smudged. I washed my face in the bathroom and stared into the mirror. 

I looked a shadow of myself, like the ghost of Christmas past. “Fuck you Ethan.” I said splashing water on my face again.

The smell of fried eggs and bacon hit me as I joined him in the kitchen. “You're cooking?”

“Why do you sound so shocked?” He served me eggs and bacon. “I'm more than a pretty face.”

I sneered at him as I perched on the edge of a barstool. “Do you understand the concept of a one night stand? I'm meant to sneak out.”

He was amused. “Oh, so you agree you were thinking straight and this was a one night stand? Not a drunken decision?” He was teasing me.

“Whatever. This was a one night stand and it shouldn't happen again.”

My phone on the counter buzzed. I picked it up but what I saw on the screen made me nearly drop it. I was all over the news.

“RONAN VALE’S MYSTERY WOMAN, WHO IS SHE? HOLLYWOOD BAD BOY BEATS DIRECTOR TO PULP BECAUSE OF HIS MYSTERY WOMAN ”

“Oh God!” I half yelled, swiping through with shaking fingers. Ronan's hands were on the small of my back in those pictures. I was not even done freaking out when Elena's text came in.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY BROTHER?” Elena had a strict rule of not dating her brothers ever since highschool.

“Woah, princess, breathe.” Ronan was too relaxed and it annoyed me even more.

I snapped. “ “Breathe? When your sister just texted me like she’s ready to kill me.”

He sat across from me, then sipped his coffee. “She’ll calm down.”

“No, she won’t. Elena will hate me. She already hates when I even talk to you. And now—” I waved my phone helplessly. “Now the entire internet thinks I’m your girlfriend!”

He set the cup down. “Why are you saying that like it's a curse? I'll have you know that I'm the bachelor of the year.”

“It is!” I hissed. “I can’t undo this. People are posting it everywhere, and Elena…oh God, I can’t even imagine what she’s thinking…” but that wasn't really why I was worked up. What if Ethan saw it? What would he think?

God, why the hell do I still think about that man?

Ronan leaned back with his elbows resting carefully on the counter. “Is this about Ethan?”

I turned away, pressing my hands to my face. “This can’t be happening.”

“Then don’t let it happen.”

I frowned, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Let's control the narrative that you're not some random girl I dragged out of a club. Let's say we're together.”

I blinked. “Together? As in—?”

“As in dating,” he answered flatly.

“How does this make sense? I don't even like your guts.” I shot back. Honestly, Ronan was crazy.

He exhaled and rubbed his jaw, his morning stubble catching the light. “Because this isn’t just about gossip blogs for me, Sarra. This week I’m supposed to close a studio deal for Legacy Run which would be the biggest project of my career. The investors are watching everything I do, and now they’re seeing headlines about me leaving the club and assaulting that fool, Marcus.”

“Oh,” I said, my voice small. 

“Yeah. Oh.” He gave a humorless laugh. “I just didn't have the heart to let you go yesterday.” He looked like he wanted to say more then decided not to.

“And that’s where I come in?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Its your fault we're in this mess.”

I punched his arm. “That's not true. You refused to let me be yesterday. Besides, why would I help you after everything you did to me in highschool?”

“I'm hurt that you think I'm still that guy from highschool.” he tilted his head, a slow smile playing at the corner of his mouth. 

“The arrogant jerk who called me a nerd every chance he got? Yeah.”

Ronan chuckled and I made a face. “You were always so easy to mess with.”

“You made my life miserable.” If looks could kill, then Ronan would drop dead from the glare I was giving him. I hated high school because of him.

His eyes slid down to my lips for a second. “Funny how I remember you always looking at me like you wanted to kiss me…or kill me? I wasn't always sure.”

“Ronan—” I started to say then realized I didn't even know what to say. Yes, maybe at one point in high school I'd crushed on the idiot, but it was short lived. There's nothing like constant bullying to kill feelings.

“Well, I'd always wanted to kiss you.” He closed the space between us, and ran a thumb across my lower lip. My nipples did a little dance at that.

“Stop that. I just want this nightmare to be over. What if Ethan starts thinking something else? I…”

“You're holding out hope that the idiot will come back to you?” He scoffed. “He's not coming back.”

“But he's the only one I want!” I halfyelled stabbing my fork in the eggs. “I want him…” I felt myself breaking down again. It hurt so bad, like tiny knives stuck in my heart.

“Maybe,” he said, “But tell me you didn’t enjoy last night like I did.”

I folded my arms determined to ignore that question because yes, I did, even more than I thought I would, but he didn't need to know that.. “You could pick literally anyone else.”

He shook his head. “No. I couldn’t. My father’s PR team has been trying to set me up for months with models, influencers, business women…I just…” he ran his hands through his hair and sighed. “They want me with someone who looks good on a magazine cover.”

I stared at him, “So you want me to fake date you to spite your father and save your career?”

He gave me a smile that made my heart do a funny flip. “You make it sound terrible when you say it like that.”

“That’s because it is terrible.” I shot back.

He tapped the counter and wriggled his brows at me, “What do you say? Will you be my girlfriend?"