Page 306 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Not a question. Ronan’s jaw tightened.

“Don’t sound so happy about it.”

“I’m trying not to.”

“You’re failing.”

“I know.”

Ronan’s thumb moved along Elliot’s jaw. Elliot closed his eyes. That tiny surrender did something terrible to him. Everyone thought Elliot was sweet. Everyone thought he was harmless. Everyone thought Ronan was the dangerous one. Only Ronan knew what lived beneath the pretty face. And Elliot was standing here offering that hidden thing to him. Not the mask. Not the killer. Him. All of him.

“You should hate me,” Elliot whispered.

Ronan’s hand tightened.

“I’m working on it.”

Elliot opened his eyes.

“Try harder.”

Ronan kissed him. It wasn’t gentle. Maybe it should have been. After the night they had survived, after the confession, after the blood and police and lies, maybe tenderness would have made more sense. Ronan didn’t want tenderness. Apparently neither did Elliot. Elliot kissed him back immediately, one hand gripping Ronan’s shirt before abruptly stopping himself. Ronan felt it. The hesitation. He pulled back.

“What?”

Elliot’s breathing was uneven.

“Your arm.”

“It’s fine.”

“And you said—”

“I know what I said.”

“You might regret this.”

“Probably.”

Elliot’s face fell. Ronan caught his jaw.

“That wasn’t me telling you to stop.”

Hope again. Dangerous fucking thing.

“Ronan.”

“What?”

“Tell me what you want.”

The question should have been easy. It wasn’t. Ronan looked at him. At the bruise. The split lip. The face that had lied to him. The mouth that had confessed. The teeth that had marked him before any of this began. Then Ronan pulled down the collar of his shirt enough to expose the fading mark near his shoulder. Elliot stared at it. Understanding came immediately. His eyes darkened.

“No.”

Ronan blinked.

“What?”