Chapter 3
How the hell did he know?
Didn't Jaxon swear I didn't smell like wild strawberries anymore?
"I... I..." I stammered, my brain too fried from panic to even string a lie together.
Ronan was an absolute tyrant on the crew team. Even the coach walked on eggshells around him, to say nothing of his notoriously severe germaphobia.
Rumor had it the last guy who accidentally knocked over his water bottle was forced to scrub the entire training room floor three times over.
"Listen, this is a huge misunderstanding." I took a step back, desperately trying to put some distance between us, but completely forgot about the door threshold. My foot caught, and I went tumbling backward.
The expected impact never came. Instead, I realized Ronan had smoothly hooked an arm around my waist, catching me mid-fall.
He was holding my entire body weight with just one arm. Even through the thick, oversized hoodie, I could feel his terrifying physical strength.
"Careful there, Maeve," he said, dropping my actual name flawlessly.
"How... how do you know my name?" I scrambled to stand upright, swatting his hand away like it had burned me.
"Jaxon complains daily about his sarcastic, food-hoarding twin sister."
Ronan slowly retracted his hand. Then, he actually pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket and, right in front of my face, meticulously wiped down every single finger that had just touched me.
The level of disrespect was astronomical.
I ground my teeth together. "Well, since you know who I am, that makes things easy. Give me the watch, and I'll leave. I promise to stay the hell away from you and your room from now on."
"Leave?" He arched an eyebrow and stepped aside, giving me a clear view of the disaster zone that was his room.
The bed, which should have been covered in spotless sheets, now sported a massive, highly suspicious stain. Empty beer bottles were scattered across the rug, alongside half a piece of leftover pizza.
"That's impossible!" I shrieked. "I only slept on the very edge last night, and I definitely didn't eat any pizza!"
"I know," Ronan said coldly. "This is your brother's handiwork. He climbed through the window while I was in the shower to look for his watch. He probably thought trashing the place would cover up the evidence you left last night."
"That absolute moron!" I wanted to strangle Jaxon with my bare hands.
Right on cue, Jaxon's muffled voice echoed from down the hall: "Maeve! I'm so sorry! Dad cut off my credit cards, and I don't have the cash to pay him back! Just work off the debt for me, okay?!"
Click.
The door locked from the outside.
Jaxon had literally locked me in a room with Ronan.
In utter disbelief, I threw myself at the door, rattling the doorknob like a maniac.
"Jaxon! You absolute bastard! Did you just sell out your own flesh and blood?! Open the door!"
"Don't waste your breath." Ronan strolled over to his desk, crossed his legs, and leaned casually against the edge.
He picked up a printed document and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of me. "Since your brother has officially offered you up as collateral, let's discuss compensation."
I spun around, glaring at him warily. "What compensation?"
"That mattress is custom-made, thirty grand. The rug is hand-woven Persian, fifteen grand. Add in emotional distress..." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto me like a predator. "Your brother owes me fifty thousand dollars. And since he just bolted, you're footing the bill."
"Are you extorting me?! I'm a broke college student living on scholarships. You could sell my organs on the black market and I still wouldn't be worth fifty grand!"
"If you can't pay, I have a Plan B."
"I've arranged a job for you. The crew team just happens to be short a personal assistant. You'll be in charge of prepping my gear, managing my meals, and—" he gestured toward the bed, "—ensuring my sleeping environment remains absolutely immaculate."
"You want me to be your glorified maid?" My eyes went wide. "In your dreams! There is absolutely no way I am—"
"Of course, you have every right to refuse." He pulled out his phone and made a show of opening the keypad. "I'll just call the campus disciplinary committee right now, report Jaxon for breaking and entering and property damage, and CC your father while I'm at it..."
"I'll sign!" I snatched the pen, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw ached, and scribbled my signature on the document.
Ronan glanced at the signature and smoothly tucked the paper away, looking incredibly pleased with himself.
He suddenly leaned in, the bridge of his straight nose mere inches from my face.
"Perfect. See you at the boathouse tomorrow at 6 AM sharp. And remember—don't change your body wash. I like the wild strawberry."
