Page 34 of Ruined
I scoffed, trying to keep the fear from my voice. “Cute speech, wanna add that to my leg too?”
He didn’t flinch at the mention of where his name was on my body, but there was a slight shift in him, a tension I could feel. I took a slow, measured step to the side but not too far. I didn’t want to give him the thrill of me panicking. “You think this scares me? That you do?” I challenged. “Try harder.”
He advanced one step, and I threw my hands up, ready to push or throw something but he just laughed at me. The sound was low and sharp, like he was enjoying this far more than necessary.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he circled me, stalking me like I was prey he couldn’t decide how to kill.
I refused to watch him, so I just looked straight forward. “Should I be expecting this kind of irritation every night then?” Planting my feet, I gripped the edge of the counter, refusing to give him whatever satisfaction he was getting out of this. “Because truthfully, I'm kind of over it.” Maybe it was stupid, but the thrill of the anger,of my defiance, steadied me. The more I stood up to him, the moreI was winning.
I continued to stand there as I refused to budge. Even though a part of me started to feel like I should. Every sharp instinct I had fully awakened, telling me to put space between us, but I didn’t.
“You don’t scare me.” My statement came out strong, better than I’d expected.
His head tilted again, like I’d just said something mildly interesting. “I don’t want you scared, baby.” There was something in his voice now, an emphasis on the way he said certain things. “I want you vicious.”
Lifting my chin just a little, I realized any choice that involved defiance only interested him more.
“Tell me something, Ember,” he said quietly. “Do you always fight this hard for control, or just when you know you’re about to lose it?”
My lips curved, but I forced the reaction away. “I don’t fight for control,” I said, meeting his gaze without hesitation. “I have it.”
Tilting my head slightly, I mimicked his previous movement, just enough to make it deliberate.
“Maybe with your boss, or your roommates, but not with me. Let me prove to you just how wrong you are.” He moved closer, fully aware that he had my attention. My heart kicked a little harder with each step he took, but I ignored it. “Better yet, let me show you what it’s like to give up that control. I’ll even let you choose how you say sorry.”
A scoff left my mouth before I could stop it as my face morphed into one of pure confusion. “Sorry?!”
The first word of his answer was a hum, one that vibrated through his body. “Yes, for letting someone else touch what belongs to me.”
My tongue glued itself to the roof of my mouth as I clenched my teeth together.
“I’ll even let you choose this time,” he whispered at me as his fingers traced my hip. “Which do you prefer,” he said, “laid out on the counter for me to eat or up against the books for me to feel?”
A slow heat formed in my lower body, the same deep need I had experienced at the club with him. I hated myself for it, and I fought against the feeling but soon, I couldn't even do that. When I spoke, my voice was quieter this time—not weaker, just aware and cautious. “Neither.”
He pulled my body tight to his, and for some reason, I didn’t hit him. I physically couldn’t, not when everything inside me was screaming for him. I tilted my head up to keep eye contact with him. I refused to look away because if I did, Ilost.I didn’t even know what that meant exactly, but I knew I couldn't let that happen.
“I like you vicious because it makes me feel alive, Ember,” he said slowly. “Youmake me feel alive.”
“Stop,” I muttered, but my breath didn’t cooperate. It caught, just a little, like my body overlooked the whole fact we hated him.
The silence between us stretched for a moment, and I knew he was doing it deliberately. He didn’t even try to touch me because he didn’t have to.That was the fucking problem.The closer he was, the more I felt everything—my pulse climbed, heat crept into my face, even my fingers wanted to curl just to give the tension somewhere to go.
“Make me,” he replied softly, “and pick one.” He leaned in,just enough for me to feel the shift of his chest, the contact that almost happened.
“You aren’t—” I started, but the words fell apart halfway through. I didn’t even know what I was trying to claim.
His hand lifted, and every part of me noticed. I didn’t flinch away like I hoped I would, and I knew it was because my body craved him. When his fingers brushed my arm lightly, it was like a spark ran straight through me.Damn it.His hand lingered before intentionally running up along my arm like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
By the time his fingers reached my neck, my pulse raced. As his hand wrapped around my throat, the feeling within me amplified—immediate and undeniable. I could feel the proof underneath his fingertips, my heart, completely betraying me. Although on the outside there were no signs, just my eyes locked on his mask.
“Still not scared?” he murmured.
I shook my head because I didn’t trust my voice anymore.
His thumb shifted slightly against my neck, and goosebumps broke out across my skin.
“You’re right,” he said quietly, as his other fingers moved between my legs, “that’s not fear.”
