Page 75 of Ruined Wrath
“Scout—” Cormac starts.
“We don’t talk about Bruno!” I join along, which has Scout almost falling off his chair from laughing so hard.
“You should be concerned that you have the same taste in films and music as a five-year-old,” Cormac warns me.
I flash him a grin. “What can I say? I’ve always been a kid at heart.”
At least I was, before Carly died and Lorcan started treating me like his own personal puppet.
The thought flashes in my mind so quickly that I almost drop my wine.
It’s like an automatic reaction. Every time I start feeling some semblance of happiness, I do or think something to mess it up.
But not today. I refuse to let thoughts of Lorcan or Carly ruin this moment with Scout and Cormac.
After we finish our second helpings of dessert, including Cormac, the three of us head into the downstairs lounge area, which feels like a ski lodge in the middle of Aspen.
The ceiling soars two stories high with exposed timber beams and a wall of windows showing nothing but the black forest beyond through the faintly fogged glass. But what really catches my attention is the massive stone fireplace, which is tall enough for Cormac to stand inside. The heat from the fire can be felt across the room, and low leather couches and oversized armchairs are arranged in a loose circle around it.
I collapse onto one of the couches beside the fire and draw a plaid blanket over my knees. “Oh, I could stay here forever.”
“Me too!” Scout announces.
“Don’t get too close to the fire,” Cormac warns, but Scout isn’t listening.
He kneels in front of the wooden table and pulls off his backpack.
“Fiona, have you ever playedTop Trumps?”
“I’m actually the reigning world champion ofTop Trumps.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It sure is, but if you’re too scared to play against me…”
“I’m not!’ Scout says quickly.
Cormac chuckles as he drops down onto the couch beside me.
The fact that he’s willingly choosing to be in close proximity to me has my heart racing.
I keep my attention on Scout, pretending not to notice, but how can I not when his knee is barely an inch from mine? It’s embarrassing how much effect he has on me, but I can’t help it.
My body is drawn to him like a magnet.
Thankfully, Scout is here to stop me from doing something stupid like climbing into his lap and kissing him.
Scout shuffles the cards clumsily and deals them out between the three of us. We play for a few rounds, with Scout endlessly giggling, and me pretending I’m not ridiculously competitive.
Every so often, I catch Cormac’s eyes on me, but he always looks away, pretending not to notice.
I only wonder if he realizes how carefully I watch him in return.
I want to ask what he’s thinking, but I don’t. He seems to be softening toward me, that much I can tell from the way he’s letting me back into his orbit bit by bit.
But I also know he carries his wounds like a shield, and while I can see him trying to move past what I did, he must still think about it. God knows I do. I think about it all the time, wishing I could change the past and get back what we used to have.
Cormac sets his cards down after our fourth game. “Okay, that’s it. Bedtime.”
