Page 56 of Lord of Ruin

“He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen and the best kisser there is. I’m certain of that. When he saved my life that night, forcing me to remove the bullet from his shoulder and acting all badass before he gave me ten thousand dollars for my trouble, he kissed me. I mean he really kissed me. It was at that moment for the very first time in my life my knees were knocking and I was breathless. You know all those couples in erotic romance novels, the author talks about vibrant stars floating or shooting in front of the girl’s eyes?”

Elena didn’t say a word. She just stared at me with wide eyes, the setting sun highlighting her shock and awe.

I giggled, which wasn’t like me either. “Well, I had them. And let me tell you they weren’t just vibrant. They were neon in color. Bright orange and fuchsia, passion purples and cobalt blue. And chartreuse. I was so floored I stood in the same place after he’d left me alone for almost thirty minutes. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe or think. It was crazy. Just crazy. And I had fantasies about him that night. I mean whoa, baby, that kind of dark and filthy fantasy that would make even the hardcore romance reader blush and swoon. They’d also reach for their vibrator, which is exactly what I did, but it wasn’t satisfactory at all. How could it be? He wasn’t there with me. Touching me. Tasting me. Teasing me. But I tell you what, when I woke up that morning from what little sleep I’d had, I was hot and wet all over.”

The silence in the SUV was deafening. Until one of the goons up front cleared their throat and I wanted to crawl under one of the seats and stay there.

“And I vomited from the mouth just a little bit. Oops.”

She was the one fanning her face this time, both men shifting uncomfortably. As Elena sat back in her seat, I dropped my face into my hands, unable to keep from laughing.

“That was… amazing. I tell you this. You two have it bad for each other. Bad. My God. I need to open a window.”

And she did.

While I remained mortified and she took up the silence by jabbering about various things, all I could think about was the dozens of comments she’d made about her brother. She was right in that I hadn’t really asked him any questions. I hadn’t wanted to try to get into his mind or find out what he liked to eat, although he’d told me pizza. I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing.

Maybe I could like the man after all.

A couple of minutes later, Jarvis pulled into the driveway, taking his time heading toward the house. Twilight had settled in, darkness soon to follow. It seemed every light had been turned on outside, including the backyard. I was able to see a warm glow coming from around one side.

“He’s pissed. Just be prepared,” Elena said as soon as the SUV’s engine was cut.

“He can get over it.” I didn’t wait for the door to be opened for me. While I didn’t want to fight with the man, I wasn’t going to allow him to bully me either. We’d played it safe. I hadn’t tried to run. We’d been protected the entire time. For him to act like I had a curfew was ridiculous.

And unacceptable.

“We’ll get the bags, Miss Diamondis,” Bruno said, his eyebrows lifted in amusement as he looked at me. “It was fun getting to know you, Miss Kilborne.”

“Thank you, Bruno. For everything.” I wasn’t certain of any of my actions any longer. I rose onto my tiptoes, giving him a kiss on the cheek. While he seemed shocked and flattered, the moment I pulled away, I noticed Stavros was standing just outside the open door directly under one of the lights.

And man, I’d never seem him so pissed; the steam was billowing like it was coming from a dragon.

Elena caught what I was looking at and whistled.

I was ready to issue a nasty retort when he turned on his heel and walked inside, slamming the door after him.

“Did I happen to mention he can be a little moody? Just a tad bit?” She pinched her thumb and index finger together and I snorted in response.

“Well, he can get over it real quick.” I planted my hand on my hip and headed toward the door.

“I’m going with you. It’s my fault.”

“Nothing is your fault, Elena. You were asked to take me shopping. You did that and much more. Handling your brother is something I need to do on my own. Okay?”

She groaned from beside me. “I’ll help the boys with the bags. We’ll leave them just inside. Maybe you can call me and we’ll have lunch soon.”

“I would if he hadn’t smashed my phone.”

“You’re kidding?” She seemed appalled.

“Well, to be fair, I was attempting to call the police.”

She pressed her hand over her mouth, unable to hold back laughter. “Priceless. Just priceless.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“You need a phone in case of emergencies. I’ll talk to him.”