Page 16 of Ruin
Turns out there isn’t as much security at this place as they claim because no one does much to stop the giant man from hauling me away, though knowing how Ruin’s face has looked all night, I can’t say I blame them.
“What are you doing?” I ask plainly. There’s no use in kicking and screaming. I couldn’t change his mind right now if I wanted to.
“We’re leaving,” he growls.
“Yeah, I see that, but why? We just got here. Nothing happened.”
He pushes open the front door and hauls me through before setting me down outside. The cool breeze feels nice cycling through my lungs. “Thank fucking god nothing happened, Peach. What the fuck? I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“Ruin… seriously, what’s going on?” I can’t figure why a man who’s lived on the edge his whole life is suddenly filled with a sense of modesty.
He kicks his boot against the cement and paces back and forth for a long moment before hauling me up onto his shoulders again. I see it coming this time, but even knowing his plan, I couldn’t stop him if I wanted to.
When we’re finally at the truck, he settles me inside, and buckles me up. I’m not sure if this is for safety or because he doesn’t want me to get away. I’m guessing the latter as he closes the truck door with a lot more force than he had earlier.
As he rounds the truck and climbs in the driver’s seat, he lets out a gruff grunt, starts the engine, and peels out of the parking lot as though we’ve just stolen the crown jewels and we’re running for our lives. I open my mouth to speak half a dozen times but close it again before anything comes out.
“I’m sorry,” Ruin finally groans. “That was a lot.”
“Why? It’s my birthday.”
“Yes, it is. I owe you one adventure, but that wasn’t it.”
I huff and cross my arms over my chest. “Tell me that wasn’t personal.”
He shakes his head, not bothering to look toward me. “What?”
“Tell me that wasn’t personal. Did you haul me out of there because you have feelings for me, or was that about your allegiance to my brother?” It’s a long shot, but I need to know. Between the compliments, the necklace, his hand in mine, the way he protects me, the way he listens to me, I need to hear him say something about his feelings. I have to know now! I’ll take any litmus test that tells me the truth about this big, bad, biker I need so desperately… and I’m not letting up until I get my answer.
Chapter Six
Ruin
I drive in silence until we’re out of the city and I see pine trees again. The night is extra dark with no moon, but there aren’t a lot of clouds in the sky.
Peach has taken to crossing her arms over her chest and watching the darkness pass. It’s probably for the best that we take a second. I acted like a fucking animal and I’m not sure how to respond to that. I’m especially not sure how to react to her question.
I could tell her the truth, which clears up a lot, or I could keep bullshitting. Either way, I’m not being real with someone.
“Peach.”
“Don’t call me Peach.” Her tone is rough and agitated.
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m not your peach. You carried me out of that place like a monster and you won’t even explain yourself. I feel like everything is a lie.”
“What do you mean?”
“You… you’ve always been so good to me, Ruin. You listen, you care, you make me feel seen. Like, more seen than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Then tonight, on the most important night of my life, you turn into this… an ogre!”
I’m not usually affected by words, but hers punch me in the stomach until the waves of pain become too much to bear. I pull into a turn around on the side of the road and tuck behind an outcropping of trees before killing the engine and turning toward her.
I unbuckle her belt and pull her close, wrapping my hand around her delicate throat. “You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful and I’ve been in love with you for years, Peach. When you date, I want to rip the dude’s face off. When you talk about other guys, I want to fucking break them. When you came to me and told me you were going to give your virginity to some asshole at a club, I wanted to fucking murder everyone.” My tone is deep as I hold her throat in my hand.
“Why go then?”
I can feel an inadvertent chuckle escape my lungs as I say, “Because you wanted adventure, and I hate disappointing you. Plus, how can I rationalize any of this? I’ve lived my life and filled it with wild experiences… because I’m decades older than you. I can’t expect you to hold back on your adventures now because I want you to.” I hold steady with her gaze. “That said, I’ve wanted to fuck you for as long as I can remember, my little peach.”