Page 89 of Rebel's Fairytale

Watching Rebel attack and end the man’s life should have been more traumatic to her in the moment, but instead, she had just been grateful that he was there and worried about his mental state. That was the second man she had seen him take out in defense of people he cared about. That couldn’t be an easy thing to live with.

When she wasn’t a shaking mess, she would need to check in with him about that and gauge where he was at emotionally. To a man like Rebel, it would weigh on him at least a little bit. She needed to keep an eye on that.

There was a loud noise as Rebel dropped something in the sink. Ruby instantly jumped and let out a shout as her heart rate picked up and her breathing became shallower.

Fuck!She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. You’re okay. It was Rebel. It’s okay. Everything’s fine. You’re safe.

“Ruby,” Rebel said, softly.

She opened her eyes to see him standing a few feet in front of her with a mug in his hands and a worried expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

He held out the mug to her. “Chai. It will help with the adrenaline crash.”

She nodded and took the mug from him. Cupping it with her hands, she put it to her lips and took a sip. “Thank you.”

Rebel lifted the edge of her blanket and slid in next to her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he leaned in and kissed her temple. “Things are going to be tense for you for a bit, but it will fade.”

She nodded again. “I know.”

“I’m so damn proud of you, though. You defended yourself. I knew you were strong, but yeah… I’m just fucking proud of you.”

Looking over at him, she gave him a smile. “I wasn’t going to let him win.”

“Damn right,” he mumbled and returned her smile.

She let her gaze travel over his handsome face. From his golden green eyes to his soft lips and full beard, he was so damn handsome. Knowing there was an intellectual behind the leather and badass only increased his hotness factor. The fact that he was willing to lay his life on the line for the people he cared about just sealed the deal that he was her perfect mate.

“I love you,” she whispered.

His eyes softened as he cupped the back of her head. He leaned in and said, “I love you, too, Ruby,” against her lips before he took them in a deep, slow kiss.

By the time he broke the kiss, her hands had settled, but her heart was beating fast for another reason. She didn’t push for more, though. Instead, she just cuddled into his chest and sipped her chai, letting both of them soothe her frayed nerves.

Chapter twenty-eight

Rock

Rockknewhewasin the doghouse. He knew that even though he agreed to not stand in the way of her doing what she felt was right, he had still implied that she wouldn’t be able to handle it and had also tried to take away her choices.

While he thought his intent was important, it didn’t excuse his behavior. He fucked up, and he needed to make it right. For once, he was happy the kids were gone for the night. It would make it easier for them to make up, whether they did that through fighting or fucking.

After his shower, he returned to the bedroom to find her sitting up in bed, reading on her e-reader. A bit of a win surged his system to know that he had bought that for her as a congratulations gift when she secured her job at the store. She had mentioned that it was hard for her to read on the phone because the screen was so small, so he made sure she had what she needed to get her fix. Along with the e-reader, he sent her a gift card to her favorite online bookstore to stock up.

He was thanked with a sexy pic of her holding the e-reader in bed, wearing nothing but her panties. Not that he needed a thank you, but it was the best thank you he ever received.

After he let himself remember that and appreciate it, he leaned against the door jamb and crossed his arms over his chest. “Diamond.”

She didn’t look up from the screen. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I just—“

“Leave it atI’m sorry,or you might fuck it up, Rock.“ She still didn’t look at him.

Fuck!She was so damn gorgeous, even when she was pissed at him. Her full, sexy lips were pursed, making him want to nibble them until they relaxed, and her curls were begging for his hand to fist in them while he fucked her slow.