Page 26 of Ruined

Of course there would be a caveat.

"If I lie to you again, you'll be furious," I guessed.

"Precisely," he agreed. "I don't expect to know all of your secrets, but never look straight at me and lie, and I'll extend the same courtesy to you."

"I won't," I promised. "I'm not keeping anything else from you, that I can think of. Except…"

In the light coming from the kitchen, I saw his eyebrow arch.

"I've always had a thing for you," I confessed. "You were imposing and so many people were intimidated by you, but I felt drawn to you. I figured a man like you wouldn't be interested in a girl like me. Partly because of the part I played as sweet innocent little Mina, and partly because of what I really was behind that mask. I don't think ‘assassin’ is in one of the top ten most trusted professions."

"Neither is mob boss," he pointed out. "Although, it should be. Both of us are loyal, driven and ruthless. I consider those to be positive attributes."

He draped an arm over my shoulders and rubbed the pad of his thumb across the side of my upper arm.

"We're more alike than you might think. Including the attraction between us. I was waiting until you were old enough, but with the expectation you'd reject me. Which does come back to the sweet façade. You played that role to perfection. If I knew exactly who you were, I would have made a move sooner. Before Kurt got to you. It's his fault I missed out on all those years with you."

"He has a lot to answer for." So fucking much. "For the record, I never would have rejected you." I leaned against him, enjoying his warmth and masculine scent. "Things could have been very different."

"They could have," he agreed. "You might have been the key to keeping the twins in line."

I snorted softly. "I don't think I have that kind of influence over them. That might have gone the other way though. They could have led me astray." If anyone would try, it'd be them.

"Not if they wanted their heads attached to their bodies," he growled. "I think their survival instincts are too strong to cross that line."

"If not, you could have taken out a hit on them," I said. "Which I wouldn't have taken, because they're basically family to me too."

"Don't tell them that, it'll go to their heads," he said dryly. "Although, I'm not sure they can get egos bigger than the ones they already have. But let's not talk about them."

He turned his face and brushed his lips over mine. The kiss was tentative at first, the memory of those photos weighing heavily between us.

I'd freaked out when I saw them, but, like everything else, I was determined to put them behind me. If I held back too much, more than I wanted to, then he won.

Fuck that.

I deepened the kiss, tasting his lips and the inside of his mouth with my tongue.

He turned me to him and placed his other hand on my hip.

"Mina…" He said against my mouth.

"Reuben." I pulled back and whispered, "I want to…taste you."

I moved my hand down to the front of his suit trousers. His cock was already hard, straining against the fabric.

"I don't want you doing anything you're not ready for," he said. He seemed like he was about to pull away from me, for my own sake.

"I'm ready for this." I slipped away from him and knelt down on the cool grass in front of the bench.

Hands trembling slightly, I undid the front of his pants and pulled the sides apart. Only his black silk boxers were between his cock and the tips of my fingers.

I touched him carefully, stroking my fingers up and down his erection before I was brave enough to pull down his boxers, letting it spring free.

I ran the tips of my fingers around his head, brushing my thumb over the bead of pre-cum that glistened on his tip.

He quivered under my touch. "Fuck, Mina," he whispered. His expression was strained with the effort to keep from pumping himself into my hand. He wanted this to happen on my terms. There was time later for him to be dominant. Right now, I was the one in charge.

This was the first time in my life I had my face, voluntarily, this close to a man's cock. There was no persuasion, no force. If I stepped away right now, he'd be frustrated, but wouldn't press.

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