Page 39 of Ruined

Reuben's brow smoothed. "Ah."

"You know?" I asked.

"I suspected." He inclined his head.

"And?" I prompted. "Can I ask if it's reciprocated?"

"How would you feel if it was?" he asked carefully.

"Happy for you both," I said without hesitation.

"It wouldn't be about us picking each other over you," he said, frowning again. "We both want you as well."

"I was hoping you'd say that," I admitted. "I didn't want to make things any messier than they already are. I mean figuratively messy, not literally." My face heated.

A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"But I wouldn't have stood in the way if that was what you wanted," I added quickly. "You haven't said what that is."

"I'm not sure what the answer is to your questions," he said carefully. "There's an attraction there, but we've never acted on it. I wasn't sure if he wanted to, or what it would do to our working relationship. And I thought maybe he and Gianni might have a thing."

"I don't think Gianni would object to anything and everything," I said. "Me, Damon, you. Any combination of the above. But I'm certain Damon wants you as much as I do." I stood on my toes and lightly kissed his mouth. The idea of seeing those three men together was enough to set my panties on fire. How would it feel to be in the middle of all that testosterone and muscle?

Reuben placed a hand on my hip and deepened the kiss. His tongue delved into my mouth, tasting my lips and brushing over my teeth.

"I can't stop thinking about the other night," he said against my lips. "The way your mouth felt on my cock. I've been hard as a rock ever since. All I can think about is tasting you."

His words made me wet before he finished speaking. His voice was a low, compelling rumble that sent my pulse racing.

The only thing I could say in response was, "Please."

He hooked a hand around the back of my neck and kissed me while walking me over to the massive couch that sat facing the view.

Giving me a chance to pull away, he guided me until I was lying on my back, my ass on the edge of the couch. He worked the buttons on my jeans loose and pulled them down to my ankles.

I pushed off my shoes and kicked my legs until my jeans fell onto the floor.

He knelt in front of me and looked at me, his eyes dark with need. "I don't want to go too fast for you."

I swallowed hard before grabbing the hem of my shirt and pulling it up over my head. I tossed it aside and lay back, dressed only in a red lace bra and panties.

My blood was on fire. My body ached to be touched, but my scars made me self-conscious. I wanted to curl up around myself.

I forced myself to lay still and try to relax. He wasn't going to hurt me, I knew that. He was looking at me like he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

He gently traced a line up my thigh and across my stomach, circling the scars with the tip of his finger like he was worshipping each of them.

"I know you hate these," he whispered. "But they're a sign of how strong you are. After everything you went through, you didn't break. I have scars too, some on the inside, some on the outside. Every one helped to shape us into the people we are today. They say we can be beaten but not broken. They say 'fuck you' to anyone who dared to try."

He pulled down the cup of my bra that covered my ruined nipple. Slowly, he leaned forward to trace circles around it with his tongue. For the longest time, that was all he did, tasting my skin and my scars, like nothing in the world was more important, beautiful or delicious.

Finally, he pulled down the other cup and suckled on my nipple until I was quivering and my self-consciousness was forgotten.

With gentle fingers, he parted my knees and kissed his way up one thigh and down the other. He kissed his way back up and grabbed onto my panties with his teeth.

With a playful expression I'd never seen on his face before, he pulled them down my legs with his mouth before opening his lips and dropping them on the floor. He looked pleased with himself.

I smiled at him before I sat up just high enough to unhook my bra and slide it off my arms. I swallowed back another wave of self-consciousness. I'd never been naked in front of anyone in daylight before.

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