Page 74 of Ruining Vanessa

“I was right,” I point out. “He was very happy not to have missed it. He got to see his father utterly humiliated, and we got Vanessa out of it.” I brush my knuckles against her cheek.

She flinches, but she doesn’t pull away. She obviously doesn’t have the same pleasant memories Giulio and I do about the wedding, though. “I’m glad you two are happy,” she mutters.

Slayer barks out a laugh. “Yeah, glad to see you’ve still got some spirit in you,” he tells Vanessa.

“Would you have been happier if the wedding had gone off without a hitch?” I ask calmly. “Maybe your sister would have convinced Emilio to keep you… pure.”

She doesn’t look at me, staring instead at her lap. “At least she wouldn’t have been with three mafia men. She could’ve handled Emilio.”

Slayer sits down on the armchair and stretches his legs out on the ottoman. “You Bellini chicks have the best luck, huh. But honestly, Emilio was bad fucking news. You’ve seen Elena. The crime scene photos from Clarissa’s murder were… Jesus, they turned my stomach.”

“But they changed her,” Vanessa says quietly. “She wasn’t the same person anymore when she got back.”

If only she knew how much Lucia Bellini has changed in the time she’s spent with Victor Corvi and his men. None of us have told her the rumors we’ve heard from Benton City about her sister, but Lucia is definitely better off than she would’ve been marrying Emilio. Both of them are.

“Well, no one would be,” Slayer says almost reasonably. “You aren’t the same person you were a few months ago either.”

“Even Giulio isn’t the same as he was.” I wrap my arm around Vanessa’s shoulder and urge her to rest against me. “This is a good thing for you, Vanessa. You’re with people who value you now. Your father looked down on you. Your mother resented you. Your sister thought you were weak and needed protecting. Your old boyfriend…” I just barely manage to conceal a sneer. “Giulio said he called you ugly and boring.”

Slayer watches us, but he doesn’t interject until the last bit. “And you aren’t either of those things. You’re gorgeous, and you’re fascinating, even if you’re too damn tall. You’re never allowed to wear heels.”

Vanessa makes a face, looking between us like she doesn’t know how to react to the words. “My sister didn’t think I was weak,” she says, though she falters over the words. “She was just being a good big sister, is all. Don’t worry, I’ll only wear heels if I ever want to break my neck. But why are you all so obsessed with Brad? It was over ages ago.”

I can’t explain why I’m happy to share Vanessa with Giulio—and, reluctantly, with Slayer—but the thought of some immature college kid touching her makes something boil inside me. It certainly doesn’t help knowing how terrible this Brad had been to her.

“He didn’t deserve to touch you,” I say flatly.

Vanessa sighs. “But it was like… a year ago. More than that. Seriously, Damien, it’s not a big deal.”

“Of course it’s a big deal,” Slayer says, sitting up a little. “It fucked with your head and made you feel like shit.”

“And you think you’ve never made me feel like shit, or fucked with my head?” Vanessa asks, her voice suddenly sharp. She pulls away from me. “Why do you hate someone you’ve never met for it, but you don’t seem to have a problem doing it yourself?”

I glance at Slayer, then back to Vanessa. “We make you feel good,” I point out. “Every time. Did your college boyfriend make sure you were satisfied?”

Vanessa blushes. “Well, no, but—”

“See?” Slayer interrupts. “We’re not that bad to you, Vanessa.”

Vanessa stares at him, blinking a few times, then lets out a choked-sounding laugh. “Right,” she says, not looking for an instant like she believes him. There’s obviously more she wants to say, but she stays quiet instead.

Slayer and I share a glance, and for once, we seem to be on the same page. Slayer slowly gets up and takes a seat on Vanessa’s other side. He leans in, nuzzling her neck, and she freezes.

“Hey,” he says softly, almost soothingly. “It’s okay. Just let us remind you how good we can be for you, yeah?”

I gently take hold of her chin and lean in to kiss her. “You’re doing well, Vanessa. Being perfect for us.”

“You’re trying to distract me,” Vanessa says, her breath against my lips.

I trail my hand down to her neck and rest it there, feeling her little inhalations. Slayer snorts, but his hand is under the blanket now, rubbing along Vanessa’s thigh.

Over the budding scars.

“Let yourself be distracted a little bit,” Slayer coaxes her, sliding his hand up higher. “You know we can make you feel amazing.”

I kiss Vanessa again to keep her from protesting, and she lets out a muffled sound. I ignore it, kissing her more deeply as she starts to squirm.

I take her hand and place it over my clothed cock, which is already growing hard. “Look at what you do to me, Vanessa,” I murmur. “Since the first day I laid eyes on you.” I move to nibble on her jaw. “Take me out. Get me fully hard.”

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