Page 64 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

He sighed and cast a glance down as he stood at the side of his bed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not some girl, Iv? And what am I supposed to do, sleep without a blanket? You’re currently wrapped in the only one I have.”

“Oh.”

He set her down on a cool mattress, and she sat up. It was too dark to see much, but she could tell his room wasn’t nearly as barren as the rest of the apartment. Silhouettes scattered the room, CDs and knick-knacks were stacked on his dresser while clothes were strewn across a pile of boxes next to his desk.

Looking at his personal space felt forbidden. Like she might find out some scary secret he kept from the rest of the world. But he’d already told her all his secrets, even though they had been scary. She didn’t know how to feel about all of it, or more accurately, how he wanted her to feel about all of it. About knowing his past and being the reason he’d almost given up on finding out the truth. About seeing a side of him he’d tried so hard to eradicate.

Her gaze honed in on the most important part of the room: her black knight. Broad shoulders rippled as he balanced against the dresser to take off his socks, then turned and stripped off his shirt.

She gasped, now wide awake.

“Adrian!” He faced her, and more of the sickly blue-green bruise wrapping under his arm came into view. “What the heck is that?”

Another bruise ran up his forearm, skin dark and mottled like spilled ink. It was the most painful thing she’d ever seen. “Are those from Jace?”

“Shh,” he whispered, switching off the light to hide his wounds and crawling into bed next to her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll heal.”

“That,” she emphasized, “has to stop. You can’t put yourself at risk, either. It’s not how this works.” Her hand tenderly moved along his side, eyes adjusting to the dark. The ugly mark remained visible even in the shadows. “Did you get it checked out?”

He gave a resigned sigh as if remembering how stubborn she could be and placed a hand over hers. “No. All a doctor would tell me to do is get rest. There’s nothing else to do for a cracked rib.”

She groaned. “I hate seeing you like this. What if it was me who’d gotten bruised?”

“If Jace gave you a bruise, I would kill him,” Adrian said, suddenly not dismissive at all.

“Exactly. Now, what am I supposed to do? Go beat him up for you?” She was joking. Mostly.

He pulled her down beside him and drew her against his muscled chest. Furry wisps of dark hair tickled her cheek. “I explained he had to think he won, didn’t I? That means I took a few hits here and there. It’s nothing I wasn’t prepared for.”

She huffed against him, still annoyed, but his skin felt warm, and cuddling sounded much better than fighting. In the end, there was nothing else to do but let it heal. “I know,” she whispered.

But—one way or another, Jace had to pay. They couldn’t put this behind them. Not for his father’s sake or for his friend’s. Or for Adrian’s.

“You know how Eve was made from Adam’s rib?” he murmured, dipping his nose into her hair.

“Yeah,” she replied.

“Well I have you now, so I get an extra rib. No need to worry about my old ones.”

She scoffed and laid her head on his arm, careful not to pressure his side. “You only get one extra.”

He smiled. “I know. Ribs are pretty important. Do you know why?”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because they protect your heart.”

Hers gave a profound thud of its own at his implication, and she curled into him, moving her hand over his heart. She let her fingers run through the patch of coarse hair between his pecs, hoping her touch reached deeper than mere flesh and blood. “Then I’ll do my best to protect yours.”

“Thank you,” he whispered. For a moment, his hard exterior cracked, and the strong beat of his heart resonated under her hand. It reminded her of all the sorrow he’d held in for years, all the grief he didn’t know where to put, all the anger he’d tried to keep at bay. He’d been alone, too. He didn’t only need someone to hold, but someone who wouldn’t let go.

“Remember what you said about holding me?” she whispered. “That you wouldn’t be able to let go?”

“Mhm,” he hummed, wedging them closer with a strong pull of his arm. When she hesitated, he tipped up her chin, eyes black diamonds in the dark.

“You make me feel the same way,” she finished under her breath.

“Oh Iv…” His hand moved to her jaw, thumb dancing at the corner of her mouth. “I know. I’ve always known. And because of that, you have no idea what else I want to make you feel.”

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