Page 98 of Ruin Me

“Oh, not really. This is the best paid gig I’ve ever had. My employer makes sure I’m paid for every hour I’m working.” Pierre opened the door of a Porsche Cayenne SUV and my doubts softened to a whisper.

Now Ife was generous, but this level seemed more excessive than usual. Plus, with the uncertainty surrounding our relationship, this level of luxury seemed out of place. We drove past Saint Ginelle’s capital and into the mountains. Despite the island’s small size, we drove for an hour over steep, well-maintained roads. During the ride, Pierre pointed out sights of interest and little history lessons he’d learned as a child.

I hummed my interest, but my unease grew. Despite Pierre’s jovial manner, the more remote our surroundings became, the more life and volume the whispers I had before getting in the car gained.

Had I taken one look at this man’s fancy vehicle and convinced myself he was safe? Now, like a fool, I’ll never be seen or heard from again?

Please, Lord, don’t make this be the end of me.

“We’re here.” Paul directed the car through a dense copse and my panic almost deafened me. Then we broke from the thicket and my breath left me.

A concrete mansion of one, two, three, no, four stories stood at the end of the drive. Lush palm trees of various species, hibiscus flower bushes, birds of paradise, and ginger flowers proliferated the front yard.

Pierre opened my door, startling me. I hadn’t realized we’d stopped. I exited the car to walk up the two stairs to the wooden front door.

A woman opened the door as soon as I stood before the glass inlays. “You must be Ms. Montgomery. Call me Marion. We’ve been expecting you.” She took my bag from Pierre and looked me over. “You must be real tired. Follow me and I’ll show you to your room.”

Was it my wrinkled clothes? I pulled my shirt down and brushed at the folds.

Or was it my face? I touched my cheeks and under my eyes, wondering what she’d seen for her to draw her conclusion. Even if I was exhausted, she didn’t have to exaggerate how pronounced my condition was. I shrugged away my annoyance, understanding my sensitive reaction was a symptom of my weariness. “Where is Ife?” I asked, fighting a yawn out of sheer stubbornness. I refused to give more reason for Marion to remark on my current state.

“Ife? Oh, well, everyone went to town. They should be back shortly.”

Marion led me to an enormous suite on the first floor. The room opened to a private porch with an infinity pool and patio furniture.

“If you need anything, there’s an intercom by the door. I’ll return with some refreshments. I’m sure the food on the plane was not the best.”

Feeling icky after Marion’s comment about my appearance, I jumped into the shower as soon as she left. As water pounded my muscles, I tried to revive myself with a second wind, but I’d used my second, third, and fourth winds while flying. I almost fell asleep with the washcloth in my hand and almost slipped on the wet tile.

It would be just like me to sprain or even break something in the shower because I was so tired my body wanted to shut down on me. I rushed through the rest of my shower and barely donned a sleep shirt before crashing on the bed. Of course,I didn’t forget the sleep aid I’d depended on since leaving Douglas. My muscles locked into position with Kent’s portrait pressed against my chest and everything else on strike. Not even the delectable scent of freshly baked bread roused me, despite my stomach growling its need.

After I fell asleep, a furnace warmed my spine, and a heavy weight covered my arms. My body relaxed into the comforting heat. My sleepy brain told my mouth to say, “Kent.” But I’d gotten used to uttering his name at random in the state between waking and sleeping, so hearing his name on my lips didn’t jar me to full awareness.

The bed bounced and more weight landed on my legs, heating another part of my body. The action jolted me awake, however, my heavy, dry eyes refused to open and I was on my way to falling asleep again. Moments later, soft fur brushed against my skin, burrowing under the small space between my arms and the bed. When the bundle began to vibrate and emit a soothing purr, my eyes popped open and I almost jumped out of bed, all signs of my prior exhaustion dissipating after the sudden adrenaline injection.

My heart pounded in my ear as I stretched toward the night table and fumbled around for the lamp. I clicked the light on and gasped. The portrait of Kent I fell asleep with stared at me. Benson and Stabler raised their heads while their tails pounded against the mattress, taking my attention off the photo I should still have clutched to my chest. Tyger, who I’d displaced by rising, rose and pressed his forepaws on my chest so he could close the distance to my chin. He rubbed his face against mine, over and over, making up for the weeks he’d missed.

Even as joy filled me for being reunited with my animals, their presence meant one thing. I shifted my vision without moving another part of my body. From the corner of my eye, the very sexy torso that had dominated my sexier dreams lay in reallife. An internal tug of war began. Joy pulled from one end while Sadness and Fear teamed up to destroy any progress Joy made.

I reached for the edge of the sheet to flip it over and make a hasty escape when a shiny glimmer halted me. On my fourth finger was the most obscene diamond ring I’d ever seen. I couldn’t take my eyes off the glittering canary yellow color or the size that spanned past my knuckle.

“What the fuck…” I said without moving my lips.

“Good, you’re awake.” Kent sat upright and scooched until his spine met the headboard.

I spun on him and ignored his sexy, rumpled hair and sleepy eyes. “H-h-how are you he—Why is this on my f-f-finger?” I shoved my hand under his nose and wiggled my finger.

He took my hand and kissed the ring then my knuckles. “Ask me something else. Like why, even though I want to pick a fight with you for leaving us the way you did, I can’t because I’m so damn happy to know you’re safe? Or why a man you ruined would track you down so he could spend the rest of his life ensuring you kept ruining him?”

“What about, how did you find me?” I tried to get out of bed, but Benson and Stabler took turns jumping on me and keeping me hostage.

“They sat by the door every day waiting for you to come home. The same way I did. And it wasn’t comfortable. I wish I’d had your picture at night to make my dreams less chaotic, but I had the letter you left. It smelled of you, and although I hated seeing it, the paper held the memory of your tears.”

I stretched my neck to avoid the puppy kisses the dogs directed at my face. It was a ploy to ignore the most heartfelt of his confessions. I wasn’t ready to hear about his suffering, because I would have to confront I’m the reason behind it.

“How is that possible? You’re the CEO. You love Luxe Locations so much you fought hard to maintain your title.” Iavoided watching him. I had to. If not, he would see the chink in my armor and exploit my weakness.

Kent pulled Benson then Stabler off me and commanded them to stay. While they settled, Kent cocked his head to study me. “Funny how losing someone will put things into perspective. For me, being available if you chose to return home was more important than budgets, market strategies, or the next development.”

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