Page 12 of Ruined

Then I waited.

FOUR

LUCA

I stared into an empty shower.

My brain glitched as the steam swirled around me.

He wasn’t here.

The world slowed. Every sound stretched—the drip of water, the hum from the ventilation, the faint noises from the street.

I stepped back, my foot brushing against the bathmat. I swung my head toward the doorway.

Nobody there.

My breathing shallowed. I edged out of the bathroom. The bedroom was empty, lit by the glow spilling in from the city.

I clutched the knife tighter.

Where the fuck is he?

My eyes darted to the rumpled sheets on the bed. I moved closer, and the floorboards creaked. I glanced behind me. The bathroom door still hung open, steam creeping into the bedroom. He couldn’t have left. Could he?

I turned, and arms locked around my chest and neck, yanking me against a solid body. My feet slipped.

We crashed to the floor, Dominic’s weight pinning me down. He gripped my arm, the one clutching the knife, and forced it above my head. His other hand wrapped my throat. His face hovered inches from mine. Every line of his naked body pressed into me, the contact searing through my clothes.

Heat rippled through me as Dominic tightened his grip on my throat. My fingers relaxed around the handle. He snatched it, turning it against me. My heart raced, my gaze traveling down his face to his muscled chest.

The blade bit into my throat, dragging my focus to his face. Then Dominic yanked me upright. His hazel eyes burned into mine.

“You’re here to kill me, and this is the best you could do?”

He tilted the blade in his hand, inspecting it like he was judging its worth. The bastard smiled, and my stomach churned. He tossed the knife onto the bed and strode to the nightstand.

I froze, my eyes darting to the door. I could make it?—

“Don’t.”

His voice stopped me. My blood chilled as he grabbed a few things. Handcuffs and a gun. He turned, the barrel leveled at my chest.

“Sit.”

I hesitated.

He darkened. “Don’t make me ask twice, Luca.”

The sound of my name in his mouth twisted inside me. My knees buckled before my brain caught up, and I sank into the chair by the desk.

Dominic approached me. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

I complied, my fingers twitching on the armrests. My eyes flicked to the nightstand. I didn’t even think to check for weapons. Fuck me.

Dominic stood over me, his lip curling. “You’re bold, I’ll give you that.Stupid, but bold.”

He leaned over me, his bare skin inches from my face. Keeping the gun on me, Dominic moved with infuriating ease. He grabbed my wrist, snapping the first cuff on, then dragged my arm behind the chair. His bruising grip disappeared as the second cuff clicked into place.

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