Page 1 of Ruthless Love

ONE

MARISSA

"How doesit feel to have your soon-to-be-ex-husband fucking your brains out, Ris? Absolutely railing you. Is this what you wanted? Is this what was missing between us?" His hot breath feathers along my jawline as he buries his mouth in my neck, bruising the skin with his punishing lips.

I jolt awake, my heart pounding in my chest, sweat pouring from my brow. This isn't the first time I've dreamt about Cain since he left, but this is the clearest one, the most erotic. Closing my eyes, I inhale roughly, rubbing a hand through my now wet hair.

Glancing at the clock, I see the time. Six in the morning. Too late for me to go back to sleep, too early for me to go down and open the store. So I do what seems to get me through on days like this - I clean, I plan, and I try not to think about how much I still want the man I asked for a divorce.

"Doyou have the new one, Marissa? Ya know the one that's taking over TikTok? It's got the morally gray hero who does allthe things to the female main character that we all secretly want? I'm dying to get my hands on it." Charlene Mulberry gives me a sly grin as she cozies up next to me while I put out my new arrivals for the week. I'd stayed up in my apartment over the bookstore until I couldn't take it anymore, and now I'm stuck talking to the deacon's wife about morally gray heroes.

"Char, you asked me last week. I ordered it for you." I give her a knowing smile. "It won't be in until tomorrow, but I'll call you?"

"Yes, just charge the card you use for my monthly subscription."

"Will do. Thank you for coming in every week. You and your love of morally gray heroes are keeping me in business." I'm only joking, but she loves it.

"Marissa, we all need a little morally gray in our lives." She yells back as she leaves the store.

Right as the door closes, I catch a glimpse of someone walking by. My heart stutters. It's the man who is the complete opposite of morally gray. Who wouldn't do something wrong if a gun were being held to his head? Which has actually been the case a few times, and I would know, because this man? He's my husband. At least for a few more weeks.

Our eyes meet, although he's still talking to the person beside him. More than likely, it's his partner, and if anyone knows our story, it's his partner. I have all of his direct attention, and I can't help but feel it all the way through my body. My cheeks heat, and the space between my thighs ache. It's been well over a year since the two of us have been together, six months since I filed for divorce.

He looks super hot today too. His chiseled jawline, complete with a couple days' beard growth, tattoos running up and down his forearm, the bullet-proof vest riding low just above his waist.The tight white t-shirt, and black tactical pants. It's everything I love, and damn if this isn't killing me.

I'm sure he can see his reflection in the clean windows of my bookstore, Enchanted Chapters, but it feels more like he's looking straight into my eyes.

"Marissa, can I get a copy ofIron Flame?The special edition?" Another one of my regulars says it as if we've been holding a conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, let me ring you up." When I look back out at the sidewalk, Cain is gone. Swallowing hard, I focus on the task at hand and finish the transaction. "Have a good one."

I follow her out, locking the door behind her. It's not exactly quitting time, but it's close enough, and I have an event later on tonight that I have to be ready for. Quickly, I do my closing procedures and leave through the front door, making sure it's locked. I'll be at the store late tonight, and need to get something to eat now, or I won't be able to later.

There are two options close to the store, depending on what I want. I choose the more healthy of the two. "Hey girl, hey." Hollie's bright voice greets me as I walk in. She and I have become friends since I opened Enchanted Pages. "Do you have a live tonight?" She's one of the few people who knows how I make most of my money with the store. I'm sure more than her know in our tiny town, but hardly anyone else talks to me about it the way she does.

"I do. I'm here to grab some dinner before I get ready."

She nods, grabbing a menu and putting it down in front of me. "The strawberry pecan chicken salad is amazing, if I do say so myself. Today's the only day we'll have it because we got a great deal on pecans from our distributor."

I've been much more adventurous with my food since Cain and I separated, and I filed for divorce. He's a meat and three guy mostly, and I've wanted to try other things, get healthier andlive, expand my horizons. Not Cain. He wanted everything to stay the same all the time. "Give me that, and can I get a turkey and cheese sandwich, too? I didn't get lunch today, and it's going to be a late night."

"I'll get you fixed right up. Do you mind if I come over and hang out with you during the live?" Hollie asks, her eyes bright with excitement.

I don't normally have an audience other than the people attending my live events online, but it'll be nice not to be by myself. "Sure, if you'd like to. I'll be starting at six-thirty. Will that be enough time for you to get there?"

She glances at her phone. Tilting her head. "Gives me an hour to go home and change. Yeah, I should be good. Do you want me to text you when I get there, or just knock?"

"Text me, I'll have you come in around the back, otherwise people might try to come in. With longer days, everyone wants me to stay open later, but I make more money off these lives." I admit, hating that Enchanted Chapters doesn't generate as much profit as I wish it did, but I'm living the life I want to, and that's more important to me than anything else right now.

"Okay, see you then. Here ya go." She pushes my order across the counter toward me. "Twenty-two dollars even."

I tap my phone to pay and collect my food. "See ya." I give her a wave.

Walking out of the shop, I head back toward the bookstore, but instead of going in through the front, I walk to the side of the building. This is the entrance to the apartment over the shop I've been living in since Cain and I separated. Taking the stairs two at a time, I get to the landing and that's when I see a certified letter. The return address is Cain's attorney.

Not wanting to subject myself to the demise of what had once been the happiest part of my life, I open the door and toss it on the catch-all. Walking over to my small kitchen table, I have aseat and sigh. This is the first moment I've had alone all day. The shop was thankfully busy, so it doesn't give me time to think, and I usually can't sit down.

Opening the salad, I pour the container of dressing, mix it up, and take a bite. The flavors burst against my tongue, and I answer with a loud moan. Hollie wasn't wrong. This is one of the best salads I've ever had. As I continue eating, I scroll social media with one hand, and shovel lettuce in with the other.

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