Page 70 of Theirs to Ruin

Would he really…?

He sighed. “I don’t hurt women, Camille, certainly not because one couldn’t keep her mouth shut. I’ll threaten, because it pays to have people fear me, but no, I wouldn’t have hurt Brooke if she came back. Now finding ways to make her miserable, like revealing her dirty little secrets, that I would do. I can’t lie and tell you I wouldn’t. I’m not a good man.”

I swallowed hard. I’d heard that before from Dante. Yet just as I hadn’t accepted it about Dante, I didn’t accept it about Kage. “You’re not perfect. But you’re good, Kage.”

He reached out with his free hand and suddenly we were holding each other’s hands the way a couple might the moment before they exchanged wedding rings. At that silly thought, I tried to pull away, but he tugged me closer. “God, I still can’t believe she’s gone. Life feels so empty without her, you know?”

“Kage,” I whispered. I dropped his hands, stood on my tiptoes, and wrapped my arms around him. He hooked his arms tightly around my waist and buried his face in my neck. We held each other as I blinked back tears, thoughts of my mother’s death coming rushing back to me. I wasn’t going to lie and pretend that everything would be okay. It wouldn’t. Things would never be the same again, but his life would go on.

I felt his lips against my throat and my body responded as if he was kissing me. His teeth scraped against my flesh as he opened his mouth to mutely scream. He bit down on me and the pain laced through me, but I grit my teeth and took it. Kage’s body shook against me and I felt the tension knotting the back of his neck. If this was how I could take some of his hurt, I’d take it. His bruised soul, my bruised throat: a matching pair.

After a couple of minutes, he loosened his hold but didn’t let go. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I’ll miss her my whole life.”

"Of course you will. It’s okay to grieve.” I rubbed circles on his back. “I’m so sorry, Kage.” I kissed his temple. His cheek. “I’m so so sor?—"

He turned his head, cupped my face in both of his hands, and captured my mouth in a desperate kiss that stole my breath.

The kiss wasn't gentle; it was a storm of emotions: grief, loneliness, regret, and burning desire. An electric jolt shot through me. The way he tasted, a mix of desperation and need, made my head spin. I held onto his shirt, feeling like I might float away if I didn’t. This was nothing like any kiss I’d everexperienced. It was messy, filled with raw emotion, and damn, it was intoxicating.

Everywhere his lips and tongue touched felt like flickers of fire, burning me alive. We were both breathing hard, making small sounds of want and greed. I tried telling myself this was about connection, about needing an outlet for his grief, but it didn’t matter; I fell into the molten pool of desire. I whimpered, absorbing his heat, his scent, his taste for several long wondrous moments before he slowly pulled away and rested his forehead against mine.

“Kage,” I said softly.

I saw the guilt build in his eyes, then the panic and finally regret. He shook his head and released me, stiffly backing away. “I can’t do this. Not withyou.”

I flinched.

“Jesus, I didn’t mean it that way. I just?—”

“I get it,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “There’s too much going on. And it’s fine.” I laughed bitterly. “But hey, at least my day ended with something nice instead of another dead rat.”

Confusion rattled his features. “What are you talking about?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Forget about it.”

I turned to leave, but he caught both of my arms and stopped me, forcing me to look at him. “Tell me what the fuck you meant, Rebel.Now.”

Just like that, the vulnerable guy who had opened his heart up to me was gone and the old Kage was back. I swallowed hard, the sweet taste of him still lingering on my tongue. My mind was muddled with so many emotions I couldn’t make sense of them.

“There was a dead rat waiting for me in my bed last night,” I finally mumbled. “It had a note around its neck saying what comes around goes around.”

A new type of tension immediately etched into every line of his face, his eyes becoming dark storms. “You don’t know who put it there?”

I shook my head. “No…It could have been anyone. I’m a hot topic, didn’t you know? Everyone is talking about me. Some do more than just talk.”

“How?” he demanded. “And who?”

“I’m not an idiot, Kage. I’m not telling you that.” I had a good idea what he’d do if he knew, and I didn’t want that on my shoulders.

“Damn it, Camille. I’ll make sure it stops.”

“Don’t. Just don’t interfere. The last thing I want is for people to think I can’t handle myself. Plus, it shows me who people really are, and that knowledge is more valuable than gold.”

I almost snorted at the irony of my words. My own gold ingot had been stolen and was probably somewhere in the depths of the river. That is, if Avawasthe one who stole it in the first place.

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