Page 101 of Theirs to Ruin

I stirred. “Kage, I?—”

“I’ve never asked a girl to sleep with me, Rebel. Just sleep.”

His words made me freeze, their significance washing over me like sunlight on a cloudy day. Slowly, I relaxed and settled. His arms tightened around me and he kissed my temple. I closed my eyes and sighed.

I was almost asleep when I remembered how he’d made me stop packing to get something to eat, and the pizza he’d ordered for us. For someone so tough, he took good care of others.

“Sorry about the pizza. What kind did you get?” I asked sleepily.

“Sausage, mushroom, and black olives.”

My eyes flew open. I shifted away and turned to stare at him. “That’s my favorite.”

“I know.”

“But I never told you that.”

“Nope. Like I told you before, I know a lot about you, Rebel. Your dreams. Your fears. And your secrets, especially the ones that make you smile, make you melt, and make you want to fuck me more than you already do. Now go to sleep.”

He pulled me into his arms again. I just lay there, soaking in what he’d said.

I wondered if Ava told him my favorite pizza toppings or if he’d simply paid attention to things like that when I wasn’t looking.

I wondered what kinds of dreams, fears, and secrets of mine he thought he knew.

But most of all, I wondered if all this time, Kage O’Hare had been crushing on me just as much as I’d been crushing on him.

Chapter 43

Camille

The next thing I was aware of after falling asleep in Kage’s arms was the warm morning light drifting in from the window and the sensation of the soft sheets against my skin. I shifted, burrowing deeper into the warm cocoon made by Kage’s arms. Waking up had never felt this good. My limbs felt heavy, blissfully sated from last night’s pleasure. Kage’s breathing was slow and rhythmic beside me, his chest rising and falling beneath my cheek.

Then, just as I was contemplating whether I should give into the temptation of another round with Kage, I heard a door shut in the hallway and footsteps heading downstairs.

Ty was up.

Kage didn’t stir, so I got out of bed, rushed to my room to grab my robe, then wrapped it around me as I quickly headed downstairs only to see Ty already dressed, his backpack on his shoulder, and heading down the hall toward the front door.

“Ty, wait,” I called out. “About last night?—”

“Just save it,” he snapped, cutting me off. He continued walking, not even bothering to look back at me.

I stomped my foot. “At least I’m apologizing! Have you ever said sorry for using me? For hurting me?”

He stopped in his tracks, whipping around to face me. “I didn’t use you,” he gritted out, his usual calm exterior faltering.

I took a deep breath, choosing my next words carefully. “Did you leaving me have something to do with what happened to your parents?”

“My parents were killed after I broke up with you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Ty.”

He shook his head. “I’m not here to give you closure about the past, Camille, or to create some sad tale to justify why I broke up with you so you can feel better about it. I broke up with you because I didn’t want to be with you anymore. Plain and simple.”

Everything in me wanted to scream, to tell him he was lying, that there was more to the story. I stared into his eyes, searching for some hint, some sign that he wasn’t being honest, but his face had slipped back into a cold mask of indifference, giving nothing away.

“Give it a rest, Camille. Be agood girland go back to studying for your tests. Go back to preparing to be matched with someone by theconciliantis. But leave me out of your childish drama.” He turned, then left the house, slamming the heavy door behind him.

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