Page 102 of Theirs to Ruin

I sagged against the wall, staring blankly at the closed door. My life was a jumbled mess of questions with no answers. I wasn’t going to get anything out of Ty, which meant if I wanted answers about his past and ours, I needed to go looking for them. But if it wasn’t on the internet or out of his own mouth, I didn’t know where else to look.

Ava, on the other hand… I at least knew she’d been seeing someone before she died, probably someone on campus. Even if she hadn’t been dating a student or faculty member, her killercould still be associated with the school. No matter how careful she’d been, someone must have seen them together.

I glanced in the direction of Kage’s room. I’d enjoyed his touch and how our relationship was evolving. But while I’d been admittedly distracted—dealing with not just my growing feelings for Kage and Dante, but also my battles with Ty and the bullying I’d faced—it was time to figure out who Ava’s killer was.

After talking with Ty, I went back to my own room, studied for a little while, then showered. I folded up Kage’s sweatshirt and put it back in my nightstand before putting on a sweater and a skirt with tights. Afterward, I headed downstairs, picking up my pace when I smelled coffee. I headed toward the kitchen. I stopped at the dining room that preceded the kitchen instead.

The dining table was dressed with a spread that could rival a five-star hotel’s brunch menu—fresh croissants, a cheese board, little quiches, and fresh fruit. Next to the table stood Kage, wearing a white V-neck that hugged the contours of his muscular torso, drawing attention to the broad expanse of his shoulders and chiseled abs, and pouring coffee into a cup. His hair was slightly damp from his shower, causing a few strands to cling to his forehead. The relaxed fit of his dark jeans complemented his athletic legs, and the overall look had me wet all over again. I could have looked at him all damn day.

“Wow,” I blurted out, unable to hide my astonishment. “Where did all this come from?”

“I had it delivered. You didn’t eat last night and I didn’t want you to start the day with cold pizza.”

Kage came up to me and took my face in his hands. His eyes searched mine.

“What are you doing?” I asked, toes squirming over each other. Kage had a way of undoing me with nothing more than a look.

“Making sure you’re okay.”

“You could just, you know, ask,” I teased.

Kage turned momentarily serious. “Would you tell me the truth even if you weren’t okay?”

I was about to say yes but hesitated. He knew as well as I did that in our world, in this school, we hid our weaknesses. That one little pause was just enough to make Kage’s point for him.

Smiling, he reached around and patted my ass. “It’s okay. I’m learning to read you, Rebel.”

“I’m learning to read you, too, you know. At least, a certain part of you.”

He knew from my tone what I was talking about: his cock quivering in my hands, his cum all over his stomach and my hand, his shuddery exhales in the dark. Smiling cockily, Kage popped a grape into his mouth then winked. “Feel free to read my cock like it’s written in Braille any time of the day or night.

I grinned and ran my hand over the edge of the dining table.

“You must be hungry. Take a seat,” he said.

I was famished. I sat down at one of the place settings. “You’re going to join me, right?”

“You bet.”

He set the cup of coffee he’d poured in front of me, the steam swirling into the morning air. I took a sip and it was perfect, with just a little milk and sugar. I took a bite of quiche, moaning at how fluffy it was with the perfect amount of seasoning and cheese. I dove in full stop, trying the croissants and fruit next. Everything was so delicious.

“Do you always treat your women to breakfast like this?”

When he didn’t answer, I glanced at him, surprised to find him frowning.

“Can we stop with the other women crap?”

“Uh…sure,” I said.

I ate with more hesitancy now. So he didn’t like talking about other girls. It didn’t mean he wasn’t sleeping with them. I had to remember that.

“Did you mean for Ty to join us? Because he already left,” I said.

“He must have come back. We passed each other in the hall ten minutes ago.”

I frowned, wondering where he’d gone for such a short time. Whatever. I wasn’t spending any more time thinking about Ty today.

We ate mostly in silence, punctuated by my occasional comment about the food. “These croissants taste like the ones from Elm Street bakery. Have you been there?”

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