Page 15 of Theirs to Ruin

Part of me wished he had.

Dressed in his usual attire of a neatly-ironed shirt, fitted slacks, and polished shoes, Dante still managed to give the impression of being a bad ass. He emanated power and sex appeal with his sheer size, the bulging muscles underneath his clothes, and the tattoos that peeked out from his rolled-up sleeves, as well as the scars on his knuckles. Yet despite looking like a beast hiding in plain sight, he’d shown me time and again how wise he was, not just because of his professional training but because he’d probably read all the books on philosophy and Buddhismcrammed into his bookshelves. He was both a mystery and a blatant display of contradictions. Contradictions that intrigued me.

Before I could force a smile to my lips and wave at him, several people got in between us. When they moved, Dante was gone.

On the train ride home, my pussy throbbed every time I thought about Kage or Dante, which seemed to be all I could do now. By the time I made it home, I was irritable and anxious. The stillness in the air told me I was alone. Thank God. Ava wasthe last person I wanted to deal with right now. Lucky for me, she was hardly here anymore, but I still braced myself for a confrontation every time I walked into my own place. I knew it needed to stop. I needed a clean break from her. And from Kage. Tomorrow I was going to talk to the housing office about switching apartments.

I locked the front door and headed to my room to get ready for my night out with Bianca, passing Ava’s room along the way. Her door was ajar, which was unusual.

“Ava?” I called out.

No answer. I stepped into her room and looked around, and my gaze fell on her journal, which lay open on her desk. She wrote in it every night—at least she had, back when we’d still been on good terms.

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to grab it and read it. But if I did, maybe I’d find out why she hated me so much. I was about to pick up the journal when I heard the unmistakable sound of a key being inserted into a lock.

Shit. Ava was home.

Quickly, I ran to my room, closing the door behind me. My heart pounded as I thought about how close I had come to being caught. If I thought she hated me before, I could only imagine how she would be if she caught me reading her journal.

One thing was for certain; the sooner I found a new roommate, the better.

Chapter 6

Camille

Later that night, Bianca and I left campus. I was still rattled after Ava had almost caught me sneaking into her room. Even worse, the fact I’d almost violated my own ethics to read her journal made me feel like crap.

I turned to Bianca, sitting beside me in the Uber. “I made a decision.”

She glanced at me. “Yeah?”

“I’m going to speak with the housing office about changing roommates.”

Bianca grinned. “Finally! It’s about time you distanced yourself from that toxic bitch.”

I knew she was right, but I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from defending Ava. There was a time when we were so close. Aside from Bianca, Ava had been my best friend freshman year. Over the summer, we’d gotten even closer. We’d lounged in my pool, watched movies, ate junk food, met up with some fellow students, and talked all night. Ava wasn’t the only friend I had—Simone was awesome—but there had been something about Ava that made me feel complete. Like we needed eachother to be whole. Now I felt the loss of her but it was obviously a one-way street.

“Look, we’re here,” Bianca said, excitement in her tone. She opened her door and popped out of the car while I followed her with less enthusiasm, nearly tripping over my heels. I steadied myself and looked around to make sure nobody saw. Shivering, I rubbed my arms, the cool night air causing goosebumps to rise on my exposed skin.

We were on the outskirts of town, at the end of a long, deserted road, standing in front of a building made of wood and iron. Above the entrance hung a grinning neon skull with the words “Devil’s Engine.” The bar catered mostly to members of the local motorcycle club, Devil’s Outcasts. The thrill and danger effect meant that it was also a favorite haunt for townies and CU students.

I continued to stare at the Devil’s Engine sign until Bianca stepped up to me and put her arm around my shoulders. “You ready?”

I shook my head. “I still can’t believe this is your idea of easing me back into things.”

She laughed. “You’re going to be fine, Camille,” she said. “The bastard who roofied you is in jail. We’re here to celebrate your win at the track, and I’m going to make sure you have fun tonight.”

I cracked a smile. “I always have fun with you. Come on, let’s head inside and watch the men start falling at your feet.”

My sister wasn’t just my best friend, she was the female-equivalent of Kage—CU’s Queen Bee. I envied her strength and her beauty. I remember telling Billy what a bombshell she was, and the proof was right in front of me. Bianca’s form-fitting Prada jeans, high-heeled Louboutin boots with the chunky soles, and electric-blue halter top caressed her tall, curvy body like they’d been made for her. Her long blond hair, not unlike mine,fell in sinuous waves, and a slick of tinted lipstick and a swipe of mascara was all it had taken to transform her from gorgeous college student to sex bomb.

Normally, I always felt like a plainer, shorter and more flat-chested version of Bianca, but tonight, I had to admit that I didn’t look half-bad. The black dress she’d loaned me fit like a second skin and I had taken the time to do my make-up, going heavy-handed with the mascara, which made my pale blue eyes pop, and bright red lipstick. With my lightly curled hair, I loved the overall result, but at the same time I felt nervous about calling attention to myself, especially here, somewhere so out of my depth.

“Have you seen the new guy at school yet? The one with the scars?” Bianca asked as we walked toward the bar entrance.

Apparently, a broody and scarred freshman had gotten late admission to CU and arrived yesterday. Late admission was highly unusual, which meant everyone was talking about him. “Not yet. I don’t even know his name. Do you?”

“No, but Yasmine saw him moving his stuff into a chateau and all she could talk about was how gorgeous he was, scars and all.”

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