Page 7 of Theirs to Ruin

I pressed my lips together, letting him think I was still upset because it was better than him knowing what I was really thinking about.

Him. Me.

Fucking in the apartment that I shared with his sister.

Or in this car.

In my fantasies, I was anything but fussy.

“Are you giving me a ride back to campus or not?”

He muttered something in what sounded like Gaelic then said, “It must be tiring holding those walls up all the time.”

I frowned and turned back to glare at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re different tonight. Usually you try to blend in, fade into the background. I always saw your spark, but it’s more than that. There’s a rebel inside you and it’s itching to get out.”

I scoffed. “And what would I need to rebel against?”

“The very box you force yourself into. The question is why you do it.”

I stared at him, amazed at how he seemed to see inside me. I almost said, “I do it because when I don’t, horrible things happen.”

“You know nothing about me.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised what I know.” Reaching out, he casually tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my cheek. I shivered and barely held back the urge to lean into his touch. As he stared at me, I swore I saw a crackin his composed facade, giving me a glimpse of raw, unspoken hunger.

Abruptly, he straightened to his full height, shut the door then walked around the car. As he slid behind the steering wheel, I sank back into my seat, desperate to gather my composure. I breathed in and out, focusing on the smell of the sumptuous, imported leather. I ran my hand over the seat, almost moaning at how buttery soft it was.

Kage glanced at me, his eyebrows raised. “Is my car giving you an orgasm, Camille?”

I snapped my hand into my lap. “No,” I replied through clenched teeth.

Kage grinned. “AmI?”

I cleared my throat, more than a little flustered. “I just like well-made cars, okay?”

“Interesting,” he murmured. He almost looked impressed. “You’re full of surprises. You know, I’ve never fucked a girl in this car, but that’s about to change soon.”

Holy mother of God. I clenched my thighs together, not sure how to respond to that.

With one hand casually gripping the wheel, he started the car, the engine awakening with a low growl. As we drove back to campus, the weight of the night pressed down on me. I stared out the window, thinking about how dangerously close I had come to being... I shuddered, forcing the thought from my mind. I didn’t even want to imagine how badly this night could have ended if Kage hadn’t been there to step in and save me.

I frowned suddenly, thinking about what Kage had told Officer Davis. Billy had bought me a drink before Kage arrived. And when Billy had gone to get my second drink, Kage had his eyes on me the whole time, even when he’d been kissing Brooke. I turned to Kage in surprise.

“You didn’t see Billy spike my drink,” I accused him. “You couldn’t have.”

“No.”

“Then why did you tell the cop you had?”

Kage shrugged like it was no big deal. “Because he was good for it.”

“Buthowdid you know he slipped me something?” I pressed.

His jaw clenched, his eyes burning with intensity. “It was the way you were acting. You’re not a giggler—at least, not in public. And you were also talking about your sisters, even Elise, who I’ve never heard you talk about before. So I called the cops. If I’dseenhim drug you, I wouldn’t have bothered calling them.”

I swallowed hard, remembering Billy gasping for air as Kage choked him, something he’d only doneafterBilly took a swing at him.

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