Page 82 of Theirs to Ruin

“What did you do?” I whispered.

His gaze didn’t waver from mine. “You don’t want to know.”

I thought of the rumors going around school that Kage was a cold-blooded killer. “I do want to know. Tell me what you did.”

His eyes hardened, glittering darkly. “He fucked with you. He paid the price. Isn’t that enough for you to know?”

“No.”

Kage’s jaw worked for a moment before he said, “His hands were what put that drug in your drink. He’ll never use those hands again.”

“Tell me what you did.”

That vein in his throat started pulsing and he just stared at me.

“Kage…”

“Fine. You want to know? When he got out of jail, my friends and I found him at his house. I got him to admit how many girls he’d drugged and raped before. Ten, but he couldn’t remember their names. We planted enough contraband in his place to put him away for a very long time. My friend tattooed “Rapist,” on his forehead. We made him hurt. Bad. Then I nailed his hands to the table with a couple of road spikes and used a hammer to break every bone in the hands that hurt you.”

My mind reeled, the room seeming to shrink around me. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest that for a moment, it was the only sound I could register. The confidence in his stance, the unwavering intensity in his eyes—it was clear he believed he'd done the right thing.

His hard gaze softened and he stepped closer to me. “Are you afraid of menow, Camille?”

I thought back to the night at The Roost, and the disorientation and fear I’d felt. I thought about what a bastard Billy had been, how he would have raped me if he’d gotten the chance. I thought about Kage’s revelation that Billy had drugged and raped ten girls, and how easily Kage could have assumed I’d killed Ava and killed me in the hospital while I slept, only he didn’t.

My dad was a corrupt politician. And even though he wasn’t a ruthless killer like so many of CU kids’ parents, I wasn’t so naïve as to think my father hadn’t gotten his hands bloody at times to cover up his crimes. The warped truth was I just didn’t think about it that much. I accepted the reality of violence in our world just as much as the privileges I’d grown up with because of my father’s crimes, even though I’d always hoped someday I’d makemy mark on the world in an honest way. I’d knowingly accepted my father’s crimes my whole life, and I couldn’t start pretending now that I saw things in black and white, as good or bad, when I knew there were countless shades in between.

It's why Dante implying he’d killed someone hadn’t sent me running. And why even knowing what Kage had done to Billy, I wasn’t going anywhere.

“No,” I finally said, raising my chin and staring Kage straight in the eyes. “It doesn’t make me fear you.”

It was subtle, but I saw relief flash in his eyes. “Good.” He picked up my hand and kissed it. “Because I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I want you to trust me. With you. And with your body.”

I swallowed hard, so flustered I blurted out without thinking, “So this is all about easy sex?”

He grinned, his amusement clear. “Rebel, if you think you’re easy, or that I like easy sex, you’re delusional.”

“What kind of sex do you like?”

The words escaped me before I could call them back. He tugged me into him and my sharp intake of breath punctuated the unexpected proximity. The hardness of his body was unmistakable against mine—every defined muscle evident even through his clothes. The bulge of his rock-hard cock pressed against my lower belly. God, he was huge, and not only in his pants. He towered over me, but in that moment, it didn't make me feel small or weak. Instead, it made me feel desired, protected. His very presence was an intoxicating blend of danger and security, and I felt more alive than I had in days. With our height differences, I had to tilt my head up to look at him.

“The kind of sex you’re not ready for.”

“Oh, right. Because of your monster. Yourpiercedmonster.”

His eyes flashed with arousal, then a slow, lopsided grin slid across his face. “Have you ever been with someone who is pierced?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m only good for vanilla sex.”

I’d clearly lost my mind, having this conversation with him after what he’d just told me about Billy.

But give me a break. Kage O’Hare had just told me he’d permanently maimed a guy for me, and he was plastered against me so tight I felt his hard cock, and I was wet, so wet I was on the verge of begging him to take me.

He wanted to fuck me.

And I was probably going to let him.

“Vanilla sex has its place. Have you been with Drew Nelson?”

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