Page 17 of Ruin

Veyla clucked sympathetically, as if reading his thoughts. “New love is always so intense, is it not? I remember my Kavo lookingat me like you do her—like I was the only female that mattered in all the galaxies.”

New love? That wasn’t what this was. Couldn't be.

Could it?

His spiraling thoughts scattered when Lira emerged in a simple but elegant floor-length dress. The silky fabric, pale as moonslight, skimmed her lithe frame in all the right places, the swooping neckline hinting at the alluring curves beneath.

The breath strangled in his throat. She was a vision, all creamy skin and tousled hair, a shy yet slightly devilish smile playing on those full lips.

Fuck.

What he wouldn't give to run his hands over those curves, to discover if her skin was as silken as it appeared. To taste her, breathe her in, learn every inch of her until he knew her better than he did himself.

He swallowed hard, cock giving a traitorous twitch as heat blazed through his veins.

“Ruin?” Her soft voice broke through his lustful haze. “What do you think?”

Clearing his throat, he raked his gaze over her slowly, committing every delicious inch to memory. “You look good, little bird.”

Good enough to eat.

If he thought he’d managed to keep the hunger out of his voice, the blush staining her cheeks proved otherwise.

Her smile became a little less shy and a little more devilish. “Thank you.”

When she ducked back behind the curtain, he forced himself to focus on something—anything—else.

The next hour passed in a blur of shimmering silks and flowing fabrics. Each time she emerged in a new outfit, his mouth went dry, fresh desire slamming into him like a physical force.

Veyla assisted Lira in choosing pieces that would not only look striking but allow for easy movement and concealment of the weapons he planned to buy for her.

Finished, he handed over a loaded cred-stick, the cost a negligible expense given how rarely he indulged in... anything, really.

Lira's eyes rounded at the pile of parcels Veyla set on the counter. “Ruin, I- I didn’t mean to get so much. I’m sorr?—”

“Sst. None of that.” He tipped her face up and cupped her cheek, laying his thumb across her lips. “You deserve nice things, little bird. An’ I got plenty of money.”

She leaned into his touch, those arresting green eyes shining with an emotion he didn’t dare name.

“C’mon,” he said gruffly. “There’s more to see before we eat.”

Before they left the clothing stall, he handed her a long hooded cloak, a tracker, and twokha’rovblades already affixed to the inner lining.

She pulled it on eagerly, adjusting the hood so it shaded her features and left only a wisp of pale hair visible.

“Perfect,” he rumbled, appreciating the way the soft fabric draped over her frame, but appreciating even more the sense of security he could tell it gave her to be concealed from prying eyes.

She took his arm without hesitation when he offered it, hugging it to her chest.

They meandered deeper into the maze of stalls and vendors, pausing every so often as something new caught her eye. She'd trail her fingertips over a display of glittering jewels or pause to inhale the fragrance of exotic flowers, radiating a sense of innocent awe that was utterly beguiling.

Ruin found himself snagging little trinkets and baubles for her whenever she showed the slightest interest, unable to resist the impulse. Not that he was actually trying to resist.

A set of delicate armbands etched with flowering vines. A dainty necklace strung with a pale gemstone the color of her eyes. Hairpins and anklets and rings and knives.

The collection grew with every stall they visited.

At one point, she glanced up at him with a knowing smile. “If you keep buying stuff when you think I’m not looking, we’re not going to be able to carry it all back.”

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