Page 11 of Ruin

Lips pressed tightly together, she tried to mask her smile, but the corners of her mouth curled anyway, revealing her pleasure.

She took a single step, then paused again and whispered without looking at him, “Do- if you wanted to, we could share the bed? It’s big enough.”

He swallowed down the groan that promptly tried to crawl up his throat, cock twitching at the thought of having her that close.

“S’kind of you to offer,” he rasped, “but I’ll be fine on the floor.”

“Okay.”

Did he imagine her shoulders slumping ever so slightly?

As she climbed into the bed and got settled, he sat cross-legged on his pallet, situated between her and the only door. Beginning his nightly routine, he removed the weapons concealed on his person one by one, cleaning, recalibrating, or reloading them as he went.

Ruin could feel her eyes tracking his movements, but didn't meet her gaze. This protectiveness he felt toward her, the need to keep her safe and comfortable, was unfamiliar territory. Unsettling. Yet he couldn't seem to shut it off.

Fuck, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to.

As he worked, his mind turned over the revelations about Lira's past. He’d been surprised to learn she’d killed to survive, wouldn’t have guessed that. Oddly, he felt… relieved, knowing she’d taken lives.

Didn’t take much digging to figure out why.

It made her more attainable, made this growing hunger he had for her less wrong. Knowing they both carried the weight of thelives they’d taken made him feel less alone, less monstrous in his desire for her innocent sweetness.

He stilled, the bio-plasma pistol half-charged in his hands. Hunger. That's what he felt, deep in his bones. A visceral kind of hunger, ravenous and raw, whenever he looked at her.

Yet even as the primal part of him growled with longing, his rational side warned to tread carefully. Lira had been through immense trauma and abuse. The last thing he wanted was to take advantage or push for more than she was ready to freely give.

By the time he finished with the last weapon, her breathing had evened out into the soft, steady rhythm of sleep.

She looked heartbreakingly vulnerable, curled up in his bed, impossibly small and fragile against the dark covers. Her pale hair spread around her face like a halo, catching the dim light. One slender arm was tucked under her pillow, the other wrapped around her middle as if shielding herself even in sleep.

Studying her, a strange ache built in his chest alongside a warm kind of satisfaction at seeing her safe and at peace.

This was beyond unwise. In his line of work, attachments were a liability. They gave your enemies leverage, made you vulnerable.

And yet, with Lira, none of his rationalizations were enough to bring back his usual detachment. Something about her called to him on a soul-deep level, bypassing all his defenses.

Whatever this feeling was, wherever it led, he knew one thing for certain—he’d burn the galaxy to ash to keep her from harm.

Ruin jolted awake,instinctively reaching for a weapon before he registered Lira’s scent.

He went perfectly still, peering down at her with wide, disbelieving eyes as she climbed under the covers with him. The second she curled up next to him, wiggling her small frame tight against him, disbelief turned to arousal, as swift and all-consuming as a flash fire.

His cock thickened, pushing out from its protective sheathing to quiver and strum hungrily.

“S’cold,” she mumbled sleepily.

It took those sleepily mumbled words to become aware of her shivering and how chilled her skin felt against his.

His mind was still spinning, but his body moved of its own accord. He adjusted the blanket to make sure she was fully covered, then shifted to wrap an arm around her, enveloping her in his heat.

She sighed softly, nuzzling into his chest, the top of her head just reaching his collarbone. Ruin remained still, hyper aware of everywhere their bodies touched. Her sugary scent enveloped him, at once calming and intoxicating.

Almost immediately, her skin warmed, her shivering subsided, and her breathing evened out in sleep.

This felt dangerous. Intimate. He shouldn't allow this, but found he was entirely unwilling to do anything about it.

Why the fuck would she trust him enough to sleep against him, anyway?

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