Page 3 of Lords of Ruin: Owned

“I bet Vincent you would be gone by Monday, and Cast bet that you wouldn’t wear the clothes Vincent sent you.” He shrugs.

I bite my inner cheek; how dare he think I would take the money and run? I am not a coward. I am not a con artist, and Damien, despite his mother being as sweet as cherry pie, is a fucking asshole. “I’m a woman of my word, and if I said I would be yours, then I’ll be yours.”

A dark cloud runs across his gaze, and he licks his lips so slowly I could have timed the exact moment the tip of his tongue ran across his lip. “Say that again.”

“W-what?” I gasp, all the heat left my cheeks and before I can stop myself I take a tentative step back into my house.

“Say it, again.” He growls, one hand white-knuckle grabbing the door frame as the other holds the door open, stopping my escape back into my home.

“I’m yours.” I whisper, avoiding the hurricane swirl in his eyes, and looking down at the scuff on my Converses.

His breath feathers over my cheeks as he speaks, and a low rumble curves up his chest. “Then move your little smart ass up those stairs and put on the clothes we sent you.”

My skin feels like it’s on fire, and I don’t know if it’s his scent or the fear that brings on the headiness of my next decision, but I can feel my head nod, and hear myself say, “Okay,” without another thought of defiance running through my head. I call out to Jasmine that she can leave without me so she won’t be late for school, and she rolls her eyes and leaves.

Damien chuckles, curving a curl behind my ear. “Good girl, this may be fun after all.”

2

WILLOW

When I come back downstairs fully dressed in the cashmere sweater and denim mini skirt, Damien is leaning against his 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, the same car Dominic Toretto had inFast and the Furious.According to his mother, his father had a car collecting dusk in their garage, but Damien had apparently fixed it.

I slam the door behind me, staring at his completely shredded body, the insistent ripple of muscles rolling through his tight long-sleeved black shirt and the loose fit of his faded black jeans.

His dark eyes roll over my body, lazy and slow, but that’s not what sends my skin ablaze. It’s the slow slip of his tongue over his bottom lip and the almost drunken look of his head lolling to the side.

“Nice car,” I shrug, gesturing towards the sleek, shiny vehicle. Damien glances up momentarily, his lips forming an almost inaudible mutter as he rolls his tongue over his perfectly straight front teeth. I fidget on my feet, nervously biting down on my bottom lip and feeling its gentle give between my teeth.

“Fuck,” he whispers, looking up briefly as he continues to mutter something under his breath before locking his eyes with me and running his tongue over the top row of his teeth. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, nervously biting my bottom lip.

After a moment, he scoffs, sliding off the car’s hood. “Get in the car, Pet. We’re late.”

I scurry on the tip of my heels and slide into the passenger side just as he revs the engine to leave. Damien doesn’t say anything as he shifts the car into gear, and I pull my knees to my chest as I sink into the leather seats. The engine's hum vibrates through the car, but it’s nothing compared to the electricity crackling between us.

Damien fucking Sterling is driving me to the school. One of the hottest guys I have ever seen is driving me to school, and he also happens to be the same guy I made an orphan because his mother gave me her heart after she decided to no longer continue chemo…well that went from romantic to tragic fast.

I sigh, sneaking glances at him, trying to focus on the road ahead instead of how ridiculously hot he looks gripping the wheel, his knuckles flexing with every gear shift.

“Stop that.” Damien’s voice cuts through the quiet, low, and teasing.

I snap my head forward, heat crawling up my neck. “W-what?”

“Stop biting your lip.” He growls, the veins in his forearm popping out as he grips his wheel tighter.

“Oh, I-I didn’t know I was doing that.” My words tumble out, and I hate how flustered I sound.

Damien growls, deep and rich, sending a shiver down my spine. “Relax, Pet. The only one biting is you.”

Heat scatters across my skin, and I can’t tell if it’s from his words or the sharp turn he takes onto the main road, but my chest burns as I hold my breath because that’s the only way I know how to keep my mouth shut right now.

“Don’t get all shy now, Willow. You were so…bold last weekend.” Damien says, chuckling to himself. I can feel the tips of my ears burning as my blush crawls up my next.

After a few minutes of driving, he breaks the silence again. “You know, you’re lucky I’m the one who came to pick you up this morning. Cast and Vincent would’ve had a field day with that little stunt.”

I roll my eyes, folding my arms over my chest. “My stunt? You mean me wearing my own clothes. Look, just because I don’t want to be your life-size Barbie doesn’t mean?—”

“What it means is that you are disobedient, Pet. Cast is going to have a ball with you,” he interrupts, glancing at me with a smirk that’s equal parts cocky and stupidly gorgeous. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell them. On one condition.”

---