Page 36 of Made For Ruin

“Oh my gosh!” She grabs my arm. “Tell me that wasn’t Marcus Ruins who just dropped you off. Tell me that wasn’t Axel’s smoking hot dad.”

Heat floods my cheeks. “It was.”

Ruby squeals.

“Get in here right now!” She drags me across our tiny living room to the couch. “I need every detail. And I mean every detail. What happened last night? I gave Axel hell for leaving you behind, by the way.”

I sink into the worn cushions, tucking my feet under me. My body still hums from Marcus’s kiss, my lips slightly swollen. Everything from last night feels surreal, like a dream I’m afraid to examine too closely in case it disappears.

“Start from the beginning,” Ruby says, pulling our throw blanket around both our shoulders. “And don’t leave anything out.”

For the next hour, I recount every detail to Ruby, from the moment Marcus found me in that private room to the possessive way he'd carried me out of the club. I tell her about the charged drive to his cabin, how he'd taken control and made me feel safe for the first time in months.

Ruby listens intently, her green eyes widening at certain revelations. When I finally finish, she lets out a low whistle. "Wow. That's a lot."

"That's not even the craziest part." I pull my knees up to my chest. "He wants me to move in with him."

"Like move into his cabin?" Ruby sits up straight, her jaw-dropping. "Full time?"

"Yep.”

“What did you say?”

"I asked him for a few days to think about it." I twist the blanket between my fingers, remembering the intensity in Marcus's amber eyes when he'd made the offer. "He gave me until Friday. Said he doesn't want to rush me, but he also doesn't want to wait."

"Wow." Ruby falls back against the cushions, her eyes wide. "This is huge, Lainey. Like, life-changing huge."

"I know." I press my face into my hands, my emotions swirling like a storm inside me. "I don't know what to do, Ruby. I mean, I want this. I want him. But the reality of it is just so much."

"Because of the diner?"

"That, and Axel." I lean back against the couch and sigh. "He's one of my best friends. And even though we broke up, I still care about him. I don't want to hurt him."

"Lainey, look at me." Ruby's voice is gentle but firm. She tugs my hands away from my face, forcing me to meet her gaze. "I love Axel, you know I do. But he also cheated on you. With a girl who had a boyfriend."

I flinch at the reminder, shame and anger warring in my chest.

"I know he's been there for you through a lot. But he's also put you through a lot." Ruby squeezes my hands. "He doesn't get to have an opinion on who you're with. Not anymore."

"But moving in with his dad? That's a whole different level."

"So? You deserve to be happy, Lainey. You deserve a man who looks at you the way Marcus does, who wants to take care of you." Her green eyes blaze with conviction. "If Axel can't handle that, it's his problem. Not yours."

I let out a shuddering breath, her words sinking into my skin. She's right. I know she is. But accepting it, really letting myself believe it, is harder than it should be.

"I'm scared," I whisper, voicing the fear that's been lurking beneath the surface since Marcus first brought me to his cabin. "Of how much I want this. Of how right it feels when I'm with him."

"Oh, honey." Ruby pulls me into a fierce hug, surrounding me with her familiar vanilla scent. "That's how you know it's real. When it's big and scary and consumes you. When it makes you want to risk everything just for a chance at something amazing."

I let Ruby's words wash over me, soothing the jagged edges of my uncertainty.

She's right. This thing with Marcus is unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's thrilling and terrifying in equal measure, like standing on the edge of a cliff and finally letting yourself jump.

"Thank you," I murmur into her shoulder, squeezing her tightly. "For always being here. For knowing exactly what to say."

"That's what best friends are for." Ruby rubs my back. "I've got your back, girlie. Even if it means dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Axel."

A weak laugh escapes me at that. "He's going to flip out, isn't he?"

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