Page 33 of Bound By Ruin

For some crazy reason, I might want it, too.

Chapter14

Celia

As we pullup to the venue, Rebel is high energy, bouncing his knee in the backseat and tapping my knuckles with his fingertips. The moment we’ve stopped at the curb, he immediately jumps from the vehicle to come around to my side and let me out— “Like a gentleman,”he’s been insisting for the last half hour.

I have a hard time imagining any of these men as gentleman.

Thanatos catches my reflection in the rearview mirror, his gaze burning into mine. “I’ll see you inside, Princess.”

“I’m not a princess,” I remind him, frowning. “I don’t know why you keep calling me that.”

“Close enough,” he mutters, flicking his gaze to the window.

Ooookay, then.

Just when I think we’ve made progress with our relationship, Thanatos reminds me that he’s as surly as a bear emerging from hibernation. I clench my fists in my lap as flashes of the past few days with him barrage my mind. He’s aggressive when he’s horny and emotionally detached when he isn’t.

Yeah, just like a fucking bear.

My door suddenly snaps open, and the roar of the crowd rushes into the cab. I throw one quick glance at Thanatos to find him staring at me through the rearview again. “You know,” I huff, “if you took a page from your brother’s book, you might actually enjoy life.” Shaking my head, I grab my clutch purse and take a calming breath before accepting Rebel’s outstretched hand and allowing him to pull me onto the red carpet.

Flashing lights blind me before I can get a good look at the scene, and I plaster on a winning smile before my vision has cleared. Paparazzi shout in our direction, but Rebel remains calm as he curls his arm possessively around my waist and meets my smile with a dazzling one of his own.

Leaning close, he murmurs in my ear. “Ready for the wolves?”

“It’s not these wolves I’m worried about.”

We talked through our game plan for the night extensively, going through possible scenarios and how to handle getting separated in a crowd. If we see their father—if we have an opening—we’re going to take him out.

Their lone wolf of a father is being hunted—tonight.

Rebel’s smile glints in the flashing lights, his sharp canines making him appear as wild on the outside as he is within. “You look good with murder in your eyes, baby.” Winking, he pulls me along the walkway even faster, cutting through the meandering guests to enter the venue ahead of our scheduled time. Unlike his brothers, he’s eager for the night’s festivities—regardless of if that entails watching a team of acrobats swing through the air… or stabbing his father in the throat during the intermission. He’d be thrilled with either outcome.

Although our procession is cut short, I smile toward the cameras and try my best to look the part of the glamorous socialite, despite the butterflies in my gut. In truth, this is my first public appearance since my divorce, and I have not one man accompanying me, butfour.

That’s four distinct chances to make a fool of myself in front of the entire city.

But with Rebel by my side, the odds of public embarrassment dwindle before my eyes. He plays to the camera, knowing exactly how to angle our bodies for the perfect photograph. A hand on my lower back, a whisper in my ear, a gentle brush of his lips across my forehead—nothing is off-limits if it means he can keep touching meandmaintain the attention of the crowd. More often than not, I catch him staring at me rather than at our destination.

“You don’t have to keep doing that,” I murmur, meeting his eyes. There’s a depth to them that our surroundings can’t mask, no matter how loud or chaotic it gets. When he looks at me, sometimes I think he loses focus on everything else and gets caught in the moment.

“Doing what?” he asks, his lips curving into a delicious smirk. A lock of jet-black hair falls into his eyes, making him even more devilishly handsome. Without his lip piercing and tattoos, he could almost pass for a gentleman—if it weren’t for the hand hovering dangerously close to my ass.

“Looking at me.” I avoid his heavy gaze, my heart squeezing a little too tightly. It’s how they all look at me, actually, that throws me off-balance. Rebel’s stare is a warm glow that radiates through my body from my head to my toes—leaving no room for a single inch of neglect. The attention is overwhelming, but when we mutually decided to drop our barriers anddo this thingtogether… I guess he decided to fall first—andfast.

He may not even realize that he’s in love.

As Rebel cups my chin and tilts my head up, I part my lips in anticipation of his kiss. Instead, he brushes his thumb across my bottom lip. “You’re the best part of my night.” He presses a slow kiss to my jawline. “All I want to do—” his lips ghost across my skin as they travel higher—“is look at you.” Humming softly, he brushes the tip of his nose against mine, our faces mere inches apart. “Among other things.”

My cheeks flush and my heart skips a beat, but it’s not from the innuendo. It’s from how quickly and easily it is to love him back.

“You believe me, don’t you?” There’s a subtle hint of vulnerability to his words, like we’re not only talking about tonight, but about something bigger than the gala and the gowns.

As his hands wander my waistline, I grab the front of his shirt and pull him closer, our audience be damned. Even now, when he’s dressed to the nines and oozing money, he still smells like leather and smoke. I breathe in his scent, unable to resist.

He smells like home.

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