Page 174 of Ruin My Life
My breath catches in my throat as I clutch his cotton shirt, my own blanket forgotten on the porch as he carries me inside.
He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t need to.
The house is quiet as he moves down the hallway and into his bedroom—larger than mine across the hall, with a nice view of the back yard and the ocean.
But he doesn’t stop at the bed.
He walks straight into the ensuite bathroom.
It’s smaller than the one back in the penthouse, but still beautiful. Pale blue walls. Gleaming white tiles. A walk-in shower in the corner.
But it’s the tub that steals the breath from my lungs.
It’s huge—triangular and deep, built into a raised corner under a little foggy window.
A tub that was made for soaking. For forgetting.
He sets me down on the marble counter next to it, then turns and starts the water. Bubble bath. Steam. The scent of lavender fills the room as he swirls the foam with his hand.
I watch him, stunned silent, until he finally turns back to me.
His palms plant on either side of my thighs, caging me in without trapping me.
“Damon... you didn’t have to do this,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I know. I wanted to.”
That flutter in my chest is back.
No, not a flutter—a storm.
A riot of wings in my ribcage.
His gaze drags down my body, leaving heat in its wake. His hand brushes my thigh, fingers just grazing the thin fabric of my leggings.
“Do you need my help getting out of these clothes, little rose?”
His voice is so soft, so reverent, it makes me shiver.
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t tug. Just rests his fingers against my waistband, waiting.
I never used to think about how important consent would become to me—how vital the pause is, the moment he takes to make sure I feel safe.
That I always have a choice.
The silent promise thatnowill always meanno.
But I want this. I wanthim.
And not just this slow, reverent side of him either. I want the part he tries so hard to cage—the part that growls beneath his breath when I touch him.
I want his sinful mouth, his bruising grip, his hand curled around my throat while he kisses me like I’m air and fire all at once.
I want to be devoured.
I want to beundone.
I want him to fill me. To consume me like a blazing inferno. To burn me alive until the girl I used to be turns to ash and something new rises from the wreckage.
