Page 42 of Beautiful Ruins
Jasmine stood behind the bar, eyebrows raised, a smirk on her face. I tilted my chin down in response and pulled Sadie through the crowd towards the back exit of the clubhouse. It was the first time she’d been speechless since she’d come back.
Our kiss still lingered in the back of my mind, burning itself into my memories the same way it had my lips. I wanted to kiss her again. To press her against the nearest wall and make her forget every bastard in that room. But I knew I needed to get her out of there even more.
Every set of eyes trailed us, the crowd parting like smoke as I pulled her toward the back doors. The heat outside was nothing compared to the fire crawling up my spine.
Sadie finally yanked her hand from mine, but what I didn’t see coming was the slap that followed. My jaw dropped, mirroring the stunned silence of the onlookers. Her palm left a stinging warmth across my cheek, her anger pulsing against myskin. But more than anything, there was emptiness where she’d pulled away.
I probably had it coming for years now.
“What the hell, Rowan?” she said, throwing her arms up. “You’re kissing me now? I thought I meant nothing to you.”
Right. Of course, she remembered the worst damn thing I’d ever said to her. That figured. I suppose I deserved the slap in that case.
I rubbed my cheek, stretching out my jaw while I tried to figure out how to handle the blow—not the physical one, but the emotional one. “A thank you wouldn’t kill you. I did just save your arse in there. Or did you fail to notice?”
Sadie laughed, a hollow sound that echoed around the empty parking lot. “Thank you? Yeah, right. The only reason I’m here is because you wouldn’t help me from the start. You practically left me with no other option.”
A few stragglers turned their attention on us, so I grabbed Sadie’s arm and hauled her around the side of the building where we wouldn’t be disturbed. Maybe even where my idiot heart would stop pounding and acting like I was still that damn teenager letting her run me in circles.
Yet, I was blamingherfor causing a fucking scene.
I stepped into her, pressing her up against the wall, and placed my hands on either side of her head. “You shouldn’t be here at all,” I said through clenched teeth. “And what the fuck was that with Snake? You’re playing a very dangerous game, Sadie. One I don’t think you’re fully aware of. You think Snake’s going to give you any information? The guy is a fucking weasel. You can’t trust a word he says.”
She crossed her arms, pushing her chest up. Pretty sure she knew damn well what it did to me. Christ. It was hard enough to concentrate after kissing her. Now she was literally throwingit in my face, making me stupid and reckless and reminding me I was both those things when it came to her.
“And I can trust you?” She scoffed. “Really? What do we do now? You’ve claimed me as your old lady, Rowan. How’s that for playing games?”
Claimed her. Yeah, I had. And I’d do it again if it kept her out of Snake’s grip.
I rubbed my forehead and pushed off the wall, needing space as much as I needed to be close to her. She had a way of scrambling my brain until I couldn’t think straight. “Just . . . play along. Snake won’t let this go,” I said, pointing at the clubhouse as though the bastard himself might magically appear in front of us. “If you want my help, you’ll do what I say. Otherwise, we’re done.” I paused, forcing the next words out. “This . . . whatever the hell this is—it’s done.”
Sadie narrowed her hazel eyes on me, and I damn well felt the pressure building with each second she held her stare. I had a hard time keeping my focus on them, my gaze shifting to the way they lined up with the rest of her face. To the lips I was still tasting.
Fuck. She’d been back barely a week, and she was already turning me into a fool. Old habits died hard, I guess. And my obsession with my brother’s best friend was the worst kind of habit. The destructive kind. The one you think you’ve kicked, only to find it’s been festering under your skin the whole time, waiting to ruin you.
“Fine,” she said, poking me hard in the centre of my chest. She was still trying to make a point, to push me like she always did. It was working. “Best you take me home then lover boy. What was it you said?” She tapped a finger to her chin, a small smirk lifting the corners of her full lips. “Oh, that’s right. You need to make up for lost time.”
She turned and stormed toward my bike parked at the edgeof the yard, gravel grinding beneath her heels, the air still thick with the stink of fuel and smoke from the clubhouse. I let a smile stretch across my face. It was the first time in a long time it felt right to smile.
Sadie’s hair whipped down her back as she continued her assault across the parking lot. As much as she pained me, her being back felt like finally coming up for air. Although, I doubted she thought the same about me.
When she disappeared behind a row of cars, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Bear.
Me: Thanks for tonight. I’ll tee up the hit. But first we have a certain dark-haired pain in my arse to handle. My house. 10pm. Bring Scout.
All I got in return was a thumbs up from Bear. I shoved my phone back in my pocket. By the end of the night, I’d have eyes on Sadie. Snake didn’t let shit go, he let it fester. By now, he was probably halfway through a bottle, planning the kind of retaliation that didn’t leave bruises. Just blood. If I was going to keep Sadie breathing, I had to stay ahead. Always.
When I reached my bike, I swung a leg over it and held out the single helmet. But Sadie just stood there, feet planted. Perhaps she was questioning everything—me, this plan, maybe even whether she could survive letting me close again.
“Take it,” I muttered, shoving it toward her like the single gesture might solve everything spiralling between us.
A few more beats passed, then with a sharp exhale, she snatched the helmet, not even bothering to look at me. There was too much pride in her. Too much stubbornness. But more than that, there was too much pain. I knew because it was the same damn pain I was holding onto.
The bike dipped slightly as Sadie climbed on and straddledme from behind, her bare thighs pressed against my hips. She hesitated. Then came the warmth of her body against my back as she wrapped her arms around my chest.
It was just like the night we’d found Logan, when hanging on to me was the only way she knew how to hold on.
I kicked the engine to life, the low rumble vibrating through me. Sadie’s grip tightened as we peeled out onto the wide, empty road, the night air sharp against my skin. The hum of the engine bled into the silence, but in my head, it was anything but quiet.
