Page 147 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to lose her again. But she wasn’t mine anymore, and I didn’t have a fucking clue how to fix everything that was broken.
When the music ended, she pulled back and tipped up her chin, biting her lip. “Can I ask you for a big favor?”
That sounded loaded, so I didn’t want to commit until I heard what she wanted. “You can ask.”
“I…” She stopped and took a deep breath, and let it out. “Will you come home with me? To Quinn’s, I mean. Will you spend the night with me?”
“You want me to spend the night with you,” I repeated, trying to make sense of the words.
“I need to be with you. Just once. Just for tonight. I won’t ask you for anything ever again. I promise.”
I rubbed my jaw. “You’re asking me to have sex with you.”
She nodded, watching my face closely to gauge my reaction.
Evie wanted to put her demons to rest. She wanted to get past that night she was assaulted, and I got that. But how was I supposed to love her for just one more night and leave her again?
She was asking too much of me.
“No.” I backed up a few steps. “Fuck no.”
“Please, Ridge. I need this,” she pleaded.
I went to loosen my tie. It was choking me. But then remembered I’d taken it off earlier.
Two nights ago, when we tried to have sex, I felt like the biggest asshole. The last thing I wanted was a repeat performance. I’d rather get punched in the junk than go through that again.
“I know I’m asking a lot, and I know you don’t owe me anything, but… will you please do this for me?”
My eyes drifted shut. Evie had never asked me for anything, and now she was practically begging me to do this for her. “Why me?” My voice sounded strangled. This felt like a no-win situation, and I was on the losing side.
“Who else would I ask? You’re the only person I trust.”
* * *
I did what she asked. I went home with her, and I had sex on demand. I’d love to say it was a good experience, a pleasant one at the very least.
Generally, sex is great. What’s not to love?
But there was nothing to love about this. Evie cried but begged me not to stop. I tried to be as gentle as I could. Restrained. Careful. Sensitive to her needs.
Evie had never been fragile before. I’d never had to tread carefully or worry about being too rough. She used to love it that way and always gave as good as she got.
But this was uncharted territory, and I wasn’t sure how to navigate it.
I had no idea if I was doing all the right things or all the wrong things. Evie’s eyes were screwed tightly shut, and she didn’t appear to be enjoying it. Her movements were mechanical, like she was just going through the motions, determined to prove to herself that she could do this. But her body was rigid and tense underneath me.
If I’d been paying more attention to her instead of myself the other night, I would have realized that she hadn’t been enjoying it that night either.
“Open your eyes.” I stilled inside her and framed her face with my hands. “Look at me, Evie.”
She opened her eyes. They filled with more tears that spilled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
I swept the hair off her face and kissed her forehead. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Just try to relax, okay?”
She gave me a little nod. Her face was streaked with dried tears, and I held her gaze as I moved inside her.
I suppose I should be thankful that Evie wasn’t the type to fake an orgasm.
