Page 26 of Ruin
“Have you eaten?” I ask, leaning against the doorframe as I study her.
She’s started to fill out a little, her cheeks now looking fuller, and she no longer appears to be hiding behind her hair. It seems Annika’s influence is doing her good.
She shuts her book with a sigh. “Out of curiosity, is that all we talk about now? How much I’m eating?”
I raise an eyebrow at the attitude behind her tone. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to have lunch with me, but I’ll leave you to it, then.”
I turn to leave, but another loud sigh has me turning back to find her getting to her feet. “I’m coming.”
Stepping aside to wait for her to pass, her arm brushes my chest and something zings through me.
Must just be static electricity…
It was Annika’s turn to make dinner last night, and she made enough pasta for an army, so I reheat us a plate of leftovers each.
“I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things,” I say, breaking the silence when I hand her a plate and take a seat across from her at the long dining table.
“Sounds intriguing,” she replies, and the smile on her face isso reminiscent of her former self that it takes me a moment to respond.
While I’ve been actively avoiding her, I hadn’t noticed just how much better she’s been doing.
Clearing my throat, I nod. “We have an event taking place tonight that will mean there will be quite a few clients in attendance.”
She pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth. “One of the club nights?”
Surprised, I raise an eyebrow. “You know about the club nights?”
She shakes her head. “Not really. I saw people show up in masks a few times in Sydney, and then Imogen said something about a club night when we were talking about Annika and Connell’s weird relationship. I kind of put the two together, but I don’t really know anything about them.”
“Right… Well, it would be best if you stay upstairs,” I continue, pretending not to notice the expectant look on her face.
She frowns. “You’re asking me to hide now? After weeks of telling me I’m not allowed to hide?”
“No, it’s just…” I don’t know how to respond to that without going into detail about what why she shouldn’t be around.
A club night is the last place that someone like Lily should be. Even without her recent history, an orgy is definitely not for her delicate eyes. Or any other body parts.
“Wow… Sebastian DeLuca is speechless. Never thought I’d see that happen.” She sits back in her seat and smirks as she twirls her fork between her fingers. “It’s fine. I’ll stay upstairs.”
“It would be best,” I say with a nod.
“I know, you said that already.”
Sitting back in my own chair, I cross my arms and study her closely. “You’re awfully feisty today.”
She shrugs, pushing her hair back behind her ear. “Just wondering how long you’re going to keep avoiding me. And I’m enjoying seeing you squirm.”
“Why would I be avoiding you?”
Cocking her head to the side, she holds my gaze. “I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Well, given that I’m not avoiding you, I couldn’t tell you.”
I usually make a point of never lying to people, and yet I’ve now lied to three of the people I’m closest to in a matter of hours. This woman is clearly so far under my skin that I’m now acting completely out of character.
“Interesting. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.” She stabs a piece of pasta with her fork, returning her attention to her food. “What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?”
It takes me a moment to recall the other matter that I’d planned to discuss with her. But she seems so relaxed now - so much like her old self - that I don’t think now is the time to talk to her about filing for divorce from her abusive husband.
