Page 61 of Crush (Deadly Hearts 1)

ChapterThirty-Two

Ruby

Isort through my closet to find the right dress to wear. I land on a slinky, red silk number with thin straps, which skims my body perfectly and has a split up my left thigh. Pulling it out, I take it off the hanger and undress quickly including my underwear. I’ve already selected a red, lacy strapless bra with matching thong, which I throw on quickly. Then I step into the dress and pull it up, sliding up the side zipper. I step into a pair of red heels and then grab the two knives from the nightstand where they were placed during my unconsciousness and fix-up. I grimace as I pull the dress up and attach the right holster much higher than I’m used to so I can avoid the wound and then repeat the process with the left one to avoid the split. I brush out my wavy, black hair and then pick up my phone where I threw it on the bed after calling Scarlet. I glance at the screen. She hasn’t called me back yet. It’s not surprising. Her job is at odd hours so she could still be sleeping at this time.

I saunter out to the sitting room where I stop, my breath catching in my throat. “Well, fuck,” I breathe out when I spot Declan decked out in a black tux he pulled out of somewhere, staring into the mirror above the sideboard where I keep my handgun, a bow tie loose around his neck.

He meets my eyes in the mirror and smiles. “Could say the same to you,” he says and lifts up the end of the bow tie.

“Leave it,” I blurt out.

He raises an eyebrow at me and turns around, dropping the bow tie. He undoes the top two buttons on his shirt.

“Yes,” I breathe out like a fool. “You are a handsome fucker, aren’t you?”

He lets out a soft laugh, the amusement actually reaching his eyes. “Well, I knew you would come out of that bedroom looking like a goddess. I had to measure up.”

“And you just walk around with a tux in your back pocket?” I ask, preening at the goddess compliment.

“In the boot of my car. My real car, which is now in your driveway,” he replies.

“Handy,” I murmur.

He approaches me slowly, almost stalking me. “We need to talk,” he murmurs, taking a lock of my hair and twirling it around his finger. He appears mesmerized by it momentarily before he meets my eyes.

“Yeah, we do,” I reply and draw in a deep breath.

His eyes flicker with worry, but he smiles. “You start?”

I nod. “I know I said we were over, but then we had the time in my office, and it made me realize that I can’t lose you. I need what you give me.”

He gives me a slightly confused look before his face goes neutral again. “What are you saying?” he murmurs.

“That I want to resume our DD/LG relationship, if you want to,” I whisper, suddenly afraid that he is going to reject me.

“I want that,” he whispers.

I nod, relieved, but there’s more I have to say. I don’t know how he will react to it. I take a breath and run my hands up his chest, dropping my phone into the inside pocket of his jacket before I rest them lightly over his pecs. He grabs my fingers. Looking down at them.

“I want more from you,” I mutter, grabbing the bull by the horns. I don’t know why I’m so nervous saying this to him. With the other men it was easy, I just came out with it and expected them to fall in line. Declan is a whole different ball game. Our dynamic is on a whole different level.

“What do you want, Ruby?” he asks.

“Can we talk in the car?” I ask, chickening out for a minute. I need time to compose myself.

He nods, pulling my hands from his chest and tightening his grip. He restrains my arms at my sides and stares into my eyes. His are full of something I can’t figure out and it drives me crazy. I wish I could read him, but I have no idea. Then he drops my hands and grabs my hip with one of his, the other going to the back of my neck. He draws me close and kisses me roughly, his fist tightening painfully in my hair. I meet his aggressive thrusts with my tongue, matching the rhythm he has set. As soon as it gets going, he stops and pulls away, taking my hand and leading me out to the car silently. I lock up and wait for him to open the reappeared Aston Martin. He gallantly opens the passenger door for me to slip inside and I wait, my hands sweating for him to get in. He sets off and after a few minutes, I break the silence.

“How do you feel about expanding our DD/LG relationship to include sex?” I ask hastily.

He glances at me quickly before his eyes go back to the road. He doesn’t say anything for a while, clearly contemplating what I said.

“I can’t do that,” he says eventually, making my cheeks heat up with humiliation at the rejection. “It’s not what you’re thinking,” he says quickly. “I want to have sex with you, Ruby. I have wanted that for a long time, but not in that way. It will tarnish the relationship and I don’t want that.”

“What do you mean ‘tarnish’?” I ask, trying to keep the anger out of my tone.

“It’s not what you need from me in that situation. You need to confess your bad deeds, be punished for them and absolved in a way that gives you peace. If we throw sex into that mix, it becomes…” He pauses, searching for the right word. I’m shocked when he finds it and says, “…dirty.”

“Dirty?” I snap at him, tears pricking my eyes.

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