Page 66 of Crush (Deadly Hearts 1)

“So you have fucked her and yet you won’t fuck me. How do you think that makes me feel?” she asks.

“Ruby,” I chide. “You know that’s not it. I love you, for fuck’s sake. I want to be with you in every single way.”

“Love?” she snarls. “You love me? You don’t even know me. You can’t say you love me and then tell her all your secrets and fuck her when it’s taken this long for me to find out who you really are.”

“I swear, it meant nothing,” I beg her. “I barely even remember it. Please, Ruby, I know that it was wrong. I hate myself for it. But I will always tell you everything. Ask me. Ask me anything.” I can smell my own fear that she is going to walk out.

It’s not unfounded.

She growls at me, slapping my face so hard and then she stalks away, David hot on her heels. She brushes past Layton, who grabs her arm, but she pulls away from him. I storm after her, furious with Rex for this. He wanted this relationship destroyed and he got it. “Ruby, wait! Please!” I call after her.

“Fuck you,” she screams at me, marching out into the open air of the dingy alley at the back of the club. It’s still fucking raining and it mingles with her tears. Her tears that I caused. It stabs me in the heart.

“Ruby, please, listen to me.”

“No, I’m done listening to you. I don’t want to hear anything else that comes out of your mouth! I’m clearly not the sister you want to be with but the one you got lumbered with!” Her fury is covering up her pain and I wish I could take it away, but I’m the one causing it. I’m floundering. For the first time in my entire life, I have no control over this situation and no idea what to do next.

“Fuck, Ruby, please,” I implore her. “I love you, Princess. Please don’t turn away from me.”

“You need to leave her alone,” Layton says, shoving me away from her, having been brought up to speed by David. “Go now.”

“No!” I roar, my anger driving my absolute terror that I’m going to lose the only reason I have to draw my next breath. “Ruby!”

“Don’t,” David says quietly. “Just leave it for now.”

“I can’t,” I snap, turning to him. I shove past Layton and drop to my knees in the disgusting, dank alley, dropping into a murky puddle at her feet. I place my hands on her hips and look up at her, the rain dropping onto my face. She glares down at me, those green eyes full of hurt and anger.

“What can I do to prove to you that I love you?” I ask her. “I will tell you anything you want to know. I will do anything you want me to do…just please tell me how to fix this.”

She shakes her head, her jaw tight. “You can’t fix it, Declan. All I see when I look at you now, is you shoving your cock into my fucking sister. How could you?”

I want to tell her that we weren’t together when I did this horrible thing but that will only aggravate her further. She has every right to be hurt.

“There has to be a way. Action over words. Just tell me what I can do.”

She glares down at me silently, her face rigid and her body stiff.

We are both drenched when she finally opens her mouth to speak. “I don’t know, Declan. I honestly don’t think there is anything you can do to fix this.” She stumbles back and allows Layton to sweep her into his arms, carrying her back inside. David hesitates, placing a hand on my shoulder, but then he too follows, leaving me on my knees, soaking wet, full of self-loathing and scared stiff that Ruby will never forgive me and let me make it up to her.

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