Page 8 of Broken (Powertools: The Shields 4)

“In bed?” Ace’s brows climbed his forehead.

“I mean, your couch is comfortable, but it’s not going to be big enough for you to stretch out on, is it?”

“I’ll make it work.” Ace shrugged.

“Don’t be dumb. We’re adults. And cramming your arm into weird positions all night isn’t going to feel great. Unless…sleeping next to me makes you uncomfortable.”

Ace snorted, then mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, “Only in the best of ways. No worse than Liam leaving me hanging.”

“What was that?” Ruby’s eyes narrowed. Surely she could not have heard him right.

“I said I’ll be right back with your stuffed shit. Not that I’m criticizing you. I meant that literally.” Before she could call him on that obvious lie, he’d left the apartment. The keypad outside beeped as he activated their alarm.

Ruby had slipped out of her jeans and was still wide awake, wearing her T-shirt and panties, staring at the ceiling of Ace’s room from his huge bed, when the other side dipped. She closed her eyes, unwilling to argue or ruin this chance to sleep next to one of the very few people who could make her feel safe given the circumstances. Ace melted her heart a little as he set up a wall between them, using her stuffed animals as a fluff-filled barrier. Whether it was to make her feel secure, or to keep either of them from crossing into awkward territory during the night, she had no idea.

She wondered why Liam and Ace slept in separate beds—in different rooms, even—when she knew damn well they were intimate. Were they only fuck buddies and not more?

Did either of them realize how much they were missing out on by denying the powerful connection between them and reducing it to merely something physical when clearly, for Ace at least, it ran far deeper than their dicks.

They were as fucked up as she was. And somehow that made her feel better. Enough that her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. She verged on falling into true slumber.

“Sleep well, Ruby,” Ace whispered into the darkness, though he had no idea she could hear him. “I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not even me or Liam. He’s right. It’s better not to drag you into our mess.”

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