Page 35 of Ruined (The Knights of Ruin)

I almost jumped at the sound of Smoke’s deep voice coming from the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, his arms folded, the ink of his tats dark against his skin. That breathtaking smile he’d saved for my daughter was gone. The fiercely intense look was back again.

The same look he’d given me that night he’d kissed me.

I’d never felt shy around Smoke before, but I was now.

My mouth dry, I glanced down at the clothes on the bed. ‘No, obviously, I’m not ready.’

I pushed aside the black dress, fiddling about with the black skinny jeans that were my favoured alternative.

‘Annie must have gone down quickly.’

‘She was tired. She said you were shouting at someone on the phone just before I arrived.’

Oh, shit. That kid had bat ears.

‘Someone from work.’

I don’t know why I didn’t tell him about Justin. Maybe it was because Justin had made me feel so helpless and I didn’t want Smoke to know how badly affected I was.

‘Bullshit. Annie said you were talking about her.’

Busted.

I let out a breath, smoothing the fabric on the bed. ‘It was Justin. He was trying to get me to give him sole custody voluntarily.’

I didn’t even know Smoke had moved until I felt heat beside me and a powerful hand had my jaw in its grip, turning my face to his.

Black eyes pinned me. ‘And you said what?’

‘What do you think? Of course I said no.’

But he must have heard the catch in my voice because that fierce look suddenly softened. ‘What else did he say, Cat?’

His thumb brushed absently along the line of my jaw, striking sparks along every nerve ending I had. I tried not to notice, tried not to shiver.

‘He made like it would be a good thing.’ My voice thickened. ‘He told me it would be better for Annie if she didn’t have a mom who was working all the time and who was so tired. Who had no time for her kid because she was always worrying. And he said how his apartment was safe, and he has a pool, and you know how much she likes swimming—’

I broke off, my eyes prickling, and tried to pull away again, not wanting Smoke to see how much Justin’s words had slipped beneath my skin. How much they’d made me doubt myself.

But Smoke didn’t let me go. ‘There’s no better place for Annie than with you,’ he said with quiet emphasis. ‘She doesn’t need a fucking pool. All she needs is love, and you do that better than anyone.’

My heart swelled up tight in my chest. ‘Sometimes I can’t help thinking that maybe she’d be better off with him. He has money and—’

‘Quiet,’ Smoke interrupted, with so much authority I fell silent. ‘That prick’s got nothing Annie needs. If he was any kind of decent father, he would be in her life, but he’s not. And if he was any kind of decent man, he wouldn’t have fucking touched you in the first place. But he did. Which makes him and his opinions worth shit.’

I opened my mouth to tell him how much I’d needed to hear that that, but he put his thumb across my lips and pressed down lightly, silencing me.

‘Don’t worry, kitten,’ he went on softly. ‘You don’t need to worry—especially not about money. I’m here now, and I’ll deal with it.’

I had issues with that, but for some reason my brain wouldn’t work. I couldn’t repress the helpless shiver that chased over my skin at his touch either.

A black flame leapt in his eyes, hot and dark, and for a second I had the mad urge to open my mouth and suck on his thumb. Bite it.

Maybe he saw that, too, because I swore I caught the flicker of a feral kind of smile on his beautiful mouth.

‘Black pencil skirt. Green blouse. Black stilettos. Stockings.’ His hand fell away, releasing me. ‘Now, go get ready. The sitter will be here any minute.’

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