Page 73 of Rags to Royals

“I don’t want to lead him on or hurt him.”

“Okay. Well, then you just need to tell him that.”

“I shouldn’t just try to resist? Keep my clothes on? Avoid being alone with him?”

She laughs louder now. “No. Not that. If he’s blowing your mind on ourpatio, then you need to get naked with himoftenover the next couple of weeks.”

I actually feel relieved at her words. Which is ridiculous. Am Irelievedto know I have permission to fuck Cian as much as I want to? Yes, that’s exactly how I feel. Because I really want to, and I don’t want to feel guilty about it.

“Thanks, Ruby.”

She rolls over to face away from me. “Goodnight, lucky girl. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I murmur.

But it’s another forty minutes before I fall asleep.

Because it’s very hard to quiet the feelings tumbling through me at the thought of being free to get naked with Cian whenever I want to.

Almost as hard as it is to ignore the rush of emotions I get when I think about Cian believing in and supporting me.

Chapter 15

Cian

“Icould take out the basketball coach. He also teaches math. I could do that.”

“Definetake out,” I tell Henry as I pour cream into my coffee.

He rolls his eyes. “Challenge him to a friendly one-on-one game and sweep his leg. Injure his knee just enough that he needs to be out for a while.”

It’s fortunate that I know Henry as well as I do and I don’t take him completely seriously. But I take him about seventy percent seriously.

“You do not need to be at the school with me the entire time. It’s Emerald, Ohio. No one here wants to kill me.”

“I wanna kill you a little.”

I snort. “That’s because you’re not getting laid, and you spend a lot of time with the only woman you want to get laid by.”

He gives me a look that says fuck you,I can’t believe you just said that, andyou’re absolutely rightall at the same time. Again, the beauty of knowing a man as long and as well as Henryand I know one another is that we don’t have to actuallysayall of that.

“The fact that I am spending so much time in close proximity to Ruby is your fault. You’re not helping yourdon’t kill mecase.”

I take a seat at the table in Scarlett and Ruby’s kitchen. “Just leave the basketball coach alone. Besides, they’re not going to askyouto coach basketball and teach math even if he is out of commission. We’ve told the whole town you’re the head of the history department at some college.”

Henry sits back in his chair. Ruby is still in bed, or at least upstairs avoiding us. Scarlett, of course, already left for work. Mariah and Greta blew through the kitchen about ten minutes ago, grabbing food on their way to school.

I’m on my way up to the school too, but I’ve got another thirty minutes or so. I’m supposed to meet with the administration and then sit down with the teacher I will be covering for during his planning period.

“Fine. I’m going to be writing a book. That way I can hang out at various places around town, go for a run past the school, even stop in periodically.”

I take a long draw of my coffee. Henry’s plans are always well thought out, so I don’t really need to ask, but I do anyway. “You’re writing a book?”

He gives me a pissy look. “That’s my cover story. That’s what everyone will believe I’m doing while we’re here. That gives me flexibility with where I am and my schedule. That way if you need me, I can get to you. Good thing this town is so fucking small,” he ends on a mutter.

Ruby is absolutely getting to him. He’s not ever quite as affable as I am, but he’s generally laid back and has a great sense of humor. He goes with the flow, which is why he and I fit together so well. But he’s been a grumpy asshole ever since we got to Ohio. I’m glad I have to go to school.

“But you’reactuallygoing to just be bored and get more and more irritated, is that what I should prepare for?” I ask.

---