Page 48 of Ruined

“Not now,” I snarled, storming into the office. I didn’t want anyone’s pleasantness. I just wanted to be angry and alone.

“Little early to be drinking, darlin’,” River drawled as he stepped into the office with me, shutting the door behind him.

I snorted before I took a long drink from the bottle. “This is the longest I’ve been fucking sober in a year, River,” I informed him. River stayed silent, that unnerving, blue gaze locked on my face. I frowned down at the bottle in my hand. When he only continued to silently stare at me, I sighed. “He pissed me the fuck off,” I quietly admitted.

“He used to be your entire world, darlin’—him and Joey, that is.” I swallowed thickly, my heart throbbing as I thought of Joey, and a distant ache started in my chest at the thought of everything thatusedto be between me and Tristan. “You used to never even look in another man’s direction when one of them was around. What changed?”

“I changed, River,” I told him, my voice sad. I turned to look at him. There was no judgment in his eyes, just a tenderness that I was clinging to. I never wanted to lose that tenderness. “I’m not the same young girl that he was in love with four years ago, and I’m certainly not the same woman he loved a year ago. I changed. It was the only way I could survive.”

River quietly locked the office door, striding over to me after checking to make sure the blinds were closed. I tracked every move he made with nervous, uncertain eyes. Anyone could see us, and I didn’t want him to face the end of Tristan’s gun if word got back to Tristan about us.

River gently took the bottle of vodka from my hand, setting it on the desk behind me while I stared at him, my breathing quickening. My heart slammed against my breastbone with every rapid beat.

“What…” I swallowed when he cupped the side of my neck and wrapped an arm around my waist, drawing me against him. “What are you doing?” I breathlessly asked, my heart poundinghard in my chest all while anticipation of his touch curled in my belly.

“One night with you wasn’t enough. It’ll never be enough,” he huskily confessed right before his lips molded against mine.

My mind shut down as I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers plunging into his soft, damp hair, tugging gently on the dark strands. I pressed my body closer to his, needing to feel him against me.

A quiet rumble sounded from his chest as his arms flexed around me. Right as the kiss deepened, a knock sounded on the door, bursting our little bubble. I sucked in a sharp breath, abruptly yanking myself from River’s arms. He cursed softly, clenching his jaw, anger flaring up in the beautiful, blue depths of his eyes. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath, then cupped my face in his hands, soothing his lips over mine. My body instantly relaxed, my anxiety calming.

Oh, God, he was so fucking perfect.

He released me and walked over to the door, quickly unlocking it and swinging it open as I grabbed the bottle of vodka from the table and tipped it back to hopefully calm my body down becausefuck, we’d been getting hot and heavy quick. We had almost gottencaught, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if River got a bullet between his eyes because of me.

“River, we’ve got a problem,” Wren said. “We’re a bar of coke short for the shipment tomorrow.”

“Fucking hell,” River growled, running a hand down his face. “I’ll ride out there. I need you to tail me.”

Wren nodded, walking away. River pointed at me. “You’re with me.”

I rolled my eyes at him. He didn’t have to drag me with him on this ride just because of Tristan’s orders. Someone else could easily babysit me to appease the mother fucking president. “I’m not going to run the fuck away, River.”

He smirked at me, and every nerve ending in my body curled, making me want him just as badly as I had last night. “Oh, I know, darlin’. I just want you on the back of my bike.” My heart tripped in my chest. “Now, bring your cute ass on so we can hit the road. Time’s wasting.”

I was shocked to see Tristan, Jesup, and Tank at the warehouse when we got there, but I hadn’t expected to see Joey there, too. My eyes widened, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the beautiful man. The moment he spotted me on the back of River’s bike, he moved away from the desk, heading toward us while River parked. River gave my hand a subtle squeeze as he looked at me over his shoulder, understanding in the depths of his mesmerizing eyes. Tears threatened because Tristan wouldneverunderstand the bond I had with Joey, yet River did. And he wasn’t even jealous.

I slid off the back, taking my helmet off and handing it to River. Then, I dashed forward, jumping on Joey. He caught me easily, his arms wrapping around me as I locked my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he whispered as he pressed a tender kiss to my temple. My bottom lip trembled, and I sniffled as tears burned inmy eyes. “Easy,” Joey soothed as he ran his hand over my hair, his other arm holding me just a little bit tighter.

“I’ll close the doors to give you guys some privacy. Tristan will understand,” River quietly spoke up as he passed us. I doubted Tristan would actually understand, but I figured River would make him.

I looked at him over Joey’s shoulder. His lips tilted up the slightest bit, and I gave him a watery one in return. He nodded once at me. My heart squeezed in my chest.

“Fuck, pretty girl, I’ve had people searching for youeverywhere,” Joey rasped. I closed my eyes and buried my face in the crook of his neck. “I was so fucking terrified that you were dead somewhere.”

“River took me to the hospital that night,” I quietly told him, my voice muffled by his neck.

Joey took a seat on his bike, keeping me wrapped around him. He gently pulled my head off of his shoulder so he could properly look at me. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he brushed a tear off of my cheek that I hadn’t realized had fallen. “What do you mean?”

“I called him,” I confessed. Pain flashed in Joey’s eyes for a moment before he smothered it. I swallowed thickly, my hands trembling on his back. “He asked me to live for him.” Joey’s eyes widened in shock. “So, I did. Vin found me pretty quickly, and he threatened to hurt all of you if I didn’t find a way out of that hospital.” I sniffled. “I wanted to die, Joey, but I lived because River asked me to.”

Joey smiled at me. “Remember that one I told you about?” he softly asked me. I frowned, my heart squeezing painfully in mychest. He reached up and cupped my cheek in his hand, his smile now sad. “It’s time to let me go, pretty girl.”

I shook my head at him, panic clawing at my throat. “I’m not ready,” I choked out.

He brushed the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. “You can still hold me with you,” he promised. A tear slipped down my cheek. “But this thing between us? You need to let it go, pretty girl. You’ve got a good man in there. I saw the way he looked at you. It’s the way he’s looked at you since Tristan took you back to his clubhouse a year ago. He’s the one for you, Adelaide.”

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