Page 10 of Her Ruin

I stepped forward, and she stepped back, the sink stopping her from moving farther. I deliberately pressed closer. “I’m not a coward,” I told her softly. “You, however, may be insane. Go play your silly games and leave the kissing to the grown-ups.”

Her lips pressed into a stubborn thin line, and for a moment, I thought she might actually try to punch me. Instead, she shrugged and said, “Fine. I’ll ask someone else.” She pretended to think about it. “Brady Sanders, I used to tutor him. He could be discreet? Right?”

Was she discussing it with me? Like I cared? But…Brady Sanders was a senior like me and an asshole…like me. But he was a smug, handsy prick who wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of someone like Isla, especially if she walked into his orbit unprepared. The thought made my jaw tighten.

“How the fuck does Turner put up with your shit?” I muttered, shaking my head. “Come here.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she recovered quickly, lifting her chin like she’d just won a victory. “Okay.” She wet her lips nervously. “Make it quick.”

“This is what you want, right?” I asked, my voice low.

“Yes,” she said though it came out more like a whisper.

I leaned down, closing the gap between us, and for a second, I thought she might bolt. But Isla stood her ground, stubborn and steady, her eyes flicking between mine and my lips. At the last second,her eyes fluttered shut, and then our lips met.

It was meant to be brief, just enough to shut her up, get her out of my hair, and send her on her way. But that changed the moment I kissed her. Her lips were soft and tentative, but as I pulled back, Isla leaned in, her fingers clutching the front of my shirt as if she wasn’t ready for it to end. I licked her bottom lip, and her mouth parted slightly, letting me in, letting me taste her.

The realization hit me as I felt the soft tug on my shirt, her lips pressing into mine. Isla trusted me with this. Even though she didn’t like me—in truth,she barely acknowledged my existence and me hers—but right here, she trusted me.

I pulled back, breaking the kiss, watching her eyes open slowly, her cheeks a deeper shade of pink than before. She looked unsure of herself.

“Happy now?” I asked her, not liking the roughness of my voice.

She didn’t say anything for a moment, her eyes lingering on my lips, but then she nodded briskly. “Thanks. This never happened.” She ducked past me, unlocked the bathroom door, and disappeared. I stood there, frozen, my shirt still twisted from where her fingers had clung to it.

Twenty minutes later, I watched from the shadows as she waited anxiously to be picked in her stupid game. It was pathetically sad to see the nerds giggling and whispering as they played a game I’d played at eleven. They were a mix of juniors and seniors, and I was sure the guys had already come in their pants at the thought of being so close to a girl, never mind kissing one.

As if Isla had manifested him into the room, Brady Sanders walked in and quickly realized what was happening. “You playing, Isla?” he asked her casually, jerking his thumb to the closed closet door. At her hesitant nod, he grinned. “Well, now I am too.” He reached into the group, ignoring everyone, and spun the bottle. With sheer luck, it landed on Isla. Brady hooted.

Isla blushed scarlet, looking around the room desperately. Her eyes landed on mine.

I saw the panic in her eyes.

As Brady reached for her, I walked through the group, grabbing her hand. “Fuck off, Sanders.” I closed the door in the face of his protests. The closest was dimly lit and compact. I turned to Isla. “Once again, you’re welcome.”

Isla stared up at me. “You weren’t playing,” she whispered.

Such a fucking stickler for the rules.Thiswas who I expected. “No one cares, Is.”

“My name’s Isla.” She shuffled her feet. “So now what?”

“We wait it out.”

“No kissing?”

I snorted. “I think you’re done kissing for the night, Is, don’t you?”

I still didn’t know if the huff she answered me with back then was one of derision or disappointment. Watching her on the camera, so self-assured and commanding, it wasn’t hard to reconcile her with the girl who’d marched into a kitchen and demanded her first kiss like it was a business transaction.

But that was Isla for you—bold, relentless, and always impossible to ignore.

CHAPTER4

ISLA

“Did you like the club?”Julian asked as he poured us both a glass of wine.

My hand paused in the process of pouring the pretzels into the bowl. “It was fine.”

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