Page 44 of Her Ruin

I nodded, seeing her eyes widen in disbelief. “Think of it as…a professional courtesy.”

Isla’s scoff was meant to be insulting. Instead, it only amused me more. “Professional courtesy toyou? Tell me that’s a joke.”

“Fine.” I shrugged. “I’ll tell Rye to double the security, enjoy.” I made to move out of the booth, but she grabbed my arm.

“Wait.” She exhaled through her nose, clearly seething. But I could see the battle raging behind her eyes. She hated the idea of checking in with me, but she hated the alternative more.

“Fine.” She didn’t meet my gaze, turning her head away from me.

I leaned in, my mouth at the shell of her ear, my voice smooth. “That sounded a lot like another win for me.”

Isla jerked away from me, grabbing her pen and tapping it aggressively against the table. “Then you’re delusional. It’s called a compromise.”

I slid out of the booth, my smile wide. It was a win, and she knew it.

Moving around the back of the booth, I caught her ponytail when I heard her mutterasshole. Gently, I tugged her head back, her eyes wide as she looked up at me. I dipped my head down, my eyes on her plump lips parted in surprise, my lips at her ear.

“Be very careful, Is. Push me too far…I dare you.” I looked up at the empty room. My men weren’t looking, and I didn’t care if they were. “There’s no one here to help you.”

She’d been shocked when I tugged her hair, but now she was trying to look unaffected. Another battle she was losing. I let her hair go, and she twisted in the seat so rapidly her hair slapped her face. Wordlessly, she glared at me, too angry to speak.

Finally, I reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face before she could stop me.

Her breath stuttered, and I saw the flicker of awareness in her eyes as she reacted to me. It wasn’t a reaction of someone scared, that was for sure.

“Think about it,” I offered as I turned and walked away, leaving her seething behind me.

And if I wasn’t mistaken, more than just a bit breathless.

* * *

It was Thursday night.The club was bouncing upstairs. Isla had left a list of demands for the cleanup crew, which had made Rye start swearing five minutes ago, and he was still going. I was at my table in the lower level, watching my club while trying not to laugh at my friend being whipped by the indomitable Isla Wells.

I scanned the room, stopping on a familiar pair of blue eyes watching me. Julian was standing near the bar, one arm on the bar, the other in his pocket, his expression unreadable—but his eyes? They were telling me a story that said my friend was upset with me.

I’d been waiting for this.

I repressed the sigh, already knowing what this was about. Beckoning him over, I appreciated the subtlefuck youhe gave me as he took his time in coming over, the weight of his glare letting him down slightly. Julian was good at keeping his cool but not as good as me. I wasn’t stupid. There was no friendliness in his stare tonight. Wordlessly, he took a seat, not even glancing Rye’s way.

“You look like a man with something to say,” I greeted him.

His jaw clenched and unclenched. “You need to leave her alone.”

“Who?”

Julian didn’t move, didn’t blink. “I’m serious. You’ve got enough going on. You shouldn’t have dragged her into your mess.”

I let out a quiet laugh. “That’s bold even for you, old friend.” I felt Rye move slightly beside me, getting prepared for what I wasn’t sure, but he was ready if he needed to be. I sniffed dismissively as Julian continued to stare me down. “I’m notdraggingher into anything. She needed help. I gave her help.”

Julian shook his head in disgust. “Don’t play innocent with me. I know you had something to do with this, more than she’s saying.”

That got my attention. He was also beginning to piss me off.

“She bit off more than she could chew, she forgot who her client was, who she was dealing with.” I gave him a sharp once-over. “Something you seem to be in danger of forgetting too. She needed help. She asked for it. I gave it.” I gave him a smile, subtextfuck you. “I’m just that nice of a guy.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’re really not.”

“Wow, I thought you were friends?” Rye murmured loud enough to be heard by Julian.

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