Page 159 of Ruin Me Gently

“It’s okay. You don’t have to decide. I’ll handle it.”

I leaned against her back a little, holding her closer as I scrolled through the delivery app over her shoulder, mindlessly filtering through options.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You don’t have to thank me.” I shook my head, not lifting my gaze from the screen.

She didn’t say anything, but her hand curled around my forearm where it rested across her chest, fingers pressing lightly against my skin.

I let my lips brush just barely against her ear, voice dropping low. “Do you want to be absolutely filthyand eat in bed?”

“Oh my God, yes please,”she said, letting out a breathy laugh.

I smirked, giving her the smallest squeeze before finally loosening my hold. “Good. Get in bed,” I murmured. “I’ll be back soon.”

She crawled onto the mattress, settling against the pillows before I made it to the door.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw as I stepped out into the hall, something steady settling deep inside me. This wasright.For too long, I’d circled her life, keeping my distance from her, keeping myself shielded, convincing myself that was the best way to keep her safe. That I wasn’t meant to be in her life, that if I got too close, I’d ruin her.

And now?

She was here. In my bed. In my home. Wrapped in my clothes. I didn’t have to watch from the outside. I didn’t have to pretend distance was the same as protection.

Now, Icouldprotect her.For real.

She was safe.

And I wasn’t going to let anything touch her again.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

Iwas in hisbed.

His actual bed.

I supposed that wasn’t new information. I’d been sleeping in it for the past eleven days. Butstill,it felt so strange.

He’d left after ordering food, and I was left lying there, staring at the ceiling, trying to process what the hell my life had become.

I wasn’t going to think about what I’d lost. I wasn’t going to think about what happened before this. I wasn’t going to think about how my life had somehow managed to go even more sideways than I’d ever planned for.

Instead, I was going to focus on the fact that I was in the bed of someone who actually gave a fuck. And Jesus Christ, when was the last time that had been true?

Someone who had done nothing but be good to me. Someone who had pulled me out of that alley. Someone who had made sure I was fed, warm, safe.

And, as a very nice bonus, someone who was stupidly beautiful.

I’d spent the entire day stealing glances at him. Not even on purpose—okay, maybe a little bit on purpose. But he wasthere.The sharp line of his jaw, the way his brows furrowed slightly when he was thinking. It was just so different getting to see every single part of his face as it worked as one.

The far away ding of the elevator pulled me from my thoughts.

Oh yeah, this man had aprivate elevator.A penthouse. And a private elevator.

I pushed myself up so that I was sitting, and a moment later, Silas stepped into the bedroom.

“What the hell?” I blurted.

He stood there grinning, carrying no less than six bags of food, handles looped tightly around his fingers. “Dinner.”

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