Page 183 of Ruin Me Gently

Not even in the dazed, post-orgasm kind of way.

But because she washere.Withme.

She’d let me close.

She’d trusted me time and time again, enough to fall apart in my hands, enough to letmefall apart at her mercy.

I didn’t know what the hell I’d done to deserve her, but I was sure as shit going to spend every second I had trying not to fuck it up.

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Ihad myclothes.I had my phone. Molly had been regularly texting me updates on Katniss, complete with timestamped photos and a rundown of her meals, like my beardy was a celebrity under a strict wellness contract.

And yet, I still felt like shit.

I stared at my phone, rereading Molly’s last message.

Molly

Your little demon is thriving. Just inhaled an entire bowl of greens and then fixed me with a look like she was sizing me up for a casket. I’m scared.

A picture followed—Katniss, curled up on her heat mat, looking pissed off.

I missed her. I missed normality. This penthouse wasinsane.But I was starting to feel the effects of not moving. I glanced toward the massive windows stretching across the living room. I wanted to be out there. Not in here.

“I want that report in my inbox by 10a.m. No exceptions.”

What?

I turned, expecting Silas to be looking at me, but his gaze was focused somewhere else.

“No, we can’t push the launch back another week,” he continued, tone sharp as he pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Tell him if he wants to keep his job, he can find a solution that doesn’t involve screwing up our entire timeline.”

Oh.

He turned slightly, caught my eye, and held up a finger. ‘One sec.’

I flopped back down onto the couch, grumbling. Mr. Tech was in work mode.

Whatever. I rolled my eyes and stared up at the ceiling, tuning out his conversation, trying not to think about how restless I felt.

A minute later, the couch dipped beside me, and he stretched out, pulling his stupid earpiece off and tossing it onto the table.

“That thing makes you look like a fucking asshole.”

He turned his head, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

I pointed at it. “The earpiece. The whole,‘I’m too important to hold my own phone’thing. Very asshole behaviour.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Hey, I’ve got to work from home. Needs must.”

“Asshole.”

He lunged at me, fingers skimming my ribs, and I shrieked, twisting away, laughing despite myself. “Stop! You—fucking—asshole—”

He flopped down beside me, tugging my legs over his lap and smoothing his hands over my shins, tipping his head toward me. “What’s up? You’re extra sharp today.”

I toyed with the hem of my sweats, staring at the ceiling for a long second before finally saying, “I need to leave.”

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