Page 207 of Ruin Me Gently

Silas’ jaw ticked. His hand shot up immediately, a sharp motion, like a silent warning. ‘Shut up.’

Finn did not shut up.

“I’ve had to pull some serious fucking strings, dude, but he said he’ll help us catch that bleach-blond, creepy eyed pri—”

Silas moved fast. One second, he was standing in front of a heaving Finn, the next he was gripping his arm, dragging him into the room while shoving the door shut behind him.

“Fucking shut up,” he hissed.

Finn’s eyes widened even more as his gaze flicked past Silas and landed straight on me.

“Oh, dude. Shit. I—” he raked a hand through his messy, sandy waves. “I didn’t know you were here, Lils. Mind if I call you that? Or we could go with Lily, or Lulu or something? Whatever you’re comfortable with?”

I arched a brow, but before I could speak, he sniffed—audibly.

His brows furrowed. His nose scrunched. Then his mouth fell open.

“Oh my God.” His face lit up like a kid on Christmas. “Did I just walk in on some post-fuck bliss?”

Silas closed his eyes, like he was summoning patience out of thin air.

Finn, meanwhile, inhaled again like a bloodhound and grinned. “Yup. Smells like sex in here.”

He immediately put his hand out to Silas for a fist bump. “My man.”

Silas just stared at him.

Finn wiggled his fist slightly, waiting.

Silas didn’t move.

Finn sighed, lowering his hand. “You’re such a killjoy, dude.”

Silas exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can we talk in your office instead?”

Finn’s brows lifted slightly. He looked at me. Then back at Silas. “Should she not know about it?”

The air shifted, like someone had just cracked open a window in the dead of winter, and I sat bolt upright on the couch. “Should I not know about what?”

“Per l’amor di Dio,” Silas said, tipping his head to the ceiling.

My pulse ticked faster. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, eyes flicking between the two of them. “Hello?”

What the fuck was going on? What should I know? Was it bad? Why were they staring at each other like they were about to start telepathically arm-wrestling?

Finn’s fingers twitched at his side.

Silas’ jaw flexed.

A short, nervous laugh left me. “Hello? Still here.”

Silas finally tore his eyes away from Finn and rolled his shoulders. “It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just work stuff for a meeting. You can leave now, Finn.”

“Wrong. You just lied. You have a tell.”

His brows lifted slightly, eyes narrowing at me. “I don’t have a tell.”

He was right. He didn’t have a tell. At least not one I’d ever noticed. But now Iknewhe was lying.

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