Page 21 of Ruin Me Gently

Curiosity flared and against my better judgement, I started trailing her at a distance—twenty feet, give or take. Enough to keep her in my line of sight.

She moved like she wasn’t part of the world around her. She didn’t flinch when a cab blared its horn and veered too close to the curb, or when a burst of obnoxious laughter erupted from a group passing by. She might as well have been in her own little bubble, and for some reason, that rubbed me the wrong way.

The sharp dingof a bike bell cut through the air.

I squinted toward the sound.

A delivery rider.

Except he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. No, this dickhead was on the pavement, weaving through the pedestrians like they were traffic cones. One hand gripped the handlebars loosely while the other flicked between his phone and the people around him, his head bobbing as if he couldn’t decide which direction would cause the least damage.

What the hell was this guy doing?

He wasn’t slowing down. If anything, he was picking up speed.

A woman shifted at the last second, narrowly avoiding him, hot coffee sloshing over the rim of her cup and onto the front of her coat.

He didn’t look back. Didn’t stop. What an asshole.

Lilith was still walking, still completely unaware.

Look up, Lilith.

I moved, dodging the bodies between us.

He was closing in too fast.

My hand shot out, the distance closing in an instant, and in one sharp motion, I grabbed her arm and yanked her out of his path.

The momentum spun her straight into me, her back slamming hard against my chest as the delivery bike shot past, the whoosh of wind brushing against me.

Inches.That’s how close it had been.

The rider didn’t even pause. He just threw a half-assed, ‘Sorry!’over his shoulder, already vanishing into the sea of people.

“Yeah, sure. No problem, asshole,” I muttered.

Then I realised—

Her back? Pressed against my chest.

My hand? Touching her arm.

My brain? Absolutely fucking losing it.

Move, idiot. Let her go.

I couldn’t. My mind spun in a loop of absolute chaos.

This is bad. This is really bad. Why does she smell so good? Why does this feel—

She tensed, and the moment shattered like glass hitting the pavement. She twisted out of my hold, spinning around so fast her hair whipped across her face, tiny strands catching on her lips. Her pupils had blown wide, breath coming in short, uneven bursts.

“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped as she rubbed at her arm, fingers pressing against the spot where my grip had been.

Oh, shit. Had I hurt her?

Panic flooded my veins. I hadn’t grabbed her hard. Had I?

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