Page 70 of Ruined Vows
He delivers on all his promises. And he does his best to right wrongs in the world. And I don’t know what to do with it. I’m out of my comfort zone, so far out of my league. I have no clue how to process it.
I’m used to being pursued for power. I was wanted for competitions at school, and eventually, I was wanted for my body. But this man, this problem in a fitted shirt and bloodied past, is treating me like I’m something worth showing up for. That I’m to be revered. I’m no longer an afterthought. And he sees me, even though I hide behind sunglasses and designer clothing. He’s there when I’m sick and when I need encouragement.
And he never gloats. He’s not a smug asshole that I had him pegged to be. He’s anything but that. He’s….fuck it, the truth is,he’s endearing.
He does sweet things for me, even when I don’t ask—especially when I don’t. And it’s terrifying. Because I’m not ready to give him whatever this thing in my chest is trying to become.
But I can’t walk away from him. I shift on the couch and pull a blanket over my legs, as if it’ll ground me. I close my eyes, trying not to picture his hand cradling that little girl’s head when she curled into him like he was her protector.
I’m trying not to hear his voice when he told her she was safe. It’s like heknowswhat she’s feeling.
I’m trying not to wonder what it would feel like if he said that tome.
And that’s when it dawns on me that he’s unbreakable, like I thought. It’s that he’s already been broken.
But the problem with slow burns is that you don’t realize you’re on fire…until you can’t put it out.
18
VUKAN
DIVE BAR AND BULLETS
Idon’t invite her to the five-star rooftop with a harbor view. One day I will, but not tonight.
Tonight is a place I’d go if I weren’t wearing a watch worth more than most people’s cars. It’s a place that smells like spilled whiskey, wood rot, beer nuts, and sweat. Where the lights are low, the floors are sticky, and no one asks questions unless they want to leave with fewer teeth.
Bianca had a family dinner tonight, and she had her brother’s driver drop her off. It’s the only reason I gave in and didn’t insist on driving her myself. Family is to be revered. And from what I’ve learned of the Borrellis, they are the type of family one longs to be a part of.
And just like my little Kitten, Bianca makes an entrance. Because when she steps inside the dive bar? She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t pause. Nope, not my princess. Instead, she looks around with her practiced half-smile like she’s walked into Versailles. And God help me, she makes chaos look couture, and I want to be the fabric wrapped around her.
Tonight, she’s in black jeans and boots, wearing a tight T-shirt tucked just enough to look chic. Her blonde hair is in a loose braid that still looks like a threat. She could’ve walkedinto a gala or a gunfight, and no one would’ve dared tell her she didn’t belong.
She walks toward me and glances around at the peeling paint and patched-up stools, then quirks a brow as she stands beside me at the bar.
“You’re either trying to seduce me,” she says, “or getting me stabbed.”
“Why not both?” I deadpan.
I ordered us two bottles of beer, not glasses. The bartender doesn’t ask for a name. He knows mine.
We grab our drinks and move to the beat-up pool table in the back, past the broken jukebox and the woman yelling at the slot machine in Spanish.
She picks up a cue and spins it in her hand like it’s a dagger. I know Bianca, she’s a woman of action. God forbid she sits on the sidelines for anyone or anything.
“Wanna break?” she asks.
“Ladies first.”
“Careful,” she purrs. “I play dirty.”
“I’m counting on it.”
She breaks—hard. The sound cracks through the bar like a bullet. Balls scatter over the worn table, and two sink. Satisfied, she straightens up with a grin. “You’re already losing.”
She bends over the table again, and I almost die. Her sweet ass is smiling at me, taunting me. Oh, how I’d love just to reach out and grab it, and pin her to the wall, but I digress.
I’m encouraged when she misses her shot, and it’s my turn. Reluctantly, I tear my eyes away from her round, firm ass and shapely hips. I take my shot. Sink one. Then another.
