Page 35 of Ruin
I pick up my phone, ready to end this and shut my phone off for the night when my blood turns cold.
Tell that fucker
to get his hands off you
before I rip them off his body.
I dart a glance out the window, heart hammering.
Antonio frowns. “Everything okay?”
Another text comes in.
Look up.
I do. Standing in the shadowed hallway at the back of the restaurant is Tommy.
14
Giovanna
What the actual fuck is wrong with this man?
“Gi,” Antonio repeats, his voice threaded with urgency. “Are you okay? Tell me what’s going on.”
I paste on a tight smile. “I’m not…feeling great. I’m just going to go to the restroom.”
He leans back, frustrated and confused. I get it. I feel the same but with a dash of rage.
Tommy has already disappeared into the shadowed hallway. My pulse stutters when I brush past him, head high, and shove into the women’s bathroom. He follows, closing the door with a click.
I whirl on him. “What the fuck is your problem, Tommy? You’ve got to stop fucking with my head.”
His glances down at my clenched fists then back up to my angry glare. “Pretty sure you’re the one fucking with my head.”
“What are you talking about?” I hiss.
He moves in until his chest brushes mine, a dark heatradiating off him. “You rode me until you came less than two hours ago, and now you’re here with him. Tell me that’s not psychological dissonance.”
“What?” I snap.
“Mindfuckery, Gi. You’re fucking with me.”
I gape at him. “Excuse me? You broke into my house, Tommy. You pulled my towel off. You’re the one who’ll get me naked but won’t fuck me unless I promise forever—which is crazy, truly insane, by the way. Then you stalk me here and blow up my date after I told you to leave me alone? That’s the definition of fucking with someone.”
His hands clamp around my waist, rough, steadying, hauling me against him. “Gi, I wasn’t completely clear before. And I need to be.”
“About what?” I’m trying to stay angry, but he smells so good, and his hands are so—
“You said you just wanted to fuck me. Is that true? Is that all you want?” His thumb grazes the strap of my dress, sliding it down my shoulder, slow, deliberate. “I’m genuinely asking. I’m not good at reading people, and I’ve never been in this situation before.”
My breath catches. He’s deadly serious, and I’m suddenly more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life. “Yes,” I bite out. “That’s all I want. Your dick. Happy?”
His brow furrows like he’s disappointed in my answer, and I immediately feel guilty, like a liar. But it’s the truth. Isn’t it?
His eyes bore into me. “Really, Gi? You don’t feel what I feel between us?”
Something softens in him, the top layer of menace thinning enough to reveal a hint of vulnerability. This is a side ofTommy that I rarely see.
