Page 14
Chapter 14 of "Ruined By My Ex's Dad" opens with: Or maybe it wasāthe part of me I kept buried under politeness and caution. The... Find out what happens!
Or maybe it wasāthe part of me I kept buried under politeness and caution. The one that just wanted to feelsomething real, even if it was temporary. Even if it didnāt last past sunrise.
I should have called it off.
Should have curled up in bed with a face mask and my therapistās voice in my head, reminding me to choose better.
But I didnāt want better.
Not tonight.
I wanted to feel wanted.
Desperate, hands-in-my-hair, ruin-me-and-leave-me-shaking kind of wanted.
Iād kicked off my heels and removed my jewelry but left the dress on. The silk clung cool and smooth against skin that still pulsed with heat.
I could feel where heād touched meāphantom impressions of his hands at my waist, firm and possessive, like he was staking a quiet claim.
And his mouth... God, his mouth.
The way his lips had moved over mineādeliberate, savoring, like he was tasting something he'd waited forāhad unraveled me in seconds.
His tongue had stroked languidly into my mouth, not demanding, justā¦ knowing.
Tasting.
Tempting.
That single kiss had obliterated every other in my memory, leaving behind nothing but ash and comparison. All those others felt pale now, forgettable. This one had ruined me for all of them.
When the knock came, I froze, suddenly unsure.
But my body moved before my mind could catch up, opening the door in one swift motion.
He stood there, tall and composed, silver hair gleaming under the hallway lights like liquid metal.
His dark blue eyes locked onto mine with that same searing intensity Iād felt at the barāa slow, deliberate sweep that sent a jolt straight through me.
It wasnāt just a look; it was a claim, silent and scorching, and it left my skin humming.
Heat bloomed low in my stomach as his gaze lingered, unblinking. I felt seenācompletely, unnervingly seenāand stripped bare in a way that had nothing to do with my dress.
A subtle scent drifted from himāsomething clean and masculine with a hint of spiceāand it wrapped around me like a memory I hadnāt made yet.
āI wasn't sure you'd come," I said, hating the breathless quality of my voice.
"I wasn't sure you'd still want me to."
I stepped back, allowing him to enter.
As the door closed, the air in the room seemed to changeāgrowing heavier, charged with potential and anticipation.
"I almost talked myself out of this," I admitted.
"Why didn't you?"
I moved closer, drawn in by an invisible pull to this man.
"Because for once in my life, I want to do something reckless. Something that's just for me."