Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
He took a step toward her. She had tears in her eyes, but he didn’t know if they were tears for him or because she was scared. Ruin wasn’t thinking or feeling anything right now. He had spoken the words of his past that he’d promised to never reveal to anyone—not even this woman. Looking into her pretty eyes, he knew the love he felt for her was real, so fucking real and it scared him. He’d never wanted anything in his life. But when it came to Callie, he wanted her.
“Then one day, I got a call from Dante Morelli. I was asked to go to his office, and I did. I never liked that little shit. He never got his hands dirty and he fed on human pain and misery. He gave me a file. Told me she had stolen from Aldo Giordano and that she needed to be taken care of. Killed as soon as possible. I opened that file, ready to do whatever was needed. A pair of the prettiest blue eyes stared right back at me. They took my breath away. She had this smile but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. There was pain there, but also an expectancy of it. I knew I had to see this woman. I had to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind, that this woman was nothing more than a picture, an illusion.” He stroked some of her hair back from her face.
“So I went and looked at her. She didn’t see me the first time I looked at her. She was knitting. I have no idea what she was knitting, but she didn’t quite sit with the group. Always on the outskirts. I noticed this about her. She never participated in life, but that one look, and I knew I needed to learn more. She made my heart race.” He took hold of her hand and placed it on his chest. “Just as she still does. I needed to know her. To find out every single little detail of her. To learn what makes her tick.”
He wiped at the tears falling down her cheeks. “And the moment I talked to her, that was it. I knew I couldn’t kill her. This world—my world—would be one fucked-up place without this angel, and that’s exactly who you are, Callie. You are an angel.”
“Ruin?”
He slammed his lips down on hers, expecting her to push him away, but instead she kissed him back.
“I love you. I know I didn’t tell you the complete truth, but never did I want to kill you. I wanted to learn everything about you so that I’d be able to protect you from that piece of shit. That’s all I wanted to do. I love you, Callie, so fucking much, but I understand if you don’t feel the same way.”
He pressed his head to hers, knowing that he’d spoken longer than a few minutes. That test waited for them, but again, he was a little afraid. Callie said she loved him once, but that was close to three months ago. Could she still love him? Could she love a monster like him? He couldn’t even form the question because the truth was, he was terrified of the answer.
Chapter Ten
Ruin walked away from the bathroom.
Callie watched him go. He’d left her alone to go and check on the test. Why? She couldn’t believe the life he had gone through. That was why he had called himself Ruin. Everyone around him had told him so many lies.
Swiping at her cheeks, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She walked into the bathroom and stared down at the lines that confirmed she was pregnant. She was going to be a mother. Ruin was going to be a daddy. Callie put her hands on her stomach, touching her baby. She closed her eyes.
“What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?” She kept repeating the same words over and over. They had a baby. Opening her eyes, she looked at her reflection and took a deep breath. She grabbed the test and stepped out of the room.
Ruin’s home was a true luxury but she also noticed it was sterile as well. Not many pieces of artwork, and not a lot of windows. With the test in hand, she moved through each room, taking in the sitting room, an office, a library, the dining room, and finally the kitchen. Ruin was there with a glass of whiskey on the counter. She stood in the doorway, not sure if she should walk away or stay. She kept perfectly still.
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Ruin nodded. “Do you want to get rid of it?”
“What?” she asked.
“I would understand if you want to. I’d ask that you don’t because I will—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Callie screamed the words, needing him to be silent. To stop talking. She held her hand up. “That is not an option.”