Page 26 of Beautifully Ruined

“Sex and booze are your answers?”

I want to kneel between her legs but right now, I’m not sure I can, so I sit on the coffee table, but she avoids my hand as I reach for one of hers.

I set my drink down. “Violet? The drink will help. You need to be able to calm and settle.”

“Why? I never signed up for this.”

Fuck.

I breathe out slowly. “You’re the one who reached out to me, who wanted The Ghost. So, you kind of did sign up for this. And why are you mad at me? They didn’t come after us for anything untoward I did. They connected you to Isaac, and me to you. Isaac’s the reason they took us.”

“Maybe so. But they took me only as leverage. Something to be used, discarded. Disposable.”

“Because they needed me to pay off your stalker’s debt. Your stalker, not mine. You know what they said Isaac called me? Quote-on-quote, ‘bitch of an intern’s jealous boyfriend’.” I try to keep my calm.

Sure, I get that Ivan put it together, me at his daughter’s engagement party, me rescuing Vi from Isaac. But still. If Isaac hadn’t been in the equation, none of this would have happened, because I wouldn’t have been easily ID’d.

“You’re calling him a stalker?” Vi lets out a bitter laugh. “Pot. Kettle. Black.”

“Everything I did to you, you wanted. Craved it. Asked for it.”

“I know I did,” Vi yells back.

“So, why are we even having this conversation?” I’m confused as hell.

“Because…I don’t know!” Vi’s lip trembles.

I breathe out and lean forward, running a hand over her hair.

“Fuck, Andronski is an opportunist. It isn’t your fault or mine. It’s just bad timing, And we’re playing a stupid blame game. It happened. We deal with it.”

“I just hate this.”

“You need to drink your drink and go to sleep.”

“I don’t want the drink.” But she glares and grips the glass tight, drinking half of it down.

Finally, I just take the glass from her and stand. Then I scoop her into my arms.

“Cade, put me down.”

“Nope.” I drop a kiss on her cheek. “You need sleep. I’ll make you a deal.”

“I don’t make deals with Ghosts.”

“Thank fuck I’m Cade, then.”

She huffs.

I smile. “Tomorrow, you can yell at me all you want, but tonight, you sleep.”

“Oh, I’ll yell at you, all right.”

I carry her into the room I use and set her on the bed. I have jeans, underwear, and T-shirts here, so I get one of the shirts.

She folds her arms over her chest. “Leave me.”

“I’m not leaving you.” I take off her dress, hating the fact she isn’t wearing underwear, because it just makes her so much more vulnerable, and there are things that could have happened to her?—