Page 23 of Ruin

Holy fuck.

He’s fucking huge. I’ve always heard he was big, and I’ve seen the evidence of that here and there over the years, but he is…massive. My pussy hurts just looking at him.

“Where were we?” I ask, my mind completely blank.

Ann slips the jacket off him and replaces it with a crispwhite shirt, then hands him the pants to step into. When he’s done zipping up, he looks to me for approval, his shirt hanging open enough to reveal ridges of muscle.

“Is this okay?”

Okay? Almost every man I know wears a suit, but holy shit, Tommy in a suit is so devastating I can barely breathe.

“Ann, change out these buttons for the four-hole charcoal gray ones and make sure to leave the buttons off the sleeves for the cufflinks. Give him the sterling silver knots, the one with the Brioni B logo on the toggle.”

He’s watching me, his gaze steadily intensifying. I’m drawn to him like gravity, my fingertips grazing his chest as I button his shirt for him. Heat pours off him in waves, and his heart is pounding in his chest, but you would never tell by looking at him.

“Subtle elegance,” I manage, smoothing the fabric. “I don’t want you to look like a waiter. Or an FBI agent.”

“So you like the suit?” His voice is low, husky.

The suit, him—yes, I like it all, maybe a little too much. A lump forms in my throat, and I start to step back, pulling my hands away from his chest, but he grips my wrists and holds me in place. I try to force a laugh. “It’s more important that you like it.”

“I’ll like it better when you take it off me.” He’s staring at my mouth, and I can barely breathe.

I swallow hard, my throat dry. If we were alone, I would tear that suit off him. But we’re not, so I try to redirect.

“If he is aggressive, threaten him with something he values,” I almost stammer, but I tap into my upbringing to find that cool, calm camouflage that serves me so well. “Money, reputation, power.”

“A woman.”

I shake my head, forcing composure. “Not usually. Women are disposable to most of these guys. They usually have a few on the side anyway, so losing one isn’t a hardship.”

“It’s the only thing that would convince me to do something I didn’t want to do.” He leans in, his mouth inches from mine. “One woman. My woman. Now and forever.”

Wait—what?Forever? The words slam into me like a punch. My stomach lurches, and my head spins, the floor tilting under me. Is this real? Or is it Antonio all over again and almost every guy I’ve dated since I was 14, whispering forever just to get inside me?

Two weeks ago he was hooking up with my best friend, and now he’s talking to me about forever? Did he lie about fucking her, too?

Rage flares up, surging through my blood. God fucking damn it. I cannot fucking believe Tommy is pulling this shit.

Ann taps his shoulder, distracting him long enough for me to jerk away from him. I don’t know if I’m more angry at him for thinking I’d be stupid enough to fall for that shit, or angry at myself for all but dropping to my knees in a puddle of drool when he took his clothes off.

Tommy is watching me, assessing me, feeling the shift in my mood. “What else do I need to know?”

“Just tell him what you want and make him do it,” I snap. “You know, like you treat women.”

“What?” Tommy’s voice comes out low and threatening.

I cross my arms, hip cocked defiantly. “From what I hear, you order a woman around, and she either does it or not. I’m guessing most of the time she does it, but I wouldn’t know.”

“Does that bother you?” He’s frowning, and Ann has topull on his arm hard to get him to move.

“That you give orders in bed? Why would it?” I’m flustered, and the fact that I’m flustered makes me even more flustered. Fuck!

“That I’m not giving you orders.” His voice drops an octave, and I glare at him.

“Do you want me to be bothered, Tommy? Is that why you blew me off on New Year’s Eve and fucked my best friend?”

Tommy clenches his jaw, and the younger tailors freeze and look at Ann, who waves them back to work.