Page 79 of Ruin My Life

“Can you grab the essentials from the bathroom?” I ask without looking at him.

He nods and disappears into the ensuite.

I’m halfway through clearing the top drawer when I hear the rattle of plastic and glass banging against porcelain. “What exactly counts as essential in here?” he grumbles from inside.

“Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant…” I rattle off, distracted—until I hear what can only be described aschaos.

Bottles clattering against each other, something falling onto the tile, a cabinet door swinging shut.

He reappears holding a towel bundled like a newborn—stuffed with damn near everything but the bathroom sink.

I blink. “Did you just… sweep the cabinet into a towel?”

“It was faster,” he says, entirely unbothered as he drops the whole mess into my suitcase. Then he nudges me gently out of the way, zips it shut in one swift motion, and slings it off the bed like it weighs nothing. “Ready?”

“I just need my laptop from the office.”

He follows me down the hall, hovering behind me like a bodyguard on edge. I punch in the code and the door unlocks with a softclick. Everything inside looks untouched, which makes the knot in my chest ease—barely.

I reach into the drawer for my laptop, fingers brushing cold metal. Just as I turn to leave, I glance at the bookshelf. Amie’s old box set ofDegrassicatches my eye.

Stupid.

But I grab it anyway.

“Are you kidding?” Damon asks, raising a brow at the bright box in my arms. “DVDs? Really? What happened to essentials?”

I stare at him flatly. “Do you want to waste time debating it, or are we getting the fuck out of here?”

He sighs and drops it. Smart choice.

We make it back to the garage in record time. He throws the suitcase into the trunk like it’s filled with feathers while I climb into the passenger seat. The door slams shut, and for the first time all night, I feel my ribs start to loosen their chokehold on my lungs.

Damon slides in beside me, starts the engine, and backs out smoothly.

“So…” I say, the word coming out a little breathier than I’d like, “do I get to know where you’re taking me, or is it some kind of secret safehouse?”

“It’s not a safehouse exactly,” he says, keeping his eyes on the road. “But it’s the safest place in the city.”

Of course he doesn’t give me any more details.

I wait a beat. Then another.

Still nothing.

“Care to elaborate?” I ask, more annoyed than curious now.

He glances over at me. A smirk twitches at the corner of his mouth.

Cocky bastard.

Chapter Seventeen

Brie

“NO,”ISAY FIRMLY.

“Sorry to break it to you, little rose,” Damon drawls as he wheels my suitcase off the elevator into hispenthouse, “but you don’t have a choice.”