Page 20 of Ruined By King

"I know. But tonight?" He grins. "Tonight was a win."

Yeah. It was.

But there's only one person on my mind.

I find her exactly where I left her — curled up in the chair in the corner of my office, her knees pulled to her chest, her eyes red from crying. She jumps when I walk in, then scrambles to her feet when she sees it's me.

"King—"

I'm across the room before I can think, pulling her into my arms.

For a moment, I just hold her. Feel her heart beating against my chest, her breath warm against my neck, her body trembling with relief and fear and exhaustion. She's here. She's safe. And she's mine.

"It's done," I say against her hair. "They showed up. They saw we knew. They left."

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes searching my face. "No one got hurt?"

"No one got hurt."

The sob that escapes her is pure relief. She buries her face in my chest, her fingers clutching the front of my cut, and I hold her tighter.

"I was so scared," she whispers. "I didn't know if I'd made everything worse. If they would figure out it was me, if they'd hurt you anyway⁠—"

"Hey." I tilt her face up, forcing her to meet my eyes. "You saved us tonight. You understand that? You gave up everything to warn me, and because of you, my brothers are safe. I'm safe."

Her lower lip trembles. "My father's going to figure it out. Eventually, he'll know it was me."

"I know."

"I can never go back. I can never—" Her voice breaks. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"Yes, you do." I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing away her tears. "You have here. You have me. You're not alone, Demi. Not anymore."

She stares at me, and I watch the walls come down. All the fear, all the doubt, all the years of keeping everyone at arm's length — I see it crumble.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispers.

The words hit me like a freight train. But instead of panic, all I feel is certainty.

"Good," I say. "Because I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you across that rally."

And then I kiss her.

This kiss is different from all the others. It's not desperate or frantic or driven by the thrill of the forbidden. It's slower. Deeper. The kind of kiss that says I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you.

She melts into me, her arms wrapping around my neck, her body pressing against mine. I can feel her heart racing, feel the heat of her through her clothes, and I want her more than I've ever wanted anything.

I pull back just enough to look at her. "I need you."

"Then take me."

"Not here." I take her hand. "Come on."

I lead her down the hall to my room, and the second the door closes behind us, I'm on her. I lift her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist, and carry her to the bed. We fall onto it together, her back hitting the mattress, my body covering hers. I kiss her again, slower this time, savoring the taste of her, the feel of her beneath me.

"Do you know what you did tonight?" I murmur against her lips. "Do you have any idea?"

"I chose you."