Ruin: Part One

Chapter 8




"I thought you were going to take me to the hotel." I hold steady to his arm as he guides me into an apartment with a Park Avenue address. "You live here, don't you?"

"Yes," he quietly acquiesces. "That hotel is a shit hole. I won't stay there."

The words bite although they shouldn’t. This is the place he raced to after he'd f*cked me that night weeks ago. He'd left me there because I was a random that wasn't worthy of this.

I stay silent as he flips on the light switch. The room fills with warm light giving me my first glimpse into his real world. The space is opulent and masculine. Rich dark furniture sets the tone. Beautiful artwork hangs from the walls, which are painted a deep shade of gray. It matches what I imagined it to be to a tee.

"What did Noah say when you called him?" His hand is pressing on my lower back, guiding me further into the space.

I'm surprised by his restraint. He'd stood just feet away from me near the entrance to the hospital as I called Alexa. She hadn't answered so I left a brief voicemail telling her that I was out for the night but would be home after work tomorrow. Ben's insistence that he call my boss, Vivian, in the morning directly to explain what happened quashed my fears about my job. He'd explain my injuries and my need for rest. I'd be back at the office the day after tomorrow, no worse for wear.

"I didn't speak to him." I run my hand across my forehead. "How long do I have to wear this bandage?"

"Did you talk… did you talk to his fiancé?" He clears his throat. "Alexa, right?"

I nod slowly. Watching his mouth move as her names leaves his lips seems foreign to me. "I left her a message."

"You need to rest." His hand circles my waist. "I can help you undress and get into bed."

I feel exposed at the mention of getting undressed. "I can do it myself."

"No." His hand motions towards a hallway. "I'll help."


I don't argue the point. It's not as though he hasn't seen me nude before. Besides that, he's a doctor. Christ, he's a f*cking doctor and Noah's brother. I still can't fathom how I went from sitting next to a stranger on a flight to standing in the apartment of Noah's twin waiting for him to undress me.

"How long have you known him?" His hand brushes over the zipper at the back of my dress as we enter a dimly lit bedroom.

"Noah?"

He pushes his hands over my shoulders, grabbing the neckline of the dress. "When did you meet him?"

"A year ago," I sigh as his hands skim my skin taking the dress with them. "Maybe it was longer."

His breath catches as my white bra and panties come into full view. "Is he happy?"

I close my eyes when I feel his fingers deftly undo the clasp of my bra. "Yes, he's happy."

His hands move down, gliding over my stomach before stopping at the edge of my panties. "What's she like?"

I lean back into him. My body betraying my need to stay focused in the moment. "Alexa?"

"Yes," he takes a step forward, pulling me into him. "Is she like you?"

I chuckle at the thought. "We're not the same."

He turns me around effortlessly until I'm facing him. "Is she good to him?"

"She loves him," I offer. "You should meet her. You'd like her."

He shakes his head. "I can't," he murmurs.

"Why?" I reach for his arm, a wave of dizziness overtaking me. "I need to sit."

"No." His lips graze across my forehead. "You need to sleep."

I don't protest as he helps me into a king size bed. I snuggle into the sheets, reveling in the softness of their touch against my bare skin. "I'm tired," I whimper into the pillow.

"I'll need to wake you during the night." His breath traces across my neck. "I'll be gentle."

I barely hear the words as my mind quiets and the gentle hum of sleep overtakes me.



***



"Do you remember anything from last night?" His lips are almost touching mine.

I lazily open my eyes to see his face. His head is resting gently on the pillow next to me. His hair pushed into a matted mess. How can he look this gorgeous after sleeping? "Your girlfriend was chasing us." I push my bottom lip out. "Her name is Minnie or Donald, something like that."

He pushes his tongue into his top lip to hold back a grin. "She's not my girlfriend and her name is Mickey."

"Right." I dip my chin in his direction. "She's your girlfriend."

"I've f*cked her once or twice months ago."

"You can't remember how many times?" I pull the sheet around me.

"Honestly, no, I can't remember how many times or even what it was like." He shrugs. "We were just going to have some fun at the club with a few of her friends."

"She's territorial." It's a polite way of saying she's certifiably nuts.

"She's bat shit crazy." A wide grin takes over his mouth. "I deleted her number from my phone. I need to stay as far away from her as I can."

I reach up to run my hand over my forehead. "When can I take the bandage off?"

"I'll check on it shortly." He moves closer, the smooth skin of his chest resting against my breasts. "Tell me how you're feeling."

"My head hurts." I close my eyes, finding instant relief from the pain. "Will the headaches last long?"

"I'll get you something for that." He pulls back, swinging his long legs over the edge of the bed.

I watch in silence as he stands. His nude body is on display. He doesn’t try to shield anything as he leaves the room. I close my eyes until I hear his footsteps near the doorway again.

I don’t argue as he helps me sit up. I take the two pills he hands me without question, washing them down with a long swallow from a chilled bottle of water.

"That will help." He pushes gently on my shoulders. "Rest your head."

I give in to the desire to sink back into the comfort of his bed. "Do you walk around in the nude often?"

"That's a strange question." He tips the bottle of water in my direction before taking a hearty mouthful. "Do you?"

"Noah does," I offer.

"You've seen Noah naked?" He cocks a brow.

"No." I shake my head before I realize the movement isn't helping matters. I feel as though my brain is jumbled. The pain is constant, throbbing and clouding my clear thoughts. "Alexa used to talk about it when they first got together."

He rounds the bed, sliding his tall frame back under the covers. "He wore clothes when I knew him." The meaning behind the words isn't lost on me. He doesn’t feel that he knows Noah anymore. I feel a sense of sadness for both of them.

"When's the last time you saw him?" I don't expect an answer to the question. I don't even know why I asked it.

"I can't remember." He glides his body closer to mine. "It's been many years."

"Do you miss him?" I ask, trying desperately to keep my eyes open.

His lips brush over the tip of my nose. "Sleep, Kayla."

I nod. I can't refuse the request. My body won't let me.