Page 91 of Ruin

It takes my underused brain a good few seconds to register what it is.

Then…

Fuck.

“We didn’t use a condom,” I fire out, whirling around on him.

Surprise flickers in his eyes. Either he didn’t realize it either or he wasn’t expecting me to say that.

“If you’re worried about getting pregnant—”

“I’m not,” I snap. “I’m on the pill. Actually, I was on the pill the last time I got pregnant with you, and we weren’t using condoms then either, so maybe I should be worried.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

“I’m not worried.”

That makes me pause.

He steps forward, closer to me. His expression softening. Eyes warm on me. But all I feel is a chill.

“I can’t think of anything I want more than to have another kid with you. Except for maybe you and Gigi to come live with me, so we can finally be a family.”

“Nope.” I step back, bumping into the wall. “No fucking way, Zeus.” I’m shaking my head as my back slides along the wall, one hand creeping toward the door. “Don’t you dare do this.”

“What?” He’s following me with his eyes and body. “Tell you that I love you? That I want my girls living with me? That I want my family? Is that so fucking bad, Dove?”

“It’s not happening.” I curl my fingers around the door handle, gripping it. “This was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. It won’t happen again.”

I’m trembling inside. Weak and running scared, and he knows it.

If there’s one thing Zeus is good at, it’s sniffing out weakness in his opponent.

And I stink of it.

He takes a step closer. “I want you in my bed every night, Dove. My cock buried deep inside you, making love to you.” Another step. And another until he’s up close against me. “I want more kids with you. I want to see you carrying my baby inside you. I want my ring on your finger.”

I squeeze my eyes shut against all the words he’s saying. The words I wanted to hear from him five years ago.

But it’s too late now. Too much has happened. I’m not that girl anymore. And I have Gigi to think about.

If Zeus and I got back together and it didn’t work out, it wouldn’t only hurt me. It’d hurt Gigi, too.

And, if he disappeared on me again, like last time…

I can’t do that to her. I can’t risk it.

I might still love him. I clearly still want him.

But I don’t trust him.

And, without that, we have nothing.

I open my eyes and glare up at him. “No.”

“No?” he echoes.

“We’re not getting back together. Yes, we had sex. But that was because we had unfinished business. We never theoretically got to say good-bye, and now, we’ve done that. So…our business is concluded.”