RUIN (The RUIN Series Book 1) (8 page)

"Have you ever wanted something that was bad for you?" I pull air quotes around the word
bad
. I don't know how else to define what Noah thinks of Ben.

"I'm a doctor." He laughs as his hand races up my thigh. "Everything is bad for me. There's like two things I should be eating. Everything else is the root cause of some kind of disease."

I laugh at the words even though I'm bundled into a tight ball inside. I keep glancing at my phone waiting for Noah or Alexa to call.

"Are you expecting a call?" Ben nods his chin towards my smartphone.

"I am." I've been debating whether I should just ask Ben about Noah's attack on his character. I trust them both. I care about them both. I feel as though I'm sitting atop a thick tug-of-war rope that they both are clinging to for dear life.

"Is it a work thing?" He moves his body closer to mine. "Your boss was in the ER the other day."

"What?" I say in surprise even though I anticipated it happening at some point. "She was smitten with you that day you called in for me."

"Smitten?" he parrots back within a wide grin. "Is that like saying she's hot for me?"

"All your female patients are."

"Some of the male ones too, " he says through a wide grin.

"It's not about work. I'm waiting for Noah to call."

His jaw tenses at the mention of his brother's name. "Why would Noah be calling you?"

"He's talking to Alexa about a few things right now." I pick up my phone and hold it in my hand. "Then they'll call me so I can go over."

"What kind of things?" He leans back into the soft leather of his couch. "Wedding things?"

"No." This is it, Kayla. Just say it. "It's about you."

"Me?" His finger scoops a piece of hair behind my ear, before it floats down my cheek. "What about me?"

"Noah knows we're sleeping together."

"How does Noah know that?" He tilts his chin towards me. "You told Noah?"

"No." I shake my head. "He saw us together."

He leans forward to brush his lips against my cheek. "It's not the end of the world. You know he'll try and poison your mind with thoughts about how bad I am, don't you?"

I feel the rope pulling me closer to Ben. "He said you weren't good for me. He said you'd ruin me."

"Ruin you?" He smirks as he says the words. "How can I possibly ruin someone so completely perfect?"

They're words. They are simple words that melt hearts. "He said you tried to ruin his life."

His brow cocks. "Did he tell you how I did that?"

He's so calm. If anything Noah said was based in truth, wouldn't Ben be trying to convince me that Noah is a liar? I stare at his face. There's nothing there that speaks of panic or frustration. He's as collected now as when I arrived a few minutes ago.

I place my phone into my lap. "You'd tell me if there was more to your feud than what happened the day your mother died, right?"

"I told you, Kayla." He brushes his lips over my cheek. "Noah hates me because I let her die."

I turn my head slightly, catching his lips with mine. My hand floats to the back of his head, deepening the kiss. There's no possible way this beautiful, tender man would hurt me. It's not part of what he is. I've watched him in the moments when he thinks I'm not paying attention. I've seen the way he smiles at the people who pass us by on the street. He has dedicated himself to helping others regain their health. Noah is wrong. He can't possibly be right.

"I want to believe you so much," I say into the kiss. "I know you're a good person."

He nods as his lips race up my cheek to my forehead. "I've tried very hard to be someone my mother would be proud of."

I move my other arm to embrace him, pulling his tall frame into me. "Noah doesn’t want me to be with you, Ben."

"I know." He pulls his arms tighter around me. "We'll figure it out. We're going to do that together."

A loud thump on the door stuns us both. He jumps from my embrace, his head jutting around the room. "I'm not expecting anyone."

I lean back waiting for him to get up. He doesn’t move as another loud thud fills the space.

"You should get that." I push myself up. "Do you want me to get it?"

He reaches for my hand, pulling it to his mouth. "I'll get it. You wait here, okay?"

I stand in silence as I hear his shoes tap footsteps to the foyer. I can't see who it is but I hear the voice. It's loud. It's angry. It's Noah.

He rounds the corner with Alexa behind him. "Kayla, for Christ sake, what the fuck are you doing here?"

I'm stunned by the words. The strength of his anger pushes me back and onto the couch. I feel faint. Alexa is yelling at Ben. The words are all too quick and cluttered for me to make sense of them.

"Get the fuck out of here," Ben is in front of me now, shielding my body from them both. "I'll call the police. Get out."

"Kayla." Noah tries to dart around Ben but he holds him back. Their large frames are chest-to-chest now. "You have to come with us."

"No," I shake my head slightly. "Noah, please."

"Kayla," Alexa's voice calls from behind them both. I can hear her sobbing. "Oh God, Kayla."

I push myself up again. I need to stop this. They can't dictate my life like this.

"Ben." I tap him on his shoulder and he spins around instantly. "Let me talk to them. I'll tell them it's okay."

His eyes are filled with panic. His head twisting back to look at Noah. "Kayla, no." He grabs my hands, holding tightly to them. "Please, no."

"Leave." I look past him to where Noah is standing next to Alexa. "I'll come over right away so we can talk. Please leave."

"They arrested him, Kayla," Alexa screams through the air. "They arrested him after she died."

"Who?" My eyes sprint over Ben's face looking for an answer from him.

"Ben." Her hand flies past Noah. "Ben killed their mother."

"That's not true." I squeeze his hands, knowing the pain he must be in hearing those words. "Don’t say that."

"He was charged with murder," Noah shouts at me. "He disconnected her oxygen, walked away and let her die."

My eyes travel up Ben's chest and then to his chin before they reach his face.

I stare at him.

"Ben," my voice is barely more than a whisper. "Tell me that's not true."

His lips part slightly, his hands jump to my face and within a sob he whispers the two words that change everything. "It's true."

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RUIN – Part Two
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Deborah Bladon has never read a romance hero she didn't like. Her love for romance novels began when she was old enough to board the bus, library card in hand to check out the newest Harlequin paperbacks. She's a Canadian by heart, and by passport, but you can often spot her in New York City sipping a latte and looking for inspiration for her next story. Manhattan is definitely her second home.

She cherishes her family and believes that each day is a gift for writing, for reading, and for loving.