RUIN - Part Two (The RUIN Series Book 2) Read Online Free
Author: Deborah Bladon
sound cool and calm. "If she asks me if you know, I'll tell her."
"She's fragile, Kayla." Her words bite into me. "I don't want you to upset her right now."
Right now translates to always. When Alexa had returned from Paris I was the one she confided in about her torrid love affair with a man who was deeply involved with another woman. I had held her while she cried and helped her shed the regret that she'd wrapped herself tightly in. I wasn't supposed to tell Sadie because she knew the man and it would only upset her. It was only one of a string of moments in Alexa's life that Sadie wasn't granted knowledge of. I'm tired of it.
I pull my hand from hers. "She's stronger than you think she is. It's just a surprise party."
She arches her neck back, finally pulling her gaze free from the invitations sitting on the table in front of her. "I know she's strong."
I nod my head as I scroll my finger over the seating chart. "There are a lot of people coming to this wedding. Who knew you and Noah were so popular?"
She tilts her head back, jutting her tongue out at me. "You're not funny. It's so much to organize."
"I'll help in any way that I can," I offer genuinely. I've seen the stress that she's been under the past few weeks. I haven't stepped in to help because my focus has been divided between work and Ben. My new job being Vivian's assistant doesn't stop at five o'clock, she has me emailing, researching and doing odd jobs for her at random times. I feel like a well-paid puppet on a string but it affords me the chance to have my own apartment, so I'm not going to complain.
"Sadie's been great with taking care of most everything."
"I'll text her later to see if she needs help with anything." I don't even blink as I say the words. I mean them.
She spins around in the chair she's sitting in to look up at me. "You know I love you."
The words touch me deeply. I needed to hear them. There's been an undercurrent of misunderstanding floating between us since she learned about Ben and I. "I love you too, Lex."
"I didn't choose her because she's more important to me."
I smile at the proclamation. We haven't openly discussed it. I'd waited for weeks for her to ask me to be her maid-of-honor. A group text message one morning asking me to be a bridesmaid pushed me back into the place I belonged in her life. I was one of four bridesmaids. We're all sorority sisters, all wearing the same color dress, all standing next to Sadie. "I know, Lex."
She pats her hand lightly on her chest. "I had to follow my heart."
"Your heart?" My hand leaps to my own chest. "What do you mean?"
"I talked to Noah about who to choose." She turns both her hands over so the palms are facing up. "Part of me wanted Sadie because we've been friends for so long. The other part of me wanted you because we're so close now."
"What did Noah say?" I cock a brow waiting for her response.
"He told me to listen to my heart." She leans back so her eyes meet mine. "We all need to listen to our hearts more."
"I'm trying to," I say, knowing that for me the words hold more meaning than Lex can ever know.
"You have to, Kayla." She pulls my hands into hers. "I chose Sadie because my heart knew it was right. That's why I chose Noah too. My heart knew he was the man I was meant to be with."
My heart knows what's right for me too. I just have to find a way to convince the people I love that my heart knows best.
Chapter 6
I am in his arms the moment he opens the door of his apartment. It doesn’t matter that we haven't spoken at all since the other night. The fact that I didn't call before I got in a cab and came here isn't important to either of us. What does matter is the way his hands reached out to me when he saw me. All that I care about is the touch of his lips against mine and the hunger within his eyes.
"I've been waiting for you," he growls the words into my mouth. "I've been thinking about you every second since you left me."
It's the same for me. My
"She's fragile, Kayla." Her words bite into me. "I don't want you to upset her right now."
Right now translates to always. When Alexa had returned from Paris I was the one she confided in about her torrid love affair with a man who was deeply involved with another woman. I had held her while she cried and helped her shed the regret that she'd wrapped herself tightly in. I wasn't supposed to tell Sadie because she knew the man and it would only upset her. It was only one of a string of moments in Alexa's life that Sadie wasn't granted knowledge of. I'm tired of it.
I pull my hand from hers. "She's stronger than you think she is. It's just a surprise party."
She arches her neck back, finally pulling her gaze free from the invitations sitting on the table in front of her. "I know she's strong."
I nod my head as I scroll my finger over the seating chart. "There are a lot of people coming to this wedding. Who knew you and Noah were so popular?"
She tilts her head back, jutting her tongue out at me. "You're not funny. It's so much to organize."
"I'll help in any way that I can," I offer genuinely. I've seen the stress that she's been under the past few weeks. I haven't stepped in to help because my focus has been divided between work and Ben. My new job being Vivian's assistant doesn't stop at five o'clock, she has me emailing, researching and doing odd jobs for her at random times. I feel like a well-paid puppet on a string but it affords me the chance to have my own apartment, so I'm not going to complain.
"Sadie's been great with taking care of most everything."
"I'll text her later to see if she needs help with anything." I don't even blink as I say the words. I mean them.
She spins around in the chair she's sitting in to look up at me. "You know I love you."
The words touch me deeply. I needed to hear them. There's been an undercurrent of misunderstanding floating between us since she learned about Ben and I. "I love you too, Lex."
"I didn't choose her because she's more important to me."
I smile at the proclamation. We haven't openly discussed it. I'd waited for weeks for her to ask me to be her maid-of-honor. A group text message one morning asking me to be a bridesmaid pushed me back into the place I belonged in her life. I was one of four bridesmaids. We're all sorority sisters, all wearing the same color dress, all standing next to Sadie. "I know, Lex."
She pats her hand lightly on her chest. "I had to follow my heart."
"Your heart?" My hand leaps to my own chest. "What do you mean?"
"I talked to Noah about who to choose." She turns both her hands over so the palms are facing up. "Part of me wanted Sadie because we've been friends for so long. The other part of me wanted you because we're so close now."
"What did Noah say?" I cock a brow waiting for her response.
"He told me to listen to my heart." She leans back so her eyes meet mine. "We all need to listen to our hearts more."
"I'm trying to," I say, knowing that for me the words hold more meaning than Lex can ever know.
"You have to, Kayla." She pulls my hands into hers. "I chose Sadie because my heart knew it was right. That's why I chose Noah too. My heart knew he was the man I was meant to be with."
My heart knows what's right for me too. I just have to find a way to convince the people I love that my heart knows best.
Chapter 6
I am in his arms the moment he opens the door of his apartment. It doesn’t matter that we haven't spoken at all since the other night. The fact that I didn't call before I got in a cab and came here isn't important to either of us. What does matter is the way his hands reached out to me when he saw me. All that I care about is the touch of his lips against mine and the hunger within his eyes.
"I've been waiting for you," he growls the words into my mouth. "I've been thinking about you every second since you left me."
It's the same for me. My
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