A Ruinous Night novel Chapter 14

I suddenly thought of Lucian.

His skin was infinitely thicker. Even when my mother had kicked the door down and caught us, he had stood there looking utterly shameless.

He had even challenged my mother, asking if she understood what being sponsored meant.

His family had done me a massive favor, and taking me was just a justifiable return on their investment.

Julian was different.

Being with Julian felt like a real, equal relationship.

I pulled him by the hand and headed straight for the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Julian asked, "Did something happen?"

I buried my face in his chest, my voice muffled. "Your family doesn't like me. I'm scared we won't be able to stay together, so I wanted to give myself to you first... That way, even if we are forced apart, I won't have any regrets. We will have completely belonged to each other."

He gave a bitter smile. "What family?"

"Your cousin," I said. "He kicked me out of that house. He'll never let us be together."

A soft kiss landed on my forehead, then my cheek, then the corner of my mouth.

We hadn't slept together yet, but we had kissed countless times.

He was a patient kisser, taking his time, slow and lingering. His warm hand slipped under my blouse, trailing upward, while his other hand supported my lower back so I wouldn't collapse from my knees going weak.

I started losing my breath and pushed him gently. Julian pulled back just enough to whisper hoarsely in my ear.

"I only have one family member, and that's you. Unless you throw me away, then I'll truly have no one. But if you didn't want me anymore, I wouldn't even know what the point of living would be. Stella, we're not breaking up. Not ever."

I reached up and gently stroked his cheek.

For the past two days, he had been running around exhausted, getting zero sleep and barely having time to groom himself. A rough stubble shadowed his jawline.

"I'm terrified that the people trying to tear us apart will feed you lies, painting me as some horrible, promiscuous woman. If you believed them, I wouldn't know what to do."

Julian looked directly into my eyes. "You know me. I only believe you."

I kissed him.

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