A Ruinous Night novel Chapter 2

Julian tucked the covers around me, making sure my exposed shoulders were bundled up. "I ran into him outside the complex, so I invited him in."

Julian was an only child, so the visitor had to be his cousin, Lucian.

I slipped my arms out from under the blanket and looped them around his neck.

"You know how it is. We had a huge falling out in the past, so I'd rather not go out there and say hi."

The rooftop incident had been a massive scandal, and with Lucian publicly executing my dignity on his Social Feed, Julian was fully aware of our history.

At first, Julian had just offered me a shoulder to cry on as a friend. By sheer coincidence, we ended up moving to the same city.

One thing led to another, and over six months ago, I finally accepted his advances, and we started officially dating.

The bedroom was dimly lit. I was only wearing a sheer silk camisole.

Julian leaned in, his lips finding mine.

His burning kisses trailed from the corner of my mouth down to my neck. One hand slipped beneath the covers to grip my waist, while the other traced the curve of my chest...

A sudden knock echoed through the room.

Julian and I both snapped our heads toward the door.

It had been left ajar. Lucian stood in the doorway, his predatory gaze fixed on us with icy detachment.

"Where's the water?"

I panicked, quickly pulling the duvet up to shield my body.

Julian pulled away, stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind him.

"There's bottled water in the living room."

"I only drink hot water."

"Wow, so high maintenance. Fine, I'll boil some."

In the suffocating darkness, my phone screen lit up with a text.

[Julian: Wait until I get rid of him.]

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fall back asleep, but my heart hammered relentlessly against my ribs.

Two hours later, I checked my phone. It was nearly midnight.

If he wasn't going to help, there was no way I could drag Julian into the bedroom by myself.

I found a throw blanket and draped it over Julian. Then, I turned to Lucian. "If you're not leaving yet, please keep an eye on him. I'm going back to bed. Let me know when you head out."

Lucian scoffed.

But the moment I turned my back, he lunged up, wrapping his fingers around my wrist and jerking me backward into his hard chest.

I thrashed against him, but his grip was ironclad.

In the struggle, my oversized coat slipped off my shoulder, exposing the flesh-toned silk camisole underneath.

His gaze trailed down my face, settling heavily on the erratic rise and fall of my chest. The fresh hickey on my collarbone was on full display.

I yanked the coat back up, my cheeks burning with a fiery, humiliating rage.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lucian dipped his head, his scorching breath brushing against the shell of my ear.

"What do you think?"