Beautiful Ruin (The Enemies Trilogy Book 3)

by Piper Lawson

  Harrison fills her in, and Natalia bustles off to get a room ready for Leni, and it’s just the two of us.

  His sharp jaw is as stubborn as ever, his mouth pressed in a firm line, but his square shoulders are slumped as he crosses to the kitchen for water, pouring me one too. I take it and sip, my gaze lingering on the streaks of dirt caked on Harrison’s hands as he braces himself against the sink.

  “Leni was always up for anything,” he mutters, “including a bar fight. I didn’t learn until later she was shy growing up. One of her friends from summer camp said she used to be timid. Wouldn’t play in the dirt for fear of staining her clothes.” His exhale is half laugh. “Can you believe it?”

  I fold my arms across my chest. I want to go to him, but I can’t. Not yet.

  “I led her to this, Raegan,” he whispers. “I blame my parents for what they did, but I’m no better.”

  The agony in his voice guts me.

  “You can choose to be better,” I say.

  “My top employee is bleeding in the hospital. My brother is doing drugs from the same man who killed our parents. It’s my fucking fault.”

  God, the blood and dirt on him is getting to me, almost as much as the way he’s speaking. “Come on.”

  He looks up in surprise as I take his hand. I lead him upstairs and down the hall into his bedroom, tugging the door closed behind us.

  I pull him into the en suite. Then I reach for the buttons on his shirt.

  His blue gaze searches mine, perplexed. “You don’t have to—“

  “Shut up.”

  I start running a bath and strip him down. He stops me only once—to set his phone on the counter, along with a gold ring that makes my breath catch.

  I’m curious about it, but I don’t ask as he steps into the bath.

  When I start to scrub him clean, he stops me. “You don’t need to take care of me.”

  “We all need taking care of sometimes. I learned that from you.” I sneak a look at him as I wash his hands, the dirt under his nails.

  He sinks back in the tub, watching me with half-lidded eyes. “I won’t be responsible for any more people I care about being hurt.”

  “You’ll stop going after Mischa, then? Because that’s the price.”

  He studies me while I switch to the other hand.

  “I can’t succeed,” he says. “Not if the people I love are hurt in the process. Without them, I have nothing.”

  “Leni and Ash know they’re important to you,” I say softly.

  His throat bobs. “Without you, I am nothing.”

  The painful balloon stretching my chest expands more. “It’s not enough for you to put me on some pedestal I never asked for. To do reckless shit to protect me and anyone else. Any decisions we make, we make together. That’s the deal.”

  I’m willing to put my heart on the line for him, but we can’t be together unless he does this.

  His mouth tips up at one corner. “You’re right. That’s how we’ll do things.”

  A wave of emotion washes over me. “You mean it?”

  His slow nod makes the block of ice in my stomach start to melt.

  He stands and surveys me. A hard, dripping god in a rare moment of vulnerability.

  “You’re wet,” I murmur.

  He reaches an arm around my waist and tugs me toward him. I step over the edge of the bathtub, my bare foot finding grip on the bottom as the water rises to my calves.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “I want you with me.”

  “I’m here.”

  “Not close enough.”

  Before I can decide whether to strip out of my clothes or try to coax him out of the bath, he tugs me down into the water. I’m soaked. My denim shorts are plastered to my hips, my tank top sticking to every inch of my breasts and heaving stomach. He strips the shirt over my head before getting to work on my shorts.

  “Good luck getting them off.”

  “Challenge accepted.” The glint in his eyes is the first hint of humor I’ve seen him show in a week, and I didn’t realize I was starved for it until now.

  He works the shorts off my hips, though I slide and send a sheet of water cascading over the side of the tub in the process. We’re both breathless when he drags my hips to straddle his, the impressive erection pressing against my wet panties.

  “I succeeded.” The rumble of his voice strokes along my skin. “I’m claiming my prize.”

  The tension is as thick as the steam around us. I skim a finger across his muscled bicep, trace the scars on his chest.

  “I don’t have anything for a king,” I murmur. “I can’t sleep. I can’t stay in one place. I’m just a girl from Orange County.”

  “Then I’ll stay up with you all night. And in the morning, I’ll follow you anywhere.”

  He crushes my lips to his, his grip on the back of my neck desperate. As if he needs this to keep breathing.

  In this moment, I need him too.

  I know what it’s like to lose him. This past week, I was losing him all over again before my eyes. I tried to keep doing my job, to appreciate everything I’ve built for myself, but nothing felt the same without having this man to talk to, to laugh with, even argue with.

  “Make me yours,” I murmur against his mouth.

  His hands slick down my back to my hips. He grinds against the panel of my panties, where my wetness mingles with the bath.

  Harrison’s touch slips under my bra to squeeze my breast. I arch into the pressure, tortured by his rough palm and the pinch of his fingers on my pebbled nipple.

  Every ridge and plane under my touch is perfect. I stroke down to brush his cock, the silky hardness of him. He catches my hand, forcing my exploratory touch to still. Then he threads his fingers through my hair.

  The intensity on his face overwhelms me. Emotions so vivid I never thought I’d see them on this man.

  Regret.

  Devotion.

  Love.

  He drags my underwear to the side to position his cock. The first stroke makes me gasp. He fills me so tightly, rubbing against that magical place. I’m drenched.

  My hips buck into his, seeking more friction. He grabs my waist and grinds in a slow circle. The intensity of his gaze makes my blood pound.

  My hands slip as I try to grab the side of the bath. I fall forward, braced against his hard chest. My knees wedge themselves on either side of his torso, squeezing as he fills me with a long, deep thrust.

  He’s attuned to every breath, every twitch I make. All the emotions of the past week, the frustration and worry, evaporate in the steam. His humility is still there, but it’s twined with determination. Conviction that he can give us both what we need.

  We’re making a mess of the bathroom.

  I don’t care.

  I cup his face, soaking up his look of devotion before I kiss him hard. Harrison lets me take control of his lips, his tongue. Below, he’s driving the rhythm of our coupling.

  My knuckles dig into his shoulders as he fucks me, as I meet him stroke for stroke.

  His hands knead my ass, building the pressure inside. His fingers drift between my cheeks, my breath hitches. When one presses behind where we’re joined inside, I gasp into his mouth.

  Nerve endings light up my entire body. It’s surprisingly intense but feels so good. It’s not something we’ve done before, but I can feel his need to assure himself I’m his, all of me.

  “You okay?” he murmurs, pulling back to assess my reaction.

  “Yeah.” I’m breathless and dazed by the rush of sensation. “I want to know what this feels like.”

  Harrison rubs me in slow circles, a look of satisfaction and fascination on his face. The pleasure builds until I can’t catch my breath, and when he adds more pressure, his finger slipping inside, I gasp against his lips.

  I can’t believe I’m allowing this. I can’t believe I’m enjoying it.

  He strokes my ass, adding a second finger which only makes m
e clench around him harder.

  “Oh my God.”

  He slants his mouth over mine, curving his tongue to suit my silent demands. His hips roll, his hands knead, and the pressure within me builds. I sink my teeth into his lower lip, plundering his mouth, devouring him again and again.

  His speed picks up, and I rock back, riding his cock and his fingers.

  The eyes I love are so dark they’re indigo, the sea on the blackest night. “Beautiful. My fucking beautiful queen.”

  His words, defiant and reverent, are more than I can take.

  A shudder racks through me, lifting my body as I come. He tenses, staying inside me, catching me as I fall apart. He shudders again and I can feel his release, pulsing into me.

  The tension deep in my core tears, sending ripples outward as I cry out.

  A few strokes later, Harrison’s jaw tightens. His gaze cuts between my face and where we’re joined. The sight of him coming makes me want to come again too. He sees it and fucks me through it until I do.

  After, he helps me out of the bath and dries both of us with huge, fluffy towels.

  I’m wrapping a towel around me and knotting it at my breasts when he says, “You trusted me, and I let you down. I won’t do it again.”

  I catch his eye in the mirror. “You will.”

  He stiffens.

  “I want your word that we’ll figure it out when you do.” I collect my soaked clothes and hang them on the bathtub before starting out into his bedroom.

  “Through everything,” he says.

  I glance over my shoulder and see him standing naked by the closet, turning over the ring in his fingers.

  “This was my mother’s,” he says. “Found it in the guest room with Ash the other day. She always wore it.”

  I take it from him, admire the inscription.

  I wish I’d met them. No matter their flaws, they created something beautiful in this world—Harrison and his brother. Made two boys who turned into the kind of men any parents would be proud of.

  “You can choose to believe in them,” I say, passing the ring back. “It doesn’t make you weak or wrong.”

  His throat bobs as he sets it on the vanity again with a nod.

  Harrison reaches into his closet and riffles through dress shirts until he chooses a navy-blue one. Ever the discerning customer, even in his own collection. Instead of putting it on, he motions at me to turn.

  I hold out my arms and he helps me into the shirt. The bottom reaches halfway to my knees, and I cock my head up at him. He fastens the buttons from the bottom up, deciding to leave the top two open.

  The doorbell rings downstairs, and we both straighten.

  I don’t give a thought to what I’m wearing. Harrison tugs on pants and tucks his phone in his pocket before following me down the hall.

  Ash sticks his head out of the guest room. “Did you hear something?”

  “Probably the hospital staff bringing Leni’s equipment,” I suggest.

  But as Harrison reaches for the door and pulls it wide, Ash and I flanking him, we realize our mistake.

  It’s not the hospital staff.

  24

  Harrison

  Of all the people I expect to visit me on a given day, Eva is the least likely.

  Her blond hair is limp around her face. Makeup cakes her cheeks and forehead. Her aqua-blue jumpsuit is pressed, but her posture is cowed.

  Her gaze darts past my shoulder. “Harrison. I need help.”

  I don’t believe her for a second. “You made your allegiances perfectly clear.”

  “Let her in,” Sebastian says.

  I shut the door in her face before starting to tell my brother how stupid this idea is when Raegan cuts me off.

  “I agree with Ash.”

  “You want Mischa’s fiancée in my house?” Disbelief drips from every word.

  Rae blinks at me. “I want to give a woman in obvious distress a chance to explain herself.”

  Fuck.

  I jerk the door open. “If it were up to me, you’d be gone.”

  “Harrison King taking orders. That’s a new one.”

  I pull the door shut behind me so it’s the two of us on the step. “If you so much as look at Raegan, I’ll have you delivered back to him with a full account of where you’ve been.”

  Fear flashes across her face, blinding and real, before she follows me inside.

  Sebastian’s sitting at the dining table, and Raegan’s in the kitchen making tea. Still wearing my shirt.

  Eva’s gaze lingers on Raegan an extra beat before she remembers what I said and looks away.

  Rae comes over with a teapot and cups, then pours into each cup.

  Eva accepts the tea from Rae and takes a sip. Her engagement ring blinks in the light. “He’s not the man I thought.”

  I cough. “Who did you think you were marrying? A saint?”

  “No. But he was constant in one thing—wanting me. At least until recently.” She sneaks another look at Rae.

  I turn to my brother and Raegan. “Could you give us a moment?”

  Rae finishes pouring tea and drops into a seat at the other end of the table. “No.”

  I swallow a groan. Please, I implore her silently.

  A stubborn jerk of her chin. Fuck no.

  Damn it. I called her a queen, and she is one now.

  In full.

  “He doesn’t want me anymore. I called him out on it, and he got physical.” Eva angles her head, and in the light, it’s impossible not to see the shadow beneath her cheekbone. She turns her cup in her hands, lips pressing together. “At first, it was exciting. It felt as if he needed me in a way you never did.”

  When her gaze lands on me, I see accusation and sadness mixed together.

  “You want protection,” I guess.

  “Why not go to the police?” Sebastian asks.

  Eva’s gaze narrows on Sebastian. “With the amount I’ve spent on skincare, I’d like to continue looking twenty-five for another few decades. Which is hard to do when you’re dead.”

  “What are you offering?” I ask.

  “Harrison…” Rae says. “This shouldn’t be a negotiation.”

  I’m struck by the contrast between the two women.

  Eva is willing to do anything to save her own skin.

  Rae is pragmatic enough to know how the world works but idealistic enough to try to make it better, even for people who don’t deserve it.

  “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Eva’s voice trembles at the edges.

  My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.

  Christian: Don’t say I never gave you anything.

  “Excuse me.” I brush Rae’s cheek with my knuckle on my way past her to the steps upstairs—a simple gesture to let her know I’m still here with her.

  I hit the contact, and he answers on the second ring.

  “This was you?” I demand as I reach for a shirt, shrugging into it.

  “She didn’t know where to go. I steered her your way.”

  I step out of my room, peering over the railing at the three of them seated at the table below.

  “I don’t want her,” I say under my breath as I fasten the buttons on my shirt.

  “A woman who knows Mischa’s habits and secrets? You can’t use that?”

  A day ago, I would’ve cut off my own arm for this type of information. But I promised Raegan I’d let it go.

  I hang up and walk down the stairs. At the bottom, Rae rises from her chair and reads my expression. She jerks her head toward the kitchen and I follow.

  When we’re out of earshot, I explain about Christian’s text. “Eva has enough information to take him down a dozen times over. But,” I go on as she stiffens, “I promised you I wouldn’t. That I’d lay it down. We can send her packing. Pretend this never happened.”

  Rae sighs. I wish I could hear the thoughts running through her head, could find out if they’re the same as mine.

  She’s proba
bly thinking it’s not worth risking.

  “One chance to hear her out,” she says. “Whatever we learn goes to the police.”

  I nod, pressing my lips to her forehead. I would stay there forever if I could.

  We make our way back out to the dining area, my hand laced with Raegan’s. “I want everything.”

  Eva fidgets in her seat.

  “Won’t he know she’s been here?” Sebastian asks.

  “No. Because she’s going back to him.”

  “Harrison…” Rae says.

  Eva’s expression fills with dread. “I can’t.”

  “You will, or there’s no deal.” I can have her surveilled to ensure she’s protected, though I’m not about to tell her now. “You won’t tell him about our agreement because if he finds out you’ve been here, he’ll end you.”

  RAE

  Harrison’s jaw hasn’t unclenched for the last hour while Eva’s discussed what she knows about Mischa’s activities. Some of it we’d figured already—that he’s running drugs through the clubs. That the money from that is bigger than the legitimate business.

  “What about the bad drugs?” Harrison demands.

  Eva picks at an invisible piece of lint on her jumpsuit. “I don’t know anything about that. But I do know the cost of staying one step ahead of you is eating into his profit.”

  “You’ve seen the books?” Ash asks.

  “I’ve seen his face. The one thing that pisses him off as much as losing is losing money.” The room is quiet for a moment before Eva adds, “Something big is going down soon. I overheard him talking about next week on Sunday, but I could convince him we have plans that day and see if he’d move it to Saturday.”

  “Why Saturday?” Ash asks.

  Eva’s gaze settles on me.

  “Absolutely fucking not.” Harrison’s voice is commanding. “You are not encouraging him to do a deal while Raegan is in that venue.”

  “He’d be distracted,” Eva says smoothly. “He likes you.”

  The way she says it leaves no question as to what he likes about me.