Free Ruin Me by Tabatha Kiss

seducing Shawn with it.
    “Of course, babe,” he says. He stands up and looks back at me. “Want anything?”
    “No,” I answer.
    “Cool.” He follows Piper out of the compartment.
    The door is barely even closed before Mandy starts in on me. “What did you do?” she bites.
    “I didn’t do anything—”
    “ Kai …” She speaks through her teeth. “What did you do?”
    I sigh and cross my arms over my chest. “I kissed her. Okay?”
    She stares at me through the narrow slits of her eyelids. “Why?”
    “Why? What do you mean why ?” I ask. “You may not be aware of this, Mandy, but kissing is a common sign of affection towards someone you are physically attracted to.”
    “Put a fucking lid on it, Kai,” she warns. “Piper doesn’t need this right now.”
    “How about we let Piper speak for herself on what she needs , hmm?”
    “I mean it, Kai. The last thing she needs is her stepbrother trying to get in her pants to win some bet.”
    “It wasn’t like that…” I stare out the window but turn back to her when I put it together. “Wait — what do you mean? What’s wrong with Piper?”
    She sits back. “Nothing is wrong with Piper, but she’s got a full plate.”
    “Mandy, what’s going on?”
    “Don’t worry about it, Kai. The only thing you should be worried about is me beating the hell out of you if you try something like that again.”
    I open my mouth to argue some more, but the door slides open and Piper steps back inside. As she passes in front of us, Mandy mimes a “Got it?” expression at me. I nod in understanding and sit back in my chair as Shawn follows her in. I usually don’t make it a habit to buckle under verbal threats, but when Mandy Black says she’ll beat the hell out of you, she means it. Hell, I’ve seen it.
    “For you…” Shawn presents a cold can of soda to her.
    Mandy smiles up at him. “Thank you,” she coos. She glares at me as she pops the top open.
    He holds an extra can out for me. “I got you one anyway. Enjoy, asshole.”
    I take it from him. “Thanks, douche.” Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Piper grinning before she herself takes a sip of her drink. I look out the window with her and shake my head. “Another damn vineyard?” I mutter.
    She looks at me once before pulling out her phone.

 
    Chapter 11
    Piper
     
    If I don’t get as far away from Kai Casablancas as possible, I’m going to do something I will regret.
    We arrive in Rome long after nightfall. The eager city lights greet us with warm intentions with streets full of tourists and enthusiastic locals looking to bleed them dry. I clutch my itinerary to my chest, knowing full well what the city holds for me in the night. I focus on it instead of what I’m too tempted to think about.
    I burst into our hotel room and toss my bags onto the nearest bed. Mandy follows me inside with an eyebrow raised. “Penny for your thoughts?” she asks as she closes the door.
    I zip open my suitcase and pull out some fresh clothes. “I have to go out,” I say. “I have to go out and find a man because if I don’t get a good, hard dicking soon, I’m going to fucking lose it.”
    She plops down on the bed in front of me. “Man, Kai has really messed you up—”
    “It has nothing to do with Kai.”
    “He told me about the kiss, Piper,” she admits. “Let’s not play here.”
    I pause and stare down at her. “He told you?” I ask.
    “Well, he needed a little persuasion first, but yeah. He told me.”
    I continue pulling clothing from my bag. “You don’t have to persuade anyone, Mandy. The kiss wasn’t entirely unwelcome.”
    “Then why did I just spend ten hours in a train car watching you pretend he doesn’t exist?” she asks.
    “Fair question,” I say. “And the answer is probably why I plan on getting far, far away from him tonight.” I take a black top and a tight, black skirt and wander into the bathroom to look for a full-length mirror. What is it with hotels in