Ruined By Your Blood

Chapter 9: Cold Day

It was midnight at the Vaughan estate, but the large house was still very busy.

In the security area, Sienna sat on the edge of her messy bed with her knees pulled to her chest. The room was dark, except for the dim moonlight coming through the balcony window. Her fingers touched her lips, still feeling where Luther had kissed her. Her chest hurt with a scary pain.

"I kissed him," A cold wave of panic washing over her skin. "I kissed the son of the man who killed my father."

Margot Britton had spent three years training to destroy the Vaughan family. She was meant to be cold and invisible. But today, in the sun of the lower districts, Luther changed her without even trying. He was not the enemy she expected. He was the only good thing in this bad city, and she was pulling him into a war that would destroy his life.

-

A few rooms away, Luther walked back and forth in his bedroom. A glass of scotch sat untouched on his table. He ran his hands through his dark hair, and his grey eyes showed that he was very restless.

He could not forget how she touched him at sunset. When they kissed, he did not feel the cold, robotic bodyguard his father hired. Instead, he felt a beautiful but broken person reaching out to him in the dark. She was a mystery, hiding behind a professional mask, but when she held his hand to her face, she looked at him as if he were the only one who could save her.

"Who the hell are you, Sienna?" Luther muttered into the quiet room. He was totally obsessed with her, and he was scared to realize he was falling in love with someone so mysterious.

-

The following morning, it rained heavily against the estate's tall stone walls. Luckily, Arthur Vaughan and Larcus Evans were still busy in a private, important meeting with campaign donors downtown, so the estate remained quiet and alone for another day.

By 10:00 AM, the radio in Sienna's room rang.

"Nilsson," Luther said through the speaker. "I need your help in the private library. Bring your security key."

Sienna took a slow, calming breath, straightened her dark jacket, and put her mask back on. When she opened the heavy wooden doors to his office, she was surprised by what she saw.

The room was huge, with very tall bookshelves and a warm fireplace that fought the cold weather outside. However, the floor was a total mess. Hundreds of folders, legal papers, and tax documents about the lower district worker groups were scattered in messy piles on the rug.

Luther sat on the floor with his legs crossed. He had a pencil behind his ear and his sleeves were rolled up. A silver tray with two hot mugs of black coffee was on a small wooden table near him.

"Evans's computer crash yesterday messed up my legal files," Luther said, looking up at her. His eyes became kind and warm as soon as she walked in. "I have to check these paper files for shell companies by hand before the court order on Monday. If you are going to stay here to watch over me, you might as well help me separate the building plans from the money records."

Sienna waited a moment before nodding. She walked onto the rug and sat on the floor across from him, folding her legs carefully.

"Where should we start, Mr. Vaughan?" she asked softly.

"I told you, just call me Luther when we are alone," he said softly, pushing a hot mug of coffee toward her. "Drink this. It is going to be a long day."

For the next four hours, the stress of the election month disappeared into a calm, home life. They worked together by the warm fire. The only sounds were the rain on the window and the noise of turning pages. They enjoyed a peaceful time away from cameras, trackers, and lies.

Sienna felt a strange, pleasant calm. When she gave him a bank statement, their fingers would touch on purpose, creating a warm, tingling feeling. Luther would show her a specific fraudulent part of a lease. His deep voice caught her attention, and his shoulder pressed against hers while they looked at a map of the lower areas together.

At one point, Luther reached for a folder at the exact same moment she did.

Their hands touched over the box. Luther did not move away. He turned his large, warm hand over and gently held her wrist, his thumb lightly touching the white bandage on her bullet wound.

The air in the library suddenly felt heavy with growing romantic tension.

Sienna gasped and looked up at him. Luther moved closer, staring at her face so intensely that she forgot all about the papers on the floor.

"Your hands are cold, Sienna," Luther whispered in a low, deep voice that she could feel in her chest. He slowly pulled her closer on the rug and put his hand in her dark hair, holding the back of her neck gently.

Sienna looked at him, her heart beating very fast. She felt overwhelmed by him, completely unable to move because the man holding her was so truly good.

"Luther..." she whispered. She sounded like she was begging, but she was not sure what she wanted—a kiss, or to be freed from her own secrets.

"Let me in," Luther breathed, his face very close to hers. He looked at her lips and then back to her bright eyes. "Stop acting like a machine."

He leaned down and kissed her slowly, continuing the peace they made yesterday. The kiss was deep and full of strong, quiet emotion that made her lose track of everything else. Sienna closed her eyes and grabbed his shirt to pull him closer. She pressed her body against his warmth, giving in to the feeling between them.

The folders scattered across the Persian rug were entirely forgotten. The legal papers, the Vaughan company's crimes, and the upcoming election all became unimportant as Luther kissed her deeply.

The kiss was no longer a question; it was an answer. It released the held-back feelings, secret looks, and a strong attraction that could no longer be stopped. Luther gripped the back of her neck, running his fingers through her dark hair and tilting her head back to kiss her more deeply. He pulled her close with sudden, desperate force, as if trying to pull her out of her shell and into his world.

Sienna broke down. For three years, her life had been lonely and cold, driven only by her need for revenge. She had forgotten how it felt to be treated like a real person instead of a weapon. The strong warmth of Luther's body against hers shocked her deeply. He tasted of strong coffee and the rough, honest life of the poor streets—fierce and truthful, unlike his father's golden lies.

'I shouldn't do this,' her inner voice warned. 'He belongs to the Vaughan family. If he learns your true identity, the war is over.'

But as Luther made a low moan against her lips, her mind went wild. Luther moved his hand from her shoulder to her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She held onto his soft t-shirt tightly to stay close to him. Instead of pushing him away, she leaned in and kissed him with a sudden, intense hunger that surprised them both. She felt overwhelmed, but for the first time, she did not want to escape.

Luther felt her body suddenly give in, and it made him feel an intense heat. For weeks, he had tried to break through Sienna Nilsson's cold and professional attitude to find a weakness. But now, feeling her heart beating fast against his and hearing her soft gasps as he kissed her neck, he realized she was not cold at all. She was passionate and powerful, and he was happy to let her change his whole life.

"Sienna..." Luther whispered against her skin, his voice low and raspy. He kissed her neck deeply and strongly, causing her to lean her head back.

"Y-yes..." she said, her eyes still closed while feeling his warm lips on her chest.

His hand moved under her jacket, his warm palm pressing firmly against her bare lower back.

Sienna felt a sudden shiver when they touched. She felt unprotected and vulnerable. She opened her eyes, feeling many strong emotions at once—a deep love for the man holding her, mixed with heavy sadness because of the secret she had to hide. She loved him. She loved the boy who fought for the poor, who hated corrupt leaders, and who looked at her as if she were his only hope.