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“Ruby.”
The word rolls over me.
“Huh?”
“Gem…”
Oh, fuck. That nickname does me in. Short for ‘gemstone’, taken of course, from Ruby, he started calling me that after he kissed me that first time. He only uses it when we’re alone, close, intimate. When he also says things like I’m precious, priceless, his treasure.
“Dammit, Henry,” I mutter, as I grip the front of his shirt and pull him down, pressing my lips to his.
His hand cups the back of my head, his fingers gripping my hair, holding me in place as he immediately deepens the kiss.
His tongue boldly strokes mine as he tips my head, allowing a fuller fit of our mouths.
I moan, and he walks me back until my ass hits the counter behind me.
Then he presses into me.
And so much for ignoring each other.
Chapter 7
Henry
Well…so much for ignoring each other.
I kiss Ruby like I haven’t kissed a woman in years.
No, I kiss Ruby, as if I’ll never get enough ofher. Which I’m beginning to fear is the truth.
How this woman, a small-town girl from Ohio that has mostly worked as a bartender and stripper, is the one who got under my skin and made me rethink everything I’ve been so sure of in my life is beyond me. I haven’t wanted to fall in love. And I certainly didn’t fall in love with Ruby Gale on purpose. But now that it’s happened, I have absolutely no idea how to get out of it.
I lift my head, my fingers still tangled in her hair so that I can hold her still as I stare into her gorgeous face.
I know every detail of this face. Every swirl of blue in her eyes, the two freckles at the corner of her left eye, the sweet bow to her lips, the exact shade of pink the tip of her nose turns after I kiss her the way I just did.
I toss the bar towel I came back here to discard, then rest my hand on her hip.
“I’m going to be staying at your house,” I tell her. She needs to know that simply because it’s a fact. But also because, obviously, we have a hard time keeping our hands off one another.
Her eyes widen as what I said sinks in.
Then, as expected, she flattens her hands on my chest and pushes me away.
“What? No. You can stay at the bed and breakfast.”
That’s where Cian and I stayed when we came back for Cian to win Scarlett over.
But in my previous visits to Emerald, I stayed at Ruby’s. In her room. In her bed.
“I’m staying at your house,” I repeat. “I’m here to protect you and your friend from her husband. I can’t do that if I’m not right there.”
“You’re overreacting,” she tells me, taking a step to the side and sliding out from the small space between me and the counter.
“I don’t care. This isn’t up for negotiation.”
“It’s my private property,” she tells me. “You can’t just move yourself in there if I say no.”