Page 74

Her eyebrows lift. “Not even going to deny it?”

“Would you believe me?”

“No.”

I smile, but my attention has already drifted back to her mouth. The last time we did this, we were pissed off and halfway through an argument. Tonight she’s standing between my knees looking amused, and somehow that’s making it harder to keep my hands to myself.

Ruby watches me for another second. “Are you going to kiss me?”

“I was getting there.”

“You’re taking your time.”

That’s enough of that.

I catch her around the waist and pull her into me, and her smile is still there when my mouth meets hers. I kiss her slowly at first, mostly because I can, because there’s no argument driving this and no reason to rush past the part where she presses closer and curls her fingers into my shirt.

Then her hand slides around the back of my neck and into my hair, and slow stops being nearly as interesting.

I deepen the kiss, pulling her between my legs until her body is flush against mine. She makes that soft sound I remember way too well, and every thought I had about taking my time disappears with it.

Ruby’s hands move down my chest and slip beneath the hem of my shirt. Her palms slide over my stomach, warm against my skin, and I break the kiss long enough to drag in a breath.

"You planning to undress me in the parking lot?"

"Considering it."

The answer comes without hesitation, and I laugh softly as my hands tighten at her waist. "I'm not opposed."

"You should be. Your mother might still be inside."

That gets a real laugh out of me, and I lower my forehead to hers for a second. "Excellent point."

Ruby's still smiling when I kiss her again, but it doesn't last long. Her mouth softens under mine, her hands slide higher beneath my shirt, and whatever was left of my good judgment is gone.

I pull her tighter against me, and I'm suddenly very aware of the truck behind me and just how little privacy this parking lot actually offers.

When I finally force myself to step back, we're both breathing harder.

Ruby looks as reluctant about the space between us as I feel.

"Truck," I manage.

The look that flashes across her face tells me exactly what she's thinking.

Ruby exhales and reaches for the passenger door. "Truck."

I grab it first and open it for her, mostly because if I put my hands on her again right now, we might not make it home.

"Probably the smarter choice."

She pauses before climbing in, leaving me standing there wondering how the hell I'm supposed to drive fifteen minutes with her sitting beside me.

The drive back to the duplex takes less than fifteen minutes, but after kissing Ruby against the truck, it feels a hell of a lot longer.

She sits angled toward me, hair still mussed from my hands, and every time I glance over, she catches me. At the first red light, her eyes drop briefly before that little smile appears, and I have to look back at the road before I make this worse.

A minute later, her fingers brush mine beside the shifter. I turn my hand beneath hers and lace our fingers together.