“She’s a strong woman. But she really can scorch water.”
His lips twitched. “Where’d she get your name from?”
Caught off guard, I blinked. “Um, she said it was her favorite gemstone and that they’re a symbol for love and commitment, which was how she felt about me.”
“That’s beautiful.” His gaze dipped down to my lips.
My pulse kicked up. This wasn’t real.
I wanted it to be real.
A door opened down the hall. A guy wandered out in red boxers, squinting down one side of the hallway. “Why’s the light on, bruh?” He glanced over and did a double take when he saw me. “Oh, hey. We got company.”
“Yeah, so put some pants on,” Tenor said through gritted teeth but Cruz just shrugged.
I ground down on my cheek to keep from laughing. “Hi, I’m Ruby.”
“Cruz.” He scratched his bare chest. “I gotta use the bathroom, then it’s all yours.” He shuffled across the hall to the door Tenor had pointed out earlier.
“Sorry about that,” Tenor mumbled. “I trust them with my life. Just not heavy equipment when they’re bored. At least Lane fixes whatever they break.” Concern scrawled over his face. “Do you feel okay here? Safe?”
“I always feel safe around the Baileys.”
“You don’t know Cruz and Lane.”
“Oh.” Tenor was so damn sweet. Should I have been worried? I trusted all the Baileys and I included the Foster brothers in that group. Call me naive, but I wasn’t worried. Yet Tenor was concerned about me and for me. Huh. Why couldn’t I have found a guy like him?
Because Ihadfound him and he’d never been interested. I lusted from afar. I was near him, but in his mind, he was only helping me. “It’s fine. Really.”
“I’ll sleep here too.” He winced. “Unless that makes it worse for you. Three strange guys.”
I laughed. “You’re not strange, Tenor.”
Cruz came out of the bathroom, looked at me, smirked at Tenor, then sauntered to his room.
“Put on pants next time you come out,” Tenor called after him.
“Sure thing, old man.” Laughter edged his voice. His bedroom door clicked shut.
Alone again with Tenor. Just how I liked it.
“I’ll stay in the room next to yours,” he said. “Anything you need, give me a holler. Knock on the wall or something.”
“Is that your old room?” So far, I’d talked about me. Tenor knew the situation around my birth, my ex-friend, and that I hated to admit I was single in front of an ex. He’d revealednothing about himself. The old family picture had given me more clues about him than the man himself.
“Yes. You can use the bathroom first. I might run home in the morning before chores and change. Then I’ll be back and we can talk in private.”
Talk. About us. I’d get him to myself again.
I could get addicted to having his intense energy focused on me. He was like that with everyone though. I wasn’t special to him. But at least I’d get to pretend I was.
CHAPTER THREE
Tenor
I rubbed my temples while sitting in the lower level’s family room. There was now a big-screen TV on one wall, thanks to Lane and Cruz. A pile of Coke cans heaped over the garbage. If I checked under the cans, I’d find a few bottles of bourbon and Foster House whiskey. The downstairs had become a bachelor pad, but the guys were respectful about having the basement mostly to themselves.
Mostly. Except for when I brought pretty little employees home.
