She tugged her skirt down. “Thank you.”
I put my fingers on the hem, her warm, bare flesh just under the fabric. I hitched it back to where it had been. “You never have to hide from me.” The last thing I wanted to do was make her self-conscious. “You shouldn’t have to hide from anyone.”
If I thought she’d melt under my reassurance, I was wrong.
She searched my face. “You don’t have to either.”
Startled, I drew my hand back. My defenses slammed into place. “I’m not hiding. I just like my privacy.”
Her expression saidyou sure about that?“Of course. Sorry.” She looked out the passenger window.
Dammit. None of this was her fault, and I missed her attention on me. “Ruby.” I rubbed the spot between my eyes. “You know why I helped you?”
She finally turned back to me and the pressure inside me eased. “Because you’re a nice guy?”
“I want to be a nice guy because I don’t ever want anyone to feel the way I did. The way others made me feel.” First, it was the jackass in school. Then, Katrina and her father. “You’ve seen my childhood pictures. You can imagine some things I might’ve experienced growing up.” And beyond, when I had thought I’d left those feelings of wanting to be anyone else but myself behind. “I’m sure you can connect it to why I don’t like being the center of attention.”
“That’s awful.”
I only lifted a shoulder. “It is what it is.”
She put her hand back on my arm. I’d spill my entire history if it meant she touched me more. “People can be horrible. Let’s make tonight about us.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t mean us, like us, but?—”
“I know.” I traced a finger over the back of her hand. “Fuck them. Let’s have a quiet picnic and enjoy the nice evening.” I lifted my touch from her and grabbed the door handle. “I’ll go get the food. Wait here.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ruby
The evening was gorgeous. A light breeze ruffled the leaves in the trees, and behind them, pine trees reached into the air. The park was quiet, with a family at the far end on the playground. Every so often, joggers and bicyclists would cut down the walking path on the far side of the trees.
Tenor had some lantern-looking contraption that was supposed to keep the bugs away. It sat on the end of the picnic table. The spicy citrus smell of citronella emanated from it.
My hair ruffled in the breeze. He had a cowboy hat on and I was doing everything I could not to gawk at him. The hat kept his hair from falling against his face, making the hard cut of his cheekbones more visible. When he chewed, the muscles in his jaw flexed. The way he sat, his arms were bent and there was nothing but biceps. Could I just squeeze one and see if it was real?
“You have really big muscles,” I blurted. Wow. What a stupid thing to say. I couldn’t snatch the words back, so I kept myexpression interested as if I hadn’t uttered the world’s worst pickup line.
He poked at his beef tips. “The summer after my junior year, I had a growth spurt. And then another. I’d always been on the tall side, but not this.” He waved at himself.
“I wish puberty had done that for me. All I got was a shiny forehead that photobombs every picture and Cara’s comments that abs are made in the kitchen and not on my couch.”
He stalled with his fork punched into a hunk of beef. “She said that?”
Among other things. My brain scrambled for a way to make me sound less cringey. “You’re very powerful. I’d love some of your muscles.”
“Don’t lose those curves, Ruby.”
A dart of desire went right to my heart and morphed into something warmer. Cozier.
His gaze was direct. “You’re just right, Goldilocks.”
If we were standing, I’d fling myself right into his arms like a spider monkey, arms and legs wrapped around him. I had needed to hear that, even if he didn’t mean it. He was only on a date with me because he felt sorry for me.
“I know this is hard to believe.” I couldn’t keep the faint sarcasm out of my voice. “But guys aren’t racing to get into my drawers.”
“They are. You just don’t see it.” He shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and picked up his to-go containers. He dumped them back into the paper bag they’d come from.
My food was gone, so I did the same as him.
