I entered the room and was instantly surrounded by the limoncello smell of her. There was no way I could move all my shit back into this room and spend any time in it without thinking of her.
I placed her on the bed. She whimpered and reached for me. I grasped her hands in mine. They were warm and soft. I kissed her fingertips and released her. “Get some rest, Ruby.”
“Mmm.” She rolled over. The back of her skirt hitched up. I ripped my eyes off her and stumbled for the door.
I was not going to leer at her like Allen when she was sleeping. Instead, I went to my room, shut the door, and toed off my boots. Then I turned my bedside lamp on, yanked my shirt over my head and tossed it in the laundry basket by my closet.
The bathroom door squeaked open. I paused, making sure she wasn’t retching or didn’t need help.
After a few moments, the sink turned on. Good. I took off my belt and shoved my pants down. I folded them neatly and draped them over a pile of cases that I had stacked by the closet until I could put them back into the guest room.
I ripped my blankets back just as my bedroom door opened. I froze as Ruby entered, yawning and rubbing her eyes.
Panic coalesced in my chest. Shit, shit, shit. “Ruby.”
She blinked, her eyes going wide. Her gaze touched on my chest, and she drew her fingers across her collarbone. Her attention traveled lower and she mouthedwow.
I scrambled for a shirt, but I had none near me. The closet was behind her.
She cocked her head, studying me. Then she closed the distance between us.
I backed up until the backs of my legs hit the end table. “Ruby...”
She traced the faint silvery lines at my shoulders. I had hoped my old stretch marks would go away as I got older, but no such luck. They’d faded but were still visible. I jerked like her fingertips were pure voltage.
I gulped. I wanted her touch, but I also wanted her to forget seeing a thing. Not many people had ever seen me shirtless.
“You have such a nice body,” she murmured and danced her fingers over my pecs.
My dick had taken note of her presence in my bedroom. The oxygen being supplied to my brain was getting dangerously low.Soon all I’d have was that caveman that wanted to throw her on the bed and flip her skirt up. “You need to go back to your bed.”
Those ripe lips puffed out. She snatched her hand back. “I knew you were only taking pity on me.”
I grabbed her hand and held it. “I’d be between your legs right now if you weren’t drunk.”
That was supposed to have been a threat, but it came out as a confession.
“I am not dru—” A giggle left her. “I might be a little. Those drinks were really strong.” She hitched my hand closer and inspected it. “You’re big everywhere.” She gave my crotch a pointed look. “Like, really big. Am I dreaming?”
She sucked in a breath and looked to the stacks of bins around me. Interest filled her eyes and a smile lit her face.
Fuck. She wasn’t dreaming, but this was my nightmare. The taunting was coming.
“What’s all this?” She bent over to peer inside the display case. “Are those figurines?”
“They’re models.”
“Of what?”
Here we go. “It’s, uh . . . Warhammer.”
She squinted harder. “Warhammer?”
“Tabletop gaming,” I mumbled.
She turned to peer at me. “Come again?” She bent over the stacked black bins to look at a clear display case behind them. “Are they, like, orcs?”
“Yeah, actually, those are actually Orks.” I scratched behind my neck, put my hands on my hips, then shoved my fingers through my hair. How much of this would she remember when she was sober?
