Deciding that dinner could wait, he lifted her into his arms, her legs around his waist while they kissed. He devoured her, his tongue slipping inside as he walked them out of the room. He didn’t want to waste time, so he took them to the living room instead of upstairs. Lowering her onto the couch, Owen slowly stripped her out of her clothes.
He loved seeing her like this, naked and flushed and flat on her back beneath him. Her skin was smooth and her nipples were rosy peaks begging for his mouth. He made his own clothes disappear and lowered himself onto her. They kissed again, but he didn’t linger there. His lips trailed along her jaw and her neck, making her gasp and shudder. She was always so responsive to his touch.
There was never a mystery when it came to Ruby. She’d been his open ray of sunshine from the start, friendly and honest and holding nothing back. She was the opposite of him in so many ways, and he knew that was why he loved her. He didn’t say the words back to her, but he knew that he felt the same and he was going to show her that.
He ran his tongue along her collarbone before he reached her breasts. Bringing his arms around her back, he pulled her up to give him better access as his tongue lavished her breasts. Ruby gripped his arms, her fingers digging into the muscles. She brought her legs up, circling his waist, and he could feel her wet heat against his cock. It slid through her folds without entering her, driving them both wild.
But he wasn’t ready for that yet.
Moving further down her body, he threw her legs over his shoulders as he pressed his chest against the couch cushions and buried his face between her legs. Flattening his tongue against her, Owen licked up her center, and Ruby cried out in raw pleasure. He placed one hand on her lower stomach to keep her still and slipped two fingers inside of her. She was always so damn wet for him, and he met no resistance, despite how tight and wet she was.
His lips latched onto her clit, and her moans made his erection throb. He pumped his fingers in and out, his eyes flicking up to watch her face contort in ecstasy. Her legs tightened around him, and she screamed his name when she came.
She was gorgeous.
He lifted his head and fisted his cock, moving between her parted thighs. She was panting from her climax, her gray eyes watching him with reverence as he lined himself up at her entrance. Silently thankful that she was now on birth control, he slid himself inside, groaning as he felt her tight pussy with no barrier between them.
Once he was all the way inside, he paused for a moment, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. He could see the love in her face as she gazed up at him, and he swore to himself that he was going to do whatever he could to be worthy of it. He might have been a bad guy in the eyes of the law and his enemies, but he would always treat Ruby like a queen.
Moving slowly he started to thrust in and out of her. He wasn’t in a hurry tonight. This wasn’t a frenzied, passionate round of sex. He was making love for the first time in his life. He never would have thought that he would like it slow and steady like this but with Ruby, it was amazing. He rocked his hips and kissed her, basking in the knowledge that this was the kind of sex that nourished the soul. It was born of need and affection and a promise that neither of them had spoken out loud.
Words weren’t needed in this space. It was just the two of them, caressing and kissing, and a building heat that drove them both to the precipice of pleasure at the same time. Owen buried his face in her neck as he came, his body shaking and his cock releasing inside of her in a primal act that brought on an entirely male sense of satisfaction.
It was perfect.Shewas perfect.
He still hadn’t said the words back to her, but he didn’t think it mattered. There was no way that she didn’t know what she meant to him.
Snaking his arms around her, he held her, and no matter what was going on outside of these walls, it felt like everything was right in the world.
14
RUBY
She couldn’t believe that Owen asked her to move in with him. It seemed too soon on paper, but she already knew she loved him, so maybe it wasn’t that crazy. That was why she said she’d think about it.
It had been two days, and she’d thought about almost nothing else.
She’d never met a man like Owen before. He could have a tough exterior, and she knew that many of the people at the restaurant feared him, but he had a softer side too. She couldn’t help feeling like that part of him belonged to her.
In the end, all that really mattered was that he made her happy, despite their differences.
It was her day off again, but Owen had business to attend to. He said it in a way that told her he was talking about his mafia obligations. He never elaborated on that, and she didn’t ask. She’d decided that she didn’t need to know about that part of his life. It didn’t matter. All she cared about was the man he was when he was with her.
Michelle was out at a meeting with a client. She usually worked from home, but sometimes she had to put in some facetime with her employer. So, Ruby had the apartment to herself. She wanted to take advantage of the alone time to relax, so she was in the living room binge watching a sitcom she’d already seen all the way through twice and painting her toenails bright pink.
But her mind lingered on Owen. The way he made love to her the night he asked her to move in was unlike any other time before. There was emotion poured into each touch and kiss. She felt cherished.
He didn’t have to tell her how he felt. She knew in her heart that they were on the same page. Owen was much better with actions than words.
Despite that, hedidoffer to share his home with her. That meant the world to her.
She just still wasn’t sure if she was going to do it. It was a huge step even though she loved him, she was worried that moving too fast would be a mistake. Would they get sick of each other? But the idea of waking up in his arms every morning almost made it worth the risk.
Her turbulent thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the apartment door. She had ordered Chinese food to be delivered, and her stomach let out a little eager grumble as she got up to answer the door.
She grabbed her purse on the way, and was digging around in it for her cash when she pulled open the door. But when she looked up, she knew right away that the man standing there wasn’t the delivery guy. It wasn’t just because he didn’t seem to be carrying any food.
There was menace radiating from the tall man in front of her. He was dressed in black and scowling at her. She stared at him for a second, struggling to make her brain work and give her something to say.
