The woman that walked my way was yet another version of the beauty I had said goodnight to the evening before. There was Ruby in scrubs at work. And then there was Ruby all dressed up for a modeling shoot or night out on the town. But it was Ruby first thing in the morning, no makeup, freshly showered, and hair still wet, wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders that had my blood pumping quickly through my veins.
When she walked up to my window and offered me a hot steaming cup of coffee, black just like I liked it, I think that was when I knew I needed her in my life. And not just as a client.
After taking a sip, I groaned and jokingly said, “Marry me.”
The giggle that escaped her was cute as hell. It was playful and fun, something I enjoyed in a woman. It was one more thing about Ruby that appealed to me.
“Get in the truck, you’re going to freeze,” I told her as I hit the button to unlock the door. It was a cold February morning, a slight frost still lining my window and the grass.
When she got in and shook off the cold, I couldn’t help but tease her a little more. “At least this time you listened to me.”
She rolled her eyes and let the blanket slip down her back. I didn’t think she realized her body was still cold, but I sure the hell did. My eyes zeroed in on her pebbled nipples pressed against the yellow cotton of her shirt. Arousal slammed into me at the sight but I tamped it down as I fought to move my gaze higher before she noticed me staring.
However, when my eyes roamed back up and met hers, I knew I’d been busted. A spark of energy swirled around us and was as if it kicked on a furnace, warming the truck quickly.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The pounding on the window jolted us and the moment was broken. Jett stood outside my door with an irritated look on his face as he waved a phone in his hand.
I rolled down the window. “It’s way too early to listen to this thing go off over and over. Someone seems to need to talk to you but tell them they are rude.”
He basically tossed the phone into my lap, turned, and marched off back to the house. I picked up the phone and handed it to Ruby as I rolled the window back up.
“Sorry about that. My brother is not a morning person. At all.” Ruby drew out the ‘at all’ and I chuckled.
I nodded to her cell in her lap. “So who needs you so bad this morning?” My voice sounded odd even to my ears. Did I sound jealous? It could have to do with either of her jobs or something entirely different that had nothing to do with some guy calling her on a personal level.
She’d said there was nobody special in her life, but she was an amazing, gorgeous woman, so I couldn’t imagine there wouldn’t have been someone vying for her attention.
She must have heard something in my voice too because I glanced at her as the early morning light beamed through the passenger window, and a knowing smirk lit up her beautiful face.
Then Ruby looked down at her phone and frowned. “I don’t know this number. Why would they call over and over this early in the morning but not leave a message?” She looked back at me as if waiting for an answer I didn’t have.
I always trusted my gut and I’d told Ruby to do the same. Something was telling me we wouldn’t like who was on the other end of that call or what they may have said. I was glad I’d stayed outside for the night and we moved the installation up a day early.
Because there was someone out there vying for her attention, it just wasn’t innocent as I had been thinking when a bout of jealousy had settled in. She had a stalker and after sending the two men to her house the night before to deliver a message, everything inside me screamed that he was more dangerous than we may have thought.
“I’m not sure. It could have been a wrong number.” She gave me a doubtful look. “And it could be a good thing you didn’t answer the phone.” Ruby sighed. “The guys will be here any minute and we’ll get the security system in place. That’ll hopefully give you and your family some peace of mind.”
It would also do some of the same for me.
We both sat there in thought for a minute until the rumble of an engine broke the silence. I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw Gyth’s truck pulling up behind us.
“Oh crap,” Ruby said. “I haven’t even gotten dressed. I’m an absolute mess.” She pushed open the door, wrapped the blanket around her, and turned, ready to jump out. I put my hand lightly on her arm to stop her retreat.
She twisted back around a little and looked at me. “You have plenty of time to do what you need so don’t worry. You can send your grandfather out any time. He wants to meet the guys and Jett too if he would like.”
“Okay, thanks.” I let go of her arm and she jumped out of the truck. “I’ll see you in a bit. Unless you’re headed home. What am I saying, of course you are. You have been out here all night. You should go and get some sleep.”
Her babbling was cute. Something told me maybe she felt better when I was around and that made me feel like I’d won the lottery.
“I’ll be here until we’re finished so I’ll see you in a bit.”
She nodded and shut the door.
As she rounded my truck and took a few steps toward the house, I rolled my window down again glad that Gyth and whoever was with him hadn’t got out of his rig yet. If they heard what was about to come out of my mouth I’d never hear the end of it.
“Hey, Ruby.”
