“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Good,” I said, shooting her a look that made it clear I knewexactlywhat she was about to compare it to. But I wasn’t a crumbling inn begging to be rebuilt.
I was the one holding the damn blueprint.
Even if part of the foundation had Sebastian’s name on it.
24
Sebastian
A CAR DOOR SLAMMEDin the distance. The night was still enough that even her soft footsteps carried through the gravel, though they never reached my door.
Ruby was home.
It was late.
She didn’t come by.
And I decided to give her space.
Every part of me wanted to go to her. To kick her door down and show her exactly why we worked. Why our pull—this addiction between us—was more than physical. I knew she felt it too. I’d seen it in the way she looked at me when she forgot to guard herself. Heard it in the way her breath caught whenever I touched her. Felt it in the way she gave in, like gravity, like it was inevitable. Every single time.
But the walls she kept up weren’t just defenses. They were part of who she was. Her independence, her fire, her control—that was Ruby.
And I loved Ruby just as she was. And I didn’t want to bulldoze through her.
Besides, I knew from experience that trying to outsmart your emotions, to intellectualize them, to engineer the fuck out of them, couldn’t work in the long run.
So I let her be.
Instead, I took a long shower and jerked off to one of my favorite memories of her—head thrown back, breath hitching, my hand on her breast, my finger in her mouth, riding me like she knew exactly what she wanted and how to take it.
Toweling off, I still had zero regrets about staying.
She needed help, and I was here to support her. That part wasn’t complicated. I’d show up for her anytime, even years ago, before I felt so clearly as I did now.
And I knew she’d do the same for me. She drove back and forth to Blueshore two evenings in a row, just to sit with me back when my dad was in the hospital and my mom and sister were storm-stranded in Michigan.
But what I was asking of her now wasn’t help. It wasn’t friendship. I was asking her to change her life. To risk something real. And I couldn’t make her want that. I could only make damn sure she knew I did.
“You took the leap, now you have to trust the landing,” Nathan said when I FaceTimed him from the beach earlier. Then, with a pointed look, he added, “And yeah, that woman’s number your dad sent? He probably thinks it might help you get out of your head or whatever. And I tend to agree.”
“Appreciate the team effort,” I’d said. “But I don’t need to get out of my head.”It’s all about being in, I didn’t add.
“Then what are you doing down on the beach? It looks amazing, by the way,” Nathan said. “I don’t know how you’ll bear it here again. It’s hard enough seeing it through the camera.”
The next morning, I woke up early, rummaged through the breakfast basket for my favorite croissant and jam, then headed out to meet Dave and the roofing contractors for the first round of bids.
By the time we wrapped up, I figured Ruby would be in her office. On the way there, Sandra stopped me at reception. I knew all the permanent staff by now, and they all knew me as Ruby’s engineer friend. Sandra was especially warm, and I could tell she was interested. I never encouraged it, but I made a point of being kind—she always seemed to have something heavy on her shoulders.
This time, she stopped me to talk about her cat and her cousin. One of them needed acupuncture, and the other was gluten-intolerant. I wasn’t sure which was which, but she needed someone to talk to, and I had a few minutes before heading to Ruby’s office with the roofer updates.
When I walked in, Ruby glanced up from her screen, her hair pinned haphazardly with a pencil. Her blue eyes were sharp, but the subtle tension in her jaw hinted at everything on her mind. I felt that familiar pull in my chest—the way competence looked so damn good on her.
I gave her a quick status update and finished with, “I think we can still stay within the upper limit of the budget. Once the bids come in, you’ll need to review them and decide who to move forwardwith.”
