A mighty fine ass,Ruby thought, and cursed herself for noticing.
"I'll send him in." Ruby leaned over and hugged Sapphire. "Be nice, okay?"
"To Jax Maroney, the guy who's single-handedly been driving our business into the ground?" Sapphire snorted. “Yeah, right.”
Well aware Jax could handle anything her sister dished out, Ruby blew her a kiss and headed for the car.
It would be interesting to see how far Jax’s cockiness got him with her protective sister.
Chapter 15
Jax watched Ruby as she walked towards the car, his hands gripping the steering wheel to kill the urge to leap out of the car and meet her halfway.
Something about the set of her shoulders, slightly dipped, and the studied indifference on her face, told him the meeting with her sister hadn't gone well.
Not that it surprised him. From what he knew of Sapphire Seaborn's ball-breaking reputation, even if fatigued she'd manage to get a roundhouse kick in.
He'd looked forward to dealing with her, had relished the challenge. Instead, as Ruby reached the car, the strain showing in her pinched lips and barely perceptible frown, he almost laughed at how fast he'd capitulated at the hands of this smart-mouthed woman.
Hiswife.
Damn, it would take a lifetime, and he still wouldn't get used to the outlandish fact that he'd married her.
He reached across and opened the door for her, waiting until she slid into the passenger seat to ask, "Rough meeting?"
"Not too bad."
Unable to resist, he traced the small indentation between her brows. "This tells me otherwise."
Her wan smile made something twist uncomfortably in his chest. "Actually, it went better than expected. We cleared the air about some other stuff too."
"And the news about our nuptials?"
"Saph wants to see you." She drew a finger across her neck in a slow, slitting action. "It's not going to be pretty."
He laughed, genuinely surprised at how many times he'd done that since he'd met this firebrand. "Now?"
She nodded, gnawing on her bottom lip. "Just go easy on her, okay? Saph's all bluster, but she's still recuperating and stress isn't good for her—"
"I'll handle it." He pressed his fingers to her mouth, intent on silencing, not expecting the shot of heat at the barest movement of her lips beneath his touch.
Her eyes widened a fraction as he slid his fingertips across to her cheek, cupping it with uncharacteristic tenderness that made him want to bolt from the car.
What the hell was happening to him?
Slide a ring on his finger and he turned into a schmuck.
He snatched his hand away and flung open the door. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, call the cops."
She smiled, and his stupid chest gave another aggravating twinge. "Good luck. You're going to need it."
He didn’t believe in luck. He made his own. He strode across the lush grounds, looking forward to meeting the woman whose hard-edged reputation preceded her.
Besides, the faster he got this over with, the faster he could concentrate on more important matters, like his wedding night.
He picked up the pace, rounded the corner of the building, and almost ran into a petite blonde coming the other way. Herecognised her from the extensive research he’d done online. Sapphire Seaborn, glaring daggers at him.
"You've got some nerve," she said, jabbing him in the chest before he could blink. "Gutting our family business, then taking advantage of our precarious position by marrying my little sister."
