He stares at his boots. Used to, seeing him in his uniform would make me weak in the knees. Of course he’s still handsome in appearance, but I know the ugly in his heart.
“Ruby,” he murmurs my name, softly and touches my cheek. “I wish I could take it all back.”
I take his hand and remove it from my face while taking a step back from him. The hurt that slices across his features doesn’t affect me like it would in the past. I don’t feel sorry for him. I don’t want to accept his apology just to smooth things over in hopes he won’t argue with me or make the rest of my day miserable by giving me the silent treatment or being short and rude with his responses. “Maybe you do mean what you say, but you’ve proven the opposite one time too many. Now please stop checking up on me. Don’t stop by my job without asking.”
“Go to lunch with me just this once and I swear to you on everything that I’ll leave you alone after today.”
I shake my head. He’s just using lunch as a way to weasel back into my life. “We both know that’s a lie.”
“I miss you. So fucking much. I can’t sleep. Can’t eat.”
And here comes the manipulation tactics. Except this time I'm not falling for any of it. I take another step back, and as I do, my gaze meets that of a man walking down the street. Not justany man. The man from last night. The guy in the alley with the knife. Those steely eyes once again hold me hostage, even though every cell in my body is screaming for me to run.
“Fine. Lunch. I need to talk to you about something, anyway,” I blurt out as the man passes us by. He smiles that sinister smirk at me. A warning.
My heart leaps to my throat and I go weak in the knees.
I can smell him. He’s so close we nearly touch.
He smells like sin.
Dark and spicy.
Intoxicating.
Dangerous.
Sexy.
I swallow hard as I soak in every inch of him I can, forgetting that Alex is watching me do it. He has a scar on his right cheek under his eye that’s zigzagged and I wonder how he got it.
“You’re not going to regret this. I swear, Ruby.” He grabs my hand, jerking my attention back to him.
Putting on a fake smile, I tell him, “Just let me tell Haven that I’m taking an early lunch.”
“I’ll pull my cruiser around.”
“No,” I shout a little too sharply. The last thing I need after this dude saw me talking to a cop is for him to see me getting into a cop car with the same officer. He’s going to think I’m ratting him out. “I’ll meet you at Finnigan’s. Order my usual.”
“I’ll wait for you. We can order together like old times.” He smiles all smug, thinking he’s getting his way.
I just need time to think. “Sure.” I dart back inside the shelter, wondering how that guy knew where to find me. Does he know my name? Where I live? Is he following me? The last one isn’t really a question. He’s obviously following me and, like an idiot, I was seen with a cop, but maybe seeing me with Alex will scare him off.
I shouldn’t be curious about him, but I am.
I’m an idiot and a glutton for punishment.
“Hey, Haven.” I grab my purse from my desk drawer. “I’m going to take my lunch if that’s okay.”
She smirks at me like she knows something, but she has no idea. “Take your time.”
“I won’t be long.”
“It’s a slow day,” she lies.
It’s never a slow day when you work at an animal shelter. It’s anything but. “I’m only going to try and sweet-talk him into adopting Petey.”
“I know.” She grins bigger, and I want to wipe that smirk off her face. Alex may have her fooled, but nothing has changed. He hasn’t changed.
