Hungry.
“Ruby,” he says quietly. “You look…”
He stops.
Not because he can’t think of the word.
Because he’s thinking of too many.
I flush.
He smiles.
“Come here.”
My knees wobble.
But I obey.
JAXON
She’s breathtaking.
Exactly as I imagined.
Better.
Her hair soft around her shoulders. Her blouse hugging her in clean lines. Her lips slightly glossy, like she’s been biting them all morning.
Which she probably has.
“Sit,” I say, gesturing to the chair beside mine.
She sits.
Nervous. Pretty. Trying so hard to pretend she’s fine.
I let the silence stretch.
She shifts. Crosses her legs. Tries not to stare at my arms.
It’s almost cute how bad she is at pretending.
I open the project folder.
“We’ll start here,” I say.
But I don’t look at the folder.
I look at her.
She feels it.
Her breath catches.
Good.
RUBY
