What she should be doing is getting off the bed and putting on her clothes.That’s what a sane, logical Ruby would do.Except his hand moved up over her ribs, and his thumb grazed her nipple, which nearly made her gasp.She swallowed the sound because she did not want the moment to shatter.He let out a soft murmur, tracing circles that curled her toes.
His hand moved to cover her breast, squeezing softly as his thumb continued stroking her nipple.Which, it seemed, had a direct line to the place between her legs that now throbbed.Oh, boy.She was getting in deeper and deeper, and when he woke?—
He slid his hand to her back and pulled her right up against his body, tilting himself up so that she was snuggled between him and the bed.Oh, yeah, he was definitely aroused.He nuzzled her neck and inhaled softly.“Ruby,” he said in a thick voice.
Nowthe way he said her name fit the situation.He was dreaming of her, of touching her and holding her like this.This was definitely a dream, even if she wasn’t exactly asleep.But she was lost in the fantasy of it, him wanting her.His whole body was wrapped around her, powerful and yet gentle.
When she pressed against him, his eyes opened.She saw the moment he realized this was reality, as he took in their intimate position.He disentangled and got to his feet, scrubbing his hand through his hair.“Sorry.Dreaming.”
Oddly, she didn’t feel embarrassed at her participation or desperate to pull the sheets over her body.She gave him a tremulous smile, unable to keep her gaze from flicking to his pelvis.“A very interesting dream, obviously.”
He stretched.“Clearly.I haven’t had a dream like that in ages.”
“You said my name.”
A small tremor shook him, though his expression remained passive.“You must have misheard me.”He pulled a pair of pants from a drawer in the dresser and slid into them.
No, she was quite sure he had murmured her name, but she wasn’t going to press the issue.He did not want to admit that at least some part of him wanted her, and he was probably right not to.Getting sexually involved would complicate their relationship.She definitely didn’t need a complication like Cyn.
She pulled the sheet around herself.“How long have we been asleep?It’s dark out.”Only the light on the nightstand illuminated the room.She sought out a clock and gasped.“Hours.”
“It’s been a busy day.I haven’t had two altercations in one day in decades.”He rolled his shoulders, his muscles flexing with the movement.
She reached up to her nose, gingerly touching it.“Still tender, but it feels like it’s in one piece again.Even the blood’s gone.”
“I cleaned you up after you fell asleep.”The image of him tenderly cleaning her while she slept stole away any response she might have.He looked at her over his shoulder.“You managed your Dragon well in there.But don’t get cocky.This time you got your face split.Next time could be worse.”He balled up his bloody shirt and tossed it into a small garbage can.“Speaking of things splitting, I keep extra clothes in the car, at the dojo, and here, in case I don’t have time to disrobe.”He nodded to her bloodied pile of clothes.“Or if you get injured.”
He opened a couple of other drawers and extracted a shirt and pants.“You’re roughly Glesenda’s size.When she came up and checked on you, she said you were welcome to use her clothes.”
Apparently Ruby was as deep a sleeper as Cyn could be.She caught the clothing he tossed to her.“What do we do next?”
“We go to Brom’s and find out what the hell is going on with him.”
12
Cyn drove to Miami Beach, where Brom had lived all those years ago when he’d brought Ruby to him.He hoped that Brom had kept the place.He glanced over at Ruby in the passenger seat of his car.
She traced her fingers along the lines of the dash “Beautiful car.What year is it?”
His Dragon pulled against his skin toward her.Want.
He rubbed his shoulder.Submit.Not yours.“Fifty-seven.Saw it in the showroom and couldn’t resist.”He’d felt passion then, at least he thought he did.One decade ran into another, the fire for life ebbing with each one.
“Did you buy it new?”She rubbed the bridge of her nose.“God, what a question.But you did, didn’t you?”
“Back when they made real cars.When Miami was much smaller, more of a tourist and retirement destination.When life was interesting.”
Interesting.Like when he’d woken up to find her in his arms.No, more like mind-blowing.The fact that she’d been a willing captive even more interesting because he was pretty sure she hadn’t woken the moment he had.In his dream, she was stroking his back.That’s how it had started, but he was a bit muddled on what was real and what was not.Did she normally have a man in bed with her to stroke?He doubted it, or she would have mentioned him by now.He thought of the young Dragon at the Yard who desired her.Ire prickled through him, which was ridiculous because he had no use for those kinds of feelings.Especially where Ruby was concerned.
Ruby who was not a girl.The red shirt molded her chest, and hell, he’d seen enough of her to know her curves were all woman.Had, in fact, felt those curves, or at least he had a vivid dream memory of squeezing one of those delectable breasts, feeling the peak stiffen.His fingers flexed at the thought.
Had she even noticed that she moved differently now that her Dragon was awake?That her hips swayed and confidence injected her with sensuality?Heshouldn’t be noticing.
She glanced his way, and he banked the fire he knew flickered in his eyes.
“Why isn’t life interesting anymore?”she asked.
He trained his gaze on the road ahead, always a good idea when driving in Miami.“When you’ve lived as long as I have, there isn’t anything else to do.I’ve fought, killed, nearly been killed.I’ve lost friends, lost the freedom to fly, to be Dragon.You get to a point where you don’t care about anything.”
