Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tenor
On Sunday night, Mama had invited me over. Cruz and Lane were leaving on Monday. She missed them when they were gone, and every time before they left, she made a big meal as if to remind them they always had a home in Bourbon Canyon.
I scraped the leftover mashed potatoes out of the pot and into a plastic container. Cruz was humming while loading the dishwasher. Lane was helping Mama clear the table.
“Where’s Rubes this weekend?” Lane asked as he carried in a pile of plates to hand off to Cruz.
“She doesn’t like being called that.”
“No kidding?” He sounded surprised. “Dang. Thanks for telling me.”
Lane was a good kid.
He was almost Ruby’s age. Pressure pushed against my temples. A feeling that had plagued me since Thursday morning when I returned home and Ruby had been gone.
What had I expected? I had told her I wanted to kiss her. And then I hadn’t. Nor had I confessed to what I really wanted to do— strip every bit of fabric off her curves, spread her out on my bed, and devour her.
Yeah. I wanted to do a fuck ton more than kiss her. Wasn’t that the whole issue?
I finished with the potatoes and moved on to the gravy. When I was done pouring that into a container for the fridge, I turned. Cruz had his arms crossed and was leaning against the counter, staring at me. Lane had his eyes narrowed on me while rubbing his chin.
“What?” I asked, suddenly cranky.
“We’re just waiting for your answer,” Lane said casually, but worry darkened his blue eyes. “Where’s Ruby?”
“She’s been spending every weekend here.” I searched the kitchen for something to do, but anything I’d need to do it with was blocked by the guys. Damn. “She wants to be home for once.”
“Did she say that?” Cruz asked.
No. I could just tell them now. Rip the bandage off. Ruby and I were over.
What reason would I give them? I bored her? She’d found someone else? We didn’t click? None of those options sat well with me, nor would they buy that we didn’t click after the street dance, when I’d barely let her out of my embrace.
“She’s got family,” I said. Although she’d mentioned her mom was on a workation. And her dad was in Helena. The guys didn’t need details. “She has a life.”
“You haven’t been introduced to her family?” Lane asked. “Does she have siblings?”
I shook my head. The last time I’d met the parents, I had gotten grilled and I’d failed. Then I’d been humiliated in my own hometown. “She’s an only child, and we haven’t been dating long. No need for me to meet them.”
Neither of them nodded.
“Is it a thing?” Lane asked. “That you’re so much older than her?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. We’d never discussed meeting her parents, and now it wasn’t necessary to meet the parents of someone I wasn’t dating. “She said her parents were teens when she was born, so yeah, it might be an issue. I’d be close in age to them.”
Cruz let out a low whistle. “That can up the pucker factor, but it’ll be all right. Someone would have to be a real jackass not to like you.”
It had not been all right once upon a time. “Not if they’re expecting some CEO like Myles or Gideon.”
Lane scoffed. “You’re no different than them. So you don’t wear a suit. You still help run Copper Summit.”
I helped. At least now I had my own place—on land given to me by my dad. I had nothing of my own other than my games. “Not everyone sees it like that.”
“Fuck ’em.” Lane clapped me on the shoulder. “You’re a solid dude, old man.”
“I’m a boring dude, or you wouldn’t call me old man.”
Cruz and Lane exchanged a look that was a whole conversation.
My irritation leaked out. “What?”
“We joke about your mellow life,” Cruz said, “but that’s not why we call you old man.”
Lane nodded. “We started calling you old man because you’ve taught us more than our old man ever did.”
My chest grew tight.
I’d shown these guys the ropes like I’d done with every foster kid who’d stayed with us long enough to learn a little ranching. Cruz and Lane had been young adults when Myles had learned about them, but Mama had welcomed them in and they’d agreed to work for Bailey Beef. They’d never been just employees though.
Cruz crossed his arms. “To be fair, it’s hard to teach us anything from jail.”
“I have that going for me,” I said gruffly.
“Thanks to the Baileys, so do we,” Lane said, his expression sober.
“He’s talking about me,” Cruz added. “I’d have definitely seen the inside of a jail if you hadn’t made me shovel cow shit.”
I smirked. “We used a loader.”
Mama swept into the kitchen. Her lips tipped into a wry grin when she noticed how far we hadn’t gotten with cleanup. “Lane, do you mind taking over for Tenor?” She looked at me. “Get us a couple of glasses. I’ll be on the porch.”
Mama wanted to talk. I ignored the chasm forming in my stomach and did as she asked. With two fingers of Solemn Summit in each rocks glass, I found Mama outside. She slowly rocked in one of the chairs. Another was empty on the other side of a little stand.
I handed off the glass and sat. “What’s on your mind?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
I swirled the amber fluid in my glass. Had I acted differently over dinner? “Nothing.”
“I thought Ruby was going to be with you.”
“She has her own life.”
Mama rocked and took a sip. “Things okay between you two?”
One weekend apart and everyone thought we were over? We were, and that didn’t help my rising frustration. I really should be honest. I was lying to Mama. I had already lied to her. This was my moment to make things right, but I couldn’t. I told Ruby I’d keep her confidence. “It’s not healthy to be together all the time.”
“It’s not,” she agreed. The gentle scrape of her chair mixed with the crickets and frogs. “Teller said you were having fun with her at the dance.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s okay, you know.”
I gripped the armrest of the chair. I wasn’t rocking. Mama was in that mode where she could see right through me. She could open the lid of a mental box I had padlocked for a reason. “What is?”
“To trust her.”
My mental box snapped shut. “I do trust her.” Ruby had put all her confidence in me to treat her right, so that was what I’d set out to do. And I’d let her in. Not intentionally, but she’d catered to me, strip board games and all.
“Mm.” Mama took another drink.
“I do.”
Mama rotated her glass like I had done. “I think you want to. It’s been a long time since you put yourself out there.”
I pried my fingers off the armrest. “It’s not easy.” I’d give Mama that much truth.
“I can’t imagine it is, but it’ll get easier. If she’s the right one, you’ll want to try.”
I started rocking. Our movements were out of sync. I took a drink and gazed into the darkness beyond the circle made by the yard light. Nothing but dark pastures greeted me.
If Ruby was the right one. I’d made a pact with myself. I wouldn’t go through another Katrina. No one would make me feel like I wasn’t good enough again. No one would mock me to my face again. I wasn’t enduring more pitying looks because I was a pathetic bastard. I’d had enough as a kid, and then, because I must not have gotten the message, I had endured more as an adult.
But I was even older, and that came with perks. I could choose who I surrounded myself with. Ruby had been one of those choices—as an employee. As a girlfriend, she’d leave. They always did.
If she’s the right one . . .
I didn’t tell Mama it wasn’t about who was right for me.
But who I was wrong for.
Ruby
I wiped down two newly emptied tables and brought the glasses behind the bar to clean. Only a few customers remained. Tenor’s truck was in the parking lot, but I had yet to see him. I hadn’t heard from him since the night of the street dance.
What did it mean?
The question ricocheted all around my head, leaving dots of fear behind. I knew what it meant. Which was even worse. What I needed was a little acceptance.
For a week, I’d watched my phone, hoping he’d text something as simple as asking me how I was doing. A little can we talk . Or even a what’s up ?
My phone had stayed silent.
Wednesday night, I’d foolishly held out hope that I’d see him even though he was never around Wednesday nights.
The two guys remaining rose and pushed in their chairs. Jason gave me a wave. “See ya later, Ruby.”
“Have a good night,” I called at their backs.
I flipped the open sign to off. Tenor had helped me close all but one weekend for the last month, but there was still no sign of him.
I swallowed my disappointment and continued closing duties. Alone. I punched through cashing out the till and sending the reports to Tenor. My heart twisted as I hit send. Just another mundane email to one of my many bosses. A man I was nothing but an employee to.
I shoved my hair off my face. I’d worn a damn skirt today too. I tugged at the blue material. It was a longer skirt with a dress shirt tied at the waist in a country chic style. I thought it made my hips look wide, but after the way Tenor had watched me shake my booty at the dance, I’d been bold.
“Sweet summer child,” I muttered and stacked the clean glasses back on the shelf beside the bar.
Good thing I’d given myself plenty of mental pep talks or I’d be in tears by now. I’d be reliving every breakup speech ever. Instead I heard I want to kiss you again over and over in his deep voice. Not sure that was better.
I took stock of the bottles behind the bar and tapped my chin. “Two bottles of Original.” Talking out loud made me feel less alone.
I replaced those and stood, staring at the rows of bottles. Various pints, fifths, and liters decorated three levels. The most popular lines. Holiday special batches from years past that were only served at this location. The most expensive top-shelf Copper Summit special barrels that were also only sold here. I’d taken so many pictures of this setup for background graphics and stand-alone images.
Seconds ticked by. I gave myself a shake. I was stalling. It was time to go. Tenor wasn’t coming. He was probably waiting for me to leave before he locked up. Avoiding the awkwardness—and me.
I grabbed my purse and rounded the bar.
The door from the lobby opened. I stopped short and my heart crawled into my chest.
Tenor turned into the bar and his gaze found me immediately. He crossed to me, his powerful thighs knocking a table out of the way. Intensity rode across his face and along his hard jaw.
Alarm fired in my veins the closer he got without saying a word.
“Is everything okay?” I tipped my head back as he approached and I inspected his face.
“No.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and yanked me flush with him. His gaze bored into mine. “I’m tired of pretending I don’t think about flipping those flirty skirts up and plunging into you whenever I want.”
I drew in a breath, shock rebounding in my chest, making my heartbeat stutter. He hadn’t tiptoed into the bar! “Then why don’t you?”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “I don’t have any condoms. I thought I could—” He grimaced and jerked his gaze away, his jaw grinding. “I thought I could stay strong, or that not buying them would be enough to make me behave. You deserve better than me.”
“Good thing I’m on birth control.” I fisted my hands in his chest and rose to my tiptoes. I ghosted my lips along his jawline. “I happen to find your control very sexy.” Frustrating. But hot. And only because he was right here, right now, admitting he couldn’t stay away. “Shouldn’t I get to choose who I deserve? Shouldn’t I get a chance to prove that it’s you?”
A growl emanated from him again. “Ruby.” His eyes searched mine. “Tell me no and I’ll fucking leave and never bother you again. Because you can do better. I swear you can.”
He’d already been the best. I wasn’t interested in searching for what he was already giving me—care, dedication, loyalty, and steamy kisses. Anything more than that was already like winning a lifetime of free books. “I’m telling you yes, Warhammer.”
The desire in his eyes blazed, blowing the pupils until I could fall into him and lose myself. He took my purse from my arms and dumped it on the bar top. Then he lifted me to a stool and took his glasses off. He braced his arms on either side of me. His gaze stroked over my face and he lowered his head.
His lips touched mine, a slow, searching press that had me leaning back until my spine hit the edge of the counter. Even more pressure and I was opening for him. I kept my hands on his shoulders. His restraint was a tangible thing. Energy pulsated under my fingers, his muscles vibrating.
He plundered my mouth, twining his tongue with mine, and put a hand around the back of my neck. His thumb stroked along the edge of my jaw. All I could do was hang on. A little whimper left me. I wanted more, but I also worried I’d combust from the lust burning through my veins. My skin felt tight and much too hot. I squirmed under him, seeking some relief for the needy thrum between my legs.
Another deep sound rumbled from him. He kissed down my jaw and dragged his hand over my collarbone, between my breasts, to the base of the white shirt knotted at my waist.
We both watched him trail his fingers over the knot.
“I’m going to enjoy unwrapping you,” he murmured.
“Here?” I asked, breathless. Did I care?
No. I did not.
“I shut the cameras off.”
“You planned this?” I’d closed down thinking he would always be risk averse, that I would never be enough of a prize, and he’d planned to scramble my brains and my body.
“I was just going to ask you out. On a real date.” He tugged the hem of my shirt free. It fell loose. He deftly worked on the lowest button. “Either way, I wanted a private conversation between us, and to not get your rejection on camera.”
I could’ve laughed. Me? Telling him no? Tenor could ask me to plan a bank heist and I would if it meant getting his mouth on me again.
“So...” He flicked open two more buttons. A strip of my stomach was exposed. “You can relax and let me unwrap you like my very own birthday gift.”
The final button came free and the ends of the shirt fell to the side. He looked at my plain white bra like it was the sexiest strip of lace he’d ever seen.
He hooked a finger over the top of the cup of one and tugged it down. My nipple popped free. Appreciation darkened his eyes. He brushed a thumb over the tip and a shiver whispered over my skin.
“I knew they’d be fucking perfect.” He did the same on the other side. My nipples were puckered, begging for attention, but I couldn’t move. He gripped my hips and bent to draw one nipple into his mouth.
It was my turn to brace myself on the bar. I held on as he licked and palmed my breasts. The pressure inside me grew with no outlet. I squirmed again, seeking to find some relief.
He lifted his gaze and my pearled bud popped out of his mouth. “You’re a needy girl, aren’t you?”
“It’s not enough.”
His expression changed, the heat in his eyes consuming me. He dropped to his knees. His face was at my crotch and I almost sat up, but he still had me in his grip. “Don’t move.” His voice was low. Commanding. “I want you just like this. Open to me. Nowhere to go.”
The bar was empty, the whole distillery was, but I only had the small round seat I was sitting on.
He lifted my leg from the stool’s footrest and draped it over his shoulder. My hold on the edge of the bar tightened. My legs were spread and his face was right there. “Tenor.”
“I like when you say my name.” He kissed the inside of my thigh, working his way closer to the juncture. Need quivered inside of me.
“Tenor,” I said again. I was on edge, ready to combust. If he didn’t release the pressure humming between my legs, I might just implode, and then I’d miss out on everything.
Still, he took his damn time. My underwear was still on. A pink pair that didn’t show seams. Nothing fancy. But the way Tenor looked at them, it didn’t matter. His unyielding expression, the heat in his eyes—he wanted what was underneath.
“You’re wet for me.” He placed a kiss on the fabric, right over my covered clit.
A shudder made my boobs jiggle. “Yes.”
He tucked a finger under the seam and dragged it through my folds. “So hot. So soft.”
Nothing but a whimper left me. I was close to a release but so far away.
The corner of his mouth kicked up before he turned serious again. He tugged the underwear to the side. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done this, Goldilocks.”
“I have a feeling you’re going to do it just right.” Tremors ran up and down my spine. I was balanced on a precipice. If he backed away, deciding to wait or that he didn’t want to break his dry streak for me, I’d be left empty. Unfulfilled. Bereft. On the other side was a whole new world of pleasure. A place I’d only dreamed about with him.
He held my gaze as he closed the distance between his mouth and my pussy, then he licked through me.
“Oh god.” I arched toward him. Just like his kiss, he deepened the pressure, lengthened the strokes of his tongue, until he was centered on my clit. I let out a ragged moan.
Both of my feet were on his shoulders. I was still in my skirt. Only my breasts spilled over my bra, but otherwise I was concealed. Yet Tenor had stripped me down to nothing but raw nerves that were starved for pleasure.
“You taste as sweet as I imagined.” His hot breath gusted over my sex. He licked again, moving his hands to keep the underwear out of the way and hold me open to him.
He dove in. If he hadn’t had a good hold on me, I would’ve slid right off the seat. I dropped my head back and rolled my hips into his mouth as much as I could.
Tenor really was showing me everything I’d been missing. Even with my underwear still on, this was the most amazing sexual experience of my life. And Tenor was fully clothed.
All my focus was on my sex, nothing but energy coursing through me, centering on where he stroked my clit with his talented tongue. Any hold I had on my pleasure fractured into a million pieces.
“Oh my god, Tenor,” I gasped. All my muscles constricted as unfiltered pleasure exploded from my core outward. “Tenor!”
My release went on and on, sweeping over me in waves. I shook against him but he held me tightly and kept stoking me higher and higher. The next second, he was rising. I kept my hold on the counter, the pleasure in my body still pitching me from side to side.
He dragged my underwear off and yanked his zipper down. I was trying to catch my breath when my gaze landed on his erection. It strained toward me, taut and veiny. Big and strong, just like him.
“It’s massive.” I widened my legs, the heels of my shoes pressed into his ass.
“And you’re nice and ready for me.” He notched himself at my entrance.
A quiver racked my body. Anticipation. An orgasm that was finished but also not completely done, another one climbing toward a peak, ready to go.
A slow push inside had me groaning. The sense of fullness was so right, yet he was barely inside. He drew back and shoved in a little deeper this time. I watched him push in, slide back out, and thrust in again.
I fisted my hands in his polo, drawing the fabric up to stay out of my way. I never thought a sight like this would get me off, but I was catapulting toward another peak. Maybe it was because I’d never come down, but I didn’t think so. The way Tenor’s body was rigid. How he was being so careful. That it was his cock stretching me open. Everything about him could get me off again and again.
I rocked against him, urging him to fill me completely.
“You’re a greedy girl.” His voice was gruff, thick.
“It feels so good.” There was no wondering if this was it. Thinking that I’d built sex up again and my expectations were unrealistic. No. Inch by inch, Tenor rebuilt each and every expectation. I’d already had an orgasm that showed me I had most definitely been missing a lot.
He punched his hips forward, and I gasped, my eyes rolling back. “So good,” I groaned.
“Fuck, Ruby.” He propped a hand on the counter behind me, a tremor traveling through him.
I kept undulating my hips, the need inside of me growing more and more demanding. There was another precipice and I had to get there.
He clamped a giant hand on my thigh. “Christ, you’ve gotta quit moving or I’m going to blow.”
“I can’t stop. You make me so—” I moaned. He filled me so completely that any small twitch hit all the right spots. “I’m going to come again.”
He pinned me with slitted eyes, his teeth gritted, like he was making a decision. Then he started moving, an erratic but strong rhythm. “So fucking wet and tight.”
My ass scraped across the stool, but he clamped my hips in both hands and held me still as he plunged into me. “Yes,” I hissed. I was so close.
“Fuck.” He ground against me, the sound of our skin slapping together filled the room. “Fuck, Ruby. You take it so well.”
I slammed to the top of my ecstasy and cartwheeled over the edge. “Tenor!”
I broke apart, splintering into a zillion pieces, but he held me together as he thrust in one last time. He clenched his teeth, throwing his head back. Hot release filled me and his big body shook.
When he quit shuddering and jerking, my legs started slipping down his hips. He gripped my calves, but I sank back, the hard line of the counter jabbing into my back. “Wow. That was... Wow.”
Hair hung over his forehead and he was breathing hard, but his lust-filled gaze was on me. “I’ll help you down. Then you’re coming home with me. I’m not done yet.”
Tenor
When I had woken up this morning, I’d anticipated a day full of self-torture, thinking about Ruby all day and how long it’d been since I’d seen her. Right before her shift started, I’d been glued to the goddamn window, watching the sway of her hips as she rushed toward the entrance. Her little skirt had swished around her thighs and then I couldn’t leave my fucking office until my dick had calmed down.
I’d only meant to talk to her. Then I’d seen her. Kissed her.
Now we were in my bed, our clothing strewn from the garage door to my room. She was on top of me, her legs draped over each side, her knees grinding into the mattress. Fucking heaven.
“Ride me,” I said through gritted teeth. “Just like that.”
Her tits bounced as she rocked on top of me. “I can’t believe I’m going to come again.” Her eyes went hazy and she spread her hands out on my chest.
“It won’t be the last time.” I planted my hands on her hips. It took everything in me not to flip us over and fuck her into oblivion. But twice wouldn’t be enough. My restraint was shot. Blown. She was mine for the whole night.
It wasn’t just that I was having sex again. Nothing had ever been this good. I couldn’t remember my previous times, but I’d never forget this.
Her walls fluttered over my dick and the rest of her body shook. When her breath hitched, I knew I had her. She dropped her head back, her dark hair waving behind her. “Tenor,” she gasped like she was scared of her own reaction.
“Come for me, Ruby.”
Another shudder racked her body. “Oh god.” The walls of her pussy gripped me so tight I couldn’t believe she could keep riding me. First, long, hard strokes, and then fast.
“Tenor!”
Heat rushed between us. I was barely able to keep from coming while she rode out her orgasm. Then, as soon as she slowed, I rolled us and pinned her hands above her head. She hitched her knees up and to the sides.
I plowed into her until my climax hit me square in the balls. I had to grit my teeth against the onslaught of pleasure. Energy raced down my spine and out of me with my release.
I’d never skipped protection, but as soon as she’d said she was on birth control, I hadn’t questioned the rest. Maybe I should’ve, but now that I’d come inside of her twice, I was a man consumed.
Sagging over her, I kept the bulk of my weight off her.
She let out a contented sigh. Her heels hit the mattress and she ran her hands up and down my back. “I did not think this was going to happen tonight,” she murmured.
“Me either.” I dropped a kiss on her neck and she shivered under me. I arranged us until we were under the covers.
She cuddled into my chest, tracing her fingers along the old silvery scars around my armpits. “I don’t want to ruin the mood, but what does tonight mean?”
It meant I’d done the worst thing possible. I’d proven that she was irresistible. That I could never get enough of her.
This was my chance to tell her that tonight was a one-off. A two-off. A three-fer before I was done with her. All I had to do was tell her that I still wasn’t interested in dating. She was gorgeous. Sexy. I couldn’t keep my hands off her, but if she wanted a relationship, she needed to look somewhere else. It had been hard, when all the others had left. Ruby could destroy me.
She went still. “If you don’t want to?—”
I closed my hand around hers. The disappointment in her voice was too much. I couldn’t do it. Not tonight. Yet I wouldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep. “Do we have to give this a definition right now?”
“Oh. Okay. No.” She tucked her head into my chest. “Of course not.”
I winced. Fuck. “I like you. A lot. But I’m not ready?—”
“No, I know.” She leaned back to look at me. “It’s all right. We’ll just enjoy each other.”
“You gonna still have sleepovers with me?”
She chewed on her lower lip. “Are you going to keep giving me multiple orgasms?”
I rolled her over to her back and slid down her body, pressing her legs open as I went. “Absolutely.”
I rounded the barn, checking my watch. I’d only done it a million times today. I hadn’t complained about getting up to help with chores since I was a kid and Dad had turned the light on in my room before the crack of dawn.
But after taking Ruby three different times last night and getting only a few hours of sleep, I’d gotten cranky having to drag myself from her warm, supple body.
Now, it was finally time for me to go. Tate and Teller could take care of the rest. Chance was baling hay in the flattest pasture we had while Tate was stacking the round bales at our storage point.
I found Teller hopping the fence by the horse pasture.
“I think I’m going to head out—” Blood dripped down our roan gelding’s face. “What happened to Tenpin?”
“Not sure.” Teller tried to get close but Tenpin tossed his head. “Whatever it is, it hurts.”
Shit. “I’ll call Dr. Sanders.” The semiretired vet now only worked weekends, when he could charge emergency rates.
“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll be able to take care of this ourselves.”
Dr. Sanders would have the good stuff.
I called him. Teller and I managed to coax the horse into the barn. We had a stall where we could treat him without outside disruption, and since the horse was in pain and anxious, we needed all the advantages we could get.
The next two hours went by in a whirlwind. Tate had dropped by to see what was going on. Then Chance had to take a look. It was good experience for the kid since this would be all his one day.
Unless I had kids.
No. I wasn’t getting ahead of myself, and I wasn’t going there . I’d only just started dating after swearing I wouldn’t.
You’re going to hold my daughter back. I shook the words out of my head.
I folded my arms across my chest and watched Dr. Sanders as he rattled off instructions to Tate. I should have been listening, but my brain was stuck on a pretty little social media manager.
I stayed where I was as Dr. Sanders drove away in his early-aughts Chevy pickup.
Mama was standing next to me, her arms crossed like mine. “He was probably playing with Nugget and caught his face on a fence post.”
“I’ll see if I can find where he hurt himself,” Teller said. “Remove the hazard.”
Mama chuffed. “Horses will create a hazard if there isn’t one.”
We all nodded.
I started backing away. The siren song of Ruby in my house called to me. “I’m gonna head out.”
“I can always tell it’s a Ruby weekend,” Teller said.
Tate smirked. “Every weekend’s been a Ruby weekend.”
I wanted every day to be a Ruby day.
I ignored them and walked out.
“Hey,” Teller called and I turned. “I checked my email this morning. Tell her we got two inquiries for next summer. Weddings, and both brides wanted to know if they could name a mocktail or a cocktail.”
My grin spread wide. It’d only been two weeks since the Crock wedding, but Ruby had rolled out a dozen posts. Wynter had commented that they were getting more engagement than our normal content. I wouldn’t be able to tell if it translated into sales for a while, but the possibility of booking more events was promising. “She’s a natural.”
“We also had to add more tours for the rest of summer,” Teller said. “Her shit works fast.” He exhaled a frustrated sigh. “I might have to get in front of the camera.”
“We don’t want to scare the tours away,” I joked.
He glowered at me. “I’m gonna get you in a shot one day. We can compete to see who gets the most likes.”
I didn’t need to be compared to my brothers more than I already was. I didn’t need more proof that I didn’t measure up in the public eye. “Sure.”
“She’s good for you,” Tate said.
I shrugged as panic clawed at my chest. I gave them a salute and continued walking away before they could sense something bothered me.
The last month had been amazing. It’d been pretend. Ruby had rolled with every facet of myself I had exposed, but that didn’t mean it’d last. It only meant it’d hurt more if things didn’t work between us.
Good thing nothing was defined, then.
What the hell was I thinking?
I wasn’t. I couldn’t stay away from her. Weeks of trying, of striving to be the type of guy she should date, had sapped my restraint. Ruby had dismantled my guards. Now I was flying through space without my armor, waiting to get blasted through the chest by an Ork.
Mama fell into step beside me. She moved like the bad guy in a horror movie. I could run from her, but she’d only walk calmly and somehow still catch up with me before I made it to an exit.
“Hey, Mama.”
“Tenor.”
When I got to my pickup, she patted me on the back. “Just a minute. I have some cookies to send with you.”
“You don’t need to give me treats to tell me something.”
She smiled. The sun broke through some clouds, and her gray strands glinted in the light. “I was giving you the cookies anyway, but I wanted to ask how you’re doing.”
“I’m good.”
“Ruby’s a special girl.”
“She is.”
Mama tipped her head. “You’re a special guy too.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“She’s as lucky to have you as you are her.”
I bit back a grimace. Mama was the only one to think that, but she was my mother. It was her job. “I know, Mama. I heard your message the other night.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Mm.” Her expression said Did you? “She treats you well.”
She apparently wanted to make a point and didn’t think it’d stuck the first time. “She didn’t run screaming when she saw I played with toys.”
Mama harrumphed. “All adults have toys, whether it’s games or fishing or engines.”
Sure. I did hunt and fish, and that had caused resentment with my ex too. Just another way I had ignored her needs.
“It’s been, what? A couple of months since you two started dating?”
To them? Yes. But officially dating? Zero weeks. “Yeah.”
The scrutiny intensified. “Mm-hmm. Have you met her parents yet?”
“It’s not that serious.” When her brows popped up, I backtracked. “We’re taking it slow. No rush. She already knew you and every other Bailey.”
“Have you been to Bozeman?”
“I don’t have business in Bozeman.” Dammit. Now she’d really suspect something. Not only was the other location of Copper Summit in Bozeman, but Ruby lived there. “I haven’t needed to travel. She’s in town every weekend.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. You never have.”
The berating I had gotten from Katrina’s dad suggested otherwise. “Thanks, Mama.”
She set her mouth in a line. She knew I was brushing off her pep talk. I wasn’t meeting Ruby’s parents anytime soon. We weren’t serious.
Acid crawled up my esophagus. Fake dating should not be that much different from not that serious , but my stomach clenched at the idea and threatened to toss it back up.
I did not want to date. But I wanted Ruby.
My taste for her was stronger than my sense of self-preservation. I kissed Mama’s temple. “Don’t worry. I’m just happy being with her right now.” And that was the truth, or I’d have left my grubby hands off her last night.
With a plate of cookies in the passenger seat, I arrived home. The house was quiet when I entered. Out front, she was sitting in the porch swing, rocking gently back and forth while buried in a book.
A punch of longing hit me between the eyes. I had been excited to come home to her. I’d been anticipating this moment since I’d rolled out of bed. And here she was. In my house.
Mine.
I rubbed my chest and went out the front door.
She looked up at me and smiled her lovely, serene smile. The sun broke out from between two clouds to shine on us at that moment. If I were a more whimsical guy, I’d see it as a sign. But I had more sense than that.
I dropped to my knees in front of her. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself. How was your morning?”
“One of the horses nearly gouged his eye out.” Her eyes widened and I shook my head. “Sorry. Probably not what you want to talk about.” Katrina’s words snaked through my head. Ew, Tenor. Why would I want to hear that?
Ruby waved like she was banishing my apology. “How is he? She?”
“Tenpin’s a gelding. He didn’t lose his eye. So far, there seems to be no nerve damage.” I tugged her to the edge of the seat and held her so she didn’t swing away. “How was your morning?”
“Quiet. I thought of running to town for coffee, but I walked outside and was struck with inspiration.” She gestured to her phone on the porch boards. “I took a ton of pictures. I’d like to sprinkle in some Copper Summit history.” She smiled. “Model-free, of course. I’d do a post each week for a few months or something.”
“Teller told me he’s getting inquiries for booking events next year.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
“Thanks to you.”
“People loved the wedding content.” She sat straighter, her hips wiggling. “Jenna was a natural. Locals have commented about how excited they were to see her pop up in their feed and then that triggered the algorithm to show more. And then when Junie commented, fans went wild.”
A simple change we wouldn’t have made without Ruby. “We’re damn lucky to have you.”
Her grin was radiant but almost shy. “You know just one small reason why Brock and I didn’t work?” She draped her arms around my neck. “He was jealous of my job. He worked for his family, and he didn’t get as nice a benefits package as I’m getting.”
The asshole probably thought her position wasn’t real work when she helped keep a family company afloat and thriving with her posts. “It was only the beginning of showing you what you deserve.”
“Yeah?” A sexy smile played over her lips. “Anything else I deserve that you can show me?”
The world. I couldn’t give her that. All I had to offer was a quiet slice of Bourbon Canyon. Nights at home painting models. Weekends where I was at the distillery or the ranch.
Katrina’s voice beat in my skull like a drum. It’s like that damn ranch is your mistress. Is this because of that kid who was mean to you in school? You’re too afraid of making something of yourself?
I could give her pleasure. I’d studied hard in that subject and none of the material had been forgotten. “I think you deserve Mama’s cookies. And orgasms.”
She laughed, the sound a balm to the nerves that refused to die down. “Sugar and spice. I like it.”
“I like you.” I kissed her before I had to confront how much I liked her. Ruby was a dream girl. Any guy who wasn’t an idiot knew it and some days I was too smart for my own good. It robbed me of self-preservation. Ruby was the sun and I wanted to soak up her rays just a little longer. “What are you doing next weekend?”
“Mm. Hopefully you,” she said against my lips.
Fuck yes.