Chapter 10 Grant #2
But it turned out that I did enjoy this one. It wasn’t terribly philosophic, although it certainly did give one food for thought.
As the credits rolled, Ruby turned to me and asked, “So, what did you think?”
“Not something I’d watch again, but it was decent.”
“My thoughts exactly. I can’t figure out why it won all those awards, though. It wasn’t anything special.”
“True. I’m not really a fan of awards movies anyway.”
She grinned broadly. “Neither am I. Still, I really love this place, and I liked how comfy these chairs are. The food was good too.”
As we got up, I checked the time. “Fuck, it was three hours.”
“Really? Wow. It was better than we gave it credit for, then, because I didn’t realize it was that long,” she said, then yawned.
“I’ll take you home. You’re tired.” I’d actually planned to take her out for drinks after the movie, but she was clearly far too exhausted for it.
“I’d fight you on it, but I really am a bit tired.”
We went outside and started back toward the car. When we reached it, she said, “Hmm, you know what? I’m not too tired to take a walk.” She gestured toward the park.
I looked at her incredulously. “Walking in a park at night is never a good idea.”
“Oh, Grant, do you always have your guard up?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m so good at the job.”
“But you’re not on the job now. Besides, what can happen to me while I have the world’s best bodyguard with me?”
She had a point. Due to my sheer size, people usually didn’t try to start anything with me .
She yawned again.
“All right, let’s go for a walk, and then I’ll take you home. You’re tired.”
“You don’t need to coddle me.”
I didn’t realize I was. My entire life, I’d never had the inclination to do that for anyone—except for my brothers when they were kids. I’d wanted them to be as protected as possible. I also took care of Sybil and Thomas, but not in the way I felt the need to for Ruby.
The park was well lit, and at first glance, there were no junkies around or anyone of notice. Just another couple sitting on a bench.
“It feels a bit like we’re in a forest. Except for the sound of cars and all the lights.” She started to laugh. “God, I’m rambling. I just like the wooded areas so much. It’s why I love the Pacific Northwest. How about you?”
“I like being out and about. Sybil and Thomas took us out trekking a lot.”
Her eyes bulged. “Wow, that’s not exactly my idea of a relaxing weekend out in the woods.”
“They had three teenagers with lots of energy on their hands. We needed high-octane activities. We usually camped in the woods one weekend a month. Thomas would wake us up at seven o’clock, and away we’d go. We’d pack up for the day, trek for about nine to ten hours, and then set up camp again.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. “Wow. Again, so not what I usually do.”
“What do you do?” I asked as we walked along the pathways of the park.
“Haven’t been since college. We usually bunked up in cheap accommodations. But right now, I’d book one of those cabins that has a Jacuzzi and everything. I’d spend hours looking out at the trees. Taking walks in parks relaxes me. It’s like a mini trip out in the woods. ”
She looked at me and tilted her head. “Why are you frowning?” she asked. “You don’t like parks?”
I decided to be honest with her. “Not really. When I ran away with my brothers from group homes, we slept in parks for a while.”
She gasped. “Oh, I’m so sorry. If I’d known, I would’ve never suggested—”
“Don’t worry. It is what it is. It doesn’t mean I want to avoid parks. At that rate, I’d have to avoid bridges as well. I learned soon enough that it’s better under a bridge in case it rains.”
She blinked rapidly but didn’t say anything. I was telling her things that I hadn’t spoken or even thought about in years.
“Oh, Grant...” She sighed, then yawned. “Hmmm... it’s not even late, but I’m so sleepy.”
“I’ll take you home.”
She yawned again. “Good idea.”
I put my arm around her shoulders, leading her back to the car. I wasn’t going to question why I seemed to need to touch her at all. I just did.
“Did you have enough to eat?” I asked once we were in the car. “Want to grab anything on the way?”
“Oh, no. I’m totally stuffed.”
The drive to her house took less than twenty minutes because the traffic had slowed down considerably. Once I parked, I undid my seat belt and started to get out.
“You don’t have to walk me—” she started, but I just cocked a brow, and she grinned. “You know what? I’m not even going to finish that sentence.”
I nodded. “Now you’re getting it.”
She straightened up. “You’re a bit bossy, you know that?”
“A bit? That’s not the feedback I usually get.”
“I was just trying to be extra polite.”
“You don’t have to, Ruby. I like hearing what’s on your mind.”
We climbed out of the car and headed up the walkway. When we reached the front door, she turned to face me. “I’d like to invite you in for another nightcap.”
“Please don’t,” I replied.
She started to laugh. “Why? You afraid you’re going to kiss me again?”
“No. I’ll do so much fucking more.”
She gasped, though whether it was because of the words or the way I practically growled them, I wasn’t sure.
I closed my eyes and said, “This thing with you... It’s not what I usually do. What Daphne said—”
“Let’s not get into what she said. But I do have to tell you, I have a three-date rule.”
“What kind of rule?”
“About sex.”
I just stared at her. “I don’t get it.”
She tilted her head to the side and put one hand on her hip. “No woman has ever told you this before?” Before I could respond, she waved her other hand at me. “You know what, don’t answer that. So, yeah... three dates before sex.”
“I respect whatever boundaries you put in place,” I told her earnestly.
She grinned. “Just so you know, I count this as a second date.”
I looked her up and down. I’d taken in my fill of her during the movie. There’d been enough light from the screen so I could register details like the dip of her dress showing her cleavage and the way the fabric molded against her crossed legs. But now she looked even more sinfully tempting.
Damn it.
“When was the first date?”
“When you walked me home after that event.”
“Ruby, that was not a fucking date.”
I might not be the greatest dater in the world, but even I had standards.
She laughed. “I was trying to make things easier for you.”
“But Daphne said— ”
She came closer, putting a finger on my lips. “No. Just forget what she said about me.”
I grinned. “Why? The information came in useful.”
Daphne had told me that Ruby wanted something like her parents had. Those had been her exact words. “They’ve been married for, like, a million years and happily so. She won’t settle for less.”
I wasn’t able to offer her anything remotely close to that.
“So we make a deal. We don’t bring up what Daphne said about either of us,” she said.
“You sure about that?”
“Yes. Besides, I’m not sure the intel you got on me is.
.. up-to-date. I figured that my life would fit into this typical mold where I’d have a job, get married, have kids.
Then I decided that I wanted to be an entrepreneur after all.
Flipped my whole life upside and down, and you know what? I like that.”
I still had a hand on her waist. I put the other one on the side of her neck, splaying my fingers wide enough that I could reach her chin with my thumb and the base of her earlobe with my forefinger.
“Ruby.”
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” she whispered.
“So did I.”
I kissed her slowly, taking my time. I wanted to feel her every reaction, the slight quivers her body was making. It turned me on immediately. I’d had a semi the whole evening, but now it was a full-on hard-on. Her body was soft and so damn hot.
She leaned against me as if she trusted me completely. Feeling her breasts against my chest was doing insane things to me. I couldn’t fucking think properly, and that was dangerous.
I kissed her until we were both out of breath, and I still didn’t stop.
I pushed her against the door and pressed her thighs wide apart with my knee.
She groaned and then rocked her pelvis forward.
My cock pressed against her abdomen, and I groaned, the sensation overwhelming in the moment.
She moaned in response, fisting my shirt in both hands, and I pulled away, pausing the kiss.
Her eyes were closed, a contented look on her face.
“You taste fucking delicious. And I want so damn much more.”
“Mm... more sounds good.”
“But not tonight, Ruby. You have a three-date rule, remember?”
She slowly opened her eyes. “There’s a lot of leeway between sex and kissing.”
Ruby took me by surprise nearly every time.
“Trust me, there isn’t. I want you too damn bad for that.”
She opened her front door, stepping inside her house. “Well, then. I guess I’ll let you earn it on the third date.”
“Is that a challenge?”
Her smile faded somewhat as she ran her hand through her hair, messing up her curls. I wanted to fist her hair and lose myself in it. But not tonight.
“I can’t wait to see what you have in store for that.
” She hesitated for a moment, fiddling her thumbs.
“Ummm, just so you know, I don’t do that to ‘play hard to get’ or something.
It’s not really a challenge—the three-date thing, I mean.
It’s just so...” She cleared her throat.
“I don’t know, I guess I like to know a guy before . ”
“Ruby, I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself at all. Have a good night.”
“You, too, Grant.”
After she closed the door, I took a good look at her house again. Right. Next time I came here, I’d bring some damn cameras with me. I didn’t like the thought of her unprotected like this.
She was mine to protect, and I was going to take care of her.