Page 32 of Taming Her Temptations

I don’t want to walk past them, so I climb over a flower patch lining the driveway and walk on the lawn toward my cottage. I fight the tears threatening to fall. I will not cry because of this woman again.

Hell, no.

It also doesn’t help that she’s right. The last thing I want is to be plastered all over social media with people speculating about my private life.

“Ruby!” Levi shouts, but I just walk quicker.

“Damn it, Ruby, just wait.” I hear his footfalls following me. I speed up despite the fact that I’m in heels and running on soft ground. My heels sink with each step.

Ah, screw it. I bend down and snatch my heels off to pick my pace up. Levi lessens the distance between us, so I jog barefoot, as if I hadn’t lost enough dignity already. I just imagine Madison smirking at the sight of me, muddy feet and running back to the tiny cottage that I had to move back into with my dad because of her and that shithead that she shares a life with now.

I see the cherry tree grove ahead. The bright pink blooms are early this year. A pang of nostalgia hits me seeing them like this. They’re the same trees that I spent so many hours with as a kid, lying on the ground and marveling at how the pink blossoms contrast against the blue sky. I swore to myself that when I grew up, I’d have my own cherry trees.

Well, news flash to little Ruby, not only do you not have your own cherry tree grove, but you don’t even have a home.

Suddenly, I lose my breath as my foot gets caught on a rock and I tumble to the ground, my dress twisting around me as I roll. I stare up at the canopy of cherry blossoms above me and for a moment I debate just lying here forever.

Levi catches up and looks down at me, concern etching his face.

“Are you okay?” He asks, catching his breath.

I debate making a joke about how many times he’s seen me at my lowest literally and figuratively, but remember that I’m too angry. His face framed by the cherry blossoms almost made me forget.

I push myself up and ignore the hand Levi extends to me.

“No, Levi,” My voice has a hitch in it. “I know she’s your sister, but she’s not a nice person.”

His eyes squint apologetically. “That was messed up. I agree. She’s going through something right now. I’m really sor-”

“Do you know what’s even worse, though?” I interrupt him. “She’s right! I don’t want my life plastered all over the news. And I’m sure you don’t either. I don’t know what I was thinking bringing you there. We probably shouldn’t even be seen in public-”

“God damn it, Ruby,” Levi’s voice is angry. It takes me by surprise and I look up at him. He takes a step closer to me. Then another. He’s closer to me than two arguing people should be. I look up at his expressive green eyes. They look wild right now and suddenly, the sky seems like no comparison against the pink blossoms. Levi’s eyes are so much richer than the sky.

“Ruby,” his voice is low now, but the anger is still there. “I need you to stop caring so much about what other people think.”

“I need you to start caring about what people think!” I raise my chin to him in resistance.

“Oh, I’m definitely not starting now.” He paces towards me with such intensity that my first instinct is to take a step back but I don’t. I stay rooted firmly in place.

“Why?” I shoot back at him.

His arms wrap around my waist and he pushes me against one of the cherry trees, the blossom-covered branches bow and bend around us from the impact. I take a sharp inhale as I’m surrounded by him: his scent, his skin, those intense eyes.

“Because if I start caring what people think, then no way in hell would I do this,” his voice is low now but just as intense.

I bring my face up to meet his, my heart hammering. I want to object. I want to tell him he’s lost his mind. But those are all wants, and what I need is for him to kiss me.

He lowers his head and presses his lips against mine, angry and wild. His hands find my neck and he spreads his fingers out into my hair and across my lower jaw, holding my face possessively, like he can’t risk me running away.

My hands find his muscled back and our anger melts into something softer, but just as intense… urgency.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Levi

I’m kissing Ruby Rivers under the cherry blossoms. It sounds like the lyrics to one of my songs and it feels like one too. Look at me being all fucking cheesy.

But this woman has driven me insane because until now, she couldn’t see what was in front of her.

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