Page 65 of Theirs to Take

“Checked me out.” She giggled as he rolled his eyes and followed him up to the porch that spanned the front of the cabin.

“I’d love to tell you that it won’t happen again, but I’d totally be lying, honey,” he admitted. There would be no way that he’d stop checking her out. He couldn’t seem to help himself and honestly, she didn’t really seem to mind it.

“At least your honest,” she teased. “I appreciate that attribute in a person.” His mother liked to tell him that he was honest to a fault as if that was a bad thing, but he never could hold back the truth. It was what made him good at his job. Most big companies wanted a security team that would come in and feed them some bullshit about how safe and secure they already were. He didn’t bullshit people like that. If Luke saw a problem, he let the company’s owners know about it.

They explored the house and when they found the master bedroom with an adjoining bath, she tossed her bag onto the bed and smiled over her shoulder at him. “I’m going to soak in that tub until my fingers and toes shrivel. Is that okay with you?” she asked.

“Yep,” he agreed. “I’ll call Ranger.” What he really wanted to do was ask her if he could join her, but he was sure that she’d tell him to get lost.

He finished bringing in their bags and toured the house, checking to see what security measures that he was working with. It seemed to have adequate security, but he didn’t want to take any chances, so he set up a few rudimentary ones of his own. He even set up one of his favorites from when he was a kid—putting some cans he had found in the pantry under thewindows. It would at least alert him if someone tried to get into the house, the rest would be up to him, and since he had practically brought an armory, he was pretty sure they could handle just about anything thrown his way.

After he finished his task of securing the house, he decided to call Ranger. His friend picked up after a few rings and he sounded grumpy enough that Luke was betting that he had just woken him. “Yeah,” Ranger grumbled.

“Hey, sorry to call so late,” Luke said.

“It’s not late, I’m just exhausted,” Ranger insisted. It was nearly midnight and he had to admit that he was tired too.

“I just wanted to let you know that we made it to the safehouse. It’s a great place, thanks Ranger,” he said.

“Not a problem. Listen, have Ruby call Millie tomorrow morning to let her know that she took off with you,” Ranger said.

“Did you let her know what was going on?” Luke asked.

“I did, and I don’t think she believed me,” Ranger said. Luke couldn’t help his laugh. Millie didn’t seem like the trusting type, and he could just imagine her giving Ranger some shit.

“It’s not funny,” Ranger insisted. “I told her that Ruby would call and explain everything in the morning.”

“I’ll have her call Millie,” Luke agreed.

“Great,” Ranger said. “I’m going to stick around here and keep an eye on her. Plus, it will give me time to do some research to figure out who might be trailing you.”

“Thanks, Ranger,” Luke said. “Stay in touch.”

“Always, man,” Ranger assured and ended the call. Luke tossed his cell onto the kitchen counter and started for the master bedroom, sure that Ruby would be done with her bath by now. He walked into the bedroom and Ruby screamed, pulling the towel over her curves, but the damage was done—he’d already seen most of her.

“I’m sorry,” Luke lied. “I thought that you might be finished your bath.”

“I was,” she mumbled, trying to finesse the towel to stay in place around her body. “But I didn’t have my pajamas in the bathroom and well, these towels are way too small for me.” She was right, the towel was blissfully too small, and he was loving every minute of watching her try to cover her curvy, sexy body.

“I’m sorry that I walked in on you, but I won’t complain about the size of that towel,” he teased. “In fact, it’s kind of cute watching you squirm around trying to cover yourself. You’re not doing a great job of it, by the way.”

“Did you see me?” she asked.

“Would you like for me to lie and tell you that I didn’t?”

“No,” she whispered. She turned the cutest shade of pink, and he couldn’t hide his chuckle. “Don’t laugh at me, Luke.”

He hated that she thought that he was laughing at her. He’d never do that. Finding her naked in the room made him hot as hell, but he wasn’t sure what he should and shouldn’t say to her. Did she even feel the same way as she had back at her apartment? When they were together there, she seemed to be into him. The way that she kissed him made him think that she might want more, and he was certain that he did.

Luke crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, happy that she willingly let him. “I’m not laughing at you, honey,” he promised. “I’d never do that. I’ve already told you that you’re hot as hell. I haven’t changed my mind about that, Ruby.”

“You still think I’m hot?” she asked.

He smiled and dipped his head to gently kiss her lips, grabbing handfuls of her bare ass. “It’s only been a few hours since we left your apartment, and I haven’t changed my mind about you, Ruby. I’m sorry that I walked in on you and made you feel uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable,” she fibbed. He kissed her again and she let her towel slip a bit more.

“Does this make you feel uncomfortable?” he asked, kissing her once more. She let out a little breathy sigh and shook her head. “How about this?” he asked, sliding her towel down her body, and running his hands over her taut nipples. God, she was beautiful, and Luke was sure that he was pushing her, but he didn’t care. He needed more from her.

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