Page 47 of Risky Game

Barely empty.

“I was up early.”

“Jesus.” I gasped, hand flying to my chest, and spun to find Ruby at the kitchen table across from the island. She was sitting in the fucking dark. No wonder I hadn’t seen her.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s all right.” I probably deserved it, anyway. “What are you doing up?”

She hmphed, then went back to her coffee, staring out at the pool and beyond.

Right. Conversation wasn’t necessary. I deserved that too.

I waited until I made my coffee, and put the whole milk I used for creamer back in the fridge before I risked it and took a seat at the table on the far end from Ruby.

She didn’t glance in my direction, but there was a twitch in her nose, showing her annoyance that I’d stay so close to her.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. The morning and last night.”

Her head tilted to the side. Her hair was down, twisted into two full braids, and all it made me think about was how soft it’d felt against my harsh and calloused palms. “Which parts?”

“Excuse me?”

“Which parts are you sorry about? The part where you fixed Amelia’s rat nest in my hair, the part where you practically begged to kiss me and had me ride you on your couch—”

I choked on my first sip of coffee. “Jesus, Ruby…”

She continued, unfazed. “Or the part where you turned into an asshole after over an innocent comment?”

It wasn’t innocent. Amelia had seen us, and I’d risked it happening all over again because as soon as I had Ruby in between my knees on the floor in front of me, I’d completely forgotten Amelia existed.

Based on the firm press of her jaw and the daring look in her eyes, correcting her wouldn’t go over well.

“Definitely the asshole after part,” I told her. She turned back to the window, shoulders slumping before I said, “But the rest shouldn’t have happened either.”

I tried to gentle my words, but I still caught the flinch.

“So you regret it.” It was a statement, not a question.

Goddamn, I needed to learn how to be a better man and quick, because I told her the truth, knowing it was the absolute wrong thing to say. “No, I don’t regret any of it, Ruby.”

Her eyes sliced to me, cold as ice.

I continued. “I think there are a lot of reasons why it should haven’t happened, why it should never happen again, and I don’t think you can argue that with me.”

She opened her mouth to do just that, I assumed, but I kept going because I was a dumbass who hadn’t slept and couldn’t stop myself. “But trust me, if things were different, there’d be nothing stopping me from throwing you down on this table, having you for breakfast, and spending the entire day with your legs wrapped around my waist until you forgot your name.”

Her cheeks flushed, lips parted.

Someone needed to come kick my ass for saying all of that.

“And I don’t regret that, either, as much as I should.” I stood from the table and palmed my phone. I had a phone call to make and a mess to clean up. Hopefully, I did this next one better than I’d just done with Ruby. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it.”

She gaped at me, long after I left the kitchen.

I felt the weight of her stare on me until I was down the hall, out of her sight.

And I still smelled the goddamn fucking beach.

---