Page 41 of Saved By Love at Christmas
I took one of my bags off the kitchen table and smiled at Fred, who was still snoring in his basket. Ben headed upstairs, and I followed him, trying and failing miserably not to watch the way his ass looked in his jeans.
“Here you go.” He opened a door and stood to the side.
I went straight to the window, which offered amazing scenes out over the River Deben.
“Oh, wow. What a stunning view.”
I felt his presence next to me. His hands were in his jeans pockets, and he looked tense with his brows knitted together.
“I think so too. This is my room, and it has an ensuite.”
He felt too close. I became light-headed, his masculine scent engulfing me. I moved to take in the room.
“This would look fantastic decked out in shades of green. A deep moss-coloured carpet, like the floor of a forest. Then a comfy chair by the window to take in the stunning views. I bet I could source one easily, I know the perfect antiques centre with a great choice of furniture. I need to make contact with the soft furnishings company I used to use too. Oh!” I paused to look at the wall behind the bed. “Wallpaper on this wall, to make a feature out of it… Oops, sorry. I got carried away there.”
Ben stepped to me and held me by the shoulders, looking at me as if I was a miracle, his eyes a little glassy.
“No, don’t stop. You don’t know how much it means to me to see the passion back in your eyes. I love it. And I love your ideas.”
I blushed at his words. “Thanks. I can’t wait to get started on this project. Oh, Ben, it’s going to be wonderful.”
Not knowing what else to say, I held him close. He stroked my hair, causing a heatwave inside my body. My heart turned to mush inside my chest. Ben was the most amazing man I’d ever met. His love of animals, and the people he cared about… What a compassionate guy. I reflected on Jamie when his driver had run over and killed a cat. I was distraught. He just told me not to be pathetic.It’s only a fucking animal,were his exact words.
“Ruby, are you okay?”
“Um, sorry. Just thinking about all the poor chickens being kept in awful conditions. So cruel.”
He fixed his eyes to mine. I knew that look. He wasn’t convinced by my words.
“I was thinking back to when Jamie’s driver ran over a cat.” I swiped a tear away as the memory hit me again.
Ben cupped my face in his hands.
“What happened?”
I shook my head. “The cat was dead, but Jamie was nasty when I got upset. He doesn’t have a compassionate bone in his body.”
Ben’s gentle expression almost undid me. I licked at my lips, and his gaze tracked the movement with interest. Without thought of what I was doing, my lips moved to meet his. He sighed as his warm breath skittered over my skin.
This is it. We‘re going to kiss.Fred barking pulled us back to the present.
We jumped apart as if we’d been struck by electricity. I blinked and ran a hand through my hair, my body trembling. Ben’s eyes were wild and darkened with desire. What were we thinking?
“I’d better see what’s wrong with Fred.”
He shot down the stairs leaving me a trembling wreck. I wondered where things would lead if we kept on behaving like this.
* * *
BEN
When I reached Fred, he was by the patio doors in the living room, barking at starlings as they stalked around the back garden. A nervous laugh left me. When he saw me, he came over and demanded I make a fuss of him.
“You can’t get them, boy. The minute I open the doors, they’ll be gone.”
He grumbled a little and plodded back to the kitchen. I stood and watched the birds hopping about on the lawn for a moment. My thoughts were scattered and confused. We’d almost kissed.Again.I knew it was stupid to risk my friendship with Ruby, but my feelings for her were getting stronger. And by the wild expression I saw in her eyes a few short minutes ago, she felt the same.
“What’s wrong with Fred?”
