Page 35 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

But faced with the real man before her… Ruby wasn’t sure if she was ready for what doors this could open. Would open, given how her heart responded as quickly as her body had. She cleared her throat and placed her hands on his chest. His perfectly defined chest, her hands slipped down slightly to feel the abs she knew lay beneath his shirt. His breath caught as her fingers went to his waist, his impressive member straining against his jeans.

“Ruby.” His breath was hot on her face, eyes closed.

She removed her hands, folding them behind her in an attempt to keep them off him. Colton opened his eyes and let go of her face, taking a step back and clearing his throat.

32

Colton stared at the woman before him, red curls framing her angelic face. Her spattering of freckles was hardly noticeable in the low-light of the fading sun, hazel eyes staring at the floor. She was reminiscent of a Raphaelite beauty, his heart ached.

“You called out of work to help me?” Her voice was soft, a breath in the space between them. Only a step, but still farther than he wanted. But he’d put that space between them partially to respect her cue, partially because from the way her body was still pressing towards him, he wasn’t sure she could be trusted to not take things further. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could trust himself.

She raised her gaze to his, and he nodded.

He knew it was a risk to get close to her, knew it had the potential to break him. It had once before, and being surrounded by her brought everything back. Like she was a stronger, more confident, beautiful version of the woman he’d loved so fiercely. Like she’d found herself, and he’d been the thing holding her back.

“A—And you’re leaving Oak Valley?”

The question gave guidance on where her head was at. If she was asking, she wanted to know how what just transpired would fit.

“Planning on it, within the next six months.” He still didn’t want to drop San Francisco to her — if it didn’t pan out, it didn’t matter. He knew he needed to get out before he was smothered. But he couldn’t ignore the little voice in his head that told him it wasn’t just about failing the interview. He didn’t want to give her specifics, in case she invited him along in her bus.

Ruby bit her lower lip, eyes never leaving his. The move transformed her, and he got a flash of her at sixteen.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “I—I trust that that’s true. You’ve never lied to me before, I don’t think you’d start now. So… What did you hope to gain from…” She waved her hands between them. “That? This?”

“You mean, what do I want?”

“Yeah.”

As far as he’d known, Ruby had always been a serial monogamous. She had been serious about wanting to find her person, The One, when they were young teens. After they broke up, her socials had boasted a few back-to-back relationships in college, and then went dark on men once she moved to New York City. While there was a part of Colton that also hoped to find his person — and had been convinced for the better part of four years it was Ruby — he’d enjoyed his freedom after to learn more about himself and to explore dating. Now he just heatedly made out with the only person he’d ever saw himself building a life with, and knew there was a tightrope they needed to walk in order to preserve… Well, anything.

He sighed. “I want to relearn you, Ruby. I know it’s tricky, revisiting what we had. I know we drive each other up the wall. I know we’re different in some ways. I don’t want to rush anything, and I don’t want any weird, I don’t know, expectations?”

“Let’s just see where things go?”

He searched her face, anxious to find any sort of approval or disappointment. He was met with a blank stare.

“Yeah. Let’s just see where things go.”

She smiled and stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

He gripped her hand and she pulled him forward, pressing her cheek against his.

“Don’t fuck this up.” Her words haunted him, sending chills down his spine. He knew he was playing with fire.

But that only made him want it more.

“Over my dead body,” he growled in her ear, teeth nipping at her earlobe. She sighed against him, neck arching in the most delicious, inviting way. His mouth traveled down the alabaster slope, kissing and licking down and around her collarbone. Her moans were music to his ears, a lost soundtrack he had forgotten the words to. Her nails dug into his shoulders as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him.

“Oh, hello.”

Colton dropped her, Beryl’s voice firm behind him. He glanced down at Ruby waiting for her to finish fixing her skewed shirt and wiping his saliva from her skin. There was nothing to be done about her flushed cheeks, but he had to face Beryl sooner rather than later.

“Hi, Beryl.” He turned, choking out the words and running a hand through his hair, thankful his boner disappeared almost immediately with her arrival. He’d been a teenager the last time he’d been caught by her, necking her daughter. Somehow it was made even worse that it was the same situation, ten years later.

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