Page 39 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

“What would you do without me?” His cocky grin and raised eyebrow made her roll her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the smile.

“I guess I’d just lose my head without your big, strapping manliness to save lil’ ol’ me.”

“Let me nick some sug, sugar.”

He pulled her face to meet his, wrapping her lips in a kiss filled with heat. His tongue swept her mouth, and Ruby sighed into him. She’d never forgotten what it felt like to be kissed by Colton Taylor, but she sure did love the reminder. Even if the feeling of home was met with one of caution. She’d fallen for him once before — hard — and couldn’t allow herself to do so again. Not when they had decided to see where things went.

When she pulled away, Colton went in for another kiss.

Ruby laughed and playfully swatted him. “You know, I actually have work to do.” She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held her tight.

“I know, I know. I just… I missed you.” Colton’s face turned red, his gaze shifting away from her.

She cocked her head. “Oh, did you now? The great Colton Taylor missed me?”

A cloud of insecurity swelled around them, and Colton dropped his arms. “I’m not all that great, Ruby. Now what are we working on today?”

Ruby didn’t know how to address his comment, and stood with her arms crossed as he walked around her, the bus, picking up the plywood sheets and leaning them against the walls. He took the space heater Ruby had put in the front of the bus, the extension cord pulled through the mostly closed front doors, and moved it to the middle.

The floor was cleared, and having the blank canvas reignited her excitement.

“Ruby?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, um I need to glue the insulation to the floor, and then the plywood to the insulation for a floating subfloor.”

“You don’t want to grid it for more stability? You don’t want the floor to shift with you driving it around everywhere.”

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Worth it?” He looked at her, realization dawning in his eyes. “You mean you’re not going to be driving this thing more than necessary? Are… Are you scared? Is Ruby Delacey scared of driving a school bus?” He burst out laughing, bending over his knees and slapping his thigh. She rolled her eyes, knowing some of the theatrics were in jest.

Even if most of it was genuine.

Why did he have to know her so well?

“Maybe I am. So what? It’s a big bus.”

“Yeah, leave it to you, Miss It-Took-Me-Three-Tries-To-Get-My-Drivers-License, to clean all the mailboxes in town with your converted school bus.” He tried to calm his laughter, barely able to get the sentence out.

“Oh my god, you’re insufferable.” Ruby shook her head. “Are you going to help me? Because if not, I’m going to need you to move your ass from the center of my work zone.”

He came up behind her and pulled him against her, nuzzling her neck and grinding his hips into her.

“I can definitely move my ass somewhere else, if the lady wishes.”

Ruby’s body involuntarily responded, moving in time to his thrusts. She leaned her head back, arms wrapping up and around as he bit her ear, licking her neck, hands pawing under her shirt. Colton flipped her around, his muscled biceps holding her close. His hands squeezed her ass, running down her thighs until he had enough leverage to throw her up and around his waist.

God, she missed being tossed about by him.

He pressed her back against the window and she shivered from the cold glass, causing his kisses to become more fervent. His hard cock pressed against her core, and Ruby felt the wetness between her thighs flood her thin yoga pants at the way he fit her.

One hand wrapped around her waist while the other went under her shirt, his need to get to her breasts evident. Ruby gripped his hair in her hands, pulling and moaning while he continued to grind and his hands found its goal. He kneaded her breast, fingers lightly pinching and tweaking her nipple beneath her sports bra while his tongue tore through her mouth.

She whispered his name, and he moaned into her.

“I need you, Ruby.”

His voice was music to her ears, a dream she’d been trying to keep hold of for ten long years. But he was here, and god forbid she didn’t take every advantage of this opportunity.

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