Heart & Hope (Rosewood Ranch #2)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

REED

R uby is sound asleep on the sofa. And as much as I would love to watch her until dawn steals the last of the night’s darkness, she is going to have one hell of a sore neck if I don’t move her.

I peel the blanket from her and brush the hair from her face. She mumbles something I don’t catch as I slide my arms under her legs and behind her shoulders. She’s light. Soft. Her sweet strawberry scent winds into my senses as I take the steps up to her room.

The spare room.

That feels fucking wrong, if anything ever did.

My heart thunders, the blood rushing south with every breath I take with her in my arms. The curve of her gorgeous lips. The apples of her cheeks. The lines of her collarbones. Her long legs draped over my arm . . .

Fuck me.

Fire roars through my veins, burning my shallow breaths out, one puff at a time.

Sweet Jesus.

A moment later, I stand by the queen bed in the spare room. And I can’t put her down.

Don’t want to.

Asleep, so gentle, so fucking beautiful, my damn heart explodes. I clamp my jaw tight, the muscles feathering. But this isn’t what she wants. To be tethered to a ranch, to a rancher. Even it’s a whole lot of fun. And she’s the best thing to ever have walked into my life.

Trying desperately to take back control over my now staggered breathing, I suck in a lungful. “Bedtime, baby,” I whisper.

She moans, and it takes everything this man has to not crumble. Instead, I let her down onto the bed and step around to the other side and fold back the blankets. Wiped out, she doesn’t wake, only sighing and rolling over.

I kneel on the bed behind her and lift her onto the side with the linen folded back, tucking her in. Two hands. Snug as a bug in a rug. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, I push from the bed and track to the door. Every step is hard.

I want to fold myself around her. Give her everything, every part of me she deserves. And selfishly, I want to keep her.

But that’s not fair.

If I learned anything from Huddo and Addy, love isn’t selfish. It just ain’t.

I head downstairs and put her laptop on the kitchen counter away from the heat of the fireplace and tidy up a little before flicking off the lights and padding upstairs into my empty room.

I lie on the oversized bed and slide my hands behind my head, knitting them as I let my gaze rove over the stars above. They’re stunning, yet they’re dull compared to the brightness that thrums to life when Ruby is around. The full moon brightens my room with a soft grey.

Reed James Rawlins, playboy turned sap.

I chuckle, but the fact is, my life changed. My way of thinking, my bad habits, all shifted when I found Ruby. And I let my mind wander, playing out how things would go if she wanted me. If she felt for me the depth of whatever this is that I do for her.

With a hard-on that would take down a Greek god, I groan, rolling over onto my stomach, hoping it will extinguish the fire that started at the mere thought of Ruby and me.

Something creaks across the hall. A heartbeat later, she appears in the doorway, wrapped in a blanket. Her silhouette is an outline of every curve I adore. Her hair messy, her breathing steady.

“You okay, beautiful?”

“No.”

I sit up. “What is it?”

She pads to the side of the bed and pulls back the covers, sliding in beside me. I lie back and weave my arm under her shoulders, pulling her into my chest. The emotion that clogs my throat squeezes in my lungs. “Were you cold?”

“No. I’m used to sleeping next to you when I’m out here. I want to be where you are.”

I press a kiss to her hair and wrap her into me tighter.

“Reed?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we just friends?”

I swallow the stone that materializes with her words. “We are whatever you want us to be, Rubes.”

She pushes onto her elbow, sliding her cold feet between my calves. “I can’t tell anymore.”

“I don’t want to make your life complicated. I know you have plans. But...”

“But? Reed, what?”

“Dammit, Ruby.” Nerves rattle to life, scratching through my veins, tightening my chest. Say it, for fuck’s sake, Rawlins. I swallow hard and sink my face into her hair. “I have needed you from the first moment I saw you that Friday night in Great Falls.”

She rolls over. Her eyes pinch, and realization spreads on her face as it gives way to surprise. “What?” The word is almost non-existent.

I fold my hand around hers. “It was the Friday before I met you over at Harry’s with Addy. I saw you pacing the street in those red heels, totally consumed by whatever was on your phone. You ran into me. You didn’t look up to see me. But I saw you, Ruby.”

Her mouth makes an oh . I drop my focus to the mattress between us, trying to find the words for what I want to say. I know she’s not mine.

“It’s okay, Rubes, I know?—”

“I see you now.” Her lips brush against my mouth.

My hands are on her face. Deepening the kiss, she pushes and pulls her way through my hair. I glide my thumbs over her soft features, over her jaw, down her neck. And when her lips part for me, my heart stumbles a beat before I sweep in, taking everything she wants to give.

Breathless, I break away. “You sure, baby?”

She studies my eyes, hands on my face, breathing hard. “I don’t know where this leaves us, but I can’t be around you and not touch you. Not anymore.”

“Thank fuck for that.”

She laughs and slaps my shoulder. “Now, I would like to know what all this talk is about.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“The Great Reed Rawlins . Bringing ladies to their knees since... Well, that part I didn’t have the privilege of hearing.”

Heat floods my face. And I choke on the air leaving my lungs. Ruby bites her bottom lip, trying to stifle a giggle. “It’s okay, sweet man, I’m not bothered. And I’ve had my share of gu?—”

I cover her mouth with mine, winding my hands under her t-shirt. The shirt that held me captive earlier as my air stalled out in my lungs at seeing the word Captain sprawled over Ruby’s chest. Harry’s disbelief in coincidences has rubbed off on me. This woman literally running into me that night is no goddamn coincidence.

“Take it off, please,” Ruby begs, almost breathless.

I slide her t-shirt off and let it fall to the floor beside the bed.

“These too.” She rises to her knees, and I push her PJ shorts over her hips. But I can’t pull my eyes from her, the shape of her, her perfect breasts bouncing as she moves, unfazed. Like we are already so comfortable with each other, and this too is natural for us. My body aches to hold her, touch her where she wants me to.

“God, you have no idea how long I have been thinking about this,” Ruby whispers.

I swallow. My throat is now akin to the Sahara Desert in a dry spell. I trace the back of my hand over her cheek, letting it fall to the curved bone of her collar. Her gaze follows my touch, her brown eyes darkened, every breath choppy.

Fire lances through my core, ending in my rock-hard cock. I let my knuckles sweep past the underside of her breast, one then the other. She gasps, her lips parting. Sitting on her heels, she wriggles the shorts off and flings them to the floor.

“Yours too, Reed.”

Tugging the shirt from my back, I throw it onto the pile with hers. My hands grab my shorts, but she slips a finger behind the waistband and shakes her head. Wavy blonde hair, now lit up by the moonlight, sways across her bare shoulders.

“Mine. Lie back.”

“You’re the captain.” The words fall from my mouth before I have the chance to reel them back in. I do as I’m told and lay on the bed. Ruby tugs the boxers down, letting them slide off my legs and over my feet. I think she’s enjoying herself, by the cheeky expression on her face as she straddles my thighs.

“God, look at you, Reed.”

I sit up and lift her onto my lap. “I’m looking, but my view is much, much better, baby.” I flip us over, and she squeals, collapsing my chest in on itself with that one sound. So fucking happy. And if I could spend the rest of my days repeating this one... I would.

Ruby’s laughter fades and her brown eyes hold mine as her breaths shallow out. “Maybe—” Her gaze snaps away, her cheeks blushing. Ruby Robbins, the toughest, most capable woman I’ve ever met, has turned shy.

“What is it, beautiful? No judgment here, only you and me.”

“Slow. Can we go slow? It’s been a while. And I don’t want to ruin this.” She glides a hand up my neck and cups my jaw.

The thundering between my ribs has stolen every single word along with the air in my lungs. So I nod, tucking her hair behind her ear with a kiss to the forehead. She rises from the bed, hands around my face, pulling my mouth to hers as I shuffle closer, fitting between her legs.

Every move she makes has me consumed. Her lips part, and I can’t help it when I tangle my tongue with hers, wanting to taste and be connected in any place she will let me. A little moan purrs from her lips, making me impossibly hard. Fire pools, turning to lava as she presses her pebbled nipples against me.

I break the kiss and hold her face with gentle palms. “Where do you want me, Rubes?”

Her chest is plummeting, desperation lining her stunning brown eyes. “Everywhere,” she whispers.

“Aye aye, Captain.” I wink at her, and she falls back onto the pillow with a giggle. The smile that breaks my face sends fresh warmth around my already fiery body. I crawl over her and nuzzle her neck. Her hands wander up the back of mine and into my hair.

“Ruby Jane Robbins, you are so fucking gorgeous.”

Her breath hitches.

“Reed.”

I push up, hovering over her. “I’m serious. The first time I saw you. Well, let’s just say you occupied more of my head than you should have.”

“And now? Am I still in there?” She traces a finger over my temple, her gaze dropping to my mouth.

“Now, you’re a permanent feature. A different showing every night. I have an excellent imagination.”

She scoffs and slaps my shoulder.

“You never had wet Reed dreams, baby?”

She stills briefly, closing her eyes. Her hand slides over her right breast, pinching the nipple. Her mouth parts, and her hand descends until it slips over her center and down. “Oh Reed, baby. Please, don’t stop.”

Sweet Jesus, that’s hot.

She snorts a laugh, tossing her head back on the pillow, her hands resting on her blonde hair now splayed over the pillow as she loses it to a fit of giggles.

“That was the hottest thing I have ever seen. And pretty soon, you’re gonna be repeatin’ yourself.” I crawl backward, dotting kisses over her collarbones, to the tops of her breasts, skirting the nipple where I know she wants me.

Ruby wriggles on the bed and nudges my thighs with her knee. “You’re missing all the good places. That is definitely not everywhere.”

Now I chuckle at her. “This is your punishment. And I will make you suffer, beautiful. I’m not giving you what you want until you’re writhing underneath me.”

“Them’s fighting words, Rawlins.”

“Hah.” I wink at her and travel my kisses back up to her neck. Reaching the shell of her ear, I nip it before whispering, “Come undone for me, Ruby.”

I track back the way I came; this time I nip and kiss her as I go, making sure to cover every inch of her soft skin. Bracing myself on one hand, I cup her breast and nip the soft flesh, avoiding the hard peak. “Do you play with these when you touch yourself, imagining me, Rubes?”

Her eyes flicker. Like she knows it’s a challenge.

“Okay, don’t confess. I will have to resort to harsher methods to extract answers.”

I nip the swollen bud.

Her back arches off the bed instantly.

Fuck me.

I nip the other one, and the soft moan that tumbles from her lips sends pre-cum leaking out of my tip. “Sweet Jesus, Rubes.”

“Please, don’t stop.”

“There’s those pretty words.”

She wraps her legs around my waist, cheekiness claiming her face.

No fair.

My rock-hard cock lines up against her entrance, the slippery wetness coating me where we touch. I could so easily sink into her. God knows I want to, so fucking bad. But that’s not what she wants. Slow, that’s what Ruby wants.

That is exactly what she’s goin’ to get.

To keep my bloodless brain from doing something stupid, I crawl backward, tracking more kisses down her belly and eliciting more huffy laughter. With a dot to each hip bone, I nudge her thighs open with my head.

“Reed,” she rasps.

“Yeah, baby?”

“You sure? No one’s done that before . . .”

I have never been more sure of anything in my life than I am right now. So fucking sure. “If you want me to stop, say so, okay?”

She nods, hands gripping the blanket at her sides. I run my thumb over her clit, and she sucks in a breath. She is so wet. For me. That fact alone squeezes my heart tight, sending a pulse along my rigid cock. In a long sweep, I send my tongue through her wet center. Her back flies off the mattress as she whimpers.

“God, you taste so fucking good, Rubes.”

She moans as I sweep my tongue over her clit, suckling it.

“Reed,” she gasps, hands sinking into my hair.

“More, baby?”

“Yes, please.” Her answer is more breath than words.

With a finger, I slide into her wet center. Her teeth bite into her bottom lip, her choppy breath turns manic. I work them in and out, curling them a little to find the spot I am right now one hundred percent sure no man has ever bothered to do for her.

Fucking losers.

How can someone this amazing not have had this before?

When I suck hard on her clit, working my fingers, she shoots off the bed, her grip in my hair so tight a sting starts. “Oh my g—Reed!”

She throws her head back, hips bucking as her walls clamp down. Every wave of her orgasm tightens around my fingers as she does exactly what I wanted and comes undone for me.

And it is the most magnificent thing I have ever seen.

Her grip loosens a moment later, and she cradles my head, leaning down, letting her hair tumble around my face. “Thank you.”

I rise up to meet her, kissing her. She tastes my lips with little kisses, her thumbs running over my chin, taking her release from my skin.

“Told you, you taste incredible, baby.”

She smiles at me, but it falls. “No one has done that for me before. I don’t?—”

“Rubes, that’s fucking unbelievable.”

But she shrugs. And when she shuffles backward off the bed a little, I move between her legs again, but this time, I sit on my heels and pull her up onto my lap. She sits straddling me as I pull her peak into my mouth. Her hands are behind my neck with the next breath.

“I want to return the favor. Your turn to fall apart, Reed.”

“In a minute, baby,” I say with her nipple still in my mouth.

She giggles and leans back, as if reveling in each stroke of my tongue around her sweet peaks.

“Careful, you’ll make me come again doing that.”

I release the hard bud with a pop. “I really want to see that.”

“But it’s yours I want to see.”

Something bangs downstairs. We both still, staring at each other. When another bang and a crash ring out from outside, I pick Ruby up, depositing her on the bed. I push to my feet and head for the door.

“Be careful,” she whispers harshly.

I walk down the stairs, stark naked, blood bounding in my veins. When I reach the bottom and turn on the kitchen light, I glance around. Nothing.

Something rustles outside.

I swing the front door open. Raccoons.

“Get outta here!” I lunge at them, arms flying up. They scurry off, and I close the door. They’ll probably come back. Next time, I will be ignoring them. I pad back upstairs to find Ruby leaning on the doorjamb, still in the suit god gave her. The moonlight behind her illuminates her hair. She looks like a fucking goddess.

She is a goddess.

I move toward the door. She puts her hands on the frame either side. “Not a step further.”

“Okay, baby.”

“Stand and hold the frame, Reedsy.”

She backs up a step, letting her hands fall to her sides. I do as I’m told. If it comes out of her mouth, I will always be listening. My grip firmly on the doorframe, she leans in and whispers, “Come undone for me, Reed.”

Air is stuck tight, not budging, and no words form. But I manage a nod as she drops to her knees, holding my gaze the whole way down. Watching her sends my breaths choppy. Her fine hand wraps around my cock, and I roll my head back with a groan that could wake the dead.

“Tell me if you want me to stop. Otherwise, this only ends when you are completely and utterly undone.”

“Alright, Rubes,” I say, every syllable gravel. She pumps my cock with one hand before tangling her tongue around the tip. My grip on the door turns white.

“Don’t think this is gonna take long, baby.”

Her smile moves against my hard shaft. God, that is fucking it . It takes everything I have not to fuck her pretty mouth. To sink into her throat. “Ruby,” I groan.

She releases me, her mouth disappearing. She’s on her feet, kissing my neck a heartbeat later. Her teeth graze my thumping vein before she trails kisses downward.

“A man has to suffer a little.”

If this is her idea of torture? Sign me the fuck up.