Heart & Hope (Rosewood Ranch #2)

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

REED

T he only silver lining attached to this day is being with Ruby for the gala. Getting to be with her in her element. The tight evening dress that sweeps over her hips and dusts the floor in a stunning red silk is helping.

But Mack leavin’ always has me down for days. It’s hard saying goodbye, not knowing if this is the last time I will see him. And this is the first time I have ever had someone around after he waves off at the airport. That counts. More than she knows.

Ruby is everything.

And there is no way in hell I’m letting her down tonight. Not a fucking chance. I hold the passenger door open in the airport parking lot as she smiles at me with sad eyes and climbs on up.

My heart is heavy, but it’s also full.

Some fucking contradiction that is.

I slide into the driver’s seat and fire her up. The rumble makes me feel a little better. Stupid as it is, this truck has always been my safe space. Somewhere I can be myself and free. Nothin’ like the purr of idling V8 engine and soft leather to lull you back to comfort.

I lay back, closing my eyes for a heartbeat, letting my heart rate steady. And I count my blessings. The biggest one sits next to me, whose stare is warm on my face. I smile, eyes still closed.

“Rude to stare, beautiful.”

“I know.” Her voice is strained.

I snap my eyes open and find hers. Her jaw is clenched, hands tight around her phone, breaths shallow.

I cant my head, narrowing my gaze. “What is it?”

“No, today is about Mack.”

“I can handle it. Please, baby, tell me.”

She breaks eye contact and stares through the windshield vacantly. “Your groupies are suing for harassment.”

I ignore the phrase my groupies , even though it eats at me. Dropping my focus to the seat between us, I run my hands through my hair. “Fuck, please say it’s the both of us?”

“Just me.”

“Sweet Jesus, Rubes,” I utter. “Don’t give them a thing. Harry will know someone.”

She gives me an incredulous face. “My lawyer is already on it. But technically, I did. So, there’s that.”

“But I threw them out of the Thanksgiving party.”

“Yeah, well, apparently it’s me they hate, not the Great Reed Rawlins.”

Her face slackens as the last words leave her lips, like she didn’t mean to say it. Like it’s not what she wanted to say.

I drift my focus to the steering wheel. “We will fix this, we make it through tonight, and then get busy figuring out a solution for this mess.”

She doesn’t respond, eyes glued to her phone in her hands, not really seeing.

“Ruby? We will sort this out.”

I move closer and turn her face with one hand. Her eyes are lined with silver. Fuck me. An iron grip closes around my heart, a stone forming in my airways.

“Hey, it will be alright, baby.” I pull her into me, and she sobs. Her fingers tangle in the opening of my polo shirt. Rubes is the toughest woman I have ever met; this stress is eating her up. It’s fucking unacceptable.

The event.

The fake marriage.

The harassment bullshit.

The past few months of nonstop planning and work.

The thought of her having to go back to the city by herself rips me apart. Life is utter garbage some days. Some people sail through it, some have the weight of a thousand boulders to carry all by themselves. And I feel like the former used to be me. The latter, Ruby. What I wouldn’t give to haul her burden for her. But knowing Ruby Robbins, the most she is going to let me haul around is less than half.

I push back and tilt her head up with my hands cupping her face.

“Now, you listen to me, darlin’,” I say in my best Harry voice, “you work your magic and get that fancy party done. Leave the rest to me, you hear?”

She bursts out with a sobby laugh, picking up on the Harry talk. Her mouth wanders over my own a second later. God above, I love this girl.

I sink into the kiss and don’t let her go until she wriggles free, her hands sliding up my shirt and over my neck to my jaw. “What would I do without you, Reed James Rawlins?” Her finger brushes over my bottom lip, and she watches as I entwine my fingers through hers and plant a kiss to her palm. To her wrist.

“Reed,” she whispers.

“Yeah?” I rasp, all the blood from my clear-thinkin’ head already disappeared south.

“We should go,” she utters. But her eyes are hooded, her breaths short.

“We have a room at the inn?”

“Yes, same one as last time.”

“Hold tight.” I move back into my seat and tug the seatbelt over, clicking it in. She does the same, and we’re flying down Main Street a moment later, heading for the inn.

When the valet leaves with my truck and I haul the bags through the door, Ruby’s arm is linked through mine. It takes everything I have to focus on checking in.

Mary-Sue is at the desk, chatting to Ruby as the girl in front of the computer taps away, double-checking details. Every word she says is hazy, and when she pushes the cards over the counter at me, I all but snatch them up and tug Ruby away from Mary-Sue awkwardly.

But she only chuckles and waves to Mary-Sue. “I’ll be down an hour before the event to do final prep.”

“Y’all enjoy your last stay here.” The older woman beams Ruby’s way.

So, I am guessing by that expression, the waitress hasn’t let on about our fake marriage yet. Maybe we will make it out of this unscathed, after all.

A long, excruciating minute later, the elevator door bings, and we are on our floor. Ruby walks beside me, all quiet. She taps the card on the door, and when she pushes it open, she doesn’t move, staring at the space, the bed, looking around the room. As if remembering the way things were when we were here last.

I slide my hand into hers. “We can just go home if you wanna, baby.”

Slowly, she turns to me, and a sweet smile blooms over her face. “No, anywhere with you is my favorite place to be.”

I scrunch up my face to tamper back the emotion threatening to send my nostrils flaring and my airways thick. “In that case, Mrs. Robbins, we should definitely do it on every surface.”

She walks inside, stopping at the counter with the small fridge at the opposite end of the sofa. “Well, how about right here on the counter for starters?” Her hand sweeps over the shiny surface. I toss the bags onto the bed from where I stand, slamming the door behind me.

One hand plucking my jean button open, the other tugging my polo off, I stride toward her like a man on a fucking mission. She laughs and rests her hands on my bare shoulders when I stop, our bodies almost touching. “Gonna keep me up all night, baby?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely, Reedsy.”

I groan and drop my forehead to her chest. Her smell is intoxicating, and my cock is rock-hard a heartbeat later. Gripping her hips, I kiss my way up her skin, over her collarbones, her neck, her jaw. She releases a breathy moan as my mouth works her over, and finally I cover hers with mine.

I slide my hands around her waist, pushing her shirt up.

“Off. Take it all off, Reed.”

I pull the soft, light blue t-shirt over her head. Perfect fucking breasts are pushed up and spilling from her lacy red bra. Her fingers tug at her jeans, and she steps out of them a few seconds later. I step back and fist my cock, wanting to take her in for a moment.

So beautiful.

So mine.

In her underwear, she moves a little closer, playing with herself, running a thumb over one nipple. Her other hand slips past the waistband of her panties, and I can’t fuckin breathe.

With a growl, I snap my hands around her waist, picking her up and depositing her on the counter. She smiles playfully at me. But she has me so goddamn wound up, I can’t respond. With a rough hold, I pull her panties off and run two fingers through her wet center.

Fuck, she’s soaked. “Rubes.”

“Fuck me, Mr. Robbins.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

But not before she rides my face. Then she can come all over my cock. Not a second before. She giggles, tossing her head back. I spread her legs and drop to my knees. With the first run of my tongue through her delicious folds, I’m on the edge of coming all over the marble tiles. I sink two fingers into her and suckle her clit like a man dying of thirst, and she rides my face like I’ve wanted her to since I woke up this morning.

“Fuck, Reed.”

She whimpers as I coax out the last of her release. I push to my feet and rub my palm over the swollen head of my cock. Looking at her, wet and ready, is sending my head too high. She wriggles forward, her hands on my hips pulling me closer. I line up the head with her soaked center.

“Give me everything, please,” Ruby breathes.

I slide the tip in. She huffs out a small cry, and her face falls apart a little. When I don’t move, she opens her eyes, desperation lining them. I edge forward a half inch, tampering the smile that’s trying to pop up on my face.

“Reed,” she growls.

How this woman has my heart. Good Lord.

I give her another inch. Now she sits up off the counter and takes my face in her hands. “That’s just mean, Reed Rawlins.”

“Making it last, baby.”

Her eyes narrow. “Fine, your call. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you. Being inside you. Going excruciatingly slow. Seeing you fall apart. Seeing you desperate for me, Ruby.”

“I want that, too,” she whispers.

Emotion swells, warm and raw.

I smash my mouth to hers, and I’ll be damned if I have an inch of self-control after that little confession. I slam into her, up to the hilt. She cries out, and I swallow every last sweet sound she makes, thrusting into her hard. Pulling out so slow, it makes my head spin.

It only takes a few minutes before Ruby is trembling, legs wrapped around my waist. I pick up the pace, rubbing a thumb over her clit. When her stunning brown eyes lock on mine and she unravels beneath me, I make myself a promise.

To always love this woman. To always make her happy.

Whatever that means for me.