Chapter 14

“No, not gonna leave. And I’m nobody to judge, Ruby.” Which was honest, and her entire body seemed to relax as my grin widened. “Besides, let’s face it, you’re a lovely woman with needs, correct?”

“Yes” While the single word echoed, she took a spoon in hand.

“Hmm, seems we’ll both have to eat well.” I laughed before lifting my own spoon. After a quick salute, I sank it into the wondrous-smelling gumbo. “We’re gonna need our energy.” At the first taste, my eyes rolled back, and I exhaled. “Wow! This is amazing. Gorgeous and a terrific chef! Damn, Ruby.”

“Oh, stop it, Damon.” She giggled like a little girl. Which was cute. “You’re—”

“—telling the truth.”

For a while, it was quiet while we ate, but her eyes remained locked on me. In response, I met her stare with my own unwavering gaze. Yes, I noticed that she kept her chest in view, but I remained fixed on her reddening cheeks. At last, with a sigh, she lowered her spoon.

“Do you really think so, Damon?”

“What?”

“That I’m gorgeous.”

“Well.” I chuckled. “Considering I can see most of you, yep, drop-dead, traffic-stopping, bee-oo-ti-ful.”

It wasn’t a lie. But it must’ve been a rare thing for her to hear compliments. With the crimson on both cheeks deepening, her eyes widened. Also somehow, the shadows thrown by those thick stems atop her heaving chest lengthened. When she caught my glance, she sank her teeth into her lower lip.

“I’ve been horny as hell all day, Damon.”

“Um-hmm,” I said before lifting the wine to my lips.

While sipping, I kept my gaze fixed on her over the rim. Behind those dark eyes ... Wait for it. There. Right there. That flicker. Oh, she was frightened. But what to do with it, though? And it was gone as she’d finished the last of her bowl.

“Uh, I noticed you...” Her voice faded as she gave my chest a quick scan in return. “The, um, first time you came into the diner. What, months ago? And—”

“—it’s okay, Ruby.” With my million-dollar smile, I leaned closer. With my pulse hammering, it was time to roll the bones once more. “Gonna fuck you as hard as you want. For as long as you want. If you wish me to stay the night, I will.”

As her jaw eased downward, the tiniest squeak slipped from her shaking lips. Oh, and I was correct. That flicker returned to her bottomless, glossy dark brown pools. Silence dragged as I remained quiet, finishing my gumbo and draining the rest of the wine. After topping off her glass, I refilled mine and relaxed in the chair, staring at her while sipping.

I’d rolled my dice.

It was her move.

Instead of speaking, she wobbled to her feet. Between lingering glances at me as if fearful I’d disappear, she gathered the empty bowls and moved to the kitchen. While lowering them to the sink and checking the stove was off, she remained silent. But after a swift rub of her palms along those shapely hips, she returned to stand beside the little table.

At my gesture, she came closer. When I handed a refilled glass to her, she stared at it before sliding her slender, warm fingers next to mine. For a long time, I let them rest beside my hand, enjoying their suppleness and heat. From the sparkles in her eyes, she was in no rush to pull away.

But when I lifted my digits, she gulped. At the touch of my fingers on the silk-wrapped warmth of her thigh, she jolted. However, with a moan, she pressed the leg into my palm. Yeah, that was confirmation enough. No plan needed; she’d be straight-up fun.

“You don’t do this all the time, huh?”

At my voice, she gulped. And a tremor rippled under my hand.

“Nuh-uh. Um, n-no,” she replied in a shaky whisper.

“So, why me?”

As I asked, my hand slid upwards, following the contour of a firm thigh muscle. Over my wrist, the dress’s silky hem bunched as it rose. For the longest time, she swayed into my moving fingers, staring down at me over the rim of the trembling glass. Since the wine was sloshing, I lifted my other hand to help tilt it towards her mouth. As she gulped, her dark eyes flared. Once she’d drained it, I took the empty from her shaky fingers and placed it on the table.

And still the silence stretched, broken only by the softest whimpers as I moved my palm over the rougher band at the top of her stocking. At the touch of a garter strap, my smile widened. A shiver rippled through the velvet skin beneath my hand, gliding ever inwards. When my gaze drifted down her body to the bunched dress, another tremor, much larger, sliced through her.

“You, um, seemed...” Her voice faded into a moan when my fingertips found the warm silk of her panties.

At a more forceful press into the dampness, she moaned louder, and thrust into me. When I caught her eyes again, they’d changed. Widened, yes, but that weird flicker wasn’t disappearing. A genuine anxiety, like the one Mrs. Goodman possessed. Not the sharp fear she’d had in the beginning, but that strange glimmer as I’d fucked her on the classroom desk.

Perhaps? A tingle ignited along my spine. Time to roll the bones again.

“Hmm, you crave more than young studs, don’t you?” I whispered, but after a quiet chuckle, pulled my hand away.

For her part, she stayed silent as I downed the last of my wine in a single gulp and rose to my full height. When my fingers went to my shirt’s top button, she didn’t know where to look. Her eyes kept flicking from my smile to the widening gap in my shirt as I undid it.

And with each open button, that glimmer became stronger and stronger. Once the last one was unfastened, I eased the shirt from my shoulders. A tiny globule of saliva caught in the corner of her mouth. It wobbled quicker as she watched every inch of my bare torso come into view.

Yep, that clinched it; I was fairly sure I understood her “fear.” Why? Ever seen an addict? Not an active one, but somebody in recovery? When they’re exposed to that which they hunger after. Yeah, she had that look.