by Claire Raye
Adam chuckles, turning back to me. “Only for drinking,” he says with a wink.
“And my girlfriend’s sister,” I remind him. “Don’t fuck with her.”
Adam holds up his hands in surrender, that grin still plastered on his face. “Please, give me some credit,” he adds. “Besides, I promised her dad I’d keep an eye on her. You think I’m gonna break my word?”
“Wait, what? You’ve met their parents? When? How? What the fuck?”
My mind is racing with a million questions, but Adam ignores all of them as he turns to me and says, “Go join your crew, boss, I’ll take care of things here.”
He wanders off to serve another customer, leaving me standing here like an idiot. Before I have a chance to ask him any more questions though, Ruby comes over, leaning over the bar to press a kiss to my cheek. “Hey,” she says.
I turn to her, shaking my head a little, still trying to process what the fuck Adam just told me. “Hey, how was class?”
Ruby smiles at me and tugs on my arm as she pulls me down to the end of the bar. She steps around it and into my arms. “Class was good. How did everything go here?”
I lean down to brush my lips against hers. “Good. Paperwork is all signed. Place is ours.”
Ruby’s arms wrap around my neck as she presses herself against me. “Congratulations,” she whispers. I smile against her mouth before kissing her again. “So as the girlfriend of the new owner,” she says between kisses. “Does this mean I’m getting free drinks?”
I chuckle, my fingers sliding beneath her sweater and brushing over her bare skin. “Maybe,” I tease.
“Maybe?” Ruby asks, pulling back a little. “I think I need something a little more definitive than maybe!”
I burst out laughing. “Is that so?”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at me with a seriously sexy smile on her face. “Yes, it is,” she says, pressing her body flush against mine as she pushes us backward and toward the office at the back. “But in the meantime…”
She trails off, saying nothing more as she guides us back behind the bar and down the small corridor to my office. Once inside, she closes the door behind us and I hear the click of the lock turning.
“In the meantime?” I prompt, leaning back against my desk.
Ruby walks slowly toward me, a smile on her face as she slips her arms around my waist and presses a hard kiss to my mouth.
“In the meantime,” she whispers, her fingers moving to the front of my jeans where she starts to undo my belt. “I really think we should christen your new office.”
I smile against her mouth as my hands slide up her back, pulling her top up along the way. “I think that is a fantastic idea.”
Ruby’s hand moves to my cheek, cupping my jaw as she pulls back and stares up at me. “You feeling okay about everything?” she asks, suddenly serious.
I take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly as I contemplate her question. “I am,” I tell her, meaning it. “I mean it’s scary as fuck having this responsibility again, but yeah, I’m feeling okay.”
She smiles now, pushing up to kiss me again. “You’ve got this, Caleb,” she says. “But you know if you ever need us, we’re all here to help.”
My hands skim over the warm skin of her back, brushing over her bra strap and moving to cup her face. “I love you, Ruby,” I say, my eyes locked with hers. “I’d never be where I am today without you.”
“Yes you would,” she whispers, undoing my jeans, one of her hands sliding into my boxers. “But for the record, you don’t need to worry about being without me.”
I groan as her hand circles around me, her grip firm. “Good,” I moan, my eyes closing.
“I love you,” she whispers against my mouth. “Now how about you have your way with me on this desk of yours.”
My eyes fly open, a huge grin on my face as I turn us around, propping her up on the desk as I move between her legs. We stare at each other for a few moments, both of us silently acknowledging everything we’ve found together, everything we have now.
Despite what she says, I know I never could have done this without her. That even though I had the support and friendship and connection with Reid and Sie, what Ruby has given me is so much more.
A reason to fight my past, to deal with my demons and hope for a better future.
She’s given me that future because I cannot imagine my future without her in it.
And even though I know we’re only twenty-two and she’s still in school and us being this serious this quickly looks crazy to the outside world. I don’t care. Because I’m not letting her go.
“I love you,” I eventually say, leaning in to kiss her as we both fall back onto my desk.
What’s Next?
While we’re not done with our Hawthorn Hills crew just yet, the next book in the series is well underway. Until then we have plenty of books you can binge away on!
Pre-order this heartbreakingly beautiful standalone romance that follows Nora and Elliot as they desperately try to find their way back to each other.
Grab it here!
The Memory of Us
Twelve hours was all they spent together, but to them, it meant everything.
Nora and Elliot’s meeting was predetermined. They both believed that wholeheartedly. It was fate. No last names, no identifying information, only an all-consuming need to be near each other and the belief in falling hopelessly in love with a stranger. But circumstances beyond their control separated them, and twelve years later they’re still searching.
Apart, they’re broken and they won’t give up until they find each other.
But what if they never do?
Your free books are waiting!
Did you love reading about the Hawthorn Hills crew? OMG, you did!!?? We’re thrilled and we want to say thank you by offering you even more! This FREE prequel gives you a glimpse into early lives of Sienna, Caleb and Reid and takes place before the events of Complicate Me (Book One).
Grab your FREE copy of Confuse Me right here!
And, because one freebie is never enough, we are also excited to offer you a FREE prequel of our Rockport Beach Series! This FREE prequel gives you a glimpse into the early lives of Beck & Kelsey and takes place before the events of Coming Home to You (Book One).
Grab your FREE copy of Beginning with You, click here!
Happy reading and thank you!
Books by Claire Raye
The Rockport Beach Series
Coming Home to You: Book One
Finding Home with You: Book Two
Making Home with You: Book Three
Rockport Beach: The Complete Series
The Love and Wine Series
Always Yours: Book One
Finally Yours: Book Two
The Dirty Hollywood Series
Beautiful Secret: Book One
Beautiful Trouble: Book Two
Beautiful Lie: Book Three
Cocky Hero World
Pin-Up Pilot
Hawthorn Hills Duet Series
Complicate Me: Book One
Complete Me: Book Two
Ruin Me: Book Three
Rescue Me: Book Four
About the Author
Not only is Claire Raye a really sweet pen name, it’s actually a pen name for two sarcastic best friends who met through their mutual love of reading. After bonding over books (and wine and cheese), they decided to take the plunge and see if they could write a book together and ta dah... The Rockport Beach Series was born! In addition to their shared love of food and dropping an occasional (read, a lot of) f bombs, the writing duo that is Claire Raye like to write about strong, sassy females who aren’t afraid to say what’s on their mind and the overprotective men who fall in love with them.
Both halves of Claire Raye are married and both of their husbands have a cheeky side that gets plenty of airtime in their books. From their smart mouths to their witty one-liners, there’s plenty of mater
ial to use for all those alpha males they love to write about.
Plans are already underway for the next series, which is sure to feature plenty of sass, steam and humor, and of course, a happily ever after!
Connect with Us
www.claireraye.com
Like us on Facebook
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Follow us on Goodreads
Follow us on BookBub
Acknowledgments
As always, first and foremost, thank you to our readers for picking up our books and reading them. Our appreciation can never be fully expressed. It means the world to us every time we get an email, a review is left or a social media post is made because we know there are tons of books for you to choose from. So thank you for choosing us. It’s truly an honor.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who help get the word out there. We appreciate each and every one of you and your support. Your commitment and kindness does not go unnoticed by us.
And last, but never least, a big thank you to our husbands for always putting up with our nonsense. Someday this will pay off and you will be grateful we plugged along at the speed of a snail. We love you!
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Ruby
Chapter Two: Caleb
Chapter Three: Ruby
Chapter Four: Caleb
Chapter Five: Ruby
Chapter Six: Caleb
Chapter Seven: Ruby
Chapter Eight: Caleb
Chapter Nine: Ruby
Chapter Ten: Caleb
Chapter Eleven: Ruby
Chapter Twelve: Caleb
Chapter Thirteen: Ruby
Chapter Fourteen: Caleb
Chapter Fifteen: Ruby
Chapter Sixteen: Caleb
Chapter Seventeen: Ruby
Chapter Eighteen: Caleb
Chapter Nineteen: Ruby
Chapter Twenty: Caleb
Chapter Twenty-One: Ruby
Chapter Twenty-Two: Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Three: Ruby
Chapter Twenty-Four: Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Five: Ruby
Chapter Twenty-Six: Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ruby
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Caleb
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ruby
Chapter Thirty: Caleb
Chapter Thirty-One: Ruby
Chapter Thirty-Two: Caleb
Chapter Thirty-Three: Ruby
Chapter Thirty-Four: Caleb
What’s Next?
Your free books are waiting!
Books by Claire Raye
About the Author
Acknowledgments
