There it is. Clear and out there. She's never said it so openly before, though I've felt the weight of that thought in how she treats me. And isn't it ironic that both she and my mother can agree on this one thing?
I sit back, not knowing what to think. That's a lot to take in. A lot to process. And I can't help but think this is a trap wrapped as a gift. Pretty and sparkling on the surface, but only to draw me in.
But school…can I afford not to take this opportunity? I'd really like to continue my education. Even if I work, who knows when I'd be able to afford it. And I know I won't be able to afford a school as good as the one she's offering to me.
How do I answer?
But Grandmother doesn't wait for an answer at all, like everything’s already decided.
She glances at the time. "I will let your parents know you will be staying with me tonight. It is much too late for you to return home at this hour." She stands and we both follow her lead.
For once, I breathe a sigh of relief at her high-handedness. I have some time to think. Even if she thinks it's a done deal, I haven't given my agreement yet.
Grandmother glances over at Zane with an arched brow.
He takes his cue. "It was nice to meet you," he says politely. He turns to me, his face and voice warming. "And you too. Stay safe."
"Thank you. For everything," I say, not knowing how to express what I want to. The gratitude. The desire to see him again.
He nods graciously, giving me a two fingered salute. I watch as he walks over to the door, his broad shoulders filling out that leather jacket deliciously. I don't want him to leave. But I can't say anything under Grandmother's watchful eye.
He steps out, closing the door behind himself.
"I don't know why you brought that street ruffian in here with you," Grandmother says as soon as he's gone. "That type of company just won't do, Ruby. Not if you want to advance your status. I'm sure you understand."
I sigh, missing Zane already. Somehow, he made her easier to deal with. "Yes, Grandmother."
She nods sharply. "It's quite late. I think it's time we both retire."
I nod, but she's already moving to the hall, her gliding walk eating the distance deceptively fast. Sighing silently, again, I follow.
"Goodnight," I call out as I step into the room I stay in when I'm here too late. It doesn't happen often.
I shut the door behind me and stand among the frilly canopy bed, the thick white rug, the over-sized dresser. Everything in here is pale pink, with plenty of lace and ribbons. Like I'm a five year old with a penchant for princesses. I guess I appreciate the effort, at least.
Shaking my head, I sit down on the soft bed, bending over to put my head in my hands. Tonight was a lot more eventful than I'd anticipated. Sleeping actually doesn't sound so bad. Maybe I'll feel better about everything when I wake up.
I move to lie down, but then hesitate. What was that?
Another sound.
Was that…? Is someone tapping at the window?
I get up, looking over. The glass is already black, the tint set to appear when the sun sets. I can't see through it unless I deactivate it.
But how the heck would anyone reach the window when it's so high up? Maybe it's a bird?
Another insistent tap. I take a step towards it.
Guess I'm about to find out.
Chapter 6
Zane
As soon as I'm back in the elevator, I hit the override. No way am I leaving things like this with Ruby. Sure, I can find out who she is and where to find her from what I know so far, but I want to see her now, not later. I always did have a problem with delayed gratification.
Well, everywhere but the bedroom.
And I have to get to her without her hawk of a grandmother finding out. I've never seen anyone with a stick jammed so far up their ass. I wonder how she can even sit down. But that doesn't matter right now. I need to get to Ruby which might be difficult except I own the building and know it inside out. Including the elevator system.
I open the control panel and quickly reprogram the elevator to take me to one of the exterior openings on the same floor, used by maintenance workers when exterior repairs have to be done. If I remember correctly, the bedrooms for this particular apartment should have windows on this side.
When the elevator stops and the doors open, I step out onto the narrow ledge created specifically to give workers a place to walk. When I look at the windows stretching out in front of me, I see that all of them have their darkest tint on because night has fallen.
Well. I shrug. Worst that could happen, I wake up dear old granny.
I grin. I'd almost enjoy it.
I shuffle forward, keeping my back pressed to the side of the building. Unlike the maintenance workers, I don't have a safety harness on. Best to be careful.
Stretching out, I tap on the first window and hope for the best.
No response.
I tap again. If I still don't get anything, I'll move on to the next window.
I wait.
One second the glass is opaque, black. The next it's crystal clear as someone comes up and deactivates it. I look right into Ruby's startled eyes.
"Can you open the window?" I ask, gesturing to get my point across. All the windows are soundproofed when closed.
She nods, quickly going to press a button. The glass slides up silently.
"Thanks," I say, swinging a leg over and slipping inside. "That ledge is pretty damn narrow."
"How did you get up here?" she asks, pushing past me to lean out the window and look both ways.
"I reprogrammed the elevator," I say mildly, gently pulling her back in. "Careful. It's a long ways up. Or down."
She gives me a look. "You're the one who decided to actually climb out there," she says archly. "Did you think you might be Spider-Man reincarnated? Or maybe you've suddenly developed the ability to fly?"
I shrug, grinning. I like the bite to her voice.
"It was more a shuffle than anything, to be honest. And sadly, I don't think I can fly. Or shoot webbing."
She shakes her head in disbelief. "Why are you here?" she finally asks, her eyes going to the door. She strides over and engages the locks. "My grandmother would so not be okay with this."
"Come on," I wheedle, sauntering over to her. "Live a little." I skim a hand up her bare arm, watching as her eyes dilate from the touch. She stiffens a little, but I know she's attracted. We might lie all we want with our words, but our bodies always give us away. "Why do you let her treat you like that?"
She pulls her arm back, stepping away from me. "That's none of your business," she says stiffly.
Oh. Hit a nerve there, didn't I? I consider her, trying to come up with the best approach here. I don't want to antagonize her, but I do want to goad her into taking a risk.
"How old are you?" I ask.
"Eighteen," she mutters. "Why?"
I shrug, making a show of slowly walking away, looking around at the room. Wow. It's like a fairy tale princess threw up in here. But it doesn't distract me for long. All of my attention is on little Red. I just want her to relax.
"You're an adult. I just don't know why an adult would let her grandmother—or anyone else for that matter—tell her what to do and how to do it." I turn to look at her, raising my eyebrows. "I know I wouldn't."
She presses her lips together in a thin line. I'm on the right track. So I push a little more.
"Or do you not have any thoughts and opinions of your own?" I goad her deliberately.
She shakes her head, her face flushing in irritation.
There we go. Get angry.
"You don't know me. You don't know my life." She crosses her arms. "You have no right to judge me."
I nod, walking over to her again. Slowly, so as not to spook her. Though her irritation has fired her up enough that she no longer looks unsure. Her back is straight, her eyes are narrowed on me.
Good. A lack of backbone would be disappointing. And
too easy.
"Fair enough," I say, cocking my head slightly, watching her. "But don't you ever get tired of being good?" I murmur, taking another step closer, deliberately inside her personal space. Where I can smell her delicious scent. See each individual eyelash. Feel the warmth of her body.
Her breath catches in her throat as I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her in tight against me, her breasts flattening against my chest. She feels so good against me.
I bite back a growl, not wanting to scare her off. Not when I'm so close. She doesn't try to push away so I nuzzle her ear, breathing her in.
"Don't you want to feel good?" I murmur, sliding my other arm down, cupping the round curve of her ass. "Don't I feel good?" I lightly bite the tender lobe of her ear. "I know you do," I whisper.
I squeeze her ass, biting back a groan as my hard cock throbs against her. There's no way she can't feel it. I'm hard as a rock and too big to miss.
"I…" she trails off as I pull back just enough so I can look in her eyes. They drop down to my lips. Her tongue darts out to wet her own.
I bite back a moan. Come on, baby. Take a walk on the wild side.
I lean in a little, but then stop, our lips barely touching. She needs to make the move. It needs to be her decision. With a small sound, she presses her lips against mine, her arms coming up to wrap around my neck.
Yes. I growl, picking her up and guiding her legs around my waist as I take over the kiss. Walking forward until her back hits the wall, I deepen it, sliding my tongue in to tangle with hers.
She kisses me back, a little timidly, but she catches on fast, until the kiss is hot and deep, her fingers kneading the back of my neck like a cat. I groan, grinding my cock against her softness. She tastes so good. She feels even better.
But she breaks the kiss, panting and flushed, her eyes wide. "Is that… it's so… big," she gasps.
The better to fuck you with, my dear.
But I can't say that. Not yet.
I grin, grinding against her again. "That's so sweet of you to say," I respond instead, chuckling.
Sliding my hands down to the bottom of her shirt, I pull it up, baring her bra clad breasts. I groan at the pale, smooth curves, blue cotton bra barely covering them. I don't want anything covering them. I undo the front clasp and shove aside the cups, baring her for me, and taking a moment to just stare.
Oh, man.
"You're so beautiful," I say, cupping the full curves, all my practiced lines out the window as I thumb one of the pale pink nipples. I've seen a lot of pretty women in my life. But I've never seen Ruby.
I bury my face against those soft curves, kissing and licking, nibbling. Sucking on those pretty pink tips until she's writhing against me, making small sounds of pleasure at the back of her throat.
More.
I want more.
The way I'm feeling right now, I don't know if I can have enough.
Pulling back again, I watch her face as I reach between us to undo her jeans. She opens her eyes to look at me. "I just want to touch you," I say, sliding a hand into the opening and cupping her wetness.
I groan at the clear evidence of her desire. She wants me. And doesn't that just make me even hotter.
"Wait," she says, pushing me back and starting to slide down.
I bite back a curse, pulling my hand back. I pushed too fast. I knew she wasn't someone used to this kind of thing, but I want her so badly I stopped being careful. I'm beating myself up about it even as I try to get a grip on my raging desire.
Once her feet are on the floor, I expect her to move away, tell me to leave. But she doesn't. Her hands go to her jeans and she slides them down off her hips, her eyes locked with mine. I almost swallow my tongue.
She kicks her jeans and underwear to the side, standing in front of me, her breasts bared, the soft vee at the apex of her thighs naked.
I groan, my eyes locking right there. Right where I want to be most. I lick my lips, wanting a taste.
"What a big tongue you have!" she blurts out.
I raise my eyes to meet hers, knowing the grin I have on my face isn't at all reassuring or non-threatening. "The better to eat you with, my innocence," I say in a low voice, stalking over to her.
Her eyes widen as I drop down to my knees right in front of her. "What?" she says as I guide a leg over my shoulder, opening her up to my greedy gaze.
And admittedly sizable tongue. One I know how to use.
Once in that position, I have to take a moment to just look at her. Soft, pink, and wet. Gorgeous. But what I really want is a taste. Unfortunately for me, I don't move fast enough.
Just as I lean in, I hear a sound at the door.
Ruby freezes.
And then she shoves me back, scrambling to grab her clothes and shove them under the bed. "Go!" she hisses, gesturing to the still open window.
I groan, feeling like I might actually die. But I get up and hustle over to the window, not as swift as I might be with the club shoved inside my pants. I'm too old for this shit but I don't want to make things difficult for Ruby, so I slide out onto the ledge.
She immediately closes the window behind me and the glass turns black.
I've never been the one to be thrown out. I chuckle at that, shaking my head at myself. Maybe it was due time to bring me back down to size.
I suck in the crisp night air, my cock throbbing angrily in my pants, my fingers still wet with Ruby.
Shit. This is not now I expected this night to end.
I narrow my eyes.
Maybe it doesn't have to.
Chapter 7
Ruby
As soon as I hit the button to darken the window, I rush back to bed to get under the sheets. Yes, the door's locked but every room in this place can be keyed open by Grandmother's prints. The locks are more of a warning than actual obstructions to entry, at least when it comes to her.
I close my eyes, lying still. God, I hope this works.
I hear the door open and then footsteps. "Why is the door locked…" Her voice trails away as she sees me in the bed.
I keep my breathing deep and even as I wonder if I left something out that could give me away. Like my panties. I can't even imagine how I'd explain why they were just flung out there. Maybe I could say I like to sleep in the buff? I mentally groan.
The lecture following that revelation would not be fun, though it would definitely be better than her finding out Zane managed to sneak in somehow.
A silent pause. I hold my breath. Clothes rustle.
And then the sound of Grandmother's footsteps leave as the door closes quietly behind her.
I let out a silent breath, opening my eyes. That was way too close. What was I thinking? Have I completely lost my mind? A quiet tap on the window.
No.
Seriously!?
I wait for another thirty seconds to make sure Grandmother isn't coming back in, taking the time to right my clothes. And then I leap out of bed to rush over to the window.
I can't believe he's still out there. I undo the tint and Zane's smiling face appears. He wiggles his fingers at me. Rolling my eyes, I open the window again. "What are you still doing here?" I ask in a low voice.
It would be just my luck if Grandmother was waiting outside the door, ready to jump back in to catch me. Like a gray haired ninja with the power to shame and embitter.
"Waiting for you," he says, resting his hip against the window ledge and crossing his arms. "You didn't think I was just going to leave, did you?"
I shake my head, completely exasperated.
Fine. Maybe a little charmed too. How could I not be? He's literally out on a ledge for me as we speak!
"Look, it was a mistake to let you in," I say, trying to sound reasonable. Though I don't know how well reason will work on someone willing to risk a fall like that one for a girl he just met. As flattering as it is. "I think it's best if you leave."
"Hmm. You know, I don't think it's best." He settles in like he can sit there
all night. "See, I think you should come out with me. I'll show you a good time." He leans in. "I promise."
The smile he gives me hints at all sorts of pleasure. I believe him. And that smile. My body's still warm from what we just did. But this is definitely not a smart move.
"I can't. Grandmother will find out and then there will be hell to pay," I say, feeling more than a twinge of disappointment. I wish I could just throw caution to the wind like he seems to.
He nods, his eyes on my face. "True. Maybe she will find out. But do you want to be forever trapped by your family? By everyone else's expectations? What about what you want? Don't you want to live a little?" He leans in, his eyes on mine as he kisses my lips softly. I feel his light touch everywhere. "Don't you want to feel good?" he whispers, his lips brushing mine.
I swallow, his eyes taking up my whole field of vision. I want to go. I look back at the closed door. I am tired of always trying to color in the lines, make sure I'm not stepping on any toes, breaking any rules.
And here's Zane. The antithesis of every rule or guideline I've ever been given. Waiting for me to come jump off the cliff with him.
This isn't safe. Or smart. Or what a good girl would do.
But maybe I don't want to be her tonight.
I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "Okay," I whisper. "Let's go."
He grins, giving me a hard, fast kiss that has my toes tingling, before stepping onto the ledge outside again. "Excellent choice, my lady." He holds out his hand to help me out. "You will not be disappointed."
"Uh…" I lean out the window to check out the dizzying drop.
The street looks a mile away. Heights and I are not exactly friends. I respect them and they in turn don't kill me.
"Don't look down," Zane admonishes, tilting my face back up. "You only need to get over to the elevator three feet away. I'll help."
This is a terrible idea. And I'm doing it anyway. Taking a deep breath, I take Zane's hand and slide out of the window and onto the narrow ledge, using him to steady myself.
Wolf_A Filthy Sweet Fairy Tale Romance Page 4
