“Anything else?” Damon asked.
She looked at him, dazed and confused as to why he’d ask that. Then she grew apprehensive. What else could there be? Did he think she knew more? “Isn’t drugs enough?”
Damon studied her a while. Did he doubt her? Why would he care?
Then he stepped toward her, looking apologetic. He opened his arms to her. She didn’t resist or try to stop him. She needed comfort. She didn’t know who she could trust, but Damon was the one person she felt she could. More than anyone else, anyway.
He gently took her into his arms, his hands rubbing her back. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle him.”
He would handle a drug dealer? “How? He could be extremely dangerous.”
“I’ve dealt with his kind before,” he said.
She leaned back to look him in the eyes. “You have?”
His hesitation set her on alert.
“I’m a bartender,” he said. “I’ve worked in places that attract that sort of people.”
That seemed like an adequate explanation, but Ruby had a feeling he was hiding something. “Why bartending?” She couldn’t shake the feeling he was doing more, that he had more ambitions than that.
After a brief hesitation that raised her suspicion higher, he said, “I was young. I went into the service industry and ended up bartending. It seemed like a good thing at the time.”
He was still young enough to change all that. “Do you see yourself moving on to something else?”
His mouth crooked up on the right side. “Of course. I don’t want to serve drinks the rest of my life.” He chuckled.
His lightness eased her wariness. “What do you dream of doing?”
“Dream? I don’t dream. When I decide to do something, I do it,” he said.
She certainly liked his confidence and believed he meant every word. “What are your choices? What do your aspirations tell you?”
“I’ve thought about law enforcement.”
She moved back a step, surprised by his declaration. “Really?”
“Yeah. I get tired of watching bullies and criminals. Sometimes I wish I could do something,” he said.
She smiled, liking him even more now. He did strike her as the upstanding type, the type who would go up against the Kid Mercers of the world.
“I didn’t know Kid was a drug dealer until it was too late. He duped me. Don’t think for a minute that I don’t berate myself for allowing that to happen. But if I hadn’t been with him, I wouldn’t have Maya.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Those people are good at lying and cheating their way through life. They don’t care about anyone other than themselves and their own personal gains.”
Ruby stepped close again, going back into his arms. “Tell me more about you,” she said with a tone that spoke her heartfelt wishes. He’d shared some details about himself, but it all seemed...rehearsed. She hadn’t realized that until now.
Ruby wanted to know him. She wanted to know everything about him.
When his expression closed, a foreboding certainty came over her that there were things about him he hadn’t shared. She began to withdraw, her defenses rising higher. She did not need another bad mistake. Another really, really bad mistake.
“I’m who you see me as,” Damon said.
He moved even closer, but Ruby stepped back, too apprehensive of the unknowns about him.
But he drew her to him, hooked an arm behind her. She found herself pressed against his impressively hard-muscled body. Her hand automatically came up and landed on his chest.
“All you need to know right now is the only thing that matters to me is you, your safety, and Maya’s,” he said.
All she needed to know?
Before she could rebut, he pressed a commanding kiss on her mouth. Electric sparks spread and tingled. Ruby lost all coherent thought. She only felt Damon, his hands on her, his mouth working magic with hers.
He slid his hand farther around her and pulled her against him. She looped her arms around his shoulders and angled her head to get more of him. He responded by deepening the kiss. The play of tongues made her hotter for him. If this went much further, they’d end up in bed. Or on the floor. Right here.
But then his hands covered the side of her breast. Heat shot to her abdomen. She did what she had been dreaming of doing ever since she’d first seen him. She pressed her hands to his hard stomach and moved up to his chest. She felt his broad shoulders and returned to his chest before treating herself to his back and finally his rear.
He lifted his mouth from hers and met her eyes, his breath mingling with hers and his eyes hot. With her hands still on his rear, she began to feel him grow hard. This was not like her, not after Kid. She did not get bold with men. She’d gone on some dates, but she had not gone this far with anyone since then.
Slowly, he brought his mouth to hers again, this time not ravaging. He made love to her, soft and thorough. Their lips matched in movement and poignancy.
Ruby slid her hands around to his front and reveling in his fit torso again before placing one hand on his shoulder and sinking the fingers of her other into his hair. He had magnificent hair. Shaggy in the right places.
Turning with her in a half circle, he backed her up against the dining-room wall. Then he pulled up her shirt. So out of her mind with desire, Ruby lifted her arms and away went the shirt. She unbuttoned his shirt and parted it. Then she planted kisses on his chest, running her tongue over his nipples and going lower to his abs.
He unclasped her bra, and it slipped off. She rose up, and he looked at her bareness. His rapt attention thrilled her and turned her on even more. He touched her, and she put her hands on his forearms, feeling the muscles work lightly as he caressed. He lifted her, using the wall as support, and put his mouth over one breast.
Ruby wrapped her legs around his hips and closed her eyes to lovely sensation. She dug her fingers into his hair again.
Kissing his way up her neck to her mouth, he kissed her with more purpose. Hard and driving. Ruby met his verve with her own, reeling with how spectacular she felt.
Damon began to move his erection against her. She was on for him. In the next few moments they would be on the floor.
Ruby had to stop. “Damon.”
She sounded so breathless.
He withdrew and looked at her. She saw the raging passion in his eyes and knew it mirrored hers. They were combusting on desire for each other.
He had however, gotten her mind off Kid’s gang—if only for a few moments. A few glorious, startling and maybe even scary moments. What lay ahead for them now? What wasn’t he telling her?
Chapter 4
Ruby was so glad Damon insisted on staying the night. He slept on the couch and had acted as though he had been just as shaken up by the kiss as she. It wasn’t so much the kiss, it was the potency of it.
He was already up when she appeared in the kitchen, making what appeared to be pancakes.
“You’re going to spoil her rotten,” Ruby said.
He chuckled. “I love pancakes.”
“Who doesn’t love pancakes?”
“My fat cells.” He patted his stomach.
He hardly had anything to worry about. She had felt those hard abs when he pressed her against him. The man was definitely fit.
“Is Maya up?” he asked.
“I’m going to let her sleep in. She looked too sweet to wake up.”
He smiled. “She is something. Does she miss her dad?”
Ruby knew he was curious about her ex. He must be doubly curious now. She didn’t like talking about her past with Kid, but it was time to tell him. She trusted him enough now.
“I think she misses her father, but somewhere in her little heart she sensed he wasn’t a good man. Kids have a way of looking up to their parents no matt
er what.”
“I know you were afraid of Maya’s father,” he said. “I knew early on. Your face says a lot, whether you realize it or not.”
“My mother always told me I was a terrible liar.”
“Honorable people are terrible liars,” he said.
Gee, thanks. She sighed, dreading talking about Kid. It soured her stomach and brought back feelings she never wanted to remember or feel again.
“I didn’t know Kid very well when I got pregnant,” she said. “It was an accident...getting pregnant. But Kid was elated. I thought it was the beginning of something wonderful. A family. A man to love.” She grunted derisively. “Boy, did I ever get that wrong.”
“Everybody makes mistakes,” he said.
She looked at him. “Not everyone makes that big of a mistake.”
“What do you mean?”
She averted her head, embarrassed at what she considered extreme stupidity. “After about two years I began to notice things.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about this. I know it upsets you.”
“No. It’s okay. You and I are close enough now, and I want you to know.” She reached out and put her hand on his arm.
He appeared touched by what she said. Then he blinked a few times. “That means a lot to me, Ruby.”
She smiled a little and then dropped her hand to rub her forehead. Then she continued. “Kid was so secretive about his business, which I always found odd. He owned a nightclub. What was so sensitive about that?” Folding her arms, she looked around the kitchen, not liking the memories flooding her. “His livelihood should have been my first warning. He was rarely home, never at night. Every time I asked him about his work, he got defensive. Then one night I overheard him talking to someone in his home office. They were discussing a drug deal.”
This would reveal just how debauched her choice in a man had been. And what had led to her failure to protect Maya. She had felt like a terrible mother.
“Kid Mercer was a drug dealer,” she said. “A high-ranking one. He was also an arms dealer and became very powerful. I was appalled. My only thought was of Maya. I had to get her out of there.” Ruby lowered her head, on the verge of a surge of tears.
“You don’t have to do this, Ruby,” Damon repeated.
He sounded so caring, as though he cared more about her than knowing her history.
She shook her head. Looking up at him, she said, “This feels right. Telling you. It’s hard, but it’s right.”
She met his eyes, which appeared as traumatized as she felt. She fell for him even more in that moment. He was such a good and decent man. So different from Kid’s lying and violent ways.
“Kid caught me trying to leave with Maya,” she said. “He had his men take Maya from me and forced me to leave. He kept my own daughter from me for almost three years.”
“That’s terrible. What kind of person would do that?”
“An unscrupulous one. One who has no empathy. A criminal,” she said bitterly. “I got her back after police shot and killed him in an altercation. He was going to be arrested and resisted. Mightily.” She wiped her cheek as a tear slipped past her defenses, and she lowered her head.
Damon tipped her chin up. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Ruby. I won’t let anyone harm you.”
He pressed his lips to hers in what seemed to be a comforting kiss but ignited into something completely different. Looking into his kind and honest hazel-green eyes, she recalled their kiss last night and had an instant desire to share another.
“I’m not afraid when I’m with you. You make me feel safe,” she murmured. “Like this is a good thing.”
“I feel the same.”
“You’ve had a bad relationship before?” she asked.
He nodded ruefully. “I was engaged once. I found out she was sleeping with another man. It’s your typical heartbreak story, except she really did a number on me. I don’t like thinking about her, much less talking about her.”
“Have you been with anyone else since then?” she asked.
“Not like that. I’ve dated since then, but not with anyone that would last...and not for a long time.” He met her eyes as he finished the last of his sentence. The importance of mutual respect clearly meant the same to each of them.
A wave of strong attraction engulfed Ruby. He was such a man. A real man. “Well, maybe knowing each other will get us both past our bad decisions.” She felt so good saying that.
“I’d like that,” he said in a raspy voice.
With nothing further to say on the matter, Ruby let the chemistry between them warm up before moving closer and touching his lips. She kissed him lightly but lingered a while to let him know how invested she was in him right now. She slid her hand up his chest, seeing the flare of heat in his eyes. He held her around her back, not too tight, a loose and gentle embrace. Patient.
At last the kiss ended, and she could breathe again. Ruby looked up at him, dazed and giddy with new romance. She hadn’t expected the kiss to be so strong last night. This morning it was tender and full of promise.
Hearing Maya approach, Ruby moved back from Damon to see her rubbing her lovely light brown eyes, her medium-brown hair all messy from sleep.
Mommy, I’m hungry.
“Well, it just so happens that Damon made us pancakes.” Ruby signed as she spoke.
Maya brightened in an instant. Cool!
Damon put their plates on the table, and they all sat like a real family. Ruby had never been happier in her entire life. Seeing Maya watch Damon, she knew he would make a great father for her. Could her life finally be headed to a good place?
* * *
Damon didn’t feel right about continuing to see Ruby. A few days had passed, and he missed her way too much. He could tell she genuinely liked and trusted him. She wouldn’t have confided in him about Kid otherwise. He had met her daughter, someone more precious to her than anyone else on the planet. He was honored that she had opened her heart to him, but his duplicity would not go unpunished.
By now, she was probably wondering why he hadn’t called or come by. She was probably also afraid. Maybe feeling alone. Another arrow for his heart. What she didn’t know was he was keeping an eye on her. Well, not him but another agent. Tonight he sat with a nature program playing at a low volume and a calming cup of tea. One of those herbal numbers. It wasn’t working.
His phone rang, and he saw it was his brother Nash, a year older than him. His spirits lifted. An architect with a Chicago firm, Nash had found success and purpose in his life. He had been close to their mother and had taken her death hard. But Nicole had been there for both of them. She had been a great mom. Damon doubted Nash would have had the drive to become an architect without her loving guidance.
“Hey, bro,” Damon said.
“Checking in on you, danger-seeker,” Nash said.
Although he teased, Damon knew his brother meant his high-octane job as a DEA agent. “How are you doing?”
“Fine. Working a lot. You?”
“Fine. Working a lot.”
Nash laughed, and so did Damon. This small talk wasn’t like them.
“Dad called,” Nash said. “Surprised me until I realized he must have an agenda.”
“Grandfather’s will?” Damon asked.
“He didn’t say it directly, but he played nice with me, like he was trying to smooth over our relationship to prepare me for whatever he wants. It disgusted me.”
Growing up, Nash had had difficulty with their father’s apathetic parenting. There had been a lot of yelling and neglect. He was all right now, but he had no soft spot for Erik Colton.
“We can always block his calls,” Damon said.
“What? And miss the entertainment?”
Damon chuckled. “
That’s a healthy way of looking at it.”
“Uncle Rick is the only father I ever had,” Nash said.
“I feel the same.” A memory struck him. “You remember the first time you called Nicole Mom?” Nash hadn’t had an easy time adjusting to their mother’s death.
“I was in high school.”
“Took you long enough.”
Nash laughed a little. “She’s an amazing person.”
“You seeing anyone?” Damon asked.
“No. The good ones are already taken. You’re probably closer than me. Women dig agents.”
“No, they don’t. Not the good ones.” Ruby didn’t like him because he was an agent. She didn’t even know he was one.
“Yeah,” Nash said soberly. “But hey, that’s not why I called. Our cheating grandfather’s real family is having a postholiday party, and we’re invited.”
“What?” It was August.
“Yeah. They want to get to know us better. If you weren’t so deep undercover you would know.”
It was true. He hadn’t been to his real home in months. “They want to get to know us?”
“Yes. And I think it’s a noble gesture. None of us kids have been on board with Grandmother’s unquenchable vengeance for being the rejected mistress.”
“Very eloquently put, brother.”
Nash chuckled.
“Are you going to make it?” Nash asked.
Doing so could ruin his cover. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“You should be there. We have a huge family now. And our cousins seem to genuinely want to know us.”
Damon had picked up on that, too. He didn’t want to miss a family event like that. He wanted to get to know the people he had not known existed until recently.
“I’m working,” Damon said.
“That’s all you do is work. I’m not asking for days or weeks. Just one night. Come on. Let’s go together. You, me and Aaron.”
Colton 911: Temptation Undercover Page 5
