by Hamel, B. B.
“I know that.”
“So maybe I should work harder.”
She sighs and gives me a look. “Come on, Knox. I’m supposed to carry your baby, right?”
My eyes flash at her. “That’s right.”
“I might already be pregnant, you know.”
I lean back. “That’s true.”
“So if we get through this but you drop dead from overwork, I’m going to be left raising this baby alone. And that’s not what I signed up for.”
I grin at her. “So this is purely for your own benefit then?”
“Purely.”
“All right. What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s start with a nice walk and see where that takes us.”
I sigh and stand. I stretch a little bit and my eyes rake over Ruby’s body as she grins up at me. I can’t help myself, I feel a little stirring in my chest.
“Okay, fine. Lead the way.”
She hops to her feet and puts her shoes on before we head outside. She’s wearing tight jeans and a crewneck sweater that shoes off the swell of her perky breasts just perfectly. She smiles at me as we ride the elevator down and head out into the crisp fall afternoon.
“I love the city,” she says as we walk down the sidewalk. “Even if you’re bored and have nothing to do, things are always happening.”
“All the people,” I say, nodding. “That’s the whole point, right?”
“Right. I guess I get why people like living out in the country or whatever, but this is for me.”
I nod a little. Can’t disagree with that.
“I guess you’ve experienced it all, haven’t you?”
She laughs. “Oh, yeah. Lived in a tiny rural town down south for a couple months. That was awful. Tried living in the suburbs and that was even worse. I kept ending up in cities.”
“Easy to disappear.”
“I guess. But it’s not easy to stay disappeared, you know?”
“Oh, I know.”
We walk down the block and head through Rittenhouse. There’s a guy playing the guitar in the back corner and we end up sitting on a bench near him. He’s playing show tunes and sounds pretty good, but I end up tuning him out and watching Ruby.
She seems so happy just letting people pass us by. She stretches her legs out and sighs, a little blush coming to her pretty cheeks. I have to admit, I feel proud to be sitting next to her. It’s that same feeling I got up on the altar… the same feeling I got at that gala when we kissed in front of everyone.
Ruby’s the kind of woman I can feel proud of for real. The kind of woman I’d want to stay with long-term.
It’s a scary thought but one that’s starting to make more and more sense…
If there is a long-term, anyway.
“I want to know something about you,” I say to her.
“Like what?”
“What were you like as a kid?”
“I was a sporty brat,” she says with a laugh. “That’s what my mom would call me, anyway.”
“I can’t picture it.”
“Soccer was my jam. Always in the backyard trying to learn to juggle the ball.”
“Were you good?”
“Oh, I was vicious. I ran bitches over.”
“Scored goals then, huh?”
“Constantly.”
“Did you play at school?”
She hesitates a second, looking at the ground. “Yeah. Until I ran away.”
“I guess you haven’t played since.”
“No, not really.” She chews her lip for a second. I’ve noticed her doing that more and more… a nervous habit. “What about you?”
“I was a total nerd.”
She grins at me, coming back to herself. “Liar.”
“I was, really.”
“I just don’t believe you.”
“Believe it. I was more into computers and rockets than I was into girls or sports.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t picture it.”
“I wasn’t always so dashing and handsome, you know.”
She gives me a look and leans closer to me. “No, it’s not that. It’s your personality. You’re too outgoing.”
“Ah,” I say, sighing. “That.”
“What do you mean, that?”
“It hasn’t always come so easy for me.”
She’s quiet for a second. “You learned to be outgoing?”
“Pretty much. I realized young that the most interesting people, the ones that always seem to get ahead, are loud and obnoxious and rude and completely outgoing. So I forced myself to learn.”
“Well, you’re definitely obnoxious,” she says.
I laugh and nudge against her. “It wasn’t really easy to learn, you know.”
“But you did it. I don’t even know how someone learns to be something they aren’t.”
“People do it all the time. It’s just… practice. That’s all.”
She snorts. “Practice being outgoing. Okay, that’s new.”
“You can try it, you know.”
“Nah.” She watches a couple stroll past, both short and old and well dressed. “I’m happy with what I am.”
“What are you, little Ruby?” I ask her softly.
She glances at me with a frown. “I’m… I don’t know. I’m me.”
“Obviously, but what are you? Do you even know? You’ve been on the run for so long.”
I can tell that gets to her. I wasn’t trying to get under her skin but I couldn’t help myself.
She shifts in her seat. “I don’t think you know me at all.”
“Maybe not.”
“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean you know me, okay? Just because we…” She trails off, flustered and frustrated.
I wish I had it in me to apologize, I really do. I didn’t mean to piss her off. I just genuinely wasn’t sure if she truly ever had time to sit down and look at herself closely. I think the answer is probably no and that scares her.
“If this ends and we live through it, you can be whatever you want to be,” I say softly to her. “After the baby comes, of course. I’ll help you.”
“Help me.” She snorts. “You’ll make sure you get something out of it first.”
“You think so?”
“You’re a businessman.”
“True. But I’m also a person.”
She glares at me for a second but her expression softens. “Yeah, maybe. I haven’t seen that side of you just yet.”
“I think you have, though,” I answer. “Every time I kiss you when I don’t have to… hold your hand… put my arm around you. The way I’ve been working myself ragged to get us out of this mess… that’s me being a person.”
“That’s you saving your life. And enjoying your property.”
I smirk at her, head cocked. “Are you my property?”
“You think so.”
I lean closer to her, lips inches from her ear. “I’m your Daddy, Ruby… but I don’t own you.”
She looks at me and her flush is getting deeper. “I know that.”
“Good.”
For a moment, I think I might kiss her. But the busker changes song and I decide to pull away.
“Come on.” I stand up. “I have more work to do. And you probably shouldn’t be alone out here.”
She sighs and stands. “Fine. I’m just so bored in the apartment.”
“Read a book.”
“Great suggestion. I’ve never thought of that before.”
I laugh and we head back to the apartment. We take the long way though, skirting through the park and down south.
This part of the city is very, very old. It’s the heart of the city, really, and there are a ton of tiny side streets and little blocks that lead nowhere. We cut down one, barely wide enough for a single car to get through. Cars are parked on the curb, half on the street and half off. The houses are quiet and immaculately kept.
“I’d like to live here one day,” she says wistfully.
<
br /> “I can make that happen.”
“I’m sure you can.”
I turn to say something, but a movement catches my eye.
It’s a blur coming up from behind us. It’s moving FAST, coming hard. I flinch toward Ruby, instinctively putting myself between the blur and her.
It hits me hard. I groan as the air’s shoved from my lungs. Ruby stumbles back, a scream swallowed in her throat.
The thing is a man, I realize after half a second. He slams his shoulder into my midsection and shoves, pushing me off balance and back into Ruby. I hit her and she goes backward, landing hard on her ass. I hit the ground and scramble backward as the man lunges at me.
The sound of metal on stone scrapes through my ears, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart’s racing as I roll away and jump to my feet.
The man grins at me wickedly… and I recognize him.
“They’re not after me anymore,” I say, catching my breath.
It’s the man from my office. The one that Don Grosso warned me about.
“I don’t care,” he says, spitting on the ground. “It’s personal now.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
He advances, a knife in his hand. “I really do. Men like me don’t get more jobs if they can’t finish them.”
He lunges at me, knife flashing. I dance back, knocking into the stoop behind me. He keeps coming, stabbing forward. I try to twist out of the way but I feel a sharp jolt of pain in my side.
I let a growl from my lips as I slam my elbow sideways. It catches him in the temple and he stumbles to the side. He groans and slices at me. I put my arms up and the blade bites into my right forearm, scoring a shallow cut.
He slices again and I manage to dance away. He comes at me, eyes narrowed and angry.
A mass of red hair comes flying at him like a hurricane. I shout but Ruby jumps on his back, grabbing at his hair and slamming her right fist into his neck.
He goes to stab back at her but I jump forward. I let loose a primal shout as I barrel into him, knocking Ruby sprawling. The man lets out a groan as I grab onto his knife hand, shoving my thumb into the pressure point at his wrist as I slam my forehead into his nose.
I feel it crunch for a second time as blood spurts out all over again. He screams in pain as I slam my fist into his gut and twist his knife arm behind his back.
I force it up as hard as I can and feel a sharp crack and a pop as his arm breaks.
He falls to the ground, screaming in pain. I kick his knife away and turn to Ruby.
She’s getting up from the ground, looking a little shaky. “Ruby!” I run to her, throwing my arms around her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she says. “I’m fine, seriously.”
I look into her eyes. “Did you hit your head?”
“No. Seriously, I’m fine.” Her eyes go wide and she raises her left hand. “Shit. You’re bleeding.”
My blood, fresh and red, stands out on her palm.
“Come on.”
I pull her behind me as fast as I can. We hurry away and I can feel my shirt soaking through. The apartment isn’t far but people give me a strange look as I limp past them as fast as I can.
We head upstairs. My shirt’s soaked now and my forearms are dripping. Blood splatters on the carpet and I curse as the pain starts up in earnest.
“Come on,” Ruby says, tugging me into the bathroom. We peel my shirt off together.
There’s a bright gash down my flank. I touch it and curse.
“It’s deep,” she says. “I don’t think it’s too deep but you need stitches. We have to go to a hospital.”
“No,” I growl. “No, we don’t have time for that. Get my phone.”
She frowns at me. “Knox, you can’t work like this.”
I shake my head. “I know a doctor that makes house calls. Get my phone.”
“Of course you do,” she mutters and hurries into the other room. I press a towel against my flank nice and hard, and although it hurts, I think it helps stem the bleeding a bit.
I take the phone and make the call. Dr. Bitter sounds annoyed but when I offer him four times his normal rate, he suddenly has a free schedule.
I hang up and drop the phone onto the counter. I sit back on the toilet and sigh, feeling the pain, my pulse.
Ruby kneels next to me. “You’ll be okay.”
“Yeah.” I squeeze my eyes shut then look at her. “You saved us.”
She frowns. “No, I just—”
“Seriously, Ruby. You saved us. If you haven’t jumped on him like that, I doubt I would’ve won that fight. Not unarmed, not surprised like that.”
She laughs a little. “I guess I did.”
“You did.” I reach forward and touch her face gently. I lean and kiss her, wincing with pain.
“Okay, enough,” she says, helping me lean back.
I sigh and groan. “I’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure you will. Stay here, I’ll get a fresh towel. Is that doctor on his way?”
“He’s coming.”
She leaves the room and I watch her go.
That girl… she really did save our lives. Not many people would be so fucking brave like that.
But that’s Ruby.
That’s why I’m proud of her… proud to be with her.
God damn, Ruby. You mystify me. I don’t know how she was under my nose for so long and I never even realized just how incredible she is.
But now I’ve seen it and there’s no going back.
17
Ruby
Dr. Bitter pushes his glasses up his nose and sighs. “He needs rest,” the doctor says, “but he’ll be okay.”
Relief floods over me. “Nothing serious?”
“Aside from the knife wound?” Bitter raises his eyebrow. “No, it didn’t hit anything life threatening, fortunately. But you were right to call. That’s a nasty wound.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Any time.” Bitter sighs and shakes his head. “I wish I could say that I’m shocked to see Knox like this, but that man…” He trails off.
“I know what you mean.” I look back toward Knox’s bedroom door. “He’s reckless.”
“That’s putting it mildly. Believe it or not, I’ve known Knox for a long time, and that man will do anything he sets his mind to, no matter how stupid. I can only guess what kind of trouble you two are mixed up in.”
I give him an apologetic smile. “Well, he’ll figure it out.”
“I’m sure.” Bitter pushes his glasses up again. He’s about the same age as Knox and just as handsome, with frosty gray eyes and a muscular, broad build. “Let him get some rest. He’ll be okay. And make sure he takes his antibiotics and the pain medication.”
“I will.”
He nods and heads to the elevator. I see him out and he just shakes his head as the doors close.
I can only imagine what he thinks happened.
As I head back to Knox’s room, I replay the doctor stitching him up over in my head. I can see the way Knox refused to show the pain as the doctor did his work, closing the wound on his side. The cuts on his arms weren’t bad, although one did need a couple stitches, but it’s the slice down his side that was ugliest.
Still, he’s going to be okay. I step into his bedroom and he smiles at me as I head over and sit down gently next to him.
Relief washes over my body when he cocks his head. “Why do you look like someone died?” he asks.
“Because you almost did.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “No way.”
“Knox, come on. He cut you open.”
“I know that. But I’m fine.”
I sigh and he grins bigger at me. He reaches out and pulls me against him, leaning me gently against his chest. I sigh and rest my head there, trying not to put too much weight on him.
He adjusts, sitting upward. He looks down into my eyes and pulls my face back slightly.
“You did good,” he says s
oftly. “Not just with that asshole earlier. But with the doctor just now.”
“Yeah?”
“Bitter’s a good man, but I don’t want him to know the details of what happened. Thank you for keeping that to yourself.”
“I didn’t think that would be a good idea.”
He smiles and gently kisses me. I feel a strange thing run down my spine… a thrill that reaches through my body, my blood pumping, my pulse spiking.
“It’s a good thing I have you,” he says softly.
“I think I’ve brought more pain than good into your life.”
“I’m not sure about that.” He smirks at me and kisses me again, this time slower, deeper.
I’m afraid of hurting him but I can’t help myself. I kiss him back, my whole body shaking suddenly. I think all the fear and terror that I’ve been holding back since we were attacked comes flooding back over me.
But there’s also relief.
I’m happy to be alive.
And I’m happy Knox is going to be okay.
It hits me like a truck, how close we just were. Knox reacts to my kiss as it gets deeper, hungrier.
I need him. I need him badly, in a way I never needed someone before. It’s not just his protection, but it’s him.
I need him to touch me… to make me feel good.
I need him to make me feel alive.
I kiss him and he pulls my hair, tugging me closer. He kisses my neck, adjusts himself, and I can feel his body stiffen.
I push him back onto the pillows and get up on the bed. I straddle him and pull off my shirt. His eyes are roaring flames as he takes my body in. I take my bra off and lean forward, kissing him again, trying not to put too much weight on him.
He growls in response, sitting up and teasing my breasts with his palms. He shouldn’t move, he could open his stitches, but we’re both so far beyond that.
I can feel it in his kiss and his touch. He feels the same way, the rush and relief of survival.
I kiss him hard and let his hands roam my body. He grabs my hair, tongue on my neck, my chest, my breasts. I lean back and moan as he sucks and bites my nipples gently before pulling me back down.
I can feel him getting hard under my wet and warm pussy. I feel him stiffen beneath me and my body reacts, almost against my will. My pulse goes faster and I roll my hips, riding along his length. He’s wearing thin cotton sweats and I can feel every inch of him, every contour, every detail as I press down on his enormous hard cock.
