“Hold on. Let me check this.” She waited patiently while I read the text from Junior: On my way to the rendezvous spot.
This made me happy. Soon LC would have his Roadster, and all would be right with the Duncans’ world—and I could celebrate with Ruby all night. I texted back: Cool. We exchanged a few more quick texts before we were done, and I turned my attention back to Ruby.
“Where were we?”
“I was asking you why I’m here.”
Because I’ve been thinking about you, every inch of you. Because there’s no one else Remy could have sent who holds a candle to you.
Those were the things I wanted to tell her but never would. Instead, I said nonchalantly, “Guess I made an exception,” as if breaking my own rule wasn’t the monumental thing that it really was.
Her confusion seemed to be giving way to a little bit of an attitude, complete with hands on her hips and the hint of a sour frown, which she was trying hard to conceal. Either she just didn’t like being confused, or she could see right through me and knew I was full of shit. Maybe she knew just what her beauty was doing to me. The growing excitement in my boxers sure wasn’t helping to disprove that theory.
“Here. This is for you,” I said, holding out the garment bag I’d been carrying, in the hope that I could distract her before she noticed she was making me hard.
“What’s this?” she asked, though her bright eyes and quick smile made me think she already had some idea.
“Open it.”
Her smile grew even wider when she opened the bag and took out the silk halter dress I’d bought for her. When I spotted it in Bloomingdale’s, I’d instantly envisioned her gorgeous mahogany skin against the white silk.
Her eyes met mine, and for the first time that night, I heard that sweet island music again. Now, that was more like it.
“Put it on,” I said.
She turned to head to the bedroom to change.
“No, here. I want to watch you put it on.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. This time when she began unbuttoning her blouse, she kept her eyes on me, and that vacant look from before was replaced with ... Was that admiration? Desire? Either way, I liked the way she was gazing into my eyes as she undressed for me. I guess a three-thousand-dollar dress can turn a bad situation good, just that fast.
By the time she was down to her bra and panties, she had me rethinking the plans I’d made. Maybe we’d have to order takeout, because I didn’t know if I’d be able to wait until after dinner to bury myself deep inside her warmth.
Just as I was about to tell her to take off the rest, my phone rang. I looked down and saw my father’s number on the screen. As much as I hated to tear my eyes off Ruby’s body, I’d already learned my lesson about ignoring calls from my family, so I turned away and answered the call. Behind me, I heard Ruby sigh. Guess she didn’t like being interrupted while she was seducing a man.
“Junior’s on his way to the rendezvous spot,” my father said when I answered.
“I know. He texted me already.” I hoped the annoyance wasn’t evident in my voice. It wasn’t so much my father that was annoying me, just the fact that I had much better things to attend to at the moment. Work could wait.
My father must have sensed something, because he kept the call mercifully brief. It wasn’t long before he said, “All right, son. I’ll talk to you tomorrow at the office.”
I hung up and turned around. I didn’t know what was more gorgeous, Ruby in her bra and panties, or in the dress she was now wearing. The rhinestones sparkling along the neckline drew my eyes to her succulent cleavage.
“You look ... beautiful,” I said, at a loss for words to truly describe her.
“Thank you. This is very generous of you.”
I didn’t answer. She was so stunning, I felt like I could barely form a thought in my head.