their spare time?
Dessert was worth waiting for, and then it was time for Ruby to thank Russell for the marvellous meal, wish them all a Merry Christmas and see herself home.
She thought she’d executed a clean getaway as Damon rose to pull out her chair.
Until Russell insisted on everyone heading to the hotel foyer together, presumably so they could see her into a taxi, only by the time they got there Russell had rearranged events to his liking, in that everyone could fit in the limo, and his chauffeur would drive everyone home.
Ruby knew when to cut her losses and go with a superior plan, only by the time they arrived at Russell’s high rise the plan had changed again.
Ruby didn’t even see it coming until Russell alighted and helped Lena and Poppy from the car, and then leaned back down and asked Damon to see Ruby home, and by then the limo door was closing, and the limo—with her and Damon in it—was pulling smoothly away from the kerb.
‘Old fox. He planned that,’ she murmured, and Damon responded with a smile. ‘And you let him.’
‘My father has a chivalrous streak,’ countered Damon.’ Surely you know that by now.’
She did know that. ‘And you? What kind of streak do you have?’
‘Right now I’m going to have to go with masochistic,’ he said with a twist of his lips as he leaned his head back against the black leather interior of the limo. Had Damon known how intimate this ride would be with the others gone and just the two of them in here now?
And then he turned his head towards her and the seat space she’d made sure to put between them seemed to disappear. ‘I tried to answer your question,’ he said quietly.
‘I know.’ And in doing so he’d got to her. Again. ‘Did you think it would get you into my bed?’
‘Not really, no.’
‘Then why do it?’
‘Maybe I just wanted to know what it felt like to be that open.’
‘And what did it feel like?’
‘Wrong.’
They lapsed into silence again, a brooding, swirling silence that complemented the black leather seats and the cavernous limo interior. Ruby rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes against the pull of him.
She’d wanted honesty from him. She hadn’t realised just how much it would hurt.
‘Maybe it’ll get easier,’ she offered quietly. ‘Maybe you just need to find the right person.’
‘Maybe.’ But the word held a world of defeat in it, and Ruby opened weary eyes and turned her head and held his gaze.
She edged a little closer, moving slowly. It was the only way she knew to approach such a wild and wary thing. He didn’t move towards her, but he didn’t move away. Just watched in silence and when she set gentle lips to his he shuddered in silence too, before pulling slowly away.
‘What was that for?’ he whispered.
‘That was for you. For trying, because I asked you to, even if it didn’t go so well. Consider it my Thank You.’
‘Oh.’
This time he was the one to initiate the meeting of lips, and although he had no way with words he knew exactly how to pour emotion into a kiss. Longing and regret and she knew he still wanted her in spite of his inability to be open with her, and it made her want to cry.
‘That was You’re Welcome,’ he whispered.
And then he kissed her again and she wound her arms around his neck and his hands were gentle on her waist as he drew her onto him, over him, and pressing up into her with a sensuality she’d always known he commanded.
Not just kisses any more but the slide of her body against his and the rapid beating of his heart beneath her hand. He had a connoisseur’s touch and she had a powerful need for that touch tonight. Did it really matter that she knew next to nothing about him and probably never would? She knew he wanted her—wasn’t that enough?
Passion fed and passion burned as their kisses grew deeper and more urgent, and when the limo started to slow and Ruby looked out of the window through glazed eyes and saw her high rise up ahead she groaned, and Damon groaned with her.
‘Drive with me a while,’ he whispered, and she knew what he was asking and she’d resisted him before but there was no resisting him now.
Slowly, she lifted her hand to her headband and slid it from her head and dropped it to the floor. ‘Yes.’
Damon reached for the intercom switch and said, ‘Take us for a drive,’ and the limo moved off.
Time enough now to loosen Damon’s tie, and the buttons on his shirt, with her forehead pressed to his and their breath mingling as he slid the straps of her dress down her arms with gentle fingers.
‘Tell me you know what you’re getting us into,’ he muttered. ‘Tell me you know what you’re doing.’
‘I know what I’m doing.’ While the top of her dress peeled away from her body and she drew his head down to the curve of her breast. ‘So do you.’ As her strapless bra came apart beneath his fingers and he claimed her nipple with his lips and set her to arching back and biting her own.
He explored every hollow and worshipped every curve and before too many minutes had passed he had her beneath him on the seat, half naked and wholly mindless as he moved inside her, every stroke a revelation.
‘Tell me you can taste the truth in this,’ he whispered. ‘In me.’
‘I do taste it.’
In the way he savoured her, honoured her, and in the way his touch made her tremble. ‘Tell me you won’t regret this.’
‘Never. Damon, not ever.’ As the driver kept driving and Ruby and Damon got lost in each other.
It had to end eventually. Love-making always had to end. With Ruby climaxing in Damon’s arms as he emptied himself into her. With Damon swallowing her cries of completion and groaning softly as her body grew boneless and his did too, and somehow she ended up stretched out on top of him, with Damon’s arms around her waist keeping her there.
The interior of the limo looked like someone’s messy closet. Her clothes would be here somewhere and she would get around to putting them back on soon.
But not just yet.
‘That was …’ Damon didn’t seem to know how to finish the sentence ‘… a revelation.’
‘I concur.’ Ruby pushed herself up into a sitting position, still straddling him, still very, very naked. Damon’s gaze fell to her breasts and his lazy grin turned lopsided.
‘Here’s a tip,’ he said huskily. ‘If you ever want to win an argument with me, just get naked.’
‘Something to remember,’ she murmured. ‘Are we going to argue now?’
‘No.’ He slid his hand around the back of her neck and rose up to kiss the side of her mouth. He wasn’t done with her yet, and the notion delighted her. ‘Not right now.’
She couldn’t seem to get enough of his touch. Of his kisses. ‘So what shall we do?’
‘Ladies’ choice.’ He leaned back against the seat, his slitted gaze not leaving her face as he began to harden against her once more.
‘Good. Because, right now I just want to sit back and enjoy the ride.’
They found their clothes and put them on eventually. They made it back to Ruby’s apartment building, and it was after one, and technically Christmas Day already, and Damon had places to be—like with his family—and Ruby had things to do, like go inside and figure out what she was going to do with Damon West