want a future with her.
She wouldn’t be that gullible again.
So as she entered her cottage, she showered and changed her clothes and set her mind on keeping her feelings for Brooks neutral. He was a city guy, Beau’s long-lost son and a man who’d be leaving town after the holidays. She couldn’t give herself fully to Brooks, but she could enjoy spending time with him and look forward to the pleasures they could give each other. Once again she asked herself if her attraction to Brooks was real or simply a way to redeem her blistered and battered soul.
Brooks made her feel feminine and special and beautiful.
That was enough for now.
* * *
Shortly after, Ruby parked her car so it was completely hidden from sight behind a feed shed and walked up to Brooks’s cabin. She knocked briskly. Her heart was pounding, her mind made up. When Brooks opened the door, she studied the handsome face, the beautiful blue eyes gazing back at her. “My shelf life for you has just expired.”
Brooks’s eyes flickered, and a growl emanated from his throat.
He took her hand and tugged her inside.
Then slammed the door shut behind them.
Brooks seemed to know. He really seemed to know she didn’t need mindless words as he peeled her dress down her arms and over her hips until she was clad only in a pink bra and panties. His groan of approval gave way to him ripping at the buttons of his shirt and yanking it off. Then he lifted her silently, his strong arms under her legs and his mouth covering hers as he moved down the hall. He didn’t let up on her lips until they reached the bedroom. His room was bathed in candlelight—a nice touch—and the soft beams delicately caressed the bedsheets.
Instead of lowering her onto the bed, Brooks guided her down his body until her feet met with cool wood floor planks. He reached around and unhooked her bra, then slipped his fingers under the straps, pulling them away and freeing her breasts. He gazed at them for several heartbeats before he hooked her panties with a finger and slid them all the way down her legs. With the slightest move of her feet, she stepped out of them.
It amazed her how much she trusted him. How she allowed him to bear witness to her naked body without worry or shyness. Maybe it was the glow of admiration in his eyes, the way they seemed to touch and warm her at the same time. Her nipples tightened under his scrutiny, and he noticed. “You’re cold.”
She shook her head no.
She wasn’t cold. She was turned on. Ready for whatever Brooks wanted to do.
He walked around her and pressed his body to hers. The length of his manhood rubbed against her backside, and her eyelids lowered ever so slowly. He reached around and cupped her heavy breasts in his hands much like he had her rear end earlier in the day, and then nibbled lustily on the back of her neck. If he was trying to drive her crazy, he was doing a good job. Her body was throbbing now, hot and eager for more.
He wasn’t through tormenting her. Next he used his palms to mold her skin from her shoulders down along the very edge of her breasts. He smoothed his hands to the hollow curves of her waist and lower still until his fingertips touched the apex of her thighs, teasing and tempting, bringing her immense pleasure. Instincts had her spreading her legs, welcoming the onslaught, and her breathing escalated. She couldn’t think of anything but what he was doing to her. What she wanted him to do to her.
He rubbed against her as he brought her closer still, pressed so tight there was no doubt about his own thick arousal. And then his hand moved to her core, making her gasp and silently plead for more. His fingertips worked the folds of her skin and drew her out with tender but targeted strokes that jolted her body. “Easy now,” Brooks whispered as he wrapped his free arm around her waist to steady her while he continued his torment. She was so ready, so primed that it took only a few more infinitely refined strokes to send her sailing over the edge.
She rocked back and shuddered long and hard, the spasms ridiculously powerful. When they were over, Brooks braced her in his arms, bestowing kisses on her shoulders, her back, and then spun her around and looked deep into her eyes.
Ruby was in too much awe to say a word.
Brooks wasn’t much in the mood for talking, either. He whipped off his belt and then removed the rest of his clothes. Her eyes dipped to his beautifully ripped and aroused body, and she fell to her knees before him and gave him the same pleasure he’d given her. He groaned from deep in his chest with utter approval, and it wasn’t long before he was reaching for her, lifting her up.
“I need to be inside you,” he rasped.
“Lie down, Galahad.”
And once he was in position, taking up the length of the bed and wearing protection, she threw her leg over his hips and straddled him. “Ah man, Ruby,” he said. “You have no idea how you look right now.”
“Like I’m about to ride?”
Even through his heated expression, he chuckled. “You comparing me to a horse?”
“Take it as a compliment,” she said as she pressed herself down onto him. A low, guttural sigh emerged from his throat as her body took all of him inside. Then she began a slow, steady climb. Brooks’s hands were on her hips, holding on or guiding her—she couldn’t tell—and then the pace changed, surging and building to a crescendo that had her crying out.
Brooks, too, was there, grunting and sighing in a mix of pain and pleasure.
The climax hit them hard together, and their cries echoed from the cabin walls.
Ruby fell atop him and he gathered her in, holding her tight, cradling her in his arms.
She was spent, her limbs like jelly.
It was a good thing she had Brooks on the brain tonight.
Tomorrow she would have to deal with Trace.
Ruby stood at the gates of the Cool Springs Christmas Carnival on the outskirts of town. She used to barrel race at these fairgrounds as a young girl. Ruby smiled at the memories. Oh, how she’d always loved it when the carnival came to town. With her father looking on, she’d put her horse through the paces, leaning and reining and guiding those sharp turns, feeling at one with the animal. She’d brought home a few trophies in her day, but once her papa had passed on, Ruby turned to something she loved even more: training horses. It was his legacy that she now carried on at Look Away.
Strings of twinkling lights crisscrossed the carnival grounds. There were giant holly wreaths as well as red-and-green banners announcing the holiday. The chatter of fun-seeking crowds, children’s laughter and shouts from hawkers selling cotton candy and funnel cakes brought it all home. Ruby smiled.
It was here that Trace Evans first kissed her, back behind the shack that now sold hot chocolate and coffee. Her heart warmed despite the brisk December night as she stood there taking it all in.
And then she saw him.
Trace.
Approaching
