‘And just so we’re clear,’ Sam said with deadly emphasis, ‘I don’t need to resort to underhand tactics to seduce a woman.’ He slapped a mug down on the bench in front of her but didn’t let go when she reached for the handle.
‘I’m very upfront and honest about my needs.’
‘And I’m not?’
‘Not even close.’
Ruby gripped the handle of the mug, unconsciously registering the warmth of where he had held it. ‘Well, at least you can’t accuse me of breaking a promise,’ she said, turning her back on him.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Forget it.’ She wished she hadn’t said anything because she could hear that she’d piqued his interest.
‘That was a pointed comment. Explain it.’
‘No.’
She put the mug to her lips, her eyes going wide when he rounded the bench to stand in front of her.
Run, an inner voice whispered, fast.
‘Let me put it another way,’ he warned softly. ‘You’re not leaving this kitchen until you explain yourself.’
‘Really?’ She lifted her chin belligerently. ‘And what if I don’t?’
‘Then you might well be able to charge me with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.’
Ruby thought about her options, deciding by the determined jut of his jaw that they were most likely limited. ‘Fine.’ She huffed out a breath. ‘You want to know what I meant, I’ll tell you.’ She took a quick, fortifying sip of coffee, which was irritatingly delicious. ‘Two years ago you walked me home, kissed me breathless and then made some banal promise to call me and never did. Not only that, but the next day I also find out that you escorted another woman to the polo.’ Her lips pursed in a moue of distaste. ‘I always wondered if you told her that you’d been locking lips with me the night before or if you just moved on without a thought?’
Sam frowned. ‘I didn’t take anyone to the polo. I went alone.’
‘You either think I’m completely daft, Sam, or you have an appalling memory.’ She rolled her eyes at his deepening frown. ‘Skinny? Beautiful? Redhead? Ring any bells?’
‘Ruth Simons?’ He stared at her. ‘She wasn’t my date. She approached me to say hello, we talked about old times and then we went our separate ways. And no, I didn’t mention that I spent the night before kissing you breathless because it would have been none of her damned business.’
Was he telling the truth?
A litany of her father’s broken promises spiralled through her head:
‘See you at your softball game this weekend, Rubelicious!’
‘Let’s go out for your birthday this year, somewhere special for once...’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow, pumpkin. I promise.’
And her mother’s time-honoured advice: ‘If you let men walk all over you, Ruby Jane, they’ll treat you like a doormat for ever.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Ruby said, confusion and uncertainty replacing the flush of anger that had driven her emotions higher. ‘None of it matters.’
Refusing to let her retreat, Sam stepped into her personal space, looming over her. ‘I think it does.’ His astute gaze held hers. ‘I was wrong to say that I’d call you and then not follow through. I hurt you, I think. I’m sorry.’
Shocked by the sincerity of his apology, all Ruby could do was stare up at him.
‘It’s okay,’ Ruby whispered, hating the thready quality in her voice that clearly depicted the hurt she hadn’t wanted him to see. ‘It’s not as if it has any bearing on the here and now.’
‘It clearly does or you wouldn’t have mentioned it.’ His hands came up to curve around her shoulders. ‘And you need to know that I was intending to call you. I just...’ He grimaced. ‘I got cold feet at the last minute. I can’t explain it other than to say that I wasn’t ready for you back then.’ His gaze held hers, his voice low. ‘I’m not sure I’m ready for you now. But I know I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted any other woman before. And you want me too. I can see it in your eyes.’ His hands slid to her neck, the roughened pads of his thumbs tilting her chin up. ‘Feel it in your touch, in the way you tremble against me, like now. Why is it so hard for you to admit it?’