“I know this sucks,” Jax said from below. “But MacKenzie had a long talk with him today. He’s promised to be on his best behavior. ”
“Then he doesn’t need a fucking chaperone. ” Wes tossed back.
Rubi stepped up to the railing.
“At least come with me, dude,” Wes said. “Go change and grab Lexi and get a night out. Then you can save him when I’ve got my hands around his neck. ”
“Lexi’s doing the fitting with Rubi, and I’ve got to work up this bid by eight a. m. ”
A slight hesitation, then, “Rubi’s here?”
Rubi closed her eyes and hung her head.
She’d been with him half the day. She’d called it quits when the fight scenes had moved outdoors and he’d practiced the moves with Keaton shirtless—beneath the blazing late-summer sun with sweat slicking his tanned skin. The thought made every cell in her torso ache. She needed some freaking space and had been looking forward to a night of relief from the heat he stirred inside her.
“Where?” Wes asked, the anger draining from his voice. “Upstairs?”
“Don’t go up there, dude,” Jax said. But by the way he raised his voice, Rubi knew Wes was already headed her way.
“Wes, stay out. ” Lexi swung toward the stairs. “We’re not decent up here. ”
He stopped on the top step, still head and shoulders above Lexi. He was grinning as he gripped her upper arms and set her aside so he could pass. “That’s just how I like Rubi best—indecent. ”
Rubi huffed a laugh and leaned against the railing. “Don’t bother, Lex. He seems to do whatever he pleases nowadays. ”
His gaze darted toward her voice, and he froze. One hand gripped the side rail, the other landed flat against the wall. His shocked gaze slid over her from shoulders to toes and heated Rubi everywhere. The shock quickly shifted to pure lust, and his gaze returned to hers.
“If that were true, baby,” he said, “I’d have done you by now. ”
Rubi laughed. That comment probably crossed the friends line—even though they’d flirted like this before anything changed, but the man never failed to make her smile.
“You are such an asshole. ” Jax appeared behind Wes, averting his gaze from Rubi—although she was wearing far more than she did on the beach in her bikini. “You’re about to get an attitude adjustment. ”
“You can do that later. ” Lexi fought a smile and pushed past Wes, taking Jax’s arm and pulling him behind her. “Come downstairs with me. ”
Jax’s and Lexi’s voices faded and a door downstairs clicked closed. Wes still hadn’t moved. His gaze hadn’t stopped inventorying every inch of her body. And his gaze wasn’t the only thing heating her from the inside out.
He looked spectacular. He wore black suit pants, a black suit jacket, and white dress shirt, every piece hanging perfectly on his muscled frame. His hair looked damp and was combed off his face, but he hadn’t shaved, and the day’s golden stubble dirtied his jaw.
“Well, don’t you look”—Rubi caught herself before she said edible and replaced it with—“amazing?”
He’d never looked sexier and Rubi had urges she’d never had before. Urges that included more than simply fucking him. She wanted to undress him slowly, not rip his clothes off. Wanted to explore his body, not just use it. Wanted to laugh and tease and please him in bed, not just get it done so she could move on.
Every thought terrified her more than the last.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t follow rules,” she said.
His mouth kicked up in that sexy way that made her stomach float, and his fiery gaze wandered downward again with a look of longing both sweet and sultry.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare?” she asked. “It’s kinda…rude. ”
His gaze drifted up and met hers. Those deep-gray eyes were heavy-lidded and on fire. “Would it be less rude to throw you down on the table and fuck you?” His rough words shot fire between her legs. Then he reached down with one hand and adjusted that amazing package. The sight sent her blood into a boil. “’Cause, I’m fully equipped and extremely capable. ”
Rubi’s grin spread. “You definitely have no self-esteem problems, do you?”
He pushed up the final stair, eased his suit jacket back and planted his hands on his hips. “Give me a few hours alone with you, and I’ll let you tell me if I should develop some. ”
He started toward her with a predatory look that pinched her belly with lust. Rubi held her ground but gripped the railing so tight her fingers tingled from the blood loss. When he was within five feet, his scent drifted to her. Clean, spicy, sexy. It curled around her, along with his body heat, and made her dizzy.