Ruby
“I look…okay,” I whispered to myself uncertainly as I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom suite.
I hadn’t seen Jett yet, but he’d bellowed out from his office that our reservation was at seven p.m. as I’d come back into the penthouse.
I was ready, and it was barely six fifteen. But I knew traffic was probably going to be crazy.
As I peered into the mirror again, I finally saw the woman I could be if I was able to take care of myself.
The stylist had taken off a considerable amount of length from my dark hair to shape it into a healthier style. It barely brushed my shoulders now, but the big fat curls she’d put into my normally straight hair made me look older, and more sophisticated. And the reddish-brown highlighting made my hair shine.
My skin was glowing from the makeup the makeover artist had used sparingly by my request.
I didn’t want to change my appearance; I wanted to enhance what was already there.
She’d highlighted my dark eyes with a smoky-colored shadow that made my boring, brown eyes a little more mysterious.
Pete had taken me to the store where his wife worked, and I’d chosen a dress that had been on clearance because summer was coming to an end. It was the first days of fall, but the weather was still warm enough to wear a summer outfit, so I’d purchased the beautiful dress, knowing I could always wear it next year if the weather got chilly soon.
I’d fallen in love with the simplicity of the little black dress almost immediately. It was strapless, which was going to take some getting used to, but I loved the slightly asymmetrical look. The front, which ended just above the knee, was slightly shorter than the back, and that small difference made the silky material fall around my body in an unusual and elegant shape.
I twirled around, loving the way the skirt fell right back into place when I stopped.
Maybe the dress would be nothing special to most women, but it was special to me because it was the first dress I’d ever chosen myself.
A sharp rap on the door brought me out of my fantasy. “Hey, Cinderella. You ready?” Jett called through the door.
“On my way,” I answered as I slipped my feet into a pair of sandals. I’d picked up a black pair with low heels so I didn’t make a fool out of myself by tripping over stilettos.
I picked up my purse, and frowned. I knew it wasn’t exactly a dress purse. It was the same small, black, cross-body that I used every day, but it would have to work.
I took a deep breath, and left my room, making my way to the living room downstairs where I knew Jett would be waiting.
He was seated on the couch with his phone, apparently answering text messages, judging by the way he was typing furiously with his head down.
My heart skittered as I realized he was wearing a beautiful dark suit with a green and charcoal colored tie. Jett was the kind of guy who could own anything he was wearing. He looked just as comfortable in a suit as he did in a pair of jeans, and I was pretty sure the green in the tie would match his eyes.
I froze as he finally looked up and saw me, noticing that I’d been right. The gorgeous green in his tie really did match his eyes.
He dropped his phone in his pocket, and then got up slowly, his intense stare never leaving me as he stood.
“What in the hell did you do?” he said gutturally.
“You don’t like it,” I said as I finally moved, my shoulders slumping as I moved toward him. “I was trying something new, something that looked nicer than jeans, but less fussy than what I have in my wardrobe,” I added, trying to sound upbeat when I actually felt crushed.
He reached out and fingered a fat curl as I stopped in front of him. “Mission accomplished,” he said in a low, sexy baritone. “You look stunning, Ruby.”
“But?” I questioned, knowing something wasn’t right.
“But I’ll be fighting every guy who so much as looks at you,” he said in a husky tone. “Because I’ll know that when they look at all that beautiful skin you’re showing, they’ll be thinking about getting you naked.”
My heart thumped against my chest wall, and my body started to tremble as he ran a finger along my bare shoulder.
“The only guy I want to notice me is you,” I said breathlessly. “I wanted you to be proud of the woman you’re with. I tried on everything in my wardrobe, but none of them felt like me.”
He tipped my chin up so our eyes connected. “I’ve always noticed you,” he said firmly. “And you’ve always been beautiful. But tonight—you take my breath away. And I should have known better than to try to buy you clothes. I can send them all back.”
I sighed as I fell into his beautiful eyes, unable to look away. “I was afraid you didn’t like the new look. Not that I’m going to look this way every day,” I said hurriedly. “I’m not a fussy kind of female. But I did like the manicure. My nails were a mess.”
He took a lock of my hair between his fingers. “And what did they do to your hair?”
“They had to cut it to get it healthy again. All my ends were split and dry.”
“I’ll pay for all of this, Ruby. I should have thought about it before now,” he said regretfully.
I smiled at him. “You did pay for it. I had to take money from my savings. But I’ll put it back. And we need to talk about you putting that kind of money into my savings account,” I informed him. “I nearly had heart failure.”
“Not tonight,” he said hoarsely, his eyes still glued to me. “I’m going to have the most beautiful woman in the world on my arm. I want to savor that.”
I fake punched him in the upper arm. “Okay, now it’s getting pretty thick,” I teased. “But I’m glad you think I look acceptable. It’s nice to feel like a woman for once.”
“You need a coat,” he said. “We’ll be on the water.”
“I didn’t quite get that far,” I confessed. “And I definitely didn’t need one in Miami.”
“I have some female stuff in the last bedroom at the very end of the hallway upstairs. But I’m not sure if she left a coat,” he said thoughtfully.
“I refuse to wear anything that bitch left here,” I said before I could censor my words.
But I wasn’t at all sorry I said them. I’d rather freeze than wear anything that Jett’s ex had worn with him.
He took my hand and tugged me toward the elevator. “I don’t think Dani is really a bitch. But my sister definitely has her moments.” He punched the elevator button once we were safely inside.
“Oh, God. I’m sorry. I guess I immediately thought about…” My voice trailed off in embarrassment.
He was grinning at me. “My kitten has claws,” he drawled.
“I don’t like what she did to you,” I said firmly.
He leaned closer. “Are you trying to protect me, Ruby?”
I frowned at him. “So what if I am?”
He took a deep breath before he said, “I think I might like it.” He paused before he said, “Fuck! What is that scent? It smells like sugar cookies or vanilla.”
“A fragrance I tried at the salon. I liked it. It’s light and sweet, but nothing overpowering.”
“It makes me want to take a bite out of you,” he grumbled.
I shivered, wishing he’d go ahead and take as many bites as he liked.
As I looked at his fevered eyes, my nipples hardened in response, and my body was so hungry for him that I wanted to forget dinner and go straight to dessert here at home.
“Jett, I—”
“Don’t,” he interrupted as he stepped back. “I overstepped. I seem to do a hell of a lot of that when it comes to you.”
His hand raked through his hair in frustration as the elevator doors opened.
He exited and led the way to the bedroom where some of Dani’s belongings were apparently stored.
As he opened the closet doors, he warned, “Some of them are older than others. Her stuff always seemed to end up in my condo when she was taking off for some assignment overseas. I’ve collected a ton of her things. Now that she’s getting married to Marcus, I’m shipping them to his place.”
“She’s getting married?” I said with excitement as I carefully looked through the garments and selected a gorgeous black wool coat.
He nodded.
“Does she love him?” I asked softly.
Jett took the coat from me and held it up to help me put it on. “I sure as hell hope so since they’re tying the knot. She’s known Marcus and all of the Colters since we were young, and I think Marcus has always been the one. It just took them awhile to realize it.”
“I’m happy for her,” I said sincerely. “She deserves a man who loves her.”
“She wants you to come to the wedding, if you can make it,” he said. “It would make her happy if you’d come with me.”
“I’d like that,” I told him. “If I won’t be in the way.”
“The Colters own an enormous resort. I think we can find room,” he said drily as he took my hand and led me back to the elevator.
“I hope she doesn’t mind me wearing her coat,” I said.
Jett snorted as he laughed. “Cinderella, I can guarantee you that she doesn’t even remember she has it.”
“I can’t imagine having that many clothes,” I mused.
We rode down in the elevator and were out the door in moments. Jett finally said, “Funny thing is, Dani’s never really been that crazy about clothes. I think she gets stuff when she needs it, but then immediately forgets about it. She pretty much wore the same stuff all the time overseas, and it definitely wasn’t fancy.”
Pete opened the door of the sedan as we walked outside. “Good evening,” he greeted us. “You’re both looking very elegant tonight.”
Jett stopped before he got into the car and frowned at his driver. “Did you take Ruby around to help her get so elegant?” he asked Pete irritably.
The driver beamed at his boss. “I certainly did.”
“I’ll fire you later,” Jett said in a dangerous voice.
I looked at Pete, alarmed that Jett was threatening his job.
The driver winked at me as he answered cheerily, “I think I’ve heard that quite a few times before, boss, and I’m still here.”
“I’m doing it this time,” Jett told him as he ducked into the car.
“He never does,” Pete said in a low voice. “He just likes to remind me that he can.”
My body relaxed as I realized this was the way the two men interacted with each other, and they both seemed to enjoy it.
I smiled at Pete as I got into the car, happy the driver wasn’t going to lose his job, and that Jett had at least one other person who would always have his back, whether he wanted it or not.