There’s a desperation in Ruby’s blue eyes that demands to be devoured—licked and stroked and fucked until it’s docile and demure and harmless—but I know how limited our time is.

I’ve had the partition up between Phillip’s portion of the car and ours since before Ruby stepped into the car, and I’m glad for it now, because she’s trembling underneath me, lying back against the leather of the seats, her back braced against the door.

There’s so much more I want to say to her. There’s so much more I want to know about her. But the need crackling between us in the air can’t be ignored—not for another second. It’s pulsing through both of us, from the little sounds that escape her mouth when I kiss her, crushing my lips against hers.

It’s only a matter of time before it becomes awkward for us to be in here. It doesn’t seem like Ruby’s noticed we’ve stopped moving. Phillip works for me, and given the partition, he’ll realize that any exits might take a little longer than usual. But when Ruby does figure it out, she’ll insist. Professionalism, I’m fairly sure, will begin in the driveway.

So I stretch the moment out for as long as I can, kissing her deeply, tasting the sweetness of her lips, the mint of her gum.

Then I reach for her leg, pressing my palm against her skin above her knee and moving it upward, upward, inch by inch. I want to take even longer, to tease her, to draw out more little moans, but the clock is ticking,

She gasps when my fingers meet the smooth fabric of her panties. Ruby spreads her legs as wide as she can, her left leg making contact with the back of the seat, and you can bet that I take the invitation. I shove her panties to the side, hooking my finger in the dampness and pulling them roughly away from her folds, making her gasp again.

Ruby’s soaking wet, her juices collected between her legs. She opens her mouth to let me drive my tongue in at the same time that I slide two fingers into her hot opening. There’s no resistance, none whatsoever. She only sucks in a deep breath, her muscles clenching around the fingers, and I hook them to the front, fingertips brushing against the secret spot hidden inside her.

“Oh…” Ruby groans. There’s only one thing left to do—she’s right on the edge. I press the pad of my thumb against her swollen clit and rub it in circles—one, two, three.

There’s nothing prettier than watching her come, her hips jerking up and away from the seat of the car. She slaps her hand over her own mouth, stifling her cries, but they vibrate through her body, matching the rhythm of her hips.

As she’s beginning to come down, I lean forward, twisting my fingers inside of her, and growl two words into her ear. “Good girl.”

It makes her come again.

It takes another full minute before she can open her eyes again. When she does, I slip my fingers from inside of her and put them to my mouth, sucking the sweetness from them. Her lips part, then curl upward in a smile. 

 “You taste so sweet.” I kiss her one more time, and this time she reaches up, her hand curling around my jaw, insisting that I let her explore the taste of me. I let her. Hell yes do I let her.

She releases me.

“I also should tell you...we’re here.”

Ruby gives me the most wicked grin I’ve ever seen. “Oh, Levi.” She waggles a finger at me. “Did you think I didn’t know?”

Cataloguing the contents of the estate, with Ruby in that sundress, is nothing less than torturous.

But a man keeps his promises.

“Naughty.” I whispered the word into her ear and turned around, reaching for the handle of the opposite door. In the driveway, I removed my suit jacket from work, straightened my shirt, and headed for the entrance.

It took only a few moments for her to catch up, her hands reaching for her hair. It’s perfect again in an instant.

She noticed the empty spaces in the living room immediately.

Yesterday I had a team come through and take the pieces I’m definitely including in the auction back to the warehouse—all but a few of them, which I had transported to a private storage area that’s separate from the rest of the inventory. I haven’t decided what to do about those—not exactly—but I know it needs to be something different. For Ruby’s sake.

Her face fell when she noticed the missing items, but only for a moment. She didn’t allow herself to look devastated. Instead, she put a smile on. “We’re making progress.”

In more ways than one.

She turns to me in one of the upstairs guest bedrooms, her eyes shining. “Henry and I used to write plays in here.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Plays?”

“Yeah. That desk—” She jerks her chin toward an antique writing desk lined up in front of the window. “It’s perfect for pretending you’re Shakespeare or something.”

“Is he a writer now?”

The smile on Ruby’s face fades a little. “I’m not really sure that he’s anything right now. Up until his accident—” She bites her lip. “Do you want to know about all this?”

The word accident is sharpening the details in my mind. Ruby doesn’t want to break down in front of people, and now it’s starting to dawn on me that the estate sale might not be the only thing weighing on her. “I want to know everything.”

A flicker of a smile. “Henry was in an accident five months ago. He got sideswiped while he was riding his motorcycle.” Her chin quivers, but she sets her jaw. “He’s still in the hospital.”

I reach for her, but then I remember—professionalism. I settle for patting her on the shoulder. Pink rises to her cheeks, but she gives me a little nod. “That sounds terrible.”

“It’s not good.” She lets out a little laugh. “It’s awful.” Ruby shakes it off, straightening her back. “Before his accident, he was...” The smile reappears. “He was writing for a couple of the late-night shows.” She shrugs one shoulder. “I guess the desk was where it all began.”

“Where did things begin for you?”

Ruby cocks her head to the side. “It was about a week ago, I’d say.”

“A week ago?”

Her grin has my cock straining against my clothes.

“It was when a man named Levi Blake walked into my parents’ house.” She nods her head, firmly. “Yeah. That’s when things began.”