Chapter 8

Ruby

Wyatt opens the back passenger side door, gesturing me to climb in with a gentle wave of his hand.

I smile in return, trying my hardest to maintain my cool. But I can feel his intense stare on my back as I shift my body into a comfortable seated position.

Once I’m in, he closes the door and walks around the back of the SUV to toss my suitcase in the trunk.

I can finally breathe without him in my sight—and without me in his.

Digging through my purse in search of a pair of earbuds to distract myself while Jake and Wyatt bromance it up in the front, a yelp almost leaves my throat when I see Wyatt slide into the backseat beside me.

I stare at him unable to keep the confusion from my wide-eyed expression.

So much for playing it cool, Ruby.

He smiles a sexy, gorgeous smile—the one that got me into this trouble in the first place so many years ago.

“Is it okay if I sit here?” he asks, cynicism dripping from his tone, his smile unwavering.

Why am I acting so damn childishly? This guy is all I’ve ever wanted. Nervous or not, I’m gonna make my move.

I muster up my most confident tone and smile to match. “Sure.”

“I didn’t know I was playing the fucking chauffeur today,” Jake chides from the front seat, backing out of the parking spot.

“Oh Jacob, you needn’t worry, dear. There’s a nice tip in it for you once Mr. Lawrence and I arrive safely to our destination.” I reply in my best fancy British lady accent.

Jake wants to laugh. I can see it in his eyes through the mirror, but he gives me the finger instead.

Wyatt, on the other hand, seems to love my joke and that’s really the only confidence boost I need. His smile and slight chuckle make my afternoon.

When we look at each other, it almost feels like it would hurt to look away. Like maybe on some level we both know we were made for this. But we’re simply too afraid to acknowledge it.

Our love is forbidden. And it’s gonna get messy.

“Hey Wyatt, thanks for what you did back there,” I say, pointing out the window at nothing in particular. My eyes only leaving Wyatt’s for a split second to look at his lips.

That lingering heat rises between my legs again. I wish I could kiss him. Undress him. Explore him.

And maybe, most importantly, tell him how I’ve felt all these years. But this just isn’t the place. Shit, Jake would have a cow knowing how much I’ve been into Wyatt all this time.

The smile leaves Wyatt’s face replacing itself with that sexy, stern aggression he had while chastising Mr. Fentress. “That guy is a fucking creep, Ruby. I should have knocked him the fuck out. I don’t even know why I didn’t.”

Wyatt’s gone. His fists are tight, his jaw is clenched, and he’s staring angrily at the seat in front of him.

I didn’t know he was that upset. Fentress really is harmless to all women, except to his long-suffering wife, of course.

“There really wasn’t a need for that much. I think the intimidation was enough to set him straight,” I reassure him. “I really appreciate you stepping up though. I felt kind of like a deer in headlights with it all.”

I reach out and touch Wyatt’s arm, gently massaging it. After a few seconds, his fists loosen, and the scary intensity leaves his eyes.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t something worse. And I’m glad we arrived in time to help.” He puts a heavy hand over mine and smiles. “I still can’t get over how much you’ve grown up. It’s really crazy to think of how long it’s been. What the hell have you been up to all this time?”

I chuckle, this time without any nervousness as I search for the right words to say. “Well, I’m sure nothing I’ve done is nearly as interesting as the things you did to become a Navy SEAL.” He glances away briefly but looks back.

“After I finished high school, I went straight to college. I’m studying to be a paralegal.” He nods hanging onto my every word. “I paint when I’m not working or studying. It’s a nice way to just relax my mind, and add a little color to my world, ya know?”

“Yea, definitely. That’s cool. I mean, I don’t have a single creative bone in my body—”

Oh, I’m sure you can create a lot with at least one bone in your body.

“What kind of painting do you do?” he asks inquisitively.

“I’ve always loved doing abstract art with water colors. Sort of free form. But, lately, I’ve been playing around with oil paints and landscapes.” I pause, surprised to see Wyatt completely engrossed in what I’m saying. “My first was one of the lake and trees surrounding it on a trip I took alone last summer. The scene is still so calming, I—”

Jake interjects, “It’s so calming, I’m gonna fall asleep and kill us all.”

I roll my eyes as I hiss, “go to hell, Jake!”

Squeezing my hand, Wyatt tries to bring peace. “Hey, man, did you and your dad ever get around to fixing up the old swing by the lake?”

“Oh yea, it’s even better now. Dad and I fixed the old one and added a second swing right beside it.” Jake gets a hard on whenever he talks about doing manual labor. He sounds like a kid explaining his favorite video game, “You can swing over the lake and jump right in! Or if you’re anything like Princess Ruby, you’ll just sit on a swing,” Jake brings his voice up a few octaves trying to impersonate mine, “and write all your little feelings in your raggedy black book.”

I can’t help but laugh at my stupid older brother this time. He gets under my skin, but his Ruby voice is always so ridiculous, it cracks me up.

The three of us laugh together and exchange stories about old times. It has me in a really pleasant, really calm mood. That is until I check my phone.

I have a text from Mr. Fentress. I go ahead and open it.

“Come in early on Tuesday. You’ll have a lot to catch up on. We have five more cases booked.”

I roll my eyes as I lock the screen just when another comes through.

“I hope you’re enjoying your time in your bikini by the lake. Send me a picture.”

I gag, right there in the car. Jake glances through the rear view mirror and Wyatt turns to me.

“Are you alright, Ruby?” he asks. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I lie. “We’re just going a little fast. Can we slow down just a tad?”

“Sure, Rubes. Sorry,” Jake says.

Our conversation of old times continues as we travel on to the lake house.

I relish hearing Jake and Wyatt talk about all the sneaky shit they got away with. Even more, I love thinking about all the sneaky shit Wyatt and I could get away with on this trip.

After being quiet for a few minutes, Wyatt nudges my knee and mouths ‘are you okay?’, while Jake is going on a tangent about some high school football game.

I nod my head.

In return, he winks and immediately floods my panties.

I want him. Better yet, I need him.

“And then I got kicked off the team for punching that asshole in the face!” Jake exclaims. “He oughta be lucky that’s all I did!”

This is a story Jake has rehashed a good forty times and he still gets just as worked up as the day it happened.

“Oh, the injustice!” I exclaim. Of course, my pity is pure sarcasm.

Wyatt laughs. “You weren’t there, that kid really had it comin’.”

“Thanks, bruh,” Jake says.

Looking out the window, I squeal. “We’re just a few miles away!”

I fall into my own daydreams while the guys complain about how long the ride has been, even though I know we’re at least twenty minutes ahead of mom and dad.

I sit quietly the rest of the way just thinking about my goal this summer: to create a whole new entry in that damn journal of things Wyatt and I have really done.