CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Kingston
“Brother, that was a damn fine meal.” I gather up the empty plates and start to clear the table.
“Yep, think a cold beer is in order after that steak. Want one?” Fournette leans back and pats his pretend pot belly.
“No.” I lock my gaze on Ruby and her lips. “I think I’m ready for dessert and I’m having strawberries.”
He and Wyatt give me weird side glances. Their faces are full of confusion and it makes me laugh out loud. Ruby drops her gaze and grins. She’s smiling from her eyes and the way she blushes pink makes me hard. She pops her lips and I can’t take it anymore.
With one swift move, I pick her up by her itty bitty waist and throw her over my shoulder. I bound up the stairs three at a time and give her a good, solid swat on her tight, little ass.
Her sexy giggle makes my dick twitch.
I toss her onto the bed and kick the bedroom door closed at the same time. All her hundred and, maybe, ten pounds bounce and send her hair flying through the air. She shimmies out of her clothes and I get drunk off the sight of her smooth, creamy skin.
My animal snarls inside and fights to break free because that’s how it used to be. After way too many beers, I’d have a quickie with some chick from the bar that I didn’t know, send her home, and then let the animal loose.
My bear would run wild for hours, sometimes right up until it was time to hit the boat in the morning. A good run. The kind that sets your lungs on fire. Your nostrils flare. I may not be able to see through the early morning fog like some of the other animals, but my hearing is beyond human. The insects chirp as the rest of the bayou has barely cracked their eyelids. The feeling never gets old. Just me and the swamp. It wasn’t really a routine, but more like a ritual.
But it’s different now. Ruby calms the beast inside. She’s enough to satisfy me and the bear.
She throws a pillow at my face to draw me back to reality and I drop to my knees directly in front of her. I grip her perfect backside and tug her toward me. She throws her head back and giggles and it gives me a wicked appetite.
Her sweet, natural scent stirs every part of me and I can’t wait another second to bury my face between her tone legs.
*
“Watch your step.” I hold Ruby’s hand as she climbs aboard. I slipped out while she was napping to do a quick spray down of the boat and pick up some cold beer and grub.
“What are we doing here?” She’s wide eyed and beaming from ear to ear.
I’ve tucked the cooler away because I want to wait until we’re in open water for the surprise. “I thought you could use a getaway, even if it’s only for a few hours.”
She does that tip toe thing that drives me insane. “Really? We’re going out on the water?”
“Yep. Just me and you. Alone. And most importantly, safe and sound. We can pretend not to have a care in the world.” I watch her sprint to the bow. She grabs hold of the metal railing. “Let’s do it!” She reminds me of a kid waiting on a ride at Disneyland.
She pulls her hair band off her wrist and ties back her loose, chestnut waves. Once we’re far enough from shore, I cut the engine and let us drift. I dig underneath the cockpit and pull out the fresh washed blanket and cooler. I grab the small bunch of carnations I bought from Gus and tuck them behind my back. She doesn’t realize I’m walking up because her gaze is lost in the waves rippling through the Gulf.
She points her face up toward the sun and the illuminating warmth washes over her.
I could stare at Ruby every second of every day.
“Hey, you.” I whisper the words because I don’t want to ruin her moment.
She opens her eyes wide and the blue color seems brighter out here on the water. “This is so great. Thanks for doing this.”
“Well, we’re just getting started.” I hold up the pink flowers. “For you.”
She takes them and gazes into my stare. My blood surges when she seals a heated kiss on my lips. It takes every bit of me to tear myself away.
“Hold on. It gets better.” I unfold the checkered quilt and give it a hard snap in the air before spreading it out neatly on the deck. I begin to unpack the cooler.
“What’s all this?” Ruby curls a hand around the bouquet as if to protect them as she inhales the flowers.
“I thought we could enjoy a little picnic. We’ve got some fried chicken. Sorry, it’s probably cold by now. Here’s some Cajun tater salad.”
“Did you just say tater?”
I stare at her with a blank expression. “Yep. There’s a difference between tater and potato salad. Don’t you know that?”
She shakes her cute head and I can see that she’s trying to figure me out. “No, I haven’t ever heard that. What’s the difference?”
“One’s good and one ain’t.” I give her a playful wink because I can’t go another second without hearing her giggle. “And looks like we got a bowl of marinated cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. To top it off, we have cold beer and dessert.” I hold up a container of organic strawberries. I don’t know why I went that route, but they seem better and more special.
“I can’t believe you did all this.”
“It wasn’t much of a stretch. I was gonna talk Wyatt into doing the cooking, but I thought it might give the surprise away. Or worse, there wouldn’t be any food left by the time those two animals were done sucking on the bones. Gus stocked me up. And I have to confess and say the carnations were all his idea. Baby, I’m sorry. I’m not really good at the romantic shit.”
“I think you’re doing just fine.” Ruby flings both arms around my neck and nuzzles her face into my humid beard. “It couldn’t be more perfect.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and pop the cap on two bottles of beer.
“I wanna toast.” She holds her can in the air.
I do the same. “Hit me.”
I savor the way she twists her full, yummy lips as she thinks. She picks up her chin and looks me straight in the eye.
“To you, Kingston Mercier and I don’t want to hear a single cross word about it. I want to toast to you. The man. The brother and friend. The son. The fisherman. The lover. Hero. And yes, even the bear.”
My insides knot when I hear her words. I tingle all over as I can literally feel my heart freeze in my chest. I’ve never known unconditional acceptance. She taps the neck of her bottle against the bottom of mine and I struggle to check my emotions.
I can’t seem to go thirty seconds without touching her. My hands, fingers, lips, it doesn’t matter. Just as long as I’m grounded to her.
I skate the back of my hand across her warm cheek. “God help me, I love you. I don’t know how it happened, but it’s there. It’s real and it’s so alive it’s eating me up. I love you with everything I have. With everything in me, I love you.”
Mist collects in the corners of her baby blue eyes. She blinks and the tears stream down her face. She lays both hands against my chest. The gesture sends my heart racing.
“I love you too. I had no idea I could feel like this. That life could be like this. And shit, I don’t know how it happened so fast either, but it sure as hell did. And yes, it is real. I love you, Kingston.”
“Well, Ruby Bonet, looks like you’re stuck with me.” We spend the evening under the stars eating cold fried chicken.
Perfection.
*
Ruby’s taking a shower and I meet the boys on the back porch. Wyatt passes me a cold one. “How’d it go, lover boy?”
“Man, it was great. A day without a brawl or emergency. Just me, her, and the open water. I ain’t gonna lie. It was damn near all I want this side of the dirt.”
Fournette takes a long pull of his Bud. “Eww, you’re such a girl.”
“Whatever. You ain’t gonna rain on my parade, you old mutt. She outshines all that bullshit.”
“Look who’s getting all pussy whipped.” Fournette chuckles. “I’m just fucking with ya, man. We can see it’s the real deal. We get it. And Ruby’s a good one. She’s a keeper.”
“Yeah, we like her, so try not to go and fuck it up, brother.” Wyatt hops off the picnic table and kicks at a tree root. “Now, what are we gonna do about those damn wolves?”
“We’re gonna hunt those fuzzy fuckers down. No more beating around the god damn bush. They crossed the line and they were aiming for her to be inside. They were out to kill her.”
“It’s time to go huntin’.” Fournette snarls.
Wyatt nods in agreement.
The bear nips at my insides. I need to run, only this time I actually want to come back.