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What am I doing?
How did I get myself into this situation?
Is this a good idea?
I glanced at the passenger seat to try and gauge what Ruby might be thinking. She hadn’t spoken since she agreed to come home with me. We drove in silence from the trailer park to my home. Just like the drive from The Tipsy Cow to the trailer park.
I started to get out when I saw her reaching for the door handle out of the corner of my eye.
“Wait,” I instructed her.
I considered myself a feminist, but opening and holding doors, always having a handkerchief on my person, carrying heavy and not-so-heavy packages, and walking on the outside closest to traffic were ingrained in me.
As I walked around the truck and opened her door, my heart was pounding in my chest. I was trying not to think about what Remi would say about me bringing Ruby home. Technically, I was doing exactly what he’d asked me to do, i.e., keeping an eye on her. But that wasn’t the reason I’d asked her to stay.
I wasn’t ready to admit those reasons, even to myself.
Ruby grinned as I opened her door and held out my hand. “Thanks.”
She placed her hand in mine, and just like in the parking lot of the Cow, the second her fingers grazed my palm, a shot of electricity ran straight up my arm and down my spine, landing in my balls. I felt them tingle as my jeans grew snugger.
Damn. This was becoming a problem. It was sort of understandable that I’d gotten excited when her dangerous curves were pressed against me on the dance floor, and she’d told me a reason to date someone was sex. But this was just the brush of her fingertips across my palm. I had never been so easily affected by someone. It seemed I was making up for lost time, since an innocent handhold was making me hornier than a teenage boy at the Playboy mansion.
I pulled my hand away from her as if I were touching a hot stove. Which, in theory, I was. Playing with her was like playing with fire. I would definitely get burned.
After clearing my throat, I extended my arm toward the front porch. She took the cue and walked in front of me, affording me a front-row view of her ass. Her full hips swayed back and forth as she climbed the steps, causing the hem of her dress to lift to mid-thigh. The sight doused fuel on the fire of my arousal.
I followed behind her and tried to think about anything other than how fucking sexy she was.
As I slid my key into the lock, she asked, “How long have you had this place?”
“A little over five years. I bought it after I got out of the Navy and found out Tay was pregnant,” I explained as I opened the door and held it for her.
Her long blonde hair brushed against my forearm as she walked past me. The crisp floral scent drifted up my nostrils. I closed my eyes as I inhaled the intoxicating aroma.
Get a grip, I chided myself as I shut and locked the door behind us.
“Who is this?” Ruby asked as I heard the clicking of Bandit’s nails as he raced toward her.
“That’s Bandit,” I explained as she bent down to pet him as he covered her in wet kisses.
“Hi, Bandit!” she exclaimed as he jumped up excitedly.
“Down,” I instructed. “Sit.”
He instantly obeyed. His tail thumped on the tile entry as he ate up all the attention she was giving him.
“What a good boy! You are such a good boy! And you are so handsome!” She glanced up at me. “His coloring is gorgeous! What is he?”
“He’s Australian shepherd and pit bull mix.” When I got his DNA done, Grandad gave me a hard time saying, “In my day, we didn’t pay people to tell us our dog was a mutt.”
As I watched Rudy shower Bandit with praise, I tried not to read too much into how it felt to have Ruby at my house. Whenever women showed up on my doorstep, I never invited them inside. If we chatted, it was on the porch. This was my sanctuary. My home was a sacred place. It was the home I was raising my daughter in. But seeing Ruby here felt right—like she belonged here.
Bandit started whining, indicating he needed to go out back.
“I’m gonna let him out. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Um, water, if that’s okay.”
