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Hungry.

“Ruby,” he says quietly. “You look…”

He stops.

Not because he can’t think of the word.

Because he’s thinking of too many.

I flush.

He smiles.

“Come here.”

My knees wobble.

But I obey.

JAXON

She’s breathtaking.

Exactly as I imagined.

Better.

Her hair soft around her shoulders. Her blouse hugging her in clean lines. Her lips slightly glossy, like she’s been biting them all morning.

Which she probably has.

“Sit,” I say, gesturing to the chair beside mine.

She sits.

Nervous. Pretty. Trying so hard to pretend she’s fine.

I let the silence stretch.

She shifts. Crosses her legs. Tries not to stare at my arms.

It’s almost cute how bad she is at pretending.

I open the project folder.

“We’ll start here,” I say.

But I don’t look at the folder.

I look at her.

She feels it.

Her breath catches.

Good.

RUBY