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Ruby shook her head. “You know, I don’t really feel like going out at this point. I’d rather stay here. With you.”
“Really? I feel like I’ve ruined your birthday.”
“This is exactly my speed, to be honest.”
He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. He was so relieved that she didn’t want to go to Sheen. Running into a Grandin and Lattimore and having them yell at him in the middle of a crowded restaurant would really ruin her birthday. Of course, he wasn’t about to share his worries. That was his burden to bear. “That’s what I like about you. Aside from the part where we froze our butts off finding a lost horse, this is my speed, too. Do you want to go back to the house so I can show you something?” he asked.
She smiled, the corner of her mouth quirking up adorably. “Is it something of yours? Because I’ve seen it all, but I wouldn’t mind looking again.”
He laughed and planted a kiss on her lips. “I love that your brain immediately turns to sex, but I’m actually talking about something else.”
“Lead the way.”
Heath and Ruby hopped in his truck and were back at the house in a few short minutes. Inside, he led her to his home office, which was right off the living room. “I just got the preliminary drawings for the riding center. No one else has seen them. I texted Nolan about it, but he hasn’t gotten back to me.” Just then, Heath’s phone beeped with a text. “Speak of the devil,” he said as he consulted the screen. “He wants to know if we’ll have dinner with Chelsea and him at their place. I can bring the plans over then.”
It sounded like a fabulous evening to Ruby, but she did worry that things were moving fast. She and Heath were spending so much time together.Take a breath. You like him. It’s okay to like him.“That’s sweet. Yes. I’d love to go.”
Heath tapped away on his phone, then looked at her. “Friday okay?”
“That should work.”
Heath finished one more text, then set his phone down and unfurled the first set of plans. “This is all very early. Just a few elevations to give me a sense of the direction for the project.”
Ruby stood closer to him, peering down at the scroll of architectural drawings. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a large building. When she’d been thinking “riding center,” she’d only considered the corrals.
“That will be the main building, for administrative duties, a small visitors’ center and classrooms.” He peeled back a page to show a sketch of the rest of the center. “There will be three corrals. One fully enclosed, with seating for a crowd if we choose to do any shows. One will be open-air and the last one will be covered.”
“This is a serious undertaking. How are you going to pay for all of this?”
“I have the money myself. But I’m working on some local contributions. I’d like the community to be invested in it.” He turned to her and the soft lighting in his office lit him from the side, making him even more handsome. Or maybe it was the way this subject matter made him light up from within.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. You should do everything you can to make sure it’s an integral part of Royal.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and snuggled her closer, then planted a kiss on top of her head. “I love the way you think. You’re always looking for ways to make things better. Which is ironic since you do that all on your own.”
She turned to face him and they naturally drew each other into an embrace, one where they could still look at each other. “I’m not sure what that means.”
“It means that you are an actual ray of sunshine, Ruby. You shine a light on things, good or bad, and try to figure out a way to make everything better.” He cupped both sides of her face with his hands and peered into her eyes. From anyone else, this gesture might make her feel entirely too vulnerable. But his touch always made her feel safe. Protected. Adored.
“Do you know what I like so much about you, Heath?”
He grinned as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “Is this a trick question?”
She laughed quietly. “No. I’m trying to pay you a compliment. You’re always saying nice things about me. You need to let me take a turn.”
“Okay. Go for it.”
“I like that you think about and consider everything. You have this rugged handsome exterior, but you are a very cerebral guy. It’s very sexy.”
“So you’re saying I’m handsome...” He lowered his head to go in for a kiss.
She tugged him closer and raised her chin. “What I’m saying is that you’re the whole package.” He kissed her and all she wanted was to melt into him. She definitely wanted to rip off his clothes and spend the entire night going to town on each other. When he reached down and palmed her thigh, then hitched it up, she knew that was exactly where this was going. She broke free from the kiss. “Heath, I’m a wreck. I’d like to clean up before things go any further.”
“Me too. I think we can kill two birds with one stone and have a whole lot of fun while we do it. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her through his bedroom, into his luxurious bathroom. There was masculine slate tile and a long vanity topped with Carrara marble. The glass shower enclosure was built for two. Absolutely perfect.
Heath wasted zero time turning on the water in the shower while Ruby pulled out her ponytail and removed the small gold stud earrings she was wearing. He pulled off his boots and stripped off the rest of his clothes in record time. Her breath hitched when she saw how hard he was already. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to be so lucky. Heath turned his attention to her, pushing her sweater up over her head. She loved the way he looked at her, the way his eyes got stormy and dark with each new item of clothing removed. Her boots and socks, jeans and bra, and finally, her panties. Standing there, completely naked, she had every reason to feel too exposed. Too vulnerable. But she felt nothing but turned on, which was a feat in its own right since he’d hardly touched her.
He opened the shower door and she stepped into the warm spray, her muscles immediately relaxing. Heath joined her and closed the door, then positioned himself behind her. He pressed his erection against her bottom and placed his hands on her hips, caressing them as he kissed her neck. His touch was soft and sensuous, all while the steam rose around them. “Your skin is so damn soft, Ruby. I could touch you forever.”
