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“Every single dance, Griffin…” she teased knowingly, and fought the urge to make the same noise he did as he laid a hand on her hip, guiding her towards the table where the wedding party was going to be sitting. Oh yes, she really liked the way they seemed to just fit mentally and physically together.
He pulled out her chair for her and she took a seat, before quickly sitting beside her – and she felt him take her hand in his under the table. Their fingers were laced together and propped on his knee, while he had this strait-laced look on his face, only betrayed by the fact that she saw his throat move slightly.
She liked his reactions, craved the responses, knowing he was affected by it. It gave her some sort of thrill, making her feel even more feminine than ever before. Daringly, she pulled her hand from his, seeing his jaw tense and tighten, realizing he thought she was withdrawing.
It was the opposite.
She put her hand on the fabric of his white trousers, just above his knee, and slid it to touch the inside of his leg, almost possessively along his thigh… only to hear him squeak as he leapt to his feet, nearly upsetting the table and causing several glasses to tremble. His eyes were wide, lips pursed, as he spoke.
“Punch? I’m going to get us some punch.”
… And walked away quickly – only to feel a heavy hand on her shoulder in that moment, just as her father whispered in her ear behind her head.
“Don’t play games with him, Ruby,” he said softly. “Ben looks like me and acts like your mother. You, however, look like your mama… but act like me, so listen to me carefully when I tell you that your brother’s wedding reception is not the place for you to cross a line, young lady.”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered unflinchingly, and stared straight ahead – only to see Michael looking at her, frowning deeply.
“You might be an adult and a grown woman, but if you make a scene…”
“I won’t,” she began, feeling mortified at having been caught by her dad.
“Is there a problem, Mr. Merrick?” Michael interrupted bluntly, not holding back as he stood there with two cups of cider. “There was no punch, Ruby, so I hope cider will be okay.”
“Thank you,” she said hoarsely, nodding.
“Mr. Merrick, I appreciate you are her father, but it makes it a little difficult to date your lovely daughter if you are holding onto her shoulder like she’s done something wrong and about to get dragged from the room like a child. Now, I repeat, is there a problem… sir?”
Her father released her shoulder and actually laughed, causing Ruby to glance up at him in surprise. She’d gotten in trouble a few times when she was little, and it was always the same thing. Her father would lay a hand on her shoulder, stopping her, and would speak softly to get his point across. He never screamed, never spanked them, but that calmness was scarier than any amount of yelling could be.
“You are your father’s son, aren’t you?”
“Very much so, sir,” Michael said simply, unmoving, yet his knuckles were white where he held the two cups of cider. “Now, I believe I will be occupying that chair you are blocking…sir.”
Michael moved around the table, coming to stand extremely close to her father, who hadn’t budged an inch. Ruby met her mother’s concerned gaze across the way as she watched the entire thing unfold. Unfazed, Michael set down both glasses of cider before her, and straightened up.
“Did you have something you wanted to share with me, sir? Because if not, I’ll be taking my seat next to my girlfriend now – or I’m free to head outside where we can talk.”
Ruby’s hand drifted upwards to cover her mouth just before she cursed, and her mother stood up at the same time her father took a step closer to Michael, unmoving, yet his words were easy to hear over the music and people talking.
“You see that couple on the dance floor? That’s my son,” her father began in a very quiet tone. “But you are talking tomy daughterand that’s a little different. Am I clear?”
“Perfectly, sir.”
“Just making sure we understand each other, boy.”
“We do.”
“So, you’ll be coming to dinner tomorrow night…”
“No sir,” Michael said bluntly. “I am taking Ruby out tomorrow night, but I would be happy to join you both the following evening for dinner. Should I bring a dish?”
“A vegetable,” her father instructed, and both men cracked a smile as he nodded. It was like they were negotiating the weirdest things between them in some sort of code. “Her mother likes to have a vegetable with dinner.”
“Will do, sir.”
“Ruby?” her dad said openly, not looking away from Michael.
“Yes, sir?
