Ruby's Fantasy by Cathleen Ross Read Free Book Online Page B

her, the way it had as a child when the twin’s father had come home drunk and broke and she’d known there’d be no money for food, then the debt collectors would call at home, along with her father’s drinking buddies who had stale breath and clutching fingers. No wonder her mother had fled that life. Sure she’d left the twins a reasonable inheritance but why hadn’t she taken the twins with her? Ruby shuddered. No borrowing money. No reliance on men. Ever. She’d worked too hard for her and Emerald’s freedom.
    Jake took her coffee cup from her hand, gathered her to him and stroked her cheek. ‘What is it, Ruby? Are you afraid to need a man?’ He tilted her head so that she had to look him in the eyes. ‘To need me?’
    She saw him swallow. Saw his Adam’s apple move up and down in slow motion. Felt her own eyes fill and prayed a tear wouldn’t seep down. ‘Of course not.’
    â€˜Ruby?’ She tried to pull out of his arms but he held her tightly. ‘I don’t need you. I don’t need any man.’ A tear fell onto her cheek.
    â€˜Yes you do, Princess.’ He bent and touched her lips with his. ‘You weren’t made to be alone.’
    â€˜You forget. I’m a twin. I have Emerald.’
    â€˜Not at the moment. It’s just you and me.’ He leant in close to kiss her.
    Ruby wanted to close her mouth, to shut him out, but the pressure of his questing mouth and tongue was demanding. The push of his lips parted hers and their teeth clashed until she opened her mouth and he possessed hers. Gradually, she could feel the tension leaving her body as she moulded herself to him. When he pulled back, she was left with the physical ache of wanting and a hollow need in her heart that she didn’t want to acknowledge. ‘Jake, I don’t want to be beholden to you.’ She could see questions in his eyes but instead of asking them he stroked her hair in a rhythmic, soothing pattern.
    â€˜Trouble happens fast here. I’m going to take care of it.’
    â€˜But I’m used to looking after myself,’ she protested. That was the way things were. Don’t trust a man. Don’t get hurt.
    Jake took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. ‘That’s fine in the country but this is a rough area and you’re a nice girl. You need someone who knows how to handle it. Let me protect you. I’m good at what I do.’
    â€˜You don’t know anything about me. I’m tougher than I look.’ Memories flooded her mind. Pulling one of her father’s drunk, loser friends off Emerald when they were teenagers. Kicking him the way she’d been taught in self-defence. Dodging his fist. Yeah, she could handle herself but it didn’t mean she liked doing it. A churning sensation hit her stomach. No one had been there to protect the twins, except her.
    Ruby took a deep, steadying breath. ‘I can manage.’
    Jake’s expression hardened. ‘What’s this really about, Ruby? You saying you don’t need a man? You don’t want me?’ His hands dropped from her shoulders.
    â€˜Jake, I want to be with you because I like you. I don’t want to need you. There’s a difference. I’ve found needing a man means I have to pay the piper and I refuse to be like that.’
    His deep blue eyes gleamed with intelligence. ‘I don’t see it that way. The way I’m trained, loyalty is everything. I’ve always worked as a unit. You do what you say you’re going to do and you survive. You need your buddy to watch your back. One slip up, you die.’
    â€˜This is not a war zone.’ She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t. But he had to understand how things were for her.
    â€˜Believe me, you have set up shop in a war zone. Don’t be fooled by the pseudo gentility here and the posh names of the nearby suburbs. You don’t know The Cross