Ruby and the Beast: A Beauty and the Beast Novel

by Ditter Kellen

  No matter, he decided, taking a deep breath of resolve. He would keep Ruby with him, even if he had to spend the rest of his days simply holding her in his arms.

  * * * *

  Lincoln took a seat at the head of the table and thanked Mrs. Tuff for making dinner.

  Obviously shocked by his display of manners, she blinked at him, a comical look on her made-up face. “Are you feeling all right, Mr. Barone?”

  “I’m fine, Mrs. Tuff. Have you let Ruby know that it’s dinner time yet?”

  “Yes, sir. She will be right in. She was holding her brother’s hand while he dozed off to sleep.”

  A spark of jealousy settled in Lincoln’s gut. He’d give anything for Ruby to love him with the same fierceness she loved her brother.

  “Am I too late?” Ruby trailed into the room, looking more beautiful than ever. Though her eyes appeared tired.

  The Beast stood and pulled out her chair. “You’re just in time.”

  Ruby sat and waited for Lincoln to return to his chair. “Would you mind removing your hood? I’d like to be able to see your eyes if we are going to converse during dinner.”

  Lincoln stilled. “You want to look at my face while you eat?”

  “I’ve seen it before. You’re not as scary as you’d like to think,” she attempted to tease, picking up the glass of wine in front of her.

  Unsure of whether to remove the hood and risk turning her stomach, Lincoln sat there until she leaned over and made the decision for him.

  “There, that’s better,” she stated, pulling the hood from his head.

  Lincoln met her beautiful gaze. “It really doesn’t bother you to be subjected to…this?” He lifted a hand and indicated his face.

  Ruby took a sip of her wine. “You’re different, Lincoln. But I see something inside you that I don’t think you see.”

  Lincoln looked away, afraid she would see the emotion he so desperately tried to hide.

  For some reason he would never understand, Ruby didn’t run screaming from the room when subjected to his beastly features. She looked at him as if he were perfectly normal, as if he were actually a…man.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Ruby spent the next two weeks in a haze of grief and confusion.

  She’d buried her father not long after Cameron’s arrival at the Barone mansion. Lincoln had even allowed her to hold a memorial on the grounds, where Cameron could say his goodbyes.

  Some of Charles’s friends had attended the memorial, most with suspicious eyes and questions that Ruby couldn’t answer.

  How was she to tell them her reasons for being at the Barone mansion without inviting accusations? Though, in a nutshell that was exactly what she deserved. She had, after all, allowed him to blackmail her into being his whore for a month.

  But Barone hadn’t forced her to have sex with him. Every night, he would crawl into bed beside her, roll her to her side, and pull her back against his front.

  He hadn’t touched her sexually since the one time in front of the very mirror she sat in front of now.

  Ruby knew he wanted her. The evidence of his need pressed against her back every night as she slept in his arms.

  She peered at her reflection, wondering what had changed since he’d touched with such passion.

  And if she were being completely honest with herself, she would admit to wanting him to do it again.

  Ruby had never been so incredibly turned on in her life.

  Maybe it had to do with the fact that Lincoln was unlike any man she’d ever known before.

  But he’s not a man, her mind whispered. He’s a beast.

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  Ruby started at the sound of Mrs. Tuff’s voice. She’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of Lincoln, she hadn’t heard the housekeeper’s approach. “Yes?”

  “There’s a Mrs. Goodson from the Department of Children and Families here to see you.”

  Anxiety quickly replaced Ruby’s earlier musings. She surged to her feet. “The DCF worker? How the hell did she know I would be here?”

  “I don’t know, miss. But she sure isn’t a friendly one.”

  Ruby slipped on her shoes and hurried toward the door where Mrs. Fleming stood. “Where is she?”

  The housekeeper jerked her thumb toward the direction of the stairs. “In Cameron’s room.”

  “What? Where’s Lincoln?”

  Mrs. Fleming shrugged. “I haven’t seen him in over an hour. I figured he was gearing up for the anticipated Hurricane Walter.”

  Ruby wondered why he’d left without telling her, but decided she’d think about that later. Right now, she had a DCF worker to deal with. “Let’s pray that hurricane bypasses us.”

  Descending the stairs, Ruby quickly freed her hair from its ponytail and ran her fingers through it. She straightened her shirt, cleared her throat, and entered Cameron’s room. “Mrs. Goodson. You wanted to see me?”

  The short, plump redhaired social worker sat in a chair next to Cameron’s bed, holding some sort of ledger in her hands. She scrawled something on one of the lines before lifting her gaze to Ruby. “I did. We received a call that Mr. Barone requested temporary guardianship of Cameron as a means to force you here. Can you tell me how long you have been staying here with Mr. Barone and what your relationship to him is?”

  Ruby’s mouth dropped open. “I don’t see what my relationship with Mr. Barone has to do with my custody case.”

  “Actually, it has a lot to do with it.” The social worker sniffed. “Especially if the accusations are true. Were you coerced into to coming here?”

  “Of course not.” Ruby balked, taking a nervous step closer. “Where did you hear something like that?” But she knew. Spencer Wright was definitely responsible.

  Mrs. Goodson snapped her ledger closed and stood. “I’m not at liberty to say. All callers are kept confidential, and any information obtained through those calls may be used in our investigation. Now, would you mind showing me where you sleep?”

  Ruby’s stomach dropped. If Mrs. Goodson found that she’d been sleeping in Lincoln’s bed, it would only cement the accusations that Ruby had been coerced.

  Panicked, Ruby said the first thing that came to mind. “I sleep with my fiancé.”

  Mrs. Goodson raised an eyebrow. “And who is your fiancé?”

  “I am,” Lincoln answered, stepping into the room.

  Ruby spun to face a cloak-covered Lincoln, shock and relief both scrambling for dominance. She immediately moved to his side and leaned heavily against him.

  The social worker backed up a step, her head tilting back to peer up at Lincoln’s hooded face. “And you are?”

  “Lincoln Barone,” he rasped, moving in closer to tower over the woman. “My attorney has been notified of your bullying tactics where my fiancée is concerned. He’s on the phone with the judge as we speak. I highly doubt you will have a job by the day’s end. Now, I’d appreciate it if you would get the hell out of my house.”

  Mrs. Goodson’s round, plump face reddened with rage. She gathered her things and marched toward the door. “We’ll just see about that.”

  Ruby threw her arms around Lincoln the second Mrs. Goodson stomped from the room.

  “You’re trembling,” he acknowledged, returning her hug.

  Safe, Ruby thought, squeezing him tighter. He made her feel safe. “She’s going to cause me to lose my brother, Lincoln. I just know it.”

  “I won’t allow that.”

  Ruby snuggled closer. “But I told her that you were my fiancé. What if the judge sees it as a ploy on my part to help my custody case?”

  “You have to trust me, Ruby. Your hearing is in three days. Everything will be all right.”

  She backed up a step to gaze into his shadowed face. “How can you be so sure?”

  Lincoln shrugged a massive shoulder. “I just am.”

  Ruby frowned, wondering how he could be so certain about the outcome of her hearing. “This is my brother we’re talk
ing about. I can’t lose him, Lincoln.”

  “He’s safe here. You both are. I feel that this is the best place for you to be right now. Regardless of the social worker’s accusations. Only…”

  “Only what?” Ruby whispered, studying his solemn expression.

  “Your hearing is the day before my birthday,” Lincoln informed her, a certain sadness in his eyes. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to be here for that.”

  Understanding dawned. “Your curse.”

  He nodded. “I don’t know what will happen on that day. When the clock strikes midnight on the night of my birthday, this curse will forever be my fate. If something happens inside me, something darker and more unnatural, I’d rather you and Cameron not be around to witness it.”

  “I understand how you feel, Lincoln, but if something does happen to you on that night, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be than by your side. You’ll need a friend.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Lincoln felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. On the one hand, Ruby had offered to stay, to see him through his thirtieth birthday and the unknown that would accompany it. But she would be there only as a friend.

  What had he expected? Did he really think that Ruby would see past his beastly form and profess her undying love for him?

  The Beast had absorbed her laughter, her caresses, sweet words of comfort, and held them close to his heart. But he knew deep down that it was time to let her go. She would never love him…not in the way he yearned to be loved.

  Ruby Atwood was beautiful. She could have any man she wanted. And she needed a man. Not some beast who could never give her the life she deserved.

  He took her by the hand and guided her from the room. “I’m surprised Cameron slept through the social worker’s visit.”

  “Me too,” Ruby murmured, clinging tightly to Lincoln’s hand. “Especially with that nasally, high-pitched voice she has.”

  Lincoln’s lips twitched.

  “What you said to her back there. Was that true?”

  “About her not having a job to return to?”

  At Ruby’s nod, he continued. “Yes. She has no business working with children or families. People such as her are power hungry. They get off on wielding that power over the weaker. Makes me sick.”

  “Thank you for coming to my rescue back there, Lincoln. I’m sorry, I threw you under the bus with that fiancé comment, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind.”

  Lincoln wanted to yank her to him and assure her that she hadn’t thrown him under anything he didn’t want to be under. That he would give anything to be normal, to be her fiancé.

  Instead, he said. “It’s fine. You did what had to be done. I don’t fault you for that.”

  “I’d like to go for a swim in the pool while Cam’s asleep,” Ruby suddenly announced, catching Lincoln off guard. “Join me?”

  The thought of Ruby seeing his face outside in the bright light of day didn’t appeal to Lincoln. But the pleading look in her eyes decided for him. “Sure.”

  Ruby grinned. “Great. Grab yourself some shorts, and I’ll meet you out there.”

  Lincoln didn’t own a pair of shorts. He’d never had a need for them, but he didn’t want to tell Ruby that. “Okay. Give me a few minutes.”

  He waited for her to trail off toward the back of the giant house before taking the stairs two at a time to the second floor.

  Mrs. Tuff turned from her dusting of a table in the hall as he rushed toward his bedroom. “Is everything okay, Mr. Barone?”

  Lincoln stopped just inside his room and spun to face her. “I need a pair of shorts. And quickly.”

  The housekeeper’s eyebrows shot up. “Shorts, Mr. Barone?”

  “Yes. Something to swim in. And please hurry. Ruby’s waiting.”

  Mrs. Tuff smiled knowingly. “Hand me a pair of your jeans, and I’ll cut them off for you.”

  Lincoln retrieved a pair of his jeans from his closet and handed them to her.

  “I’ll have them to you in a jiffy.” Mrs. Tuff bustled from the room with a spring in her step.

  Removing his cloak, Lincoln pulled off his shirt, removed his shoes, and peeled off his pants. He then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist to wait for Mrs. Tuff to finish making his shorts.

  The phone rang from his bedside table. Lincoln picked it up and brought it to his ear. He opened his mouth to speak when Mrs. Tuff’s voice came over the line. “Barone residence.”

  “Hi, Virginia, it’s Stiles.”

  Mrs. Tuff practically purred. “Well, hello there, sexy. Why are you calling the house phone?”

  “I tried your cell,” he replied with a touch of impatience in his voice. “I’m at the market, and I forgot my list. Can you give me a quick rundown on what you wanted me to pick up?”

  Lincoln was about to hang up when Mrs. Tuff’s next words stopped him. “I will, but you’ll never believe what I’m doing at the moment.”

  “Are you going to tell me or make me guess?”

  The housekeeper’s feminine giggle grated on the Beast’s nerves. “I’m making Lincoln a pair of shorts. He’s going in the pool with Miss Atwood.”

  “Without his covering?” Stiles sounded as shocked as Lincoln felt by hearing them discuss him in such a manner.

  “Yes, poor thing.” Mrs. Tuff clucked. “It’s kind of sad, if you ask me. The girl obviously pities him, and I don’t think Mr. Barone can see it. He seems pretty taken with her.”

  All the air left Lincoln’s lungs in a whoosh. He quietly replaced the receiver and dropped his great weight onto the edge of his bed.

  How could he have been so naïve? Mrs. Tuff was more than right. Lincoln had been so caught up in Ruby and how she made him feel that he hadn’t been able to see the forest for the trees.

  Ruby pitied him. He should have known that was the case the first time she’d allowed him to touch her.

  Lincoln couldn’t summon the will to be angry. It was no more than he deserved. How stupid he’d been to actually expect someone as beautiful and precious as Ruby to feel anything for him other than pity.

  Satan whimpered from the doorway, obviously sensing his master’s pain. He trotted into the room, licking Lincoln’s hand before laying his head on his thigh.

  “Good boy,” Lincoln praised him, petting the top of the animal’s head.

  Lincoln raised his gaze to the cursed mirror in front of him and took in his handsome appearance.

  A bone-deep sorrow settled inside him the longer he peered at his reflection. In three days’ time, his hope of ever being the man staring back at him would disappear.

  Satan whined again.

  “It’s okay, boy,” Lincoln assured him in a soft tone. “Go lay down.”

  The wolf meandered over to the rug near the foot of the bed and lowered his giant body.

  Lincoln wasn’t sure how long he sat there, hidden by the partially closed canopy of his bed, before Ruby’s voice penetrated his tormented thoughts.

  “Lincoln?”

  Satan growled low in his throat.

  Lincoln snatched up his cloak, threw it over his shoulders, and covered his hideous head.

  “What are you doing sitting in here in the dark?” Ruby softly questioned, ignoring the wolf’s growls. “Is everything all right?”

  Lincoln’s stomach tightened in dread. He couldn’t face her. Not now. Not after he’d acted like a lovesick fool. He’d never be able to bear the pity he knew would be evident in her eyes.

  “I’m fine. Get out.”

  She took another step forward. “Not until I know that you’re okay.

  “I said, get out!” he roared, swinging his hooded gaze in her direction.

  But there was no pity swimming in her beautiful eyes...only determination.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ruby’s heart pounded so hard she could swear her shirt lifted with every beat. Lincoln was furious. But why? Her gaze swung to the wolf protecting its owner. Th
ough Satan continued with the growling, Ruby knew enough about animals to know that he wouldn’t attack her. He’d already be on his feet if that were the case.

  She inched forward on trembling legs. “I’m not leaving. Not until you tell me what I’ve done to anger you.”

  “You didn’t do anything,” Lincoln rasped, shrinking farther back into the shadow of the bed’s canopy.

  She took another step. “Then why are you sitting in here in the shadows? I waited a half hour for you to join me in the pool. It’s starting to grow dark out.”

  “Don’t come any closer.”

  Ruby could hear the anger in his voice along with something else she couldn’t identify.

  She stopped in front of him, moving to stand between his bare knees. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  He jerked back as she reached up to remove his hood. “I don’t want your pity!”

  Ruby sucked in a shocked breath. “My pity? You think I pity you?”

  “Why else would you still be here?” he bit out, gripping her wrists as she tried once again to remove his hood.

  Satan surged to his feet, but one word from Lincoln, and the animal turned and left the room.

  Tears of frustration burned Ruby’s eyes, but she blinked them back. How was she expected to answer his question when she herself wasn’t sure why she’d remained?

  “I don’t know why I’m still here, Lincoln.” She tried to wriggle her wrists free of his grasp. “I only know that I can’t bring myself to leave. Not yet.”

  His head slowly lifted. And though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he watched her with those electric blue eyes. “Why? What are you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know. I…”

  He tightened his hold. “Tell me!”

  “I can’t leave,” she whispered, yanking free of his hold. “Not until I know what it feels like to have your skin against mine. To lie beneath you, while you take me to a place I’ve never —”

  “Ruby?”

  She yanked her damp shirt over her head and tossed it behind her. “Touch me, Lincoln.”