“You’re joking.”
He laughed. “In three places.”
They were quiet for a bit while Sarge patrolled the entire fence line. Cliff’s next question surprised her.
“Why are you and Scarlett so different? Isn’t that strange for identical twins?”
“I suppose. It probably started at a young age. Our mom wasn’t one of those parents who dresses their children alike. She encouraged our individually. We grew up with different friends and different interests and different styles. More like typical sisters than twins. Then, our parents divorced.”
“What happened?”
“Between them? I suppose they grew apart. No indiscretions, no secret gambling problems. They did fight a lot.”
“Between you and Scarlett,” Cliff clarified.
“Ah.”
By silent consent, they sat on the porch swing rather than return inside. Sarge stood next to Ruby with his head on her leg while she absently stroked his large, furry ears.
“Scarlett took the divorce badly and blamed Dad. Not for the problems he and Mom had but for not staying and working through them.”
“And you didn’t?”
Ruby and Cliff were sitting close enough that their thighs brushed. Only two layers of material separated them, his shorts and her jeans. The realization sent a jolt of awareness coursing through her. Concentrating became difficult.
“Of course I wanted my parents to stay married. Doesn’t every child? But I was old enough to understand they were miserable and making everyone else miserable. Better to end the marriage and maybe find someone else. Scarlett didn’t see it that way. She cut Dad out of her life. Fortunately, they reconciled a few years later. Still, things have never been the same with them. Or us.”
“She felt betrayed.”
“You’re right.” Ruby swiveled to face him. “That’s pretty astute for someone whose parents are still together.”
“I watched the same thing happen to my nieces when Maeve and their dad divorced. Erin especially suffered.”
“That’s a shame.” Ruby thought the divorce might explain some of the girl’s coolness toward her.
Cliff pushed with his feet to start the swing gently swaying. “Tell me about the men who have gone down in the annals of history as your boyfriends.”
She smiled at his use of her earlier phrase. “Not much to tell.”
“You’ve never married?”
“Nope.”
“Close?”
“Mmm...a little close. We went together off and on for a couple of years. Probably why I’m so hard on Scarlett and Demitri. I can’t help thinking if it’s meant to be, the relationship would be easier. Less drama.”
“You’re a romantic,” Cliff said.
“Me? Hardly. They just have too many obstacles.”
“Yeah.” He shifted away from her.
Was he thinking of them? They certainly had obstacles facing them. Or of Talia?
She needed to stay focused where Cliff was concerned. Wild attraction aside, they couldn’t take their relationship one step further. If only for the reasons she’d just stated.
“We should probably head inside.” He scanned the horizon where a fiery sun had begun to dip below the pine-covered mountaintops. “You’ve had a long day.”
It had been a long day. And draining. What with the gymkhana and then the visit from Detective James, she should be exhausted. Only she wasn’t. Sitting next to Cliff, feeling the warmth of his leg pressed to hers, had energized her.
She stood, not about to give him any insight into what was going through her head. “I could use a shower.”
His eyes widened slightly at her remark. The next instant, the look was gone. “There are fresh towels in the hall bath.”
Having said she could use a shower, Ruby was left with no choice but to take one. She tried not to think of Cliff thinking of her as she stepped under the warm spray. Staying at his house, with him, was an exercise in restraint. She shouldn’t have agreed.
But, then, she’d be alone in the trailer and a sitting duck if Crowley showed up.
Wrapped in a terrycloth robe she’d found hanging on a hook behind the door, she emerged from the bathroom, letting residual steam escape into the hall as she did.
A softly uttered, “Wow,” stopped her.
Cliff stood not ten feet away, his hand poised above the alarm panel, his gaze riveted on her and hunger flaring in his eyes.
Suddenly self-conscious, Ruby lifted a hand to her damp hair.
He waited, frozen in place, as if daring her to scurry across the hall to the security of the guest room. She took a tentative step...
...toward him.
“Cliff.”
He reached her in three long strides. The next instant, she was in his arms, her back arched and his mouth dangerously close. So close, she could taste his breath and hear the beat of his pounding heart.
“There are a hundred reasons we shouldn’t do this.” He threaded his fingers into her hair and tilted her head to the absolute perfect angle for kissing.
“And a hundred reasons we should,” she whispered, closing her eyes as his lips claimed hers.
Chapter Eleven
Ruby fell backward onto Cliff’s king-size bed, pulling him on top of her as she did. Leaning on his elbows, he stared into her face. A light from the hall provided just enough illumination for her to distinguish his features. The trace of doubt reflected there couldn’t be denied.
“It’s not the same,” she said, cradling his cheeks in her palms. “You and I, this is different.”
He ground into her, the evidence of his desire a thick ridge pushing against her belly. “I’m not thinking of anyone or anything else but you. I swear.”
That wasn’t quite true, as the trace of doubt revealed. But the past wouldn’t haunt them. Not tonight. She’d make sure their relationship resulted in no crossing of boundaries, no compromising of careers, and she certainly wasn’t playing him for information.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his fingertips skimming the curve of her jaw.
If he was giving her one last chance to back out, she wasn’t taking it.
“Very sure.”
“This isn’t a casual fling for me.”
“For me, either.” She arched into him. “There’s been no one since—”
He cut her off with a searing kiss. It was what she’d been hoping for. What she’d craved. He didn’t disappoint, breaking the kiss only when she could take no more and begged him to stop.
“On one condition.” He grinned wickedly.
“What’s that?”
“This.” He untied the belt to her robe and parted the thick folds of material. His gaze went straight to her naked breasts and lingered. “You’re exquisite.”
Desire consumed her. “Touch me.”
“I’m going to do more than that.”
Cupping her breast, he brought his mouth to the already taut nipple and sucked greedily. She sighed, urging him on. His mouth moved to her other breast, then to the valley between them.
The sensation was incredible. And not nearly enough. Her skin ached to be caressed. Her needs demanded to be met.
“Take these off,” she said, the button to his cargo shorts defeating her clumsy fingers.
“Yes, ma’am.” He nudged her hand aside.
With the front of his shorts open at last, she yanked his T-shirt free from the waistband.
“Wait,” he growled.
“That’s asking a lot.”
He stood and tore off the T-shirt, throwing it aside. Nice abs! Ruby watched with avid interest as he removed his athletic shoes and peeled away his socks. Now came the really interesting part.
She rose to he
r knees, the robe falling open. Cliff hesitated. Purring seductively, she slid the robe off. It pooled onto the bed behind her.
A ragged moan emanated from deep in his chest. “Ruby, you’re...”
“Hurry,” she pleaded.
Hooking his thumbs in the sides of his shorts, he shed them and his underwear in one fluid motion.
She stared, unable to move. He was everything, all her fantasies rolled into one. Tanned skin covered hard muscles. A smattering of hair darkened his chest and trailed in a line down his stomach. Broad shoulders. Narrow hips. All man. All male. All hers.
Scooting to the edge of the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck. The sensation of her naked breasts against his chest was heaven.
“Kiss me,” she said. What she really wanted was for him to toss her onto the bed and ravage her.
“Not yet.”
Seriously! She was about to complain when he reached for the nightstand drawer, opened it and removed a condom. Okay. One of them was thinking clearly. He set the small packet aside.
“Aren’t you going to...” She motioned with her hand.
That brought a smile to his lips. “Eventually.”
Gathering her into his arms, he kissed her. This time, however, there was nothing tender about it. The room momentarily tilted as he pushed her onto the mattress, then faded away as he lay on top of her. There was only him and her and this moment.
He teased her with nimble fingers. Tantalized her with moist kisses. Seduced her with erotic words. Slowly, patiently, he learned her body. What felt good. What felt great.
When one more stoke of his finger or flick of his tongue would have sent her flying over the edge, she stopped him with a harsh, “No, not yet.”
“Did I—”
“My turn.”
He didn’t object when she rolled him onto his back and indulged her every whim. It took a while. She had a lot of whims.
“Enough,” he growled when he could endure no more.
She consoled herself with, “There’s always next time.”
Tearing open the condom, he sheathed himself. “Now, Ruby.”
“Now what?” she asked coyly.
He was obviously a subscriber to the philosophy of less talk, more action, for, without any wasted effort, he settled her solidly onto his middle. She leaned down and sought his mouth.
He stopped her before she could satisfy another of her whims. “Say it,” he demanded, his intense gaze searching her face.
“I want you,” she murmured, rocking her hips back and forth.
“Not that.”
What then?
All at once, it came to her. As surely as she knew they were in this for the long haul.
“Make love to me, Cliff.”
Drawing in a harsh breath, he grabbed her by the waist and positioned her above him. Ruby guided him inside her, crying out as he entered. Not from pain but pleasure. He plunged deep, thrusting slowly at first, then faster. Their foreplay had been drawn out and so incredibly sensuous, she was ready to climax within seconds.
This time, she couldn’t stop. Didn’t dare stop. The next instant, it was upon her, wave after wave of delight.
The last tremor had barely begun to fade when Cliff raced to his own shuddering release. She held him tight, moaning his name over and over.
She might have said something else. Something revealing about her feelings for him. Oops. Well, too late now. Maybe he hadn’t heard.
After a moment, when his breathing slowed, she sat up.
He held her in place with an arm around her waist. “Don’t leave.”
“I won’t go far, I promise.”
Was there more to his question and her answer?
With slightly stilted movements, she climbed off him and stretched out beside him. He gathered her to his side.
“I suppose we need to talk about what just happened,” he said.
“Yeah.”
At least he didn’t want to talk about what had accidentally slipped out in the throes of passion. Had she simply imagined it?
“I want to see you again.”
“Hard to avoid me. I am staying with you.”
“I mean later.”
Later as in when she returned to Vegas.
“Okay.” More than okay. She was glad. Really glad. “You said before the distance was manageable.”
“What if you stayed in Sweetheart?”
She should have been prepared for that. Cliff didn’t give his heart lightly. Neither did she, for that matter.
“I have a job.”
“Crowley’s on the loose.”
There was that. “Do you really think he’ll come after me?” In the safety of Cliff’s arms, secure in his house, she wondered if they hadn’t overreacted. “He’s not stupid. The police are watching him. And there are the charges Ernesto filed.”
“Do you really want to take the chance?”
“It’s kind of soon for me to be making big decisions. I realize this sounds stupid since we just made love, but we don’t know each other all that well.”
“My point. I want to know you better.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face, the gesture achingly sweet. “A whole lot better.”
“Hard to do that long distance,” she mused.
“I’ll drive to Vegas on my days off if that’s what it takes.”
The fact that he was willing to go to such lengths impressed her. He was in this for the long haul. “If I were to stay, what would I do? Keep working at the Gold Nugget?”
“Unless you don’t like it.”
“Wrangling isn’t the career I’ve always dreamed of.”
“I could talk to my aunt about a job at the Paydirt.”
Serving at the local saloon didn’t compare to a high-end casino. The pay and tips would be a lot less, too. Not that she’d require as much of an income to live on in Sweetheart as in Vegas.
“What about my condo?”
“Sell it.”
That was a step she was nowhere near ready to take. Despite their feelings for each other, things might not work out with Cliff. Look at her sister and Demitri. She could possibly rent the condo to someone at the casino. There were always “apartment wanted” postings in the employee break room.
Refusing to get ahead of herself, Ruby said, “Let me think about it for a day or two. I promised Ernesto I’d come back for the owner’s engagement party. I can’t disappoint either of them. They’ve been really good to me.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll talk to Ernesto when I’m there.”
“He’s going to try to convince you to stay.”
“Probably.” Undoubtedly. She snuggled closer to Cliff. “What about Scarlett? She’ll come home eventually. If only to get her things. What will we tell people?” Ruby’s head started to swim. “How do we explain that you’re dating me and not Scarlett?”
“The truth, I suppose.”
She made a face. “That’s going to sound weird. And maybe a little kinky. Your reputation as the local bachelor will soar.”
“You’ve discovered my secret motive.”
She laughed and poked him playfully in the side.
“I don’t want to pressure you...” His hand skimmed over the slope of her hip and along her thigh.
“Pressure away.” She reached between them, thrilled to find him ready again so soon. “Convince me why I need to stay.”
He tensed when her fingers closed around his erection.
It didn’t take much. Cliff’s negotiating skills were commendable. Within minutes, Ruby was thinking that living in Sweetheart and being with him was exactly what she wanted. Then, she wasn’t thinking about anything except how wonderful he felt moving inside her.
An hour late
r, they abandoned the comfort of his bed in order to let Sarge outside for a final bathroom run. When Ruby’s cell phone rang, they both went instantly still.
“Want me to answer it?” Cliff wore only a pair of boxer briefs, yet he managed to look powerful and capable.
She started for the counter where she’d left her purse. “It’s probably Scarlett. No one else would call me this late.”
Unless it was Detective James with an update on Crowley. A glance at Cliff confirmed he was one step ahead of her.
Ruby glared at the display, a ball of fear lodged in her throat.
“What?” Cliff demanded, coming to her side.
“I don’t recognize the number.”
He took the phone from her and flipped it open. “Who is this?” Relaxing, he passed the phone to Ruby. “It’s your sister.”
“Scarlett?” she said. “Where are you calling from?”
“I’m at a convenience store. My battery’s dead so the clerk let me use her phone. I take it you and Cliff are together.”
“The case against Crowley was dropped. Because of a technicality. I’m staying with Cliff for a day or two in case Crowley comes looking for me.” She was intentionally vague.
“Oh, that’s bad. I’m sorry.” There was a noticeable raw edge to Scarlett’s voice.
“Is something wrong?”
Scarlett started to cry. “It’s Demitri. We had a fight.”
Another fight, Ruby thought. “You know how he is. He gets mad and then he’s sorry.”
“This time is different. We broke up for good. I’m in Blythe now. I’ll be home tomorrow morning.”
* * *
RUBY STARED OUT THE WINDOW, her thoughts scattered and her stomach in knots. Cliff was driving them to the trailer where Scarlett waited. She’d rolled into town an hour ago and had pleaded with Ruby to “come, now.” After that, all three of them were heading to the Gold Nugget where they’d let Sam know the sisters’ ruse was at an end and Scarlett would be back on the job.
“Nervous?” Cliff asked.
“A little,” Ruby confessed.
Funny that he should correctly guess how she felt. Or maybe it wasn’t funny. He was astute and observant. He was also learning more about her all the time.
MOST ELIGIBLE SHERIFF Page 14