by Taylor Lee
“Speaking of engagements, I believe Ruby has an announcement.” At her surprised gasp, he frowned. “Or am I breaking a confidence?”
His suave and patently insincere remark infuriated and galvanized her. She should thank him she thought as she glared at him and responded crisply, “Apparently it doesn’t seem to bother you if you are.”
Turning to the clearly surprised group, Ruby took a deep breath. Holding her hands in tight fists in her lap, she tried to sound indifferent, blasé. “Yes… well, I’m engaged… sort of.” Horrified at how ridiculous she sounded she added, “I mean, we just aren’t announcing it yet.”
“I’m sorry, Ruby. I hadn’t understood that it was a secret.” Noah looked chagrined, likely more by the fact that she called him out on his deception than from remorse Ruby thought. Confirming that she was right, he added with a dispassionate shrug. “I guess I’m surprised. Your fiancé announced it to me within minutes of meeting me.”
At his insinuating tone, Ruby’s anger flared red hot. She managed to keep her voice relatively contained but had to hold on to the arms of her chair to maintain her composure.
“You mean when I met you and Natalia.” For some crazy reason she needed to explain to the group, who were now all staring at her and Noah with varying degrees of surprise.
“We… Stuart and I… ran into Noah and his friend Natalia at a party in Washington. I also had a chance to meet Noah’s parents. They are very impressive and Natalia is… lovely.” Ruby bit down hard on her lip to keep it from trembling. Assuming a nonchalant air, she faced Noah. “You are a lucky man, Noah.”
Ian broke the tense silence and said smoothly. “Yes he is. Natalia Jameson is a beautiful woman and almost as smart as Noah. As for Senator Walker and his wife, you couldn’t meet a more impressive couple. Somehow, over the last couple of years, I’ve managed to maintain their friendship even though Sen. Walker accuses me of corrupting his son. The Senator had other plans for Noah, than being a ‘fucking spy,’ as the Senator so bluntly calls our line of work.”
Knowing that she was the only one who wasn’t smiling at Ian’s graceful intervention, Ruby clutched the edge of the table for support. Even though she was sitting down her legs were shaking. When she felt Noah’s hand rest on her knee she realized that he must have felt her tremor. His touch was all she needed. Brushing his hand away she rose unsteadily to her feet.
“I’m going to excuse myself. Noah indicated earlier that Gray and I are to meet with him for a final briefing tomorrow morning at 08:00 hours. Unlike the rest of you, I need my beauty sleep. If you’ll excuse me...”
She hadn’t gotten two steps from the table when Noah was at her side. Taking hold of her arm, he said over his shoulder to the group, “I need to call it a night as well. I’ll drive you home, Ruby.”
Ruby tried to shake off his hand. “That won’t be necessary, Noah. I have my car.”
Rather than retreating, Noah merely shrugged and tightened his grip on her arm. “Fine. Then I’ll walk you to your car.”
Holding her next to him, Noah spoke to the rest of the party.
“Sapphire, take care of yourself and give Jase my best.” Bowing slightly to Diamond, he added in a serious voice. “Thank you for entrusting yet another of your superlative agents to us. Not to diminish any of the other women in your company, but in my opinion Ruby is the ultimate agent.”
Diamond gazed at him thoughtfully. “I’m glad you realize that, Agent Walker. Ruby was my first agent. When I met her I knew that the dream I had for my company was a genuine possibility. She is everything I imagined an LOTN agent to be.”
Noah bowed slightly in agreement and met Gray’s gaze. “See you at eight.”
Turning to Ian, he added, “I’ll check in with you later.”
Ian nodded and said cryptically. “Please do. Tonight. I’ll expect your call.”
Ruby was sure that Noah also heard Gray’s comment as he led her by the arm to the parking lot. Gray’s voice was as questioning as she was sure the rest of the group felt.
“Anybody want to tell me what that was all about?”
As they got to her car, Ruby jerked away from Noah and glared at him. She was shaking with anger. Not sure that she could stand without support, she clutched the door handle to keep her balance.
“Are you happy, Noah? If embarrassing me in front of our friends—make that our business associates—was your intention, you succeeded. Wildly!”
Noah unwound Ruby’s fingers from the door handle and pulled her next to him. Shaking his head when she tried to jerk herself free, he only held her more firmly.
“Ruby, we need to talk. I owe you an apology.”
Stunned at his calm understatement, Ruby didn’t try to hide her anger.
“For what, Noah? For embarrassing me in front of our friends? Or for openly criticizing my fiancé? Or… for… spanking me?”
Ruby stepped back aghast. She was mortified that she’d added that last item. The fact that Noah’s eyes widened in surprise confirmed he hadn’t expected that to be part of her list of grievances.
Ruby tried to free herself in earnest but if anything Noah merely tightened his hold. When he lifted her chin forcing her to look at him, she saw that he was serious, troubled.
“Definitely for embarrassing you. That was uncalled for. I’m not sure why I did it. But I shouldn’t have. I apologize. I’m less sorry about what I called your supposed fiancé this afternoon. Again, I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s not my place to criticize your choice of suitors, or even fiancés, no matter how much I disagree with those choices.”
Not believing she was hearing him correctly, Ruby tried again to shake off his grip but Noah refused to relinquish her. If anything he held her tighter up against his hard body. Holding her chin so that she couldn’t look away, he gazed down at her. His eyes were dark, almost black, shining with an intensity that took her breath. Ruby’s heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. To her surprise, he grinned, his perfect white teeth sparkling in his warm brown face. “As for spanking you, well, I’d do that again in a heartbeat.”
Ruby was unable to hide the massive shiver that shook her at his outrageous assertion. It was all she could do to stand given the sensations that were flooding her body.
Pressing her against the door of the car, Noah leaned in and murmured, “If I didn’t know better, the fact that your body is shaking and that your cheeks are as hot as my dick is hard, I’d think you wouldn’t mind if I did.”
Chapter 8
Not believing what she was hearing, Ruby shook her head, determined to break free from his hold. To her surprise, Noah held her tighter. He further stunned her when he pulled her up against him and groaned a hard male sound. His voice was rough. “Damn, Ruby. I want you, woman!”
He tipped her head back and nipped at the tender spot beneath her ear. His voice was rough, raspy.
“Tell me, baby, that you don’t want this. That you don’t want me to do this to you.”
Apparently encouraged by the soft cry that escaped her lips and not done tormenting her, Noah licked the sensitive skin and then blew a cool puff of air against the fiery spot. Shocked at the sensations wracking her from such a seemingly innocent gesture, rather than trying to pull away Ruby found herself presenting her neck to him, desperate for more of the shivery heat streaking her skin. Noah must have read her desires because he wound his fingers in her long red hair and pulled her head further back, baring her throat to his lips and teeth. His voice was low, gravelly.
“Jesus, Ruby, do you have any idea what this gorgeous hair of yours does to me? It’s incredibly beautiful and so goddamn erotic. It’s like a cloud of red and gold sweeping over your shoulders. It begs me to touch it, get lost in it. I want to tug on it, wrap my hands around it. Allow myself to be swept up in an inferno of fiery heat. You need to understand, darlin’, there’s no way I can get enough of these flaming strands. I want to bury my face in them and then use them to drag you closer t
o me.”
Noah tipped her head further back, forcing her to look at him. He gazed at her lips then closed his eyes as if the sight was too demanding to ignore. Opening them he stared at her through narrowed eyes.
“Tell me you don’t want this, Ruby, and I promise I’ll stop. Tell me that you don’t want me to kiss you. To press open those luscious lips of yours, delve inside your mouth and taste you. God, honey, I’m craving your taste.”
Ruby almost didn’t hear his provocative words. She couldn’t stop staring at his mouth wondering how she’d never let herself acknowledge how sensuously full his lips were. Or how much she wanted to feel his lush mouth on hers. Shocked at the need to touch his lips, kiss them, Ruby reached up and ran her fingertips over the soft fullness. She knew that if he didn’t kiss her and soon, she would melt with the need. Determined to bring his mouth next to hers, she wound her fingers in his short curly hair. Pulling his head down, she gave in to her desire. Her voice was as low, as tortured as his had been.
She whispered, “Yes. God, yes. Kiss me, Noah. Please.”
Noah reared back and frowned as if shocked at her provocative plea. His jaw was rigid, the crease in his cheek was pronounced. She’d always known that his eyes were dark, gleaming, but now they were obsidian pools of molten coal that looked as though they could burst into flames at any moment. At his deep groan, as he leaned down to kiss her, Ruby stopped thinking, closed her eyes and gave into his kiss. She was surprised that it was almost gentle at first. It wasn’t tentative, because there was nothing tentative in the way that Noah was holding her. He’d dug his fingers into her arms and lifted her up against him. For a long moment he played with her lips. He nipped at them lightly then ran his tongue across the seam. The touch was so soft, so teasing that she was shocked when he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and bit down.
The aggressive move coupled with his deep moan drove a cascade of fiery sparks straight to her clit. She cried out then buried her fingers in his hair. She pulled him closer wanting his tongue deep in her mouth.
His voice was rough, guttural.
“Yeah, fire woman, do that. Yank on my hair the way I’m tugging on yours. I want to feel your fingers digging into my scalp. Keep it up. I love that heady mix of pain and pleasure. How about it, fire woman? Do you like that? For me to kiss you, so hard, so deep that you don’t know where my tongue ends and yours begins?”
Not waiting for an answer, Noah parted her lips with his strong tongue and drove past her teeth. In seconds she was kissing him back as fiercely as he was kissing her. Their teeth clashed, their tongues tangled. Ruby didn’t know when she’d wanted anything as desperately as she wanted this kiss. She learned how short sighted she’d been when with a rumbling groan Noah picked her up and balanced her on his muscular thigh.
For the first time Ruby remembered that she was wearing a skirt, and a short one at that. For a brief moment she was horrified, knowing that Noah would feel the damp panties that barely covered her intimate lips. His guttural grunt confirmed that he’d felt her telltale wetness.
“Ah, yes, fire woman. You’re wet. Fuck, Ruby, you want me as much as I want you. Don’t you baby? Tell me darlin’, does this give you an idea of how much I want you? Does it?”
Stunned at his hard erection pressing her thighs apart, Ruby cried out. He reached down and grabbed her legs spreading them further apart. He lifted her up pulling her crotch against him ensuring that his erection was pressing against her pussy.
She knew that he could feel the drenched scrap of her thong through the rough seam of his jeans.
Not knowing what she was doing, not believing that she could be so brazen, Ruby wrapped her legs around his waist, doing anything she could get his demanding cock closer to her clit.
His voice was harsh, challenging.
“That’s the way, baby. Show me how much you want me! Can you feel my prick rubbing against you, can you? Christ, Ruby, the damn thing is about to break through my jeans.”
Knowing she should be horrified when Noah yanked aside the silk panel of her panties and slid his finger inside her intimate folds, Ruby could only cry out. Beg him not to stop. Her tortured appeals weren’t necessary. It was clear that he had no intention of stopping which only made her desire him more. He cupped her pussy with his huge hand and drove one, then two, thick, calloused fingers inside of her.
Writhing against his insinuating advance, needing his fingers deeper inside of her, she cried out an anguished wail, “Oh, God, Noah. I need you. I want you. Please don’t stop.”
He moaned, his lips vibrating against her neck.
“I don’t know if I can stop, Ruby.” To her surprise he slid his fingers out of her and pulled her up tighter against him, his breath was hot against her ear.
“But… somehow we have to, darlin’. Do you understand, baby? We can’t do this.”
At first Ruby didn’t understand. How could he possibly think that they could just stop? Good god, she was plastered against the car door, her legs wrapped around his waist. She was moaning, crying for him like a cat in heat. She’d been begging him, pleading with him not to stop, to go further, to take her over the formidable peak she was climbing knowing that if he stranded her at the top that she might expire from desire alone. And now, now he wanted to stop? Trying to understand his sudden reluctance, his next words left no doubt as to his intentions. They confirmed the truth: he was actually pushing her away.
“I can’t take you like this, Ruby. I want you too much, baby. But I want all of you. I want to make love to you for hours, not fuck you against a car door.”
It took Ruby a long, hard moment to realize that he had carefully unwound her legs from his waist and smoothed her short skirt over her thighs then stood her on the ground. Feeling him rubbing her back, whispering soft, sexy words in her ear didn’t help. God knows that, in this instance, actions did speak louder than words. And his actions were screaming at her no matter how much she didn’t want to hear them. Noah needed her to understand why he couldn’t, wouldn’t make love to her.
Ruby clung to him burying her face against his shoulder. She couldn’t let him see how devastated she was at his rejection. God, she’d never so desperately, frantically wanted a man. She’d never come close to feeling what she’d felt with him. She corrected herself. He wasn’t just any man who’d gotten to her, stripped aside her defenses, her reserve, touched her at an erotic level she’d never known. No, goddammit, it was Noah. The man she now had to admit she’d been lusting for as long as she’d known him. And, God help her, she’d just let him know it.
Swallowing hard she pushed him away, determined to leave as quickly, as gracefully, as she could. She should have known better. Graceful was not her strong suit. But the acrimony in her voice surprised her as much as it must have surprised him. Reaching for the handle of the car door, she jerked it open and twisted her hip to get inside. She longed for the embryonic privacy of the interior of her car. She wanted to slam the door shut and scream and cry as long and as loudly as she wished. Shoving at his arm that was still holding her, she jerked herself free and held up her hands.
“What can I say, except that I’m sorry I made such a fool of myself. It… it must have been the tequila. I’m not accustomed to drinking so much or so fast…”
Noah pulled her away from the door and held her firmly in front of him.
“Oh no you don’t, Ruby. I refuse to let you minimize this. Pretend that what we felt was due to anything other than sheer passion and desire.”
He groaned.
“Dammit, woman. Look at my fucking trousers if you somehow think I don’t want you. Or, for Christ’s sake, touch your panties, or thong or whatever the fuck you’re wearing that is now soaking wet. Then tell me that it’s due to the tequila we drank!”
Ruby lifted her chin, determined not to give in to him. Of course, they wanted each other. And hell yes, she’d wanted him. No one had ever done to her what Noah had, driven her wild with desire. She chided hers
elf bitterly. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know his reputation. Hell, she’d listened to women in one bar after another retelling his vaunted prowess as a lover. Whispering eagerly to their envious friends the naughty things he’d done to them. After all he was the man her fellow agents, and apparently a hell of a lot of other women, had dubbed TDAH. Tall, dark, and handsome. Ruby would now add dangerous to the descriptive acronym. In fact, he was so dangerous she didn’t know if she could look him in the eyes again without cringing.
Drawing a protective shield tightly around her, she glared at him and did her best to keep her tone light, but, to her horror, her anguish came through loud and clear.
“What can I say, Noah? Yes, I wanted you. And yes, you made me feel things I’ve never felt before. Is that enough? Enough to confirm that you are as phenomenal a lover as you think you are? And that your reputation with women is well earned?”
Noah stepped back, his eyes widening in surprise. After staring at her for a long moment, a deep frown furrowed his brow. He was silent for what seemed an eon then shook his head slowly.
“Uh, uh, fire woman. I’m not going to let you do that. I’m not going to let you demean what I feel for you or what you feel for me. Do you hear me, Ruby? Do you understand? I won’t let you do that.”
He grabbed her arm and yanked her close to him and drilled her with a hard glare.
“Answer me. Tell me that you understand how much this meant to me and to you. Tell me, Ruby.”
Ruby slammed her eyes closed refusing to let the fountain of tears burning the backs of her eyelids fall. She reminded herself that she didn’t cry. Not ever. Not even now. She swallowed past the huge baseball-sized lump in her throat, trying to speak. For some hideous reason at that moment the image of the beautiful Natalia crossed her mind. Taking it as a sign from the gods she’d never believed in, underscoring what a fool she was, Ruby glared at Noah and forced herself to speak calmly.