Colton 911: Temptation Undercover

by Jennifer Morey

  Ruby continued to stare at him. And then she suddenly burst into tears and ran off into her bedroom, slamming the door.

  Well, at least Maya wouldn’t hear that.

  Downcast and hoping he could pull off acting like a criminal bartender, Damon went downstairs and started his closing shift. It was early, so not many were filling the space, just the regulars who occupied barstools and likely sought to numb their pain.

  He didn’t take lightly Ruby’s reaction to his and Maya’s deepening bond. He was just as concerned about her as Ruby was. But Ruby would not believe that. Not yet. Frustration made him wipe the bar counter harder and more often than necessary.

  The Foxhole owner eyed him every once in a while.

  Damon checked himself. Ruby and Maya had to go on his cerebral shelf for a while.

  An hour or so went by when Ruby appeared in front of him. She utterly surprised him until he rationalized she had waited for Maya to go to sleep and then had come down here to support his investigation. All premeditated, with the sole intent to protect her daughter. Or so she thought.

  Damon would use this to his complete advantage—and not for his investigation. For her.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked.

  “Ginger ale on the rocks.”

  Damon went to get her the requested drink, being sure to add an umbrella as a silent message. Flashy, just like their role-playing.

  He put the glass before her.

  “Thanks...lover.”

  He did not misinterpret her tone, although her expression revealed attraction. He wondered if at least that was real.

  “Feeling restless tonight?” he asked.

  “You stay away from Maya,” she said in a low, growling voice. Mama bear again. She sipped through her straw with a hot look in her eyes. In the entire bar, no one but he would notice the extreme venom. She kept her face sexy, but her words and tone held completely different meaning. She didn’t have four-inch, spiky-sharp teeth, but she sure could bite like she did.

  Going to another customer, Damon was glad for the break so he could digest this extreme in Ruby. She’d do anything to protect her daughter. He got that. But her defenses spoke more from insecurity, threat. And Damon was a huge threat right now. To her and her alone. Her lack of trust was so deep he didn’t think he’d ever be able to breach the barrier.

  After a while he saw her glass of ginger ale was empty. “Another?” he asked.

  “I think I’ll have a beer. I can’t leave too much of a teetotaling impression.”

  He brought her a light lager. “On the house.” He glanced around, checking for signs of the gang.

  Her eyes narrowed. Daggers flew at him. Ruby leaned back. “I know what you’re doing.”

  “Tending bar?”

  “You’re playing your role. Showing Kid’s gang members you’re one of them,” she said in a calm voice. She raised her hand casually, as though in conversation and not in anger.

  “None of Kid’s gang is here,” he informed her.

  “You stay away from Maya,” she said, then took the beer and drank several swallows.

  “No. I like her. A lot,” he said.

  Angrily, Ruby put the bottle onto the bar. She said nothing.

  Just then, Damon saw Carl and the whole gang file into the pub.

  He turned to Ruby. “Time for you to go upstairs.”

  She looked toward the door and saw what must be a souring reminder of all the pain Kid had caused her. Then she looked at him. “No. I think I’ll have another drink, Mr. Jones.” She finished her beer and handed him the bottle.

  This was so out of character for her. It was worry over Maya and her attachment to Damon that fueled her anger. She was apprehensive about what this would lead to, and she must think it would lead to nothing, to him and her parting ways.

  Oh, man. “No. Go upstairs.”

  “I’m a paying customer. You don’t have to put it on the house. Give me another.”

  “Ruby...”

  “One more. Now. Or this all ends now.”

  Meaning she’d blow his cover? Damon knew for sure she’d never do that. She was just mad that her daughter liked him.

  “Okay.” Damon got another bottle of beer. Putting it on the bar in front of her, he leaned forward. “After this, you go upstairs.”

  Ruby, with her elbows on the counter, leaned toward him like a drunken girlfriend, smiling sloppily and said, “Kiss me.”

  “We don’t have to do that,” he said.

  “Do it.”

  At her commanding tone, he did.

  He put his hand behind her head and brought her to him, kissing her firmly, unmistakably passionate. He did not have to fake it, and by the time the long kiss ended, he was certain she knew it.

  He looked into her eyes, penetrating, telling her ruthlessly that she was treading on thin ice. He was the expert here, and there was no room for personal emotion.

  Ruby leaned back on her stool and drank from the bottle.

  He chuckled because Ruby rarely drank anything. “Will you be all right with Maya?”

  “Yes. I’ll have tea when I go back up. And a movie. I’m not going to be able to sleep.”

  “One thing I know for sure you are, Ruby, is a good mom.”

  Ruby nodded her thanks and took another swig.

  Damon had to conceal his amusement before tending to other patrons. He kept an eye on Ruby, who remained seated, watching him. She’d go upstairs soon, but she must want to stay a bit to be around him.

  Damon did not rely on his instincts when it came to women, but he would make sure nothing happened to her tonight. She would have a very mild buzz, enough to relax her and put her to sleep in pillowy slumber, but when he saw Carl approach, he went into kill mode.

  He had to serve several customers and bar orders before he could go over to her and Carl.

  “Carl was just telling me how beautiful I am and that he’d like to take me to dinner,” Ruby said.

  That was cheap. He turned to Carl. “Oh. That’s charming. What did you say?”

  “I said no.” Ruby sounded like she’d deliberately slurred her words. “I need another beer.”

  Seeing her eyes, he knew what she meant. She played her role.

  Damon got her another. She took a tiny sip and put the bottle down. She wasn’t going to drink it all. She’d definitely had enough. She was probably feeling what she’d already had in a big way. Judging by her smile, he would say she was feeling pretty good right now.

  Having to address his other customers again—the bar was filling up now—he left Ruby with Carl. He kept a close eye on her.

  He could tell Carl was talking sweet gangster nothings to her and she was playing along, talking with him and smiling genuinely, or so it seemed. More like the beer had relaxed her enough to act.

  He refreshed all his patrons and filled orders throughout the bar and then returned to Ruby and her ignorant suitor. The man clearly didn’t know what he was dealing with. Tipsy or not, Ruby had unshakable principles.

  “You are an amazing woman, Ruby,” Carl said as Damon stopped at the bar.

  “Yes, she most certainly is,” Damon said. “She captured my heart the first time I ordered coffee.”

  Carl only then noticed him, or pretended to. He looked at him with displeasure.

  “Santiago asked me to deliver you another message. You are taking too long to find what belongs to him. It’s time to speed your progress along.”

  “We’re working as fast as we can,” Damon said.

  “If Ruby knew where the stash was, you would have found it by now. The two of you appear to be close. Even...trusting. We’ve been watching you. So tell me...why have you not found it yet?”

  “Ruby didn’t know about the weapons, as I’ve told you. We’re searching fo
r them,” Damon said. “We have some ideas on where Kid might have put them and are eliminating them one by one.”

  “Need I remind you that Santiago will be patient for only so much longer?”

  “No. That message is loud and clear.”

  Ruby sighed like a satisfied cat. “I’m going up to the apartment.” She stood from the stool with a gooey smile at Damon. “See you soon, darling.”

  “Can’t wait,” Damon answered, loving it.

  * * *

  Ruby stayed up with a book and a cup of tea. She had calmed down since going to confront Damon about his closeness with Maya. She was extremely worried about her daughter’s well-being, but now that she’d had time to think, she realized she couldn’t predict the future. Maya liked him, and he was a good influence on her. If they ended up parting ways, she’d be sad for a while, but she would bounce back. On the other hand, if Ruby and Damon ended up staying together, they’d continue as a family unit. Ruby admitted she feared that, and for good reason, but she couldn’t live beneath that fear for the rest of her life.

  She could, however, be discerning in her choice of men. Right now, it wouldn’t be prudent to trust Damon completely.

  Hearing someone coming up the stairs, she put her book down and twisted to see the door. The lock turned, and Damon appeared when he opened the door.

  “Oh. You’re still up,” he said.

  “Yes. I couldn’t sleep.” She held up her book.

  He walked to the couch and sat. He seemed weighed down by something.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  “I had a talk with Santiago again.”

  Ruby braced herself for more deadly threats over how long it was taking for her and Damon to track down the weapons.

  “I asked him about your relationship with Kid,” he said.

  Why had he done that? He had trust issues the same as her. With both of them falling for each other, their hearts were on a chopping block with the knife getting ready to slam down.

  “You did?” she asked.

  “He told me one of Kid’s men said Kid told you to leave because you had two affairs while you were with him.”

  Ruby scoffed. “And you believed him?”

  “I didn’t know what to believe,” he said.

  Imagining Damon having such a conversation with the likes of Santiago, Ruby came to two conclusions. “Okay, first of all, I didn’t have any affairs, and secondly, Kid kept me from my daughter. Do you really think I wanted that?”

  “Of course not, but he could have forced you to leave because of the affairs,” Damon said.

  “That would make sense if I had actually had affairs. Damon, I understand everything about fragile trust, but you’re going to have to trust me on this one,” she said.

  He blinked, and she knew she had made headway.

  “Besides, Santiago is probably trying to put a rift between us so that you’d be more likely to put pressure on me to find his weapons,” Ruby said. “He wants you with me, but if you care too much about me, he loses control over you.”

  Damon blinked again.

  Ruby scooted closer and put her hand on his cheek. “If I’d been in your shoes and someone told me something like that about you, I’d have reacted the same way.”

  Damon’s eyes immediately softened, and he put his hand over hers. “You’re right about Santiago. He had to be lying.”

  Feeling a deeper connection begin to grow between them, she knew this was an important moment for them. They both didn’t trust easily, but he had just trusted her.

  Acting on impulse, without thinking, she lowered her hand and leaned closer, kissing him. He moved his hand to the back of her head, and she rested hers on his chest. This felt so good, she kept on kissing him. She let her doubts go.

  She couldn’t stop this. It felt too right, too strong.

  His arm slipped around her back and drew her against him. She put her other hand behind his head and sank her fingers into his soft hair. Their breathing intensified. Her heart raced, and her entire body heated and tingled with love. She wanted him. So bad.

  As she continued to bestow him with heartfelt kisses, no tongue involved, she sensed his waning restraint. Endless minutes passed before he took over. She loved how he did that. The man in him took charge of this sexual encounter. Seducer. Lover. Protector of the weak and innocent. Gentle soul.

  She allowed him to be in charge for this spectacular kiss, but now she was ready for more. Withdrawing, she supported herself with her hands on his shoulders and straddled him.

  “No, no,” he murmured. “It’s my turn.” He held her and effortlessly placed her onto her back on the couch.

  With her beneath him and his sexy gaze penetrating hers, Ruby gave in to pure desire.

  “And this isn’t going to be quick,” he said.

  “Good,” she said breathlessly.

  He kissed her much as she had him: soft, tender and full of love. Ruby tried to resist the powerful tide, but it was too strong. A tsunami of sensation. How he could do that with just a kiss she could not process.

  Lying on the edge of the couch with his leg over both of hers, he ran his hand from her cheek down her neck and over her shoulder, before landing on her breast. He caressed a bit there and then progressed down to her waist, hip and then thigh. He just ran his hands along her body.

  She raised her hands above her head and let him do as he pleased. After several moments of pleasuring, he kissed her, soft and slow as was the theme of this intimacy, it seemed.

  Needing more, Ruby removed the Drink Wisconsinbly T-shirt she had on, seeing Damon’s grin as she did so. He unclasped the front-fastening racerback bra, and her breasts sprang free.

  She loved the way he took in the spectacle, taking his time, reveling. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and removed it. Letting him take the lead on this foreplay, Ruby kept her hands above her head. She watched him get up and strip them down. It was as though he understood she’d wait for him.

  She would.

  Naked, Damon returned to the couch, knees on either side of her. She watched him take in her pose, breathing long and slow and in passion. He moved so gracefully, powerfully.

  Then he was on her, on top of her, flesh pressed to flesh. He had his elbows on each side of her. It felt so inexplicitly erotic. She would never be the kind to like being bound, but the surrender of giving him free access to her body numbed her mind to feel only ecstasy. It was pure ecstasy. For this night, she could give absolute trust. She realized just then, it was his trust that made her do this, to let go this way.

  Ruby lifted her leg and draped it on the back of the couch, giving him room to lie between her legs. She felt his hardness against the place that craved him, but he didn’t rush. He kissed her reverently. She matched it, effortlessly she realized. They danced in love.

  Unable to resist any longer, Ruby brought her hands to his skin. She touched his shoulders, his biceps, the sides of his powerful torso, down to his rear and back up again, resting on his firm, smooth, muscular back.

  Damon lifted his head, and she met his eyes. Beautiful, manly eyes so full of passion.

  He positioned his erection at her opening and began pressing in. She was so wet it didn’t take much effort. He slid right in.

  Ruby dug the back of her head into the couch and spread her knees wider.

  “Damon.” His name came unbidden from her.

  “Yes,” he answered gruffly.

  He began sliding in and drawing out just a bit, angling to brush her clitoris every other stroke. It was enough to bring her to a state of utter mindlessness. Nothing else existed but him and what he made her feel. She came too quickly.

  But he came with her. As Ruby’s world melted back down to reality, the thought dawned on her that no other man would ever match her like this one.

  Chap
ter 14

  Watching Ruby spread peanut butter and jelly over a toasted muffin with mechanical movements, Damon recognized her mood. Ever since waking with her—yes, they slept in his bed—she sometimes had a dreamy look and less frequently a troubled one. Right now she appeared entranced, absorbed in thought. He hoped those thoughts were in the clouds and full of future imaginations. His certainly were.

  After last night, he’d officially thrown in the towel. Ruby was what he wanted and needed in his life. And not just her. Maya, too. He feared what Ruby could do to him if she ran from her own insecurities and sought safer, loveless ground. But he was filled with a new and invigorating certainty he could no longer deny.

  He kept this to himself. Ruby would not be able to handle such a declaration right now. He had to end this case and then concentrate on convincing her this was meant to be. Him. Her. Maya. A family. A real one. His heart soared just thinking about it.

  A tug on his shirt brought his attention down to an adorable dark-haired five-year-old.

  You’re burning the eggs.

  Damon looked at the pan of eggs he’d been working on and was startled to see he was, indeed, burning the eggs. Ruby’s mechanical spreading of peanut butter came back and slapped him. They were both in some sort of trance.

  Damon removed the eggs from the burner. Ruby had stopped moving her knife and looked at him, then the pan, then at Maya.

  “Maya is an observant soul.” Damon made sure she could see his lips but also signed.

  She beamed a big smile and climbed up onto an island stool.

  He washed out the pan and started over with fresh eggs, ever aware of Maya.

  Ruby prepared a bowl of cubed cantaloupe, eyeing Damon and Maya, whose eyes were all for him. Ruby clearly did not like that.

  Damon pretended not to notice. He finished the eggs and put together Maya’s plate. Then he prepared his and Ruby’s, ever aware of Ruby so close to him, their arms or shoulders brushing every once in a while.

  Ruby sat on one side of Maya and he on the other at the island. This was all impromptu.