Page 36 of Keeping Knight

I’ve never thought of myself as a coward before. Cautious when it’s necessary, sure. But a coward? No. And I don’t want to be.

“You’re not keeping me from something I enjoy,” I say. Then I take Ruby’s hands in mine. “I enjoy spending time with you. It doesn’t matter where. If cooking class is where I get to see you, that’s where I’ll go. But if you’re not there, I don’t want to be, either.”

Ruby’s gaze meets mine. “Really?”

“Really.” I take a step closer to her. “I like being with you, Ruby. Cooking together in a hot kitchen, walking you home from class, watching TV with you, drinking coffee while we watch the sunrise, just standing here with you… I like it all.”

After a silence that takes no more than a few seconds but feels eternal, she says, “I like it, too. Everything you said. About class, and spending time with you, and… I know this is the weirdest time, with everything else that’s going on. But I can’t help feeling like…”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re my silver lining. Maybe that’s stupid to say. Or it’s not the right way to say it.” One small hand comes to my chest, flattening just above my heart. “You’re more than a silver lining. You’re just—” Pink rises on her cheeks. “Something special. Someone special. You’re smart and brave and kind and you love dogs and you dropped everything to help me. I can’t think of anyone else I’ve met like that. And maybe I’m making things weird⁠—”

“You’re not.” Lifting my hand to Ruby’s cheek, I stroke my thumb across her satiny skin. “I’m glad you said it.”

“You are?”

“I am.” Dipping my head to hers, I press a soft kiss to her forehead. Then another to the tip of her nose. My lips only inches from hers, I say, “I think you’re special, Ruby. Very special. You’re intelligent. Funny. Sweet. Sampson likes you. My friends all like you. And you’re so brave. Braver than you should have to be. But you are.”

“Micah.”

“I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for you,” I tell her. “I didn’t want to be selfish.”

Her eyes are so big and dark, it feels like I’m falling into them. “I don’t think you could.”

We’re just a whisper apart. So close I don’t have the strength to pull away.

So I kiss her.

First, it’s just a brush of my mouth against hers. The briefest taste of her sweetness. An opportunity for her to tell me no. For her to end this thing before it goes further.

But she doesn’t. Instead, her hand comes around the back of my neck, and she presses her lips to mine.

Splaying my hand across her back, I pull her to me, so we’re flush against each other. Her breasts are full and soft, and through the layers of fabric between us, I feel her nipples pebble into hard buds.

Desire surges, throbbing insistently. My dick goes hard.

Ruby’s fingernails lightly rake the back of my neck, sending a shiver of pleasure through me.

Bending over her, I lift her onto her toes and kiss her harder. I tease the seam of her lips with my tongue, and she opens for me. Then I plunge inside, stroking her tongue with mine. Tasting her. Memorizing her.

She moans into my mouth; a desperate, hungry sound. Her hips move against me. Her nails dig into my skin.

Kissing Ruby is even better than I imagined.

A dozen fantasies flash by in a blink—of setting Ruby on the island and taking her there, carrying her into the bedroom and laying her out on my bed, peeling off her clothes right where we stand so I can finally see how she looks naked—and I’m so tempted to try at least one of them.

So damn tempted.

But I won’t. Because Ruby’s a shit-ton more important than my physical desires. And the last thing I want to do is push for more than she’s ready for.

Instead, I keep kissing her. I tunnel my fingers through her hair as I tilt her head back to take our kiss deeper. I let her feel my arousal as it prods her belly. I cup her sweet ass, lifting her higher against me. I show Ruby how badly I want her without saying a word.

And she wants me, too. I can tell. There’s no doubt anymore.

When we finally break apart, my heart is racing. Ruby’s cheeks are flushed bright pink. Her hair is all tousled. When I glance down, the outlines of her nipples are clearly visible.

I brush my thumb across her kiss-swollen lips as I meet her gaze. “Wow,” she breathes. “Just… wow.”