Page 78 of Keeping Knight

Calm down, I tell him. I just told Ruby something important. I need to concentrate on that right now.

What better way to celebrate falling in love than to have sex again? he reasons.

Fair point, I reply. But I think I need to find out how Ruby feels, first.

Although she wouldn’t be kissing me if she was upset by what I said, would she?

I should ask. But that would mean not kissing Ruby, and I’m not willing to do that yet. Not when kissing her—with her in my lap, straddling me, no less—is one of my very favorite things.

So we keep kissing. And kissing.

By the time we break apart, I’m breathing hard. Ruby’s cheeks are flushed. Her lips are kiss-swollen and damp. Her curls spring out like a halo, catching fire from the sun hitting them. Her eyes are warm honey sparkling with gold, and soft with emotion as she looks at me.

As I trace the line of her lips with my finger, I take a steadying breath. “So. What do you think?”

Her eyebrows arch up. “Think about what?”

“What I said. About committing. And all the other stuff.”

“Ah, that.” She nods thoughtfully. “Well, it is a lot to take in.”

My heart skips a beat. Shit. It was too much, too soon.

“Thing is,” Ruby continues, “I always saw myself with a certain kind of person.”

My body goes cold. “A certain kind of person? What kind of person?”

Someone who can protect her better? Someone who didn’t let her walk up to her apartment alone? Someone who would have stopped her from racing out of the condo during a flashback and potentially putting herself in danger?

“Well.” She drags out the word. “As a beginner chef, I thought I should probably be with someone more advanced. Someone who can prepare an adequate beef Wellington.”

Warmth begins to seep back into me. “Beef Wellington, you say?”

“Oh, yes.” Her lips twitch. “Do you think you can prepare beef Wellington? With the correct kind of mushrooms?”

I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “I think, if I practice enough, I could.”

“And do you think, if you practiced enough, you could make meatballs that don’t double as deadly weapons?”

This time I can’t keep my chuckle from escaping. “Yes, I think I could.”

“Okay.” Ruby’s face splits into a wide smile. “I’m falling for you, too, Micah. I have been. And I don’t care if you can cook. Or if your food could be used as ammunition. I love being with you. I love everything about you. And…” Her smile fades, turning into something more serious. “I want a future with you. The cooking and the money… I don’t care about that. You’re what’s important. Just you.”

A sigh of relief escapes. “You had me going for a second.”

“I was just teasing,” she says. Then she kisses me. “Maybe it wasn’t the right time, though?”

I frame her face with my hands and kiss her back. “It was the perfect time, Rue. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because that’s the kind of relationship I want. One where we can have fun together. And I love your little bluffs. But.” I tap her nose. “If I ask you to marry me one day, and you pretend you’re going to say no when you actually mean yes, I might actually pass out. So please don’t do that.”

A beat later, my heart jumps when I realize what I said.

But it’s not scary to think about. At all. In fact, I can see it. Me at the end of the aisle with Ruby all in white, walking towards me. And everything that goes with it. The smile on her face. The love in her eyes. The joy in my heart.

Yes, I could see myself marrying Ruby one day.