Outback Blaze (28 page)

He didn't care what that fool Jonas Vanderbrek thought or said, he knew if he got Ruby between the sheets sparks would fly. Dammit, why did he have to go and play the gentleman Wednesday night? She'd been putty in his hands and if he hadn't pulled back they'd have done the dirty deed right there on the hallway floor. Now he might have missed his chance.

The driver cleared his throat. ‘Um…excuse me. Are you going to charge me? We're kind of in a hurry.'

Drew spun back to the driver. ‘Yes. Sorry.' He hated apologising when the man in front of him had been the one in the wrong. A baby screamed in the back of the car and a woman in the passenger seat leaned across to speak to him.

‘It's my fault,' she said, fluttering long eyelashes up at him. Then, she lifted both her hands and cupped them over her breasts. ‘My tits are on fire and are about to burst if I don't feed Zoe.'

As if on queue the baby let out another blood-curdling cry.

Drew averted his gaze from the woman's bosom and looked to her partner. ‘Is that why you were driving twelve kilometres over the speed limit?'

The man nodded. ‘I'm sorry.'

He sounded genuine. ‘Can I see your licence?' Drew asked.

He already had it out of his wallet and handed it over quickly. ‘I know it's useless to say and you're entitled to give me a ticket and everything, but I honestly am usually a very careful driver. I'd never risk that little one in the back but her crying breaks my heart. She just wants to be fed. I'm sorry.'

Sighing, Drew handed the man his licence and tried to speak over the incessant wailing from the backseat. ‘If you'd kept to the speed limit I'd never have pulled you over and you'd have gotten to your destination a lot faster, remember that next time, okay?'

‘You're letting me off?' the man asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

Drew nodded. ‘Just this once,' and then turned to walk back to the car.

Australia was making him soft. He never let anyone off the hook. Well, hardly ever. Last time had been Faith Forrester but she'd only been driving five K's over the limit and – he was man enough to admit it – he'd been distracted by Ruby in the passenger seat.

He glanced across the road to where she'd been only a few minutes earlier but she and Roxie were already out of sight. Cursing under his breath he strode back to the cop car, unsurprised and unimpressed to find Mike nattering away on the phone. Glancing at the time on the dashboard and wishing the hours ahead were over, Drew eased back onto the highway on the lookout for his next victim.

Ruby waited until she was out of Drew's sight and then stopped for a moment under a eucalypt tree to try and calm the erratic beating of her heart. All afternoon, make that the last two days, as she'd taken turns exercising her horses and doing odd jobs around the house, she'd been trying so hard to think about something other than Drew's offer to sleep with her. Even the question of why her parents had deserted her was preferable but it had been like one woman fighting an army of millions. He consumed her every thought. While her sensible self told her to put Drew Noble out of her mind, her reckless side – the part that rarely got a look in – screamed for her to grab hold of this chance with everything she had. She drafted a pros and cons list in her head and although it came out fairly balanced, she'd all but made the decision to forget about his crazy proposition when he appeared before her like a mirage in a desert. It had to be a sign.

As he turned to grin at her, her insides all but dissolved and she could no longer deny her body what it wanted.

And what it wanted was that man.

She'd had forty-eight hours to put him out of her head and it had proved impossible. All she wanted was to feel his hands over her skin, to have him whisper his hot intentions into her ear and work his magic until her body became like putty in his sexy hands.

Her decision made, she turned Roxie towards home and proceeded to go through her afternoon routine with the horses. She made sure they had enough water, gave them both a quick groom and an apple each for being so good, rugged them up against the evening cold and then went to her bedroom to prepare herself.

Drew had had it up to here with this day and needed a beer. Normally he preferred work to free time but his mind had been ripe with thoughts of Ruby Jones and he'd been unable to settle into anything. He needed dinner but was in no mood to step inside The Palace or the garage to order a burger. He'd settle for peanut butter and jam on the stale bread in his fridge. And a beer.

The beer was really all that mattered right now.

He dumped his keys on the ratty kitchen table, kicked off his shoes, unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt and then all but kissed the fridge as he opened it to reveal a row of ice-cold bottles of Carlton Cold. He plucked one out, cracked open the lid and was halfway through that first satisfying gulp when the doorbell rang. If that was O'Leary or Mike come to drag him to some pathetic country crime, like toilet paper stolen from the public conveniences on the main street, he'd be the one up for assault. Taking another swig, he went to open the front door.

At the sight of Ruby on his doorstep, a slight flush tainting her pale cheeks, every muscle in his body stood to attention. His grip tightened on the bottle as he told himself not to jump to conclusions. There could be a zillion other reasons why she'd come.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. ‘Good evening, Ruby.'

He saw the pulse skip in her throat as she swallowed. ‘Good evening, Drew.'

They stood for a few long moments, awkwardness and awareness zapping the air between them. They spoke at the same time.

‘Do you want to come in?' he asked, stepping sideways and gesturing into the tiny house.

‘Were you serious the other night?' she said.

‘Yes.' Again they answered at the same time and a hot rush flooded his body at the realisation that, yes, she was here for the reason he'd hoped. He resisted the urge to step towards her, close the gap between them and kiss her into oblivion for fear that if he rushed things, she'd run for the hills. But damn, if he wasn't whistling a victory tune inside.

‘Come on, come inside and have a drink.' He grabbed her hand and tugged her into the house.

‘Have a seat,' he said, gesturing to the embarrassing excuse for a living room. ‘Sorry it's not flash. Can I get you a drink? I don't have any wine, but I've got more of these if you'd like one.'

She nodded. ‘That'd be nice, thanks.'

He turned away, grateful for the few moments it took to fetch the beer in order to try to get his head together. Ruby was here. In his house. For the sole purpose of sleeping with him. If he'd thought for a moment she would accept his offer, he'd have stripped the bed this morning, washed the sheets and re-made it. As it was, he couldn't remember if he'd even straightened the bedding after the tangle he'd got himself into tossing and turning all night. Of course, before they took things any further, they needed to lay down some ground rules, make sure they were both on the same page. Because as much as he couldn't wait to feel her skin sliding against his, she had to know he couldn't offer more than sex.

Sex. Geez
. He could barely remember the last time he'd partaken and he hoped he'd be able to hold it together long enough to give her what she needed. To prove she wasn't the dud between the sheets that bastard Jonas had said. His fists balled again at the thought of that spoilt asshole loser. He downed the rest of his beer and then took two more from the fridge. He needed to put Jonas Vanderbrek out of his head in order to help Ruby exorcise him from hers. Kicking the fridge door shut, Drew went to the cupboard that looked barer than Mother Hubbard's and was stoked to find a packet of peanuts he couldn't even remember buying. He emptied them into a bowl and took it and the beers into the living room.

He found Ruby perched on the edge of the sofa as if she had a steel rod holding up her spine. She tried to smile but fear swam in her eyes. His heart clenched and he knew this wasn't going to be as simple as taking off their clothes and getting down to business. The damage left by her ex ran deep.

‘Here,' he said, smiling as he crossed the room and offered her the beer. Although every cell in his body wanted to cosy up with her on the couch, he sat on the wonky coffee table instead. ‘Cheers.'

A tentative smile appeared on her face and she lifted the neck of her bottle to clink with his. ‘Cheers.'

He watched as she took a first sip, grimacing slightly at what he guessed was a taste she didn't sample often. Her breasts rose and fell slowly.

‘You don't know how pleased I am to have you here,' he said, offering the warmest grin in his repertoire. ‘It gets lonely at nights.'

‘I know what you mean. I've not been alone for long and already I'm dreading the return to the empty house.' She took a quick sip, then spoke. ‘Look, Drew. I appreciate you're trying not to rush things but I'm a bundle of nerves. Can we talk about what you said the other night? You know, about showing me…'

He picked up where she left off. ‘You mean about doing to you what I've wanted to do since I arrived? About showing you your ex was a fool?'

‘Yes, that.' Her cheeks flushed red. ‘What exactly did you mean by it?'

‘Ruby, if I told you exactly what I wanted to do it'd ruin the surprise, but bottom line, I want to have hot, passionate, mind-blowing, off-the-radar sex with you.'

‘Oh.' The flush spread down her neck, but her eyes smiled. ‘That's what I thought you meant. Hoped. And my answer is yes. Please?'

Oh Mary Mother of Jesus, he could just eat her up right now. But as much as his flaring erection liked that idea, he still needed to clear the air. ‘I'm really glad, but I want to be clear, I can't offer you a relationship. You're gorgeous, intelligent and I love spending time with you, but I'm not in the market for commitment and I don't want to mess you around.'

‘That's fine.' She licked her lips. ‘I tried a relationship a few months back and I don't think I'm ready either. But I want to do this with you. I want to be with a man again, to be able to relax in your arms, beneath you and…enjoy it. I'm scared Jonas has ruined me and sex for life.'

He put his beer on the table, stood, then knelt down in front of her and pressed his thumb against her lips. ‘I met your ex.' Her eyes widened. ‘That's a story for another day but he's a fool. And if he needed any more than you in his life, in his bed, then there was something wrong with him. Not you. And that's the last time we mention him tonight, all right?'

She nodded, her lips tightly pressed together.

‘Good.' He ran his thumb across her jawline and then down her neck, pausing at the neckline of her jumper. Her body tensed beneath his touch and doubt flickered in her eyes. He stilled his hand. ‘We don't have to do this now. There's no use-by date on my offer. If you want to think it over a little more, wait a—'

‘No.' She interrupted him, placed her hand in his free one and linked their fingers. ‘I don't want to wait. I need to do this now, I want to do it.'

Her words flicked the switch on his barely contained desire and he hoped to God she knew what she was doing because he couldn't imagine stopping once they got started. He would, if that's what she needed, he'd summon all the restraint within him, but damn, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

‘In that case…' Nudging her knees apart, he inched forward, kneeling between her legs. His hand still joined to hers, he leant forward and kissed her. She remained frozen for a few moments, but he took courage from her declaration and gently teased her lips apart with his tongue. Pushing into her mouth was like letting a wild beast out of a cage. She took her hand out of his and landed both hands in his hair as she tugged his head towards her, joining him in deepening the kiss.

Taking courage from her reaction he let his hand on her neck trawl lower, cupping her right breast, rubbing tiny strokes across her nipple. It peaked beneath his touch and a beautiful moan escaped her lips. ‘Man, you're gorgeous,' he whispered, playing with the full weight in his hand.

She let out a pant and her head fell back against the sofa as he cupped both mounds and groaned. Dammit, he wanted to take this slow, needed to for her sake, but the clothing had to go. He lowered his hands and snuck them under her sweater, quickly slipping one around the back to undo the clasp of her bra. He slid his palms up her soft skin and under the cups.

His erection burned in his trousers as his fingers teased across her nipples. Though whom they were teasing, he couldn't tell. Never before had he experienced such a strong, carnal reaction.

‘Drew, I want to touch you.' Her words, coming in breathy pants, broke his reverie. She sat up slightly and peered down at the bulge in his pants. Smiling, she asked, ‘Do you mind?'

‘Sweetheart, I would like nothing more, but first…' In one quick manouevre he whipped her jumper and T-shirt over her head and tossed them behind him. The white lacy bra, already hanging loose, fell forward off her shoulders and he took a moment just to admire her beauty.

‘Hey,' she placed her index finger under his chin and lifted his jaw up, closing it. ‘This isn't an art gallery. You can look while you work.'

Her attempt at teasing told him she was relaxing and that only worked to fuel the fire building within him. Needing to free himself, he took a second to unbuckle his belt and tug the uniform blue, along with his boxers, down his legs. As he stepped out of the puddle of clothes, he noticed Ruby looking and smiled.

‘Wow. That's…' She seemed lost for words as her gaze zoned in on his cock. ‘Quite. Impressive.'

‘All because of you.' He joined her on the sofa, covering her body with his. ‘Touch away, beautiful.'