Ruby
Caleb dropped me home, promising to bring my car to me by the morning. My head was giddy from the champagne, so I couldn’t have driven home myself. I blew him a kiss and waved goodbye at the front door.
Apart from the slither of light that spilled through the kitchen doorway, the rest of the house was in darkness. It seemed peaceful. My slippers served as a welcome replacement for my high-heeled shoes. I kicked them off, sighing with relief by the shoe rack.
My lips curved into a slight smile, replaying the evening’s events in my mind as I shucked off my leather jacket, hanging it up on the coat stand. I hummed a tune, plodding through to the kitchen. My initial thought was to make a hot drink, maybe invade the fridge and seize the can of ready-whip. But the first thing I noticed was the dirty dinner dishes in the sink.
Ruby “Dad—” My voice came out broken. “I know what happened next, you don’t have to tell me. I hate seeing you hurt.” I wiped my eyes with the scrunched up kitchen roll and then used it to wipe my nose. Dad shook his head. “Well, Ruby, I have to.” Sadness pinched his expression, and I understood what he was trying to convey. He needed to talk about it, so he could fully move on. “It happened. And it’s all happening again. It’s the same threat. They want the same thing as last time. Only, they’re targeting all of us. My family, Vanessa’s family, even Caleb’s family, and more of our friends.” “Dad, who’re they?” I frowned, panic froze me, hearing him bring up Caleb’s name. Dad’s expression darkened. He dodged my question as he continued. “They took our baby from Vanessa’s womb and left them
CalebThe following day ...We were about to hold a legal meeting. My father, Aaron and I, were all gathered around my father’s desk, waiting for Charles, our lawyer, to finish flicking through the heavy file. Neither one of us spoke during the painful silence as we watched and waited, and waited.“This is ridiculous,” Aaron huffed and folded his arms.My thoughts mirrored Aaron’s. I had been dreading this encounter for days. Everything was riding on this meeting and I crossed my fingers as I prayed for good news.“So, where do we stand?” I asked, in my assertive, all business, tone. My eyes were fixed firmly on Charles, who was fidgeting uncomfortably under my heated glare.
CalebI spent the morning trying to explain a conference call to my old-fashioned father. It gave me the world’s biggest headache. I lost count of how many coffees it took for me just to get through the day. I just hope my mother doesn’t make Ruby feel uncomfortable during dinner. She promised me she wouldn’t. Too much was riding on this working out well.Giving up for the day, I threw the used roller into the trash bag and turned to face my paint-splattered friend. “Aaron, let’s finish up. I’ve got to go home and shower if I want to be on time to pick Ruby up at six-thirty.”We had been fixing up the office all afternoon. Aaron and I had just as much apple green paint on us as we’d applied to the walls. We could’ve hired someone else to do it, but Aaron wanted to take his mi
CalebRight on cue, at six-thirty, I pulled up outside Ruby’s house. I was just about to get out of the car and go knock on her door like a gentleman, when out she came. She looked stunning, she’d pinned her hair elegantly, and she was wearing a cream-colored lace dress that stopped before the knee. The golden heeled sandals clacked as she walked with elegant steps along the stone pavement.As soon as she opened the car door, her scent struck me hard. The intoxicating, soft, floral notes with vanilla undertones made saliva pool in my mouth. My canines threatened to extend as they ached in my gums. The mate bond was growing more and more impatient. I knew I had only a little time left before I lost control and my wolf would decide to claim her as ours.My arousal stirred deep within me and a low rumbling growl reverberated thr
Ruby“Thank you, Mrs. Grant,” I replied, shying away.“Call me, Claire.” She placed her hand between my shoulder blades, sweeping me through the door and whisking me away from a disgruntled Caleb, who looked as if she had just taken away his favorite toy.“Shall we?” Claire led the way through the maze of stylish corridors, in all their elaborate grandeur. I could hear Caleb muttering under his breath as he trundled a few steps behind us.“James is just dying to meet you. You’ve no idea how much we’ve had to pester Caleb to bring you here. He thinks I’ll embarrass him.” She rolled her eyes and twisted her lips into a wry smile.“My son tells me you’re a vegetari
RubyWe chatted a little while eating. Caleb’s parents were interested to hear about my hopes and aspirations for the future. James spoke about the success of my gymnastics team and said how great it had been for Lakewood to show off their athletic abilities.He passed a cheeky remark about me being flexible, which caused Caleb to choke on his food. He drained his glass of water in three large gulps.Claire got a little over-excited when we told them about my parents moving to Montana and me staying here to study. She suggested that I just stay with Caleb in his apartment like a regular couple and that my dad would never find out.Caleb cleared his throat, sending an eye signal to her as if to say ‘shut up’. But I think I took him by surprise when I said I had the same idea
Caleb I had every intention of including my bedroom on the tour. I wanted to show her my favorite thinking place, which was the widow’s walk on the rooftop. The only access point was on my balcony, outside my room. I was just thrown off guard by how she delivered her question, that was all. I wasn’t expecting her to sound so suggestive. My heart almost died in my chest. It would be a downright lie if I said the thought hadn’t even entered my mind about taking things further. The idea flashed inside my head, just now, much to the approval of my male genitalia. This only contributed to my awkward embarrassment. Ruby giggled. The tips of her sandals made a sound on the carpet runner as I led her by the hand up the sweeping staircase. It felt like we were doing something risky, sneaking around. The dark polished wood of the banis
Ruby “No, I want to,” I replied, not feeling very brave but wanting to let Caleb share his special place with me. I peered over the edge of the balcony and cringed. “Just don’t let me fall, okay. It’s a long way down to the bottom and that stone paving looks very unforgiving.” My attempt at a light-hearted joke to cover my fear didn’t go unnoticed by Caleb. He flashed me a killer grin. “Here, give me your hand.” He grasped hold of my hand, threading his warm fingers between mine as he led me up the narrow, uneven steps. Chunks were missing in the stone. I had to tread carefully. I could imagine these steps becoming deadly when it rained. My sandals felt like they were slipping on the smooth surface, and that was while they were dry. I clutched hold of Caleb’s forearm to steady my