I band my arms around her torso, keeping her upright. My cock softens inside her as I carefully lay us down on our sides.
I gently pull out and leave a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back.” I pull on my jeans and head inside the house for a wet washcloth and the small duffel bag I packed for the night.
She’s still lying on her side when I return, one arm propped under her head with a lazy smile on her face.
I crawl over her, kissing my way over every inch of skin I can reach. Then I clean my release from between her legs, careful not to press too hard while she’s still sensitive. “Sit up for me, baby.”
She complies, and I slip a black silk nightdress over her head. When I move to change into my sweatpants, she grabs my wrist.
“Stay,” she whispers.
Unable to deny her anything, I settle in behind her and sweep her hair off her shoulder, resting my chin in the crook of her neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I lie awake for a while, watching her drift off to sleep, eyelashes fluttering against her soft cheeks. I am changed, somehow—like giving Ruby this last piece of me has shifted something within me. Now, more than ever, I’m hers, and I’m so goddamn terrified of what that means.
Chapter 20
Skylines & Sanctuaries
? Nothing Compares to You - Mickey Guyton and Kane Brown
Ruby
We arrive in Nashville the day before my court hearing and head straight for my sprawling penthouse apartment. Liam carries our bags inside and drops them near the entry table, following me further into the open-plan living space.
Nothing has changed since I left it, and yet everything feels different. Maybe becauseI’mdifferent—lighter and freer than ever.
For the better part of five years, I spent most of my time in the studio or on tour, so this place has never truly felt like home to me. At least, not in the way Liam’s house feels like home.
I stop near the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the Cumberland River. The skies are clear as far as the eye cansee. It’s a different kind of beautiful, but it’ll never live up to the beauty of the familiar peaks and valleys of home.
“I forgot how stunning it is up here,” I murmur.
Liam steps up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. My heart squeezes, and for the first time, this apartment doesn’t feel so lonely.
I spin to face him and drape my arms around his neck. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“No place I’d rather be.” He kisses my forehead, his lips lingering on my skin.
If I close my eyes, I can still recall the sensation of his mouth on mine, still feel the way his hands moved expertly around my body, like he was memorizing every inch of me.
“I have a visit scheduled this afternoon at Vanderbilt, but we have some time to kill,” I say. “What should we do?”
“I have a few ideas,” he grumbles, trailing a line of kisses down my neck.
My stomach chooses that moment to growl.
Liam chuckles against my skin. “Food first, then,” he says. “We can order in. Should we ask Nico to join us?”
Nico is my personal bodyguard. I left him in the dust the moment I sped out of Nashville all those months ago. Abby sent him over to my penthouse with strict orders to follow me everywhere while I’m in town. All this extra fanfare probably isn’t necessary, but my team insisted on taking additional precautions with the heightened media attention surrounding the hearing.
“We could, but he’ll just refuse,” I say. “He takes his jobveryseriously.”
“I appreciate that about him. Someone has to keep my girl safe when I’m not around.”
“Your girl?”
“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
