“We have unfinished business.” His beard tickles my neck as he speaks, his voice low and resonant. “In thirty seconds or less, it won’t just be the mosquitoes eating you alive. Run.”
Liam
We lie in bed with our limbs intertwined, my back against the headboard as Ruby traces the wings of my phoenix tattoo. Her hair is beautifully mussed, and her face is tinged pink. The four orgasms seem to have relaxed her.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you,” I murmur.
“For what?” She glances up at me, propping one hand on her chin against my chest.
I glide my knuckles down the side of her face, and she gives me a lazy smile. “For how you handled everything with Bree. Don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”
“All I did was call you.”
“It’s not just that. You’re a fucking godsend, Ruby. That you even thought to call me is the bare minimum, but you made sure Aiden was safe. You stayed with us while he broke down. You always knowexactlywhat we need. I’ve… never had that before.”
And I’m gonna be lost without you when you have to leave.
Her smile fades, and she kisses my chest. “You deserve that and so much more. I know you don’t like to ask for help, but I’m always here when you need it.”
“Until you’re not.”
She stiffens against me and moves to sit up. “What does that mean?”
“Someday Nashville is gonna call you back, and you’ll be Ruby Lynn Hayes again. I’ll be just another memory.”
“Is that what you really think? You think that after all of this, I could just go back to the way things were? I told you I’m yours. I’ve whispered it, screamed it, said it without a single word. Why don’t you believe me?”
I don’t respond. I can’t, but I don’t have to because she fills the silence for me.
“I want you, Liam. Is that so hard to believe?”
When you’ve spent your whole life never being anybody’s first choice, self-doubt becomes second nature. Ruby wanting me seems wholly impossible, and yet here she is, offering me everything I’ve ever wanted.
I’d like to think that my old wounds don’t affect me anymore, but that would be a damn lie. They’ve made me wary of relationships—reluctant to let anyone close—but Ruby has broken through every barrier but one. Now she’s asking me to tear it down for her. Can I do that? Can I finally let someone in?
“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Her gaze levels on me. Gone is the tender-hearted Ruby from moments ago, replaced by my sassy spitfire. “Do you know what I think? I think you’re terrified of letting people in. I think you see yourself as hardened and jaded, but what you really are is a fucking dumbass, Liam Murphy. A big, dumb, loving, wonderful man who has no idea how much I care about him.”
For better or worse, she’s always seen right through me. I should probably feel insulted by her harsh accusations, but I can’t fault her for calling me on my bullshit.
An involuntary smirk forms on my lips.
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Yeah?” I say. “And what does that make you?”
She jabs a pointed finger at my chest, holding back a smile. “The only woman in the entire world who’s willing to put up with your bullshit.”
I capture that finger in my fist and tug so her face is barely an inch away from mine. “The only woman in the entire world Iwantto put up with my bullshit.” I release my grip and pull her onto my lap, slipping one hand beneath her hair to caress her neck and jaw. “I don’t know how we make this work. I want to. Fuck, you have no idea how bad I want to. But your life and mine aren’t exactly compatible.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try. Don’t you think we’re worth it?”
I stare into her hopeful eyes, knowing I would go to the ends of the earth to call her mine forever. “Youare worth it.”
Chapter 27
Mutually Assured Destruction
