Riskier Business (Crossing the Line 0.5)(18)

And turned Troy inside out.

In a short, tight black dress, she looked like forbidden sex on legs. The snug hem sat just a single devastating inch above the midway point of her thighs, revealing the skin she usually kept hidden in public underneath jeans. Jesus, if she were to stand in front of him, he’d only be required to nudge her panties to the side, dip his hips, and he’d be inside her in one hard upward thrust. Black suede knee-high boots completed the outfit, turning the dress from sexy to downright naughty. Her breasts, high and round, were braless and ready to bounce into his hands as soon as he tugged down the material to reveal them. Her pouty little nipples were outlined behind the thin material, making his palms itch to touch. His mouth watered, starved for a taste.

Any other day, he wouldn’t hesitate to back her into the stockroom and ring her f*cking bell. She’d love it, too. Ruby loved it when he couldn’t control himself, because it was so rare. Control defined him. The fantasies playing themselves out in his head began causing him physical discomfort then, because he’d made up his mind not to touch her. Not unless she wanted it. He’d tried to use their intense sexual connection against her the other night. It sickened him that he’d taken something so pure and tainted it. As much as it killed him, he needed to walk away now. He couldn’t have her, no matter how badly he needed to sink deep inside and reassure himself that no matter what differences lay between them, she craved him just as much as he craved her. No. If he took her now, when he risked losing control, she could slip even further from his reach. When he inevitably tried to control her, she’d take it as a sign that he still didn’t understand her need for independence.

“I brought you lunch.” He set the bag down on Mya’s desk. “You look beautiful today, baby.”

Cursing once under his breath, he turned to walk out the door, still seeing her image in his mind’s eye. Knowing he was doing the right thing did nothing to ease his blistering arousal.

“Troy.” Ruby’s voice behind him made his spine stiffen. He looked back over his shoulder to find her staring after him, a mixture of confusion and longing on her face, completely disarming him. They stayed that way for long moments before Mya cleared her throat in the sudden silence.

“I’m going to go grab some lunch.” She rounded the desk, booted heels scuffing along the floor. “Be back in an hour.”

“Okay, Mya.”

When the door closed, neither of them moved. Troy could tell she was waiting for him to say something. Explain his odd behavior. “I came down here to talk, but now…” He shook his head. “It’s impossible be this close and not hold you.”

She took a few hesitant steps in his direction. A little closer and he could reach her. “Maybe I want to be held.”

…

“Maybe?”

Ruby’s pulse pounded loudly in her ears. She absorbed Troy’s image greedily, reacquainting herself with the broad lines of his shoulders, the clearly defined muscles underneath his uniform shirt. The last two mornings, she’d woken with a powerful ache pulsing inside her, the one Troy was usually all too eager to satisfy. Her anger with him still existed in spades, but it did nothing to dull the insistent, consuming need. She’d kept it in check until now. Seeing him here, looking so tortured and frustrated…it was like looking in a mirror. Her body pleaded for relief. Pleaded for his relief, too. In her ears, the echo of her own shallow breathing sounded rhythmic, erotic.

“Just because we’re in a bad place, doesn’t mean I stop wanting you.”

“I want you, too.” His voice sounded harsher than moments before. “But I won’t make this worse. No matter how difficult you’re making it to walk away right now.”

Ruby’s heart tugged painfully at his honesty. They should talk. Straighten out the mess between them. Some stubborn part of her wasn’t ready to do that, however. So instead, she closed the distance between them in a slow, sensual walk that elicited a deep growl from his throat. She felt her thighs flexing with each step and watched Troy’s eyes linger there, rise to her gently swaying hips. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, as if desperate to touch her. Good. She was desperate to be touched.

When she finally reached him, she glided her hands over his hard chest. “How could it make things worse when we’ll feel so much better afterward?”

He gripped her hips and groaned. “You’re not playing fair, hustler.”

Ruby went up on her toes to kiss his neck, smiling to herself when he tilted his head to make room for her mouth. “Are we going to play, Troy?” She dragged her curves over the rigid muscle of his stomach and laid her mouth on top of his, brushing lightly, tempting him to deepen the kiss. With a sound of raw hunger, he fused their mouths together. The contact immediately made them insane, frantic. Tongues met, flicked against each other, then tangled ferociously. She buried her fingers in his hair, used her grip to pull him closer. He pushed his thick erection against her belly, proving he was ready to give and receive pleasure. Rough hands fell to her ass, smoothed over the round cheeks, and squeezed. A growl erupted from his throat, mingling with her surprised whimper. Ruby felt the material being drawn upward, toward her waist, baring her bottom for his kneading hands.

“Christ, baby, I need to—”

“Do it.” She cried out as the sting of his palm against her naked flesh reverberated through her entire body, creating a heaviness between her thighs. “Troy, I need you. Now.”