tentatively reached for her clothes, which Desiree had folded on a nearby armchair. She hoped her hostess wouldn't mind losing a pair of pajama pants, because there wouldn't be enough time to change.
"Joey, don't be an idiot. What are you going to do? Take her back to Bumfuck, USA and have her sleep in a chicken coop?"
"Better than sleeping anywhere near you,” Joe snarled.
Sean took a step back, raised the Beretta and casually cocked it, not pointing anywhere specific, though the body language was clear. "Looks like I'm the idiot. See, I thought we could resolve this with as little unpleasantness as possible. But since you've insisted on making things thoroughly awkward, I might as well let you two know that I'm not the only one here prepared to do whatever it takes to make you see reason."
He crossed toward the door and made a light casual gesture, as if whistling for a dog. "Deke? Wes?" The very floorboards seemed to squeak in protest as two armed, bearded bikers appeared in the doorway, both rivaling Colt in size and dressed head-to-toe in studded black leather and black bandanas knotted around their heads.
Ruby stared at Joe, whose jaw tightened underneath his smooth ivory skin. The complexity of his amber eyes seemed to increase tenfold as he shifted his gaze from her to Sean, and she could almost see his brain cells racing to come up with a plan. "Remember, I said whatever it takes. Including telling your girlfriend here the truth about where you were the night her big brother ate lead."
Joe's entire face went from ivory to white; his beautiful amber pupils seemed to cloud up with horror. He seemed to momentarily lose his resolve. His hand rested on the doorframe, sliding down a few inches. Sean looked down to casually fiddle with the Beretta, as if it were a toy.
"Joe--?" Ruby questioned him, barely a whisper.
"Sean, this is low, even for you," Joe said. "He’s a liar, Ruby, and he's always been a liar." Still, Joe made no further move out the door.
"What can I say?" Sean said with a shrug and a grin. "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."
Ruby knew Sean enough by now to realize that he wasn't necessarily telling the truth--but the stricken shock on Joe's face let her know that at least something he'd said had hit the younger man in a tender place. However, she couldn't pause now to ponder what Sean had meant.
Besides, that was what he'd been counting on; that his pronouncement would shake Ruby up enough that she would begin to doubt placing her trust in Joe. She had to compartmentalize. She could demand Joe clarify later. Right now, she needed to make sure there was a later.
"Joe," she said carefully. "Let's stay. Just for tonight. It's not worth getting into this now when we're all exhausted. We can just deal with it in the morning."
Sean turned to Ruby, a gesture of obsequious applause. "Beauty and brains. I always knew you had good taste, Joey." Ruby held out her hand for the Beretta. Sean hesitated, and Ruby looked to Joe, formulating a plan that she prayed her eyes alone could communicate. Luckily, it appeared he had the same one in mind. Slowly, he crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to Ruby. He looked at her briefly, seeming as if he wanted to put her arm around her, though he must have sensed her jumpiness. She couldn't believe how it suddenly relaxed her, knowing he was close enough to touch. Her skin seemed to act like an electric magnet, drawing her closer to him.
Sean took a step toward the door. "How do I know I can leave you two unsupervised?"
"Because," said Joe, and Ruby could sense a little smirk emerging from his full lips. "You were right about one thing."
Joe caught her eye briefly, and the strange combination of determination and longing in them made her stomach seem to leap. As she slid across the comforter to allow their bodies to meet, her nerves seemed to follow. Every inch of her, from the nerve
"Joey, don't be an idiot. What are you going to do? Take her back to Bumfuck, USA and have her sleep in a chicken coop?"
"Better than sleeping anywhere near you,” Joe snarled.
Sean took a step back, raised the Beretta and casually cocked it, not pointing anywhere specific, though the body language was clear. "Looks like I'm the idiot. See, I thought we could resolve this with as little unpleasantness as possible. But since you've insisted on making things thoroughly awkward, I might as well let you two know that I'm not the only one here prepared to do whatever it takes to make you see reason."
He crossed toward the door and made a light casual gesture, as if whistling for a dog. "Deke? Wes?" The very floorboards seemed to squeak in protest as two armed, bearded bikers appeared in the doorway, both rivaling Colt in size and dressed head-to-toe in studded black leather and black bandanas knotted around their heads.
Ruby stared at Joe, whose jaw tightened underneath his smooth ivory skin. The complexity of his amber eyes seemed to increase tenfold as he shifted his gaze from her to Sean, and she could almost see his brain cells racing to come up with a plan. "Remember, I said whatever it takes. Including telling your girlfriend here the truth about where you were the night her big brother ate lead."
Joe's entire face went from ivory to white; his beautiful amber pupils seemed to cloud up with horror. He seemed to momentarily lose his resolve. His hand rested on the doorframe, sliding down a few inches. Sean looked down to casually fiddle with the Beretta, as if it were a toy.
"Joe--?" Ruby questioned him, barely a whisper.
"Sean, this is low, even for you," Joe said. "He’s a liar, Ruby, and he's always been a liar." Still, Joe made no further move out the door.
"What can I say?" Sean said with a shrug and a grin. "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."
Ruby knew Sean enough by now to realize that he wasn't necessarily telling the truth--but the stricken shock on Joe's face let her know that at least something he'd said had hit the younger man in a tender place. However, she couldn't pause now to ponder what Sean had meant.
Besides, that was what he'd been counting on; that his pronouncement would shake Ruby up enough that she would begin to doubt placing her trust in Joe. She had to compartmentalize. She could demand Joe clarify later. Right now, she needed to make sure there was a later.
"Joe," she said carefully. "Let's stay. Just for tonight. It's not worth getting into this now when we're all exhausted. We can just deal with it in the morning."
Sean turned to Ruby, a gesture of obsequious applause. "Beauty and brains. I always knew you had good taste, Joey." Ruby held out her hand for the Beretta. Sean hesitated, and Ruby looked to Joe, formulating a plan that she prayed her eyes alone could communicate. Luckily, it appeared he had the same one in mind. Slowly, he crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to Ruby. He looked at her briefly, seeming as if he wanted to put her arm around her, though he must have sensed her jumpiness. She couldn't believe how it suddenly relaxed her, knowing he was close enough to touch. Her skin seemed to act like an electric magnet, drawing her closer to him.
Sean took a step toward the door. "How do I know I can leave you two unsupervised?"
"Because," said Joe, and Ruby could sense a little smirk emerging from his full lips. "You were right about one thing."
Joe caught her eye briefly, and the strange combination of determination and longing in them made her stomach seem to leap. As she slid across the comforter to allow their bodies to meet, her nerves seemed to follow. Every inch of her, from the nerve
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