His Risk to Take (6 page)

Chapter Nine

Sitting in the dark stairwell of Ruby’s building, Troy tried to fight his mounting panic. He’d received a call from the surveillance officer at eight o’clock telling him Ruby had gone into a yoga studio and never come out. His guy had canvased the neighborhood with no luck. She’d been long gone. Troy, wanting to go look for her himself, had been forced to sit and wait, aware that showing his face anywhere Ruby had recently been would be a bad idea. Being in her building, even hidden inside, wasn’t exactly the greatest idea he’d ever had, but the desire to see her clouded his judgment.

An hour having passed since the call, she still hadn’t come home and wouldn’t answer her goddamn phone. Fear mixed with irritation and helplessness. An intolerable combination in his current frame of mind.

Troy shot to his feet with an expletive, intending to go look for her when he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. His heart felt ready to beat itself out of his chest as he waited to see who would enter. The heavy metal door pushed open to reveal Ruby, looking half-frozen with the damn yoga mat slung over her shoulder. She was beautiful, her hair floating around her shoulders courtesy of the wind gusting in through the door. In one hand, she held a half-eaten chocolate doughnut.

She’d actually stopped for a doughnut while he’d sat there, fearing for her life? With that, his anger reached its boiling point. “Where the hell have you been?”

Ruby’s entire body jerked with a cut-off scream, and the doughnut fell to the floor at her feet. She backed up against the wall, searching wildly in the dark, and finally noticed Troy a second later. When she saw him standing a few feet away, she sagged with undisguised relief, one hand pressed over her heart. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Are you crazy? You almost gave me heart failure.”

Regret moved in his chest. It served to deflate some of his anger, but not all. Not by a long shot. “No.
I’m
not crazy. Crazy would be blowing off professional protection to go buy a fucking doughnut.”

Angrily, she kicked the fallen doughnut at him, barely missing his dress shoe. “A doughnut I only got two bites out of!”

“Don’t try and be cute,” he warned, shaking his head. “I am pissed as hell, Ruby.”

“We had a deal,” she said with a shrug, having the grace to look mildly contrite. “I spotted your guy, so I split. Next time, send someone with half a brain.”

“He’s the best I could find besides myself. He’s former military.”

“And yet…” She wrinkled her nose, head tilting to the side. “He lost me.”

Troy laughed darkly. “Oh, you have no idea the kind of fire you’re playing with, baby.”

With an irritated huff of breath, she tried to skirt past him on the stairs. “Why don’t you go cool off, then? It’s my ass in trouble, so let me worry about it.”

“
No
, dammit.” He stopped her progress past him with a firm hand on her elbow. “Believe it or not, I care about what happens to you. The last hour has been pure hell, Ruby. You think it’s funny to scare the shit of out of me?”

Her belligerent expression deserted her, and she looked away. “No. I don’t think it’s funny. I didn’t do it to scare you.”

“Then why?” he demanded.

“I…” she started hesitantly, then blew out a breath. “I needed to go make some money. I can’t do what I do with a cop watching my every move.”

Troy shook his head. “You don’t think I briefed them on your usual activities? They weren’t going to interfere unless you were in trouble.” He let go of her arm. “Would it be so much to ask for you to give me a little credit?”

A long pause ensued as they both regrouped from the argument. When Ruby spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, telling him how much the apology cost her. “I’m sorry.” He nodded once in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything. She moved in front of him, trying to meet his gaze, but still righteous in his anger, he stared resolutely over her head at the wall. Until she stood on her toes to kiss the underside of his jaw and the now-familiar heat settled low in his belly. “You know why I’m wearing my hair down today?” Another kiss, this time lingering on his neck. “You marked up my neck last night with that filthy mouth of yours. And you know what else?” Troy felt his defenses slipping. Against his better judgment, he looked down and immediately got lost in her green eyes. “I like it. Having your marks on me.”

His cock swelled against the front of his pants, begging for the stroke of her hand. Ruby’s scent, her lips tracing the column of his neck, the body he’d memorized hiding beneath her coat all threatened to topple his anger, but the memory of his fear remained too fresh. He needed to regain the control she’d wrested from him. Needed promises he knew she wouldn’t give.

He grasped the wrist trailing down his chest toward his stomach. “Tell me the truth first. Were you only hustling tonight? The
truth
, Ruby.”

Hesitating for the barest of seconds, she smiled up at him. “Would I lie to you?” Too late. He’d caught her hesitation, and now he had his answer. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from interfering. Appeasing her boundless curiosity. Knowing her, the innocently posed question would be the closest he came to the truth tonight. It appeared that, in order to retain his sanity, he would need to regain his lost control in another way. He couldn’t let her know he was on to her. Yet.

Troy brought her hand to his mouth, kissed the inside of her wrist. “Do you remember what I told you the first night I brought you home?”

She looked momentarily thrown by his sudden change in direction but answered him smoothly. “You said quite a lot that night. Narrow it down for me.”

He pulled her closer. Let one hand slide down the back of her coat to squeeze her tight ass, satisfied when her breath hitched in her throat. “I told you I would tolerate your smart mouth, your goddamn evasiveness, during the day. But when it comes time to take you to bed, that’s when I put an end to it. I won’t allow you to hold back anything when I’m fucking you.” His teeth bit into her earlobe and she whimpered. “Now do you remember?”

Warily, she nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” He hitched her up against his body, forced his hips between her thighs. “Just so we’re clear, baby, that’s what I’m doing. Letting you divert my attention with your tempting body so you don’t have to answer my questions or explain where you went tonight. I’m
aware
of it. I’m the one who’s
letting
you get away with it.” He gave a single upward thrust, letting her feel his need. Her eyes closed, mouth parted on a moan. “And you won’t be getting away with it for long. I’m not feeling very charitable toward you at the moment.”

…

Troy lifted her with one strong arm, and her legs automatically wrapped around his waist as if she’d been made for him. As though they’d performed this same dance a thousand times even though it felt new, exciting, arousing. His stride sure and confident, he ascended the stairs toward her apartment. Ruby tried to focus on him, kissing his neck and breathing in his scent to calm her racing heart, to no avail. She’d never met anyone who could see through her so easily. Call her so accurately on her bullshit. It made her want to trust him. Never tell him another lie. He’d only known her a matter of days and yet, knowing her background working for the criminal he was tracking, he’d trusted her enough to leave her alone in his apartment that morning. Found a way to let her retain her freedom even though she had potentially damning information to use against him. Ruby felt a desperate need to repay that trust. Troy thought she was worth more than whatever money she could earn in a single night. Time to prove it.

She’d never brought anyone into her apartment. When she’d left her father to his own devices on the road to return home, she’d finally found her own space. Unlike the drab, impersonal motel rooms she’d been frequenting, this was her home. Sharing it with something else was a big step, but it felt right. She wanted the memory of him in her bed, his scent on her pillow. To share a part of herself with him that she’d kept hidden for so long.

Troy came to a stop at her door and let her slide down his body. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she averted her gaze to dig the keys from her pocket.

“Hey,” he said, tipping her chin up, frowning when her smile trembled. “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you look nervous.”

Shrugging, she tried to appear unaffected by his observation and failed. “I’ve never brought anyone here before. Or whatever.”

Something primitive flashed across his face as he moved closer. “Except me.”

“Except you,” she whispered a second before his mouth locked itself to hers, draining every ounce of tension wrought by the interminably long day from her body.

Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how much she’d needed him to kiss her. The last hour had left her tense, reminders of her past life making her feel exposed, like an imposter. She drew strength from the contact of his hungry lips. It made her feel whole in a way that nothing else ever had. It should’ve alarmed her how easily his mouth commanded her mood, but the sensations it elicited left no room for her to care.

He pulled away, keeping his gaze locked on her mouth like he couldn’t contain his need for more. “Let’s get inside before I peel off those jeans and take you hard against this door.”

Biting her lip to refrain from begging him to do just that, Ruby turned and pushed open the door. Schooling her expression, she whispered to him. “Just keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake up my husband.”

Behind her, Troy tensed. “You better be joking.”

Ruby threw him a wink over her shoulder and flipped on the overhead light. She turned to Troy to gauge his reaction. He scanned the room, landing on everything within seconds, eyebrows lifting in surprise. Attempting to see the apartment through his eyes, she looked at the unfinished pool sticks and spec sheets pinned to all four walls and drills, glue, and tools stored neatly on every available surface. The entire back wall was lined with finished pool cues of varying size and brightly colored wraps.

Troy carefully pulled a cue down from the holder. He turned it over in his hand, then threw an amazed glance in her direction. “You make these?”

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“You make them
here
? In the apartment?” He shook his head in disbelief. “They’re amazing.”

Relieved for something technical to focus on, she spoke quickly. “Some of it, like the wrapping and varnishing, I do here. I rent a wood lathe at a local guy’s shop for the actual carving of the maple.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m saving up for my own lathe. They’re expensive so…”

He closed the distance between them. “So you hustle.”

Ruby nodded seriously. “I’ve already got a business model worked out. As soon as I get my degree, I’m going into business for myself. I want to do this right.” She met his gaze. “I’m not going to hustle forever.”

“Of course not.” Cupping the sides of her face, he half smiled in a way that made her heart rate stutter. “God, don’t you know how incredible you are? You can do anything you want.”

A powerful feeling spread through her chest, one she didn’t have a name for. He believed in her. And at that moment, she didn’t need anything else. Just this man standing in front of her, looking down at her like he couldn’t believe his luck at having met her. It humbled Ruby. Made her want to be as amazing as Troy seemed to believe she was capable of being. She’d revealed her dream to him, one she’d never shared with anyone, and he’d accepted it, praised it even. He didn’t tell her to stick to what she knew, or stop trying to aspire to unrealistic dreams. She’d never in her life experienced that kind of unconditional support. It made her want to reveal everything about herself, to just lay all the good and bad at his feet to let him pick through the debris.

“Thank you,” she said, not surprised to find her voice sounded shaky. Turning her head, she kissed his palm. “Are you up for one more adventure tonight?”

Chapter Ten

Ruby peered down at her hand, swallowed up by Troy’s larger one as they walked through the alley behind her building. She hadn’t revealed their destination, yet once again, he’d trusted her enough to follow her back down the stairs and out into the night. Around them, steam rose from subway vents in the concrete, televisions flickered in people’s windows, and wind whipped past them in steady gusts. All familiar to her. Home. Noticing how he inspected every dark corner of the alley suspiciously, looking for any sign of trouble, she elbowed him in the ribs, smiling playfully.

“You look fully prepared for an alien attack.”

He pulled her into his side protectively. “Please, for the love of God, don’t tell me you walk through here alone at night. Or during the day, for that matter.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you that.” She grinned at his warning look. “Although, it would make us even for scaring me half to death earlier.”

“You deserved it,” he grumbled. “I swear, you’re going to give me an ulcer. I’m too young for an ulcer, Ruby.”

“It’s not much farther,” she said. “Soon we’ll be safely inside where you can scold me for my recklessness and manhandle me into promising I’ll do better.”

“I’m only mildly appeased.”

“Mmm. We can do much better than that.” When he tried to lift her off the ground into his arms, she squirmed out of his grip and jogged toward a padlocked door located along the brick wall of the alley. “Here it is.” She pulled a thin, metal object from her pocket and inserted it into the lock. “Don’t look now, but here comes that ulcer.” With a few calculated twists of her wrist, the lock popped open. She removed it from the metal loop and opened the door, gesturing for him to follow as she walked inside.

“Jesus,” he groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “A little warning would be nice before you involve me in a felony.”

“And ruin the surprise?” She flipped a switch on the wall. Over their heads, a dozen lights came on, illuminating a deserted tavern. “Oh, good, they haven’t cut off the power yet.”

Troy circled the room, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet. Furniture sat neatly arranged in sections, and portraits of famous Irish writers lined the walls. It felt as though moments before, it might have been filled with people. He came to a stop at the full-sized pool table located in the center of the space. “All right, what is this place we have forcibly entered without permission?”

Ruby dug a few quarters out of her jacket pocket before hanging it on the back of a high stool. “The Wheelhouse Tavern. Closed down about a month ago. It’s still cleaned regularly because they’ve been showing it to prospective buyers.” Sending him a wide smile, she rubbed her hands together. “Feels like the heat’s been left on, too.” She crouched down and placed the quarters in the slot of the table. The balls sped down, landing with a crash, and she began to rack. “Fancy a game?”

“What the hell.” He shrugged off his jacket with a heavy sigh. “I’m already an accomplice. Might as well make it worthwhile.”

“That’s the spirit.” Ruby stood and jiggled her ever-present yoga mat, dislodging both halves of the stick inside. Quickly, she screwed the ends together and moved around the pool table to stand in front of him, holding it out for him to take. “Your break.”

Watching her suspiciously out of the corner of his eye, he took the stick. He grabbed a cube of blue chalk off the rail, quickly chalked the tip, then leaned down to line up his shot. “This isn’t the stick you used the first time. That one had a burgundy wrap.”

Behind him, her eyebrows shot up. “You remember that?”

“Yeah,” Troy said in a low voice, sending the cue ball down the table to break the tight rack. Two solids rolled into different pockets, and he straightened. “I remember everything about you that night.”

With well-hidden shock, she watched him round the table, sinking another three balls, his form and execution well beyond that of a beginner. She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. “Why didn’t you tell me you could play?”

He shrugged in the act of chalking his cue. “You didn’t ask. Besides, there’s a lot we still don’t know about each other, right?”

Ruby’s good mood dwindled. Obviously, despite the mild improvement in his attitude toward her, he still hadn’t gotten over his earlier anger. She took a deep breath, sensing she would be revealing more about herself than she had already. In a way, she felt she owed him some honesty. “What do you want to know?”

“In what capacity did you work for Lenny Driscol?”

“Wow. Straight to the point. Don’t you at least want to know my favorite color first?”

“I already know its green.” He sunk another ball. “Look, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want. Nobody’s forcing you.”

There it is.
The challenge. She hated that he’d played that irresistible card even as she respected it. Crossing her arms over her middle, she steeled herself for his reaction. “I guess I should start from the beginning.”

Troy’s head came up, a look of surprise crossing his face. He hadn’t expected her to talk, Ruby guessed.

“My mother left when I was very young. So young I can’t remember her.” She blew out a heavy breath. “My father, Jim, has always made his living playing pool. When she left, he couldn’t afford day care or a babysitter, so he took me with him. I grew up in pool halls. Even after I started going to school, they were where I spent my nights and weekends.”

Troy stayed silent, listening intently from across the table, pool stick forgotten in his hand.

“We went on the road during summer vacations. Stayed in a town long enough to make some money, then moved on. Eventually, it became too much. Too many wildcards when you walk into an unfamiliar place.” She saw Troy’s hand tighten on the stick and decided not to elaborate on that. “We came back to Brooklyn, and my father hooked back up with Lenny. For a while, everything was great. Lenny found cash games, sent me and my father in, and we gave him a cut of the winnings. Then one time, Lenny shortchanged my father. They argued… It got ugly.” She shrugged, trying to hide the hurt at being abandoned. “My father went back out on the road, and I stayed here.”

“He left you,” he stated angrily. “Yet you continued working for Driscol?”

Ruby nodded. “Pretty much the same gig, only Bowen started coming with me. He stepped in if things got out of control.”

“How often did that happen?” Troy’s voice cracked like a whip, making Ruby flinch. She held little appreciation for the look on his face. Not judgment exactly, but something resembling incredulity at her decision making. She had the sudden urge to tell him exactly how bad it had been. To see how much truth he could handle before walking away. She held no regrets about anything in her past, and it was time he knew it. Whether or not he could accept it would be up to him.

“Often,” she finally answered, her chin coming up. “The final match I ever played for Lenny ended in a brawl. Bowen has been a fighter his whole life, but even he couldn’t take on the eight men who wanted a little revenge for having a girl make them look like Grade-A assholes on their turf. I barely escaped out the back door in time. Spent the night hiding in a Denny’s parking lot.”

Troy tossed the stick onto the table, and she watched it roll to a stop against the rail. He rounded the table in her direction, fury blanketing his expression. “Did you tell me that little story just to piss me the hell off?”

Ruby straightened her spine, resenting the excitement that flowed through her over what his intentions were. What he would do when he reached her. “Yeah. Maybe I did.”

He pulled her body against his. “Well, it fucking worked.” His mouth stamped over hers, cutting off her surprised gasp. Ruby couldn’t resist moaning when his hands sunk into her hair, tugging her head to the side so he could slant his mouth over and over across hers. When he pulled a little harder than necessary on the long strands, she bit his bottom lip in reproof, but it only made him deepen the kiss, his tongue licking into her mouth with a possessive growl.

“Do you know why you wanted to make me angry?” He spoke directly against her parted, panting lips. “Because you know it makes me hard. You know it makes me hot to fuck.” He tilted his hips and pushed against her, demonstrating the effect of her words. “That means you’re hot to
get
fucked. Good. Too bad you’re about to get much more than you bargained for, hustler. Turn around.”

She hesitated. Not because she didn’t want to turn around, but she didn’t feel like giving in to his order so easily. With an impatient noise, Troy gripped her waist and whirled her until she faced away from him. Her breath shuddered in and out, sounding loud in the empty bar, betraying her need for him. He worked the button of her jeans, then slid his big hand down the inside of her panties. Ruby’s stomach and thighs tightened as if on command. She cried out as he dipped two fingers inside her, then spread the wetness in achingly slow circles around her clitoris. “You can make this a lot easier on yourself by agreeing. No more disappearing. No more dangerous situations. None of it. Agree to it, Ruby.
Now
.”

Biting her lip, she shook her head. “I can’t.”

He pushed his long fingers inside her, high and tight, forcing her midsection against the pool table. She thought she might have called his name, but couldn’t be sure. “I protect what’s mine. Are you denying that you’re mine, Ruby? I’d seriously advise against it.”

“N-no, I’m not denying it,” she panted, and was rewarded by the continued massaging where she desperately craved his touch. Her head fell forward, her palms supporting her weight on the green felt. Suddenly, the sweet pressure disappeared, and she felt her jeans and underwear being pulled roughly down her legs. Sobbing in anticipation of what was to come, she pressed back against him and circled her naked bottom against his lap. “Please, Troy. I want it.”

He leaned down and spoke harshly next to her ear. “Not yet. Not even close. Congratulations, you’ve pushed me past my limit today. When I decide you’ve earned it, you’ll get it fast and rough. Not a second before.”

Confusion mixed with eagerness to see what he had planned. What had he meant by making her
earn it
? Without thinking, she leaned forward and placed her upper body flat along the table, putting her backside on display in front of him. He rewarded her with an uneven groan, palming her ass with his callused hands, kneading the flesh with ungentle fingers. “Does this feel good enough for you, or would you rather I make it hurt?”

Ruby’s head dropped forward onto the table’s surface with a whimper. The answer left her mouth before she could analyze it or change her mind. “Make it hurt.”

With his right hand, Troy picked the pool cue off the table. Behind her, she could hear him unscrewing it, separating the smaller, thinner top from the thick base. Not knowing his intentions only served to heighten the anticipation. His roughened breath, his own obvious excitement, shot liquid warmth through her. A moment later, Ruby felt the cue’s top half tracing over the curve of her bottom. The cool, smooth wood felt foreign and soothing moving across her fevered skin. Then, in a move she didn’t anticipate, Troy brought down the thin shaft of wood in one hard swat on her ass.

She sucked in a breath and let it out with a shudder. Nerve endings snapping, pulse drumming like mad in her ears, all she could think was
again
. “More.”

“There’s always more, baby.” He repeated the action exactly ten more times, bringing the wooden shaft down to snap against her sensitive flesh until she couldn’t decide where the pain ended and the pleasure started. It became the sole focus of her entire being. Each swat elicited a moan from her throat in the form of his name. Just when it became too much, when she thought she might combust from the tornado of sensations taking place within her, he stopped. Then the smooth, glossy wood slipped between her thighs until one end rested on the table, the other in his hand.

“You found out what my limits are today, didn’t you?” He skimmed his free hand up her back, then down to rest beside her hip. “Now we’ll test yours.”

Very slowly, Troy drew the cue back and forth, sliding the midsection of the wooden shaft against her damp flesh with perfect accuracy, angling it just enough to put pressure where needed. Ruby’s legs threatened to give way beneath her, every part of her now focused on the slick friction passing between her legs. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes, imagining what an erotic image they created, Troy using her pool cue to pleasure her body. His touch, the harsh words uttered from his lips, corrupted her little by little, and she loved it. As if he was calculatedly ruining her for anyone else, any touch beside his own. He wanted to find out how much she could take. And he was using pool, the thing she loved most, to teach her a lesson.

“You like that, don’t you?” Troy’s voice sounded raw, sensual. “I can tell by the way you’re working those fuck-me hips. You’re going to work them exactly like that for me later.”

“Yes,” she said on a choppy breath. “I will.”

All conscious thought fled as he began twisting the cue as he stroked, teasing her in a new way. With a whimper, she undulated her hips, her body hurtling toward release. Her breath came in little pants, thighs shaking, nipples tightening painfully as Troy’s movements pushed her closer to the edge. Then all movement of the cue ceased, the pressure gone. Ruby cried out in protest, her head falling forward.

“Want more?”

“
Yes
. Please.”

The slippery pressure returned, and once again, he used the cue to rub her past the point of reason, stopping just before she could orgasm. When he’d repeated the same torture three more times, Ruby tried to turn around, to lash out at him with her fists, but he merely pressed her against the side of the table and tossed the pool cue aside. In one, swift motion, he seated himself deep inside her, nearly toppling her forward onto the table. Ruby screamed at the unexpected filling of her body. Her muscles clenched tightly around him, shuddering as she finally came.

“I can’t get into that damn head of yours,” Troy growled against the back of her neck. “You’re so goddamn determined to keep me out. But your body knows who it answers to. It answers to me, doesn’t it?”