Page 48 of Save Us
That breaks the spell. “Of course, I’d love to stay here with you,” I say, slowly lowering my hand from the door handle. “If you’ll let me?”
She nods. Just the once, a decided look in her eyes.
There’s no need to ask me twice.
I shut the door and turn the key. As it clicks in the lock, everything else fades into the background—my dad, Cyril, Maxton Hall. There’s only Ruby, sitting naked in the bathtub just a few feet away, looking at me expectantly.
It’s the first time in half a lifetime that we’ve been alone together. Unlike this morning, nobody can barge in on us, making us frantically jump apart. The only people here are her and me.
Not taking my eyes off Ruby, I set the phone down on the basin. Then I lower my hands to the hem of my T-shirt and pull it slowly over my head. I drop it on the floor and then slip off my socks. As I undo my belt, Ruby’s gaze darkens. Her eyes roam over my body, following my movements as I peel off my jeans and boxers.
I can’t hide from her any longer. And in this second, I don’t even want to—even though the way she’s biting her bottom lip makes the blood rush to my crotch.
Without hesitation, I join Ruby in the bath. The water is stillhot, so hot that it steams slightly as my body cuts through the bubbles. Ruby watches me the whole time as I slip right under the water and then slowly come to join her, resting both arms on the edge of the bath around her sides. A slight smile plays around her lips.
“Hey,” I whisper.
“Hi,” she replies, just as quietly. She lifts her wet hands to frame my face. She strokes her thumbs over my cheeks. I shut my eyes and lean forward to kiss her. Ruby sighs quietly as our lips meet. Her grip tightens, and she pulls me closer. Her breasts brush my skin, and a tingle shoots down my spine.
“Thanks for coming with me today,” I say between kisses.
Ruby slides her hands down my face and rests them on my chest. “I’d go anywhere with you, James.”
My heart is racing, and when I open my eyes again, there’s warmth and affection in Ruby’s face.
Whenever she looks at me like that, all I wish for is to be the person she deserves.
“And I’d go anywhere with you.”
Ruby puts her arms around my neck. I hold her bare back and pull her close to me. Water splashes over the edge onto the floor, but we don’t care.
This time, the kiss goes on for quite a while.
Lydia
“Do you really not want us to come in with you?” Graham asks for the third time this morning.
I turn to him and reach for his hand across the gear stick. Then I slowly shake my head.
“No. This is something I have to do alone.”
He frowns, clearly unhappy with my decision.
“It feels like sending you into the lion’s den,” says Ruby from the back seat. I can see in the mirror that she’s pale with nerves.
“What can happen now?” I ask, undoing my seat belt. “I’ve already been kicked out of home. I’m not going back to Maxton Hall. It’ll work out somehow, Ruby, trust me.”
James opens his mouth, and Graham looks like he wants to say something too, but I don’t give them the chance. Firmly, I open the door and get out of the car. Not looking back, I cross the golf club parking lot and walk to the main entrance. I keep my sunglasses on my nose as the sliding doors move apart and I step inside. The receptionist gives me a friendly nod. I have no idea whether the young man recognizes me, but his gaze rests on my belly for a second. His smile doesn’t slip—he’s too well trained for that—but I still catch the exact moment when he clocks the bulge.
The dark blue, off-the-shoulder dress I picked out this morning fits like a second skin and leaves no room for doubt. It’s the first time I’ve worn anything this figure-hugging in months, and I have to get used to the feeling of not hiding from the world.
I smile at him, then stride across the foyer toward the restaurant where Dad and his friends generally hang out after a round of golf. He often brought James and me here as kids. Not to teach us to play, but to show us off to his pals if they brought their own children along. I remember the conversations that went on over our heads, and how Alistair, James, and I used to play hide-and-seek out on the huge greens to keep ourselves from getting quite so bored.
My heels click on the gleaming marble floor as I walk in. Ispot Dad from miles off. He’s sitting with a bunch of other men at a round table by the large windows with a view of the bright green hills and the golf course lake. Someone’s cracked a joke, and Dad tips his head back and laughs loudly. It sounds strange to me because I haven’t heard him do that for ages.
I take one last deep breath, then step up to the table. Immediately, five pairs of eyes are fixed on me, and my father’s laugh dies abruptly.
“What are you doing here?” he asks. His eyes rest on my stomach, and all the color drains from his face. He looks frantically around at his friends, and I’m expecting him to jump up at any second, to shield my body with his.
