Breathless

Chapter 20: Forever Mine - April 2

When she finished her lunch with Mary, Ruby headed to the grocery story after exchanging phone numbers with her friend and promising to get together with her sometime within the next week. They had years to catch up on.

An hour later, Ruby found herself in her kitchen prepping food for dinner. She set to work cooking and was ready when Blaze arrived.

She was feeling terribly shy as she opened the door. She was remembering his kisses of last night. A pretty blush stained her cheeks as she greeted him. He noticed it and grinned. Then he decided to test it.

He reached out. His arm snaked around her waist and hauled her gently up against him. "Hello, beautiful," he whispered roughly. Right before he kissed her.

His lips brushed hers softly. Sweetly. But his kiss still seared her. He was living up to his name after all. A blaze of desire had sprouted up in her belly as his lips loved on hers. He didn't deepen the kiss or continue it very long. But it still did its damage to her heart. She hoped he really was as serious about her as he seemed.

As he drew away from her, he quite happily discovered that her blush had deepened. He grinned down at her. Then he inhaled deeply. Expecting to smell food. He did, but the other fragrance was much stronger.

"Your house smells like a rose garden," he commented, smiling down at her.

She nodded. Pulling herself from his arms, she turned away from him and walked several feet towards the back of the house before his voice stopped her.

He noticed a vase of roses on the table she'd just walked by. For some reason, it caused a question to reverberate in his mind. "Do you have a rose garden?"

"Yes," she shocked him by answering, "but it's not in bloom yet."

"Really?" he sounded seriously surprised. "You really have a rose garden?"

She nodded. "Out back."

Still staring at those red blooms, he murmured, "So, you kept several dozen of his roses. Should I be jealous?"

"I don't know. Should you?" she teased him. "You're the only one I kissed."

"Ah. But is that only because he hasn't shown his face yet?"

"I don't think he's going to."

"What? My competition has evaporated?"

"I think he witnessed our kiss."

"Ahhh." He frowned. "What makes you think so?"

"He left me a poem and two roses today. On our swing."

"Our swing?"

She blushed to the roots of her copper hair.

His voice suddenly turned very soft, and he approached her soundlessly. "Do you mean our swing as in you and me?" There was an odd note of vulnerability in that tender tone.

Staring at the floor, she nodded.

So she missed the grin that suddenly lit up his face like the sun bursting through clouds at noon.

"You're sharing your beloved swing with me, Rubes? I'm honored," he whispered huskily.

She glanced sharply up at him then. "What did you just call me?"

"What? Rubes?"

She nodded as her brow wrinkled. "That's so odd. I just ran into my old friend today for the first time in years, and that's what she always called me."