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?”
Ruby had only begun to recover when Troy pulled himself almost completely out of her body, then thrust home once more, pushing deep enough to bring her onto her toes. “Troy. Troy.” She repeated his name over and over, unaware of what she was trying to say or how many times she said it.
“Let me in, Ruby,” he ordered, sliding deep once more. He wrapped her hair around his fist and pulled her upright. Kissed her neck sweetly. “Let me in.”
With a sob, Ruby’s head dropped back onto his broad shoulder. “I’ve let you in more than I’ve ever done before. With anyone.”
“It’s not enough. I want it all. I need everything you have.” Releasing her hair, he gripped her hips in his hands and began driving into her at a pace that stole her breath. Dizzying pressure stole through her once more as her body worked to answer the increasing demands of his. Behind her, Troy groaned as he neared his own peak, his length swelling even thicker inside her, stretching her to accommodate him. “Give it to me. Just surrender everything, baby.”
His grated command, combined with the punishing fingers digging into her flesh, sent her flying. Her shaking body milked his as he released inside her with a final groan of her name. He rested his forehead in the center of her back, bathing her in harsh exhalations of his breath. Ruby’s entire body felt liquefied, utterly replete, and if the table hadn’t been supporting her, she would have been in a heap on the floor. Suddenly, Troy’s impassioned words came back to her, bringing tears to her eyes.
Let me in. I want it all.
She hadn’t even been capable of answering him.
He’d begged her to open herself to him emotionally and she’d remained silent, denying them both something special, acknowledging this incredible connection between them. Years spent rebelling against being labeled a coward now seemed stupid and meaningless.
She’d been one tonight. Still was. Something broke inside of her. She managed to prevent any tears from escaping, but a small sound slipped past her lips.
The mouth tracing her back stilled. “Ruby?” Troy pulled her up gently by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. He searched her face, blue eyes bright with worry, raising his warm hand to cup her cheek like she might break. “Jesus.” He sucked in a breath. “Did I— Are you hurting?”
With a shake of her head, she rushed to reassure him. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”
He deflated in relief. “Then what is it?”
The words died in her throat. She wanted to make him promises, tell him she wouldn’t take any more risks with her life. But it wouldn’t be true. She still had one more thing to do. If she tried to explain her reasons to Troy, what she planned to do for him, he wouldn’t understand. He’d take it as a blow to the ego, or worse, he’d find a way to detain her. She’d been brought up to believe deeds, not words, proved your worth to someone else. Perhaps that logic didn’t apply here, between them. But it would always be an absolute truth in her world.
She’d come to care for him deeply in such a short space of time. His life was now in danger. She could prevent him or any more of his colleagues from getting hurt. Prevent him going through the pain of losing Grant all over again. It all seemed black and white to her, when to Troy it would be a giant mess of gray.
Could she somehow make him understand without giving herself away?
“Ruby?”
“If you really want me, you need to be patient. I can’t change overnight.” She took a deep breath. “I know I’m a colossal pain in the ass, but try not to give up on me.”
He supported her face in his hands, promises and a touch of humor in his expression. “Hey. You’re my colossal pain in the ass. And I’m not going anywhere.”
A laugh bubbled from her throat. “Okay, Troy Bennett. Then I’m going to let you spend the night. But you should know, I’m fresh out of peppers.”
The corners of his mouth edged up into a smile.
“Don’t worry. I can be creative.”
Ruby glanced down at the forgotten pool stick.
“Tell me about it.”
Chapter Eleven
Troy focused on the map of the Brooklyn Navy Yards spread out on the conference table in front of him, detailing the area surrounding the warehouse where they would hopefully be arresting Lenny Driscol within the hour. After days of around-the-clock stakeouts and working various informants, his lieutenant and a majority of the officers felt 100 percent certain that Driscol had been lying low in the basement of a decommissioned garment factory.
Troy didn’t share their conviction. Something about it didn’t feel right. They’d placed officers in the condo development across the street to survey the warehouse for the past two days. During that time, they had seen dozens of men come and go, practically jumping around and waving a red flag that Driscol was hiding out inside. It felt way too easy. Driscol couldn’t have survived this long by being stupid.
Two streets over sat another empty warehouse, the second location they’d been considering for a possible hideout. Not a single person had walked out the front door in days, so they’d made the call to rule it out. Yet the uneasiness in him remained.
He wanted it over and done with. Not only because Driscol deserved to be put away for meting out his own brand of justice and putting one of their own in a coma, but because he didn’t like Ruby being so close to the situation. As long as Driscol remained on the street, Ruby would be in danger by association.
Danger from Driscol. Danger from herself. Take your pick. She was hiding something from him. Troy knew it in his bones. The sooner they arrested the son of a bitch, the sooner he could breathe again.
Somehow, he’d gotten himself tangled up in the very predicament he’d faced with Grant. He’d formed an attachment, albeit a very different kind, to someone who played fast and loose with her own safety. Grant hadn’t known the meanin
g of the word caution and neither did Ruby. He’d left Chicago to escape the constant reminders of his partner, how he’d failed to have his back when he needed it most. He couldn’t fail with Ruby.
The simple act of being with Ruby placed her in jeopardy. She’d run with a crowd that wouldn’t take kindly to their secrets being shared with law enforcement. He’d turned her into a threat to dangerous people. A possible source. He knew he should leave her in peace. Protect her by staying away.
Yet he couldn’t. And after their night and morning together, he didn’t think he’d be capable of walking away even if he wanted to.
The multicolored map in front of him blurred together as he recalled waking up in Ruby’s apartment.
He’d risen early, intent on leaving before sunup so there would be no chance of being spotted at her building. But this time, the second time they’d woken up together in the same bed, she hadn’t pretended to be asleep. She’d pushed him down onto his back and ridden him so hard he’d been frantic with the need to come by the time she’d finished, shuddering and moaning on top of him like something out of his most erotic fantasies. It had been another hour before he’d managed to drag himself away, and even then, he’d wanted to go back for more. Ruby knocked his socks off in jeans and a coat. But hell, naked and rumpled, her voice husky from sleep, desperate to take him inside her? She’d made him burn like crazy.
In fact, he needed to stop thinking about it right now, in a room full of officers who would definitely notice if he got a hard-on, seemingly from studying a map.
“He’s in there. I know it,” his lieutenant said from across the table. “We’ve had round-the-clock surveillance on the building since Monday. They might not have been discreet, but then again, Driscol doesn’t have a discreet bone in his body. It’s hard to believe he’s even stayed out of sight this long. He must know he’s finally screwed the pooch.”
Next to him, Daniel pulled a face. “That phrase needs to be retired, like yesterday.”
Brent shrugged. “I kind of like it.” He held up his index finger. “Wait, did you say pooch or coo—”
The lieutenant let out a long-suffering sigh. “Can you two jackasses be serious for one minute?” They nodded. “Good. We’ve got to make this clean. Matt and Daniel, you’re coming through the south entrance. Brent, you’re with Bennett.”