Right. I’d almost forgotten. The hot water sure was relaxing. I stood and exited the tub like a decrepit old man.
“Did that help at all?” Ruby asked.
I looked at her, her beautiful body dripping. Damn, if I didn’t hurt so damned much right now… “It felt great while we were in there.”
“It will help. I’m sorry you’re hurting so badly.”
“Oh, yeah? Why didn’t you tell me this would be the result yesterday?” I smiled.
“You assured me you were in great shape.”
“I am. Look at me.”
She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I have looked at you.”
I walked toward her—ouch—and lifted her chin up so our gazes met. “I want you to look at me. I want you to see me.”
“All right.”
“I hope you like what you see, Ruby. Because I sure as hell like what I see when I look at you.”
Her cheeks reddened, and her gaze dropped again. My fingers still on her chin, I lifted it again. “Please. Look at me. I want you to. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be shy. We’ve been…intimate, remember?”
Though I had toweled off, I was still wet from perspiration from the heat of the water. My cock was flaccid as she raked her gaze over me.
“You are beautiful, Ryan. There’s no doubt about that.”
No woman had ever called me beautiful before. The way she looked at me, almost reverently, I knew it was a compliment.
“So are you. But I’ve told you that many times before.”
She smiled shyly. “We really should go get something to eat. Before we know it, we’ll need to meet the security guys.”
“Fair enough.” I put my clothes on, struggling to get into my shorts. Damn, those aching muscles.
“We should see if you can get a massage later today. Maybe before the wedding,” Ruby suggested.
“That’s a great idea. But only if you join me.”
“All right. After we talk to security, we can stop by the spa and see if they have any openings.”
I had been hoping she would offer to give me a massage. Hell, I’d love to give her one. If I weren’t in so much pain.
Chapter Fifteen
Ruby
“Ms. Thomas says the two of you saw the three men who took her and the other two ladies that day,” a local police officer said.
“Yes, sir, we did,” I said.
“Can you describe them?”
“They were three dark-skinned males, probably aged twenty-five to thirty,” I said. “They identified themselves as Mark, Rashaun, and J.J.”
“Last names?”
“They didn’t tell us, and no one asked.”