Ruby Ink (Clairmont Series Novel Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

undergarments from the Rose Arch Inn beach. But she’d been amused by the experimentation of lingerie, the tempting ways to pique Aaron’s attention. He saw no need to spoil her fun. Like a spell, Aaron was drawn into reliving the beach-scene memory and all the others. The fancy lingerie and the down-to-earth girl inside. Aaron had assured her again, “Just go back to work, babe. You’re worrying about nothing. I swear.” She’d looked at him, unconvinced, corralling her thick dark hair into a pinchy clip. It was a Ruby look. She always wore it up to work—her new job, the newly graduated nurse earning herself a coveted spot in the local ER.
    Aaron could still see the questioning look in Ruby’s eyes. She didn’t trust what he was telling her. Aaron had tried to be more convincing, “It’s nothing to be concerned about, baby. Look, I swear, I’m done with Silas Brikk…” I will be after tonight…
    Aaron had reached from the bed and tugged at her arm. It was his intention to kiss her, just once more. But it never came down to one kiss. Aaron ended up pulling her back into the bed. In the weeks leading up to that night, his bed had become a safety zone, the last place where he held all control.
    He knew what Ruby liked in bed—though his once-innocent girlfriend gave as good as she got. Sex had been worth the wait. Even now, Aaron’s mind wouldn’t let go of her body or the way she touched him, how she tasted—how, if Aaron asked, she would strip every piece of clothing for him in a personal, private way, signature signed by Ruby Vasquez.
    Aaron cleared his throat. The fabric of his jeans had grown one size smaller since standing there. In fact, the crotch was fucking strangling him. This was a bad idea. There was no Ruby. And that night, only hours after she’d left his room, Aaron could not have looked more like a miserable lying son of a bitch. He also needed to keep something else in mind. While his life had taken on a forced vow of celibacy, wherever Ruby was, surely she had not. As tough as Aaron Clairmont was, surviving prison gangs and psychos of every imaginable variety, the punishment and isolation of being locked up, the one reality he could not stand was the idea of Ruby with another man.
    He put the Solo cup and the cake on top of the dresser. The mirror was unavoidable. What did he see? What would people see? More important, what was the difference? A punk who got caught up in an underworld of drugs, who agreed to take out his girlfriend’s father—a direct order from Silas Brikk and the elusive mastermind Jerry. Aaron shook his head. Yeah. That’s what all of Nickel Springs would see—better to just accept it. He wouldn’t be changing anybody’s opinion anytime soon. He got it.
    Aaron picked up the beer and downed the entire thing like it was a funnel contest. He wasn’t used to it, and the alcohol hit him like a central line to his vein. Standing there, lost in a space as familiar as his name, the room registered—this wasn’t a seven-by-ten cell. He turned, pushing the bedroom door shut. He locked it. Just as fast, Aaron unlocked it. He could take a nap. He could take a walk. Fuck no. Walking didn’t sound like such a great idea. The beer had made him lightheaded. Aaron looked toward the en suite, the luxury of his end hall bedroom. He could take a shower. A fresh grin edged across his face, and Aaron stripped his clothes as he went.
    Other than dirty towels, Aaron didn’t recall what was in the bathroom the last time he’d seen it. But Honor had made damn sure it was as inviting as a five-star hotel—all kinds of perfumy bottles of shit he’d never open, matching everything, three different shampoos, and two kinds of body soap. Towels that felt as thick as one of Jake’s movie-star bathrobes, or so he guessed. Christ, towels that couldn’t double as sandpaper, stamped with “Biddeford Correctional Facility,” would have been good enough.
    Aaron and his naked ass turned the