Chapter 17: Micah - Keeping Knight

Seeing Ruby in my clothes will never get old.

She’s wearing my old Army sweatshirt again, her legs tucked up beneath it as she sits on the couch, staring out at the sun rising over the skyline. Her bare feet poke out at the bottom, small and delicate. When she lifts her hand to push an unruly curl away from her forehead, the oversized sleeve slides to her elbow, revealing a slender, freckled arm.

As I watch her, a wave of protectiveness slams into me, more intense than it’s ever been.

Maybe it’s because we finally had sex.

Maybe it’s because I’m feeling anxious about the lack of progress on Ruby’s case. Without conclusive evidence proving Sylvia was responsible, we’re still stuck investigating dozens of possibilities.

After the incident at the station---which garnered Liam a misdemeanor charge and a restraining order, which I think is woefully insufficient---I really thought he could have done it. But we still haven't found any proof. Same with Ruby's coworkers. Her neighbors. Old friends from high school. Even the jerk who fired her as his editor. No matter how hard we look, nothing useful has come up on any of them.

And that’s assuming Ruby’s attacker is someone she actually knows. If it’s some random guy who spotted her on the street and followed her home, staked out her building, waiting to see if she’d go out on her little fire escape slash balcony… Shit. It could take us weeks or even months more to find the culprit.

If we lived in a small town, like some of my old Army buddies do, I think it would be easier to solve the case. We’d have a community of people looking out for suspicious activity. There wouldn’t be apartment buildings with hundreds of tenants and thousands of people traveling the same sidewalk every day.

Yes, I know Ruby’s safe here. She says she’s happy with poker nights and visits from friends. But I want this over for her. I want her to start living again.

Frustration makes my jaw set. As my teeth grind together, there’s a flare of pain.

There has to be something else we can do. At this point, I don’t care if it’s legal. All that matters is finding the piece of shit targeting Ruby.

I’ll talk to Rogue, I decide. Privately. It won’t be F&F business. It’ll be just between us. Because he’ll understand. When Sofia was in trouble, he would have done anything to protect her, legal or not. Shit, he made a deal with the don of the Cosa Nostra to keep her safe, and I know he doesn’t regret it for a second.

“Good morning.” Ruby smiles as she turns to look at me. “Although I guess I already saw you this morning, didn’t I?”

Since we didn’t fall asleep until after midnight—after our second and equally amazing round of sex—she’s technically right. Crossing the room to join her, I reply, “That’s true. But you can tell me good morning as many times as you like.”

Ruby untucks her legs and moves over on the couch to make room for me. “Good morning again, then,” she says. Her gaze is soft as it meets mine. “Did you sleep all right?”

“Yeah.” I take a seat beside her and loop my arm around her waist. “I slept pretty well.” Then I tap her nose and give her a teasing smile. “Except for when your snoring woke me up.”

Ruby’s eyes go wide. “What? I was snoring?”

“Yup. Like a little chainsaw.” After a beat, I amend, “Maybe not a chainsaw. Quieter than that. A leaf blower. One of those rechargeable ones.”

“Micah! Was I really snoring? Or are you just making that up? No one’s ever told me I snored before.”

Nodding solemnly, I say, “Sorry. You were. But don’t worry, it wasn’t too loud. You only woke me up a few times.”

Pink rushes to her cheeks. “Oh, my gosh. Why didn’t you wake me up? That’s so embarrassing. Should I get those nose strips? Or…” Her forehead creases. “Grace uses a mouth guard to keep from snoring. She says it works. Although that’s not very sexy… Crap. I’ll have to sleep in the other bedroom. I can’t be waking you up all night.”

Lifting Ruby onto my lap, I kiss her forehead. “I’m just teasing, Rue. You don’t snore. Other than making this cute little snuffling noise once in a while.”

Ruby narrows her eyes at me. “So I wasn’t snoring?”

“Nope.”

She gives my shoulder a little shove. “Micah. Why would you tell me that?”

“Just messing with you a little.” I look at her seriously. “I won’t if it bothers you.”

Her lips twitch. “No, it’s fine.” Leaning back against my chest, she adds, “My mom and dad liked to tease each other. It was never malicious. They were just having fun with each other.”

“Same with my parents,” I reply. “My dad loves to tease my mom about how she always forgets where things are. And she does. She’s an artist, and when she’s in the middle of creating a piece, she gets really distracted. She’ll leave her keys in the fridge, or she’ll make a sandwich and misplace it for days.”

“Your mom’s an artist?” Ruby asks. Interest brightens her gaze. “What kind of art?”

“Paintings, mainly. Oil and acrylic. She has her work displayed in some Manhattan galleries. And in DC, she has her own gallery.”

“That’s really cool, Micah. Has she always been an artist?”

I nod. “Pretty much. She got her degree in art at Boston College, and got involved with the art scene out there. Then she met my dad, and he was working on getting his business up and running, so she helped him with that for a while. Once he was more established, she started painting full time.”

“So they met in Boston?”

“Yeah. My dad went to MIT, so he was in Cambridge the same time she was in Boston. They met through a friend of a friend, and they clicked right away. After my mom graduated, they got engaged. A year later, they were married. And they’ve been together ever since.”

Ruby regards me quietly for a few seconds. “That’s really nice, Micah. That they’ve been together so long.” A wistful expression moves across her face. “I think my parents would have still been together if my mom hadn’t died. They were really in love. Even as a kid, I could tell.”

Snuggling Ruby close in my arms, I kiss her gently. “I bet you’re right. Everything you’ve told me about your parents… they sound like they were really happy. And in love.”

She nods. “They were. I wish you could have met them.”

My heart tugs. “Me too.” After a brief pause, I add, “I’d love for you to meet my parents sometime. They come to the city a few times a year. Or we could make a trip to Potomac to visit them. I know they’d love to meet you.”

A smile brightens Ruby’s solemn expression. “You want me to meet your parents?”

“Of course. Unless you’d rather not.”

“Oh, no. I would love that. Your parents sound great. I mean, they must be to have raised a man like you.”

“They are,” I agree. “Although I didn’t always act that great. I told you about how I was when I was in high school. I didn’t really grow out of it until my early twenties. But that wasn’t their fault. They had money, obviously, but they weren’t like a lot of people in their social circle. They didn’t act like they were superior because of it.”

“You were a kid,” Ruby says. “Kids rebel against their parents. They want the opposite thing, sometimes just on principle.”

“True.” I look out the window, watching the sun as it reflects off the gleaming skyscrapers. “It was partly that, I’m sure. Just natural rebellion. But it was the way people treated me, too.”

I take a moment to collect my thoughts. “It wasn’t just the kids at school who treated me differently,” I say. “It’s been my whole life. And I don’t want to make it out like, oh, poor Micah, it must be so hard to grow up rich. I’m not saying that at all.”

“I know.” She takes my hand, lacing her fingers between mine. “But when it’s all people see about you, that must be hard.”

“My friends don’t. Rogue and Jester and those guys. They never cared about my money. Neither do the people at F&F. But dating…”

I’m not eager to bring up the topic of dating with Ruby. Especially not on the heels of such an amazing night. But I want her to know how special she is to me. How serious my feelings are for her. And to do that, I need to tell her everything.

“What about dating?” Ruby flashes me a quick smile. “I know you’ve dated, Micah. It’s okay.”

“But I haven’t, really. Not in a very long time.” At her surprised look, I continue, “In my twenties I did. Not often, because I was so busy with work. But there were women.”

“That’s alright.” She strokes my hand with her thumb. A line forms between her brows. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing bad like you might imagine. It was just… as soon as they realized who I was, things changed. It was all about what I could give them. Expensive trips. Jewelry. Cars⁠—”

“Cars?” Ruby’s voice pitches up. “Women asked you to buy them cars?”

“Sometimes, yes. Or apartments. Or houses. They would hint about their credit card debt. Or their student loans. If it had to do with money, I heard it.” Meeting her gaze, I add, “It’s not that I didn’t want to spend money on them. But it got to the point where I felt like I was only a piggy bank. Who I was wasn’t important. It was just how much money my family had.”

Her expression turns sympathetic. “That sucks, Micah. I’m sorry.”

“When I moved here to work for Fox & Falcon, it got worse,” I explain. “Women would seek me out, but it was always with an ulterior motive.”

“Well, you are pretty handsome, too,” Ruby says lightly. “So I’d imagine that helped.”

I shake my head. “There was always something. A business venture or a trip to Tiffany’s or a week-long stay at a mansion in the Hamptons. And when I’d say no, that’s when things got ugly. I’d get accused of being stingy. Selfish. Self-absorbed. But it wasn’t that. I just wanted someone to care about me, and not what I could give them.”

“So you stopped dating?”

“Yeah. I guess the last straw was about four years ago. She seemed nice at first. Genuine. But a couple months in, things changed. It was all about money again. And when I resisted, she got mad. She threatened to make up stories about me and release them to the press if I didn’t do what she wanted.”

“Micah.” Ruby drapes her arm around my neck and kisses my jaw. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

“I got my attorney involved. Once he started throwing around things like libel and slander, she backed down. I haven’t heard from her since. But after that, I was done. I decided that staying single was better.”

“That’s how I felt about Liam,” she says. “Thankfully, he didn’t try to slander me. Although, who knows, he could have tried something much worse.”

“Rue.”

“I’m trying to have a sense of humor about it. Sort of. But anyway. That sucks, Micah. And I get it. Why you wanted to stay single. And I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I reply quickly. “Not compared to the things other people go through. I’m not trying to make it into more than it is. I just wanted you to know why I haven’t dated in so long. It’s not because I’m afraid of commitment. Or that I was a player. I guess I was just…”

“Protecting yourself,” Ruby finishes. “That’s normal after you’ve been hurt.” Her gaze holds mine. “I hope you’re telling me this because you don’t think I’m the same way?”

“Of course not.” I hug her close. “Absolutely not. I’m telling you because I care about you. Because I want you to know that I’m serious about you. That when I commit, it means something.”

“And are you? Committing?”

My heart thumps hard. That’s the crux of it, isn’t it? Am I ready to commit?

But I already know the answer. I’ve known for a while. I just haven’t told Ruby yet.

“I want to,” I tell her. “I want to take you to meet my parents. I want to introduce you to my old Army buddies. I know some guys up in Sleepy Hollow, just north of here, who I think you’d like. And there’s a guy out in Vermont who was Delta. Ronan. I’d love to bring you out there to meet him, too.”

“I would like that,” she says with a soft smile.

“And I want to take you on trips. We could visit all kinds of museums, and famous libraries, and find a restaurant with the very best beef Wellington. I want you to be at all of our poker nights, like Sofia is with Rogue. I want to know I’m going to see you after work and on the weekends, because that’s just what we do.”

Ruby kisses me. “Everything you said. I want that, too.”

“And there’s something else.” Now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop. “I’m falling in love with you, Rue. At least, I think I am. I’ve never been in love before, so I’m not sure how it feels. But I know I feel more right with you than anyone else. I know I think about you all the time. I know my heart feels bigger when I’m with you. Maybe it’s too soon to say this. Especially with everything else going on. But⁠—”

I’m silenced by her mouth crashing down on mine.

Turning, Ruby straddles me. Her legs come around my waist. As she kisses me, her curls brush my face.

I tunnel my hand through her hair, tilting her head back and kissing her more deeply. My dick, which should be tired after last night but isn’t, jumps to attention.

Calm down, I tell him. I just told Ruby something important. I need to concentrate on that right now.

What better way to celebrate falling in love than to have sex again? he reasons.

Fair point, I reply. But I think I need to find out how Ruby feels, first.

Although she wouldn’t be kissing me if she was upset by what I said, would she?

I should ask. But that would mean not kissing Ruby, and I’m not willing to do that yet. Not when kissing her—with her in my lap, straddling me, no less—is one of my very favorite things.

So we keep kissing. And kissing.

By the time we break apart, I’m breathing hard. Ruby’s cheeks are flushed. Her lips are kiss-swollen and damp. Her curls spring out like a halo, catching fire from the sun hitting them. Her eyes are warm honey sparkling with gold, and soft with emotion as she looks at me.

As I trace the line of her lips with my finger, I take a steadying breath. “So. What do you think?”

Her eyebrows arch up. “Think about what?”

“What I said. About committing. And all the other stuff.”

“Ah, that.” She nods thoughtfully. “Well, it is a lot to take in.”

My heart skips a beat. Shit. It was too much, too soon.

“Thing is,” Ruby continues, “I always saw myself with a certain kind of person.”

My body goes cold. “A certain kind of person? What kind of person?”

Someone who can protect her better? Someone who didn’t let her walk up to her apartment alone? Someone who would have stopped her from racing out of the condo during a flashback and potentially putting herself in danger?

“Well.” She drags out the word. “As a beginner chef, I thought I should probably be with someone more advanced. Someone who can prepare an adequate beef Wellington.”

Warmth begins to seep back into me. “Beef Wellington, you say?”

“Oh, yes.” Her lips twitch. “Do you think you can prepare beef Wellington? With the correct kind of mushrooms?”

I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “I think, if I practice enough, I could.”

“And do you think, if you practiced enough, you could make meatballs that don’t double as deadly weapons?”

This time I can’t keep my chuckle from escaping. “Yes, I think I could.”

“Okay.” Ruby’s face splits into a wide smile. “I’m falling for you, too, Micah. I have been. And I don’t care if you can cook. Or if your food could be used as ammunition. I love being with you. I love everything about you. And…” Her smile fades, turning into something more serious. “I want a future with you. The cooking and the money… I don’t care about that. You’re what’s important. Just you.”

A sigh of relief escapes. “You had me going for a second.”

“I was just teasing,” she says. Then she kisses me. “Maybe it wasn’t the right time, though?”

I frame her face with my hands and kiss her back. “It was the perfect time, Rue. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because that’s the kind of relationship I want. One where we can have fun together. And I love your little bluffs. But.” I tap her nose. “If I ask you to marry me one day, and you pretend you’re going to say no when you actually mean yes, I might actually pass out. So please don’t do that.”

A beat later, my heart jumps when I realize what I said.

But it’s not scary to think about. At all. In fact, I can see it. Me at the end of the aisle with Ruby all in white, walking towards me. And everything that goes with it. The smile on her face. The love in her eyes. The joy in my heart.

Yes, I could see myself marrying Ruby one day.

Thoughts work in her eyes as she looks at me. Then she taps my nose back. “I won’t. I promise.”

“Okay.” I breathe another sigh of relief. “Good.” Kissing her lightly, I add, “So. Do you want coffee? Breakfast?”

Her gaze shifts from me to the window. “Actually. I was wondering. Are these windows one-way? So we can see out, but no one can see in?”

A little surprised by her change of subject, it takes me a second to respond. “Yes, they’re one-way. Are you worried about someone seeing you in here?”

“Not exactly. But I was thinking, maybe we could have sex in here before breakfast. In front of the window?” Pink touches her cheeks. “I love this room so much. And I read in this book about the couple having sex in a skyscraper, right against the window. I didn’t think much of it at the time. But now… maybe it could be fun? If you wanted to try it?”

In one move, I rise from the couch and set Ruby down in front of me. Then I slide my hand under her sweatshirt and cup her ass, dragging her flush against my body. My dick jerks against her belly, cheering silently. “Yes to both,” I reply.

Dipping my head to kiss her neck, I suck gently at her skin. When I see the faint pink mark I left behind, the possessive, caveman-esque side of me roars. “It definitely sounds like fun.” I lift her sweatshirt and pull it over her head, revealing nothing but bare skin beneath.

When I press her against the glass, she shivers. Her nipples pebble from the air hitting them. I palm one breast, rolling her nipple between my fingers. Her head tilts back as she arches towards me.

“Micah,” she moans. “Oh.”

“I think taking you right here sounds like a lot of fun,” I tell her. “And I definitely want to try it.”

Ruby’s hands come to my waistband, tugging at the waistband of my shorts. She pulls them down past my hips, and my erection springs free. Wrapping her fingers around me, she says with a hint of satisfaction, “It looks like someone else thinks it’s a good idea, too.”

“Hmm.” I tear my gaze from her breasts to look below my waist. “I suppose he does.” With a wry smile, I add, “He’s very eager. I have to tell him to calm down quite often.”

Ruby giggles. “Oh, really? Do you talk to him a lot?”

I pull her little sleep shorts down, then toss them aside. Next come Ruby’s pale blue panties, so sheer they reveal the trimmed red curls beneath them. “It depends. If you’re wearing my clothes? Or you just got out of the shower, and all you have on is a towel? Or when you’re lying in bed next to me, all naked and sexy and your hair curling all over? Then I have to tell him to calm down a lot. Other times, he uses more restraint.”

Ruby gives my T-shirt a pointed look, and I tug it over my head obligingly. As her gaze sweeps across my body, I take the time to do the same with hers.

And no matter how many times I look at Ruby naked, it never ceases to amaze me. My brain can’t seem to accept that this perfect woman is mine.

Skimming my hands down her waist to the sweet curve of her hips, I nip the skin at the base of Ruby’s jaw, then sweep my tongue across it. “You’re gorgeous, Rue.” My voice is rough with need. “So damn gorgeous.”

“So are you,” she says. “And you know what I like?”

“My muscles?” I tease.

Her lips lift. “No. I like watching you when I touch you.” She strokes me from base to tip. “I like seeing how you react.”

I reach between her legs, finding her hot and wet and already opening for me. I slide a finger inside her, feeling her inner walls clutching at me. Finding her little bud with my thumb, I rub the sensitive skin, alternating between soft and hard. “How do I react?” I ask.

She gives my dick a gentle squeeze, enough to make me think of how it’ll feel when I’m inside her. My erection thickens. Throbs. Pre-cum leaks steadily. “Like this,” Ruby says. “I love feeling you get bigger in my hand. I love seeing how excited you get.”

With her other hand, she grabs the back of my neck. Her nails scrape lightly across my skin. “I love feeling your little shivers when I touch here.” She moves her hand to my chest, resting it over my heart. “I love feeling your heart race. And I know it’s because of me.”

I slide a second finger inside her, then pump my fingers in and out slowly, readying her for me. Ruby’s hips jerk. She moans, low and deep in her throat.

“Micah.” She strokes me faster. Harder. “I love how you make me feel, too. Like my body is electrified. And every time you touch me, you set off sparks.”

Something deep and powerful inside me tugs. All at once, my heart feels too big for my body.

As my fingers keep thrusting inside her, I let my gaze wander over Ruby’s body. With the sun coming in all around the window behind her, her skin is lit with gold. Her hair is like fire. She looks like a mythological goddess come to life.

Before Ruby, I couldn’t have imagined thinking about a woman with such reverence. But with her, it’s the most natural thing in the world.

She gives my dick another tug, and I swell in her hand. Desire throbs, intense and insistent. “Rue,” I groan. “Ah, shit. When you touch me like that.”

“What?” Her gaze meets mine. “What about me touching you like that?”

Cupping her ass, I yank her against me. “It makes me want to take you right now, and screw all the foreplay.”

Ruby sucks in a quick breath. Her pupils dilate.

“Do you want me to skip the rest of the foreplay?” I ask. “I thought I’d make you come with my fingers, then my mouth, and then I would put you up against the window and let the entire city know how damn sexy you are. But if you’d rather jump straight to it…”

Ruby stares at me with lust-glazed eyes. After a beat, she blinks. “Wait. I thought you said the glass was one-way. Can people see me like this? With my bare butt all smooshed up against the glass?”

I keep my expression carefully controlled for a few seconds before laughing. “No, people can’t see you like this. Aside from me. I was just teasing. The glass is definitely one-way.”

“Micah!” Her tone turns scolding. “You scared me for a second.”

“I thought teasing was okay?” I ask innocently.

“Not when I’m naked in front of the entire city,” she replies with a laugh.

“Not the entire city. Only Manhattan.”

“Micah. Only you would tease me about all of Manhattan seeing me naked in the middle of sex.”

“Technically, we’re not in the middle of sex yet,” I point out. “Although that could be changed quickly.”

Lifting Ruby into my arms, I wrap her legs around my waist. Keeping one hand on her ass, I use my other to cushion her back from the glass. “What do you think? Foreplay? Or—” I notch myself at her center, not entering her yet, but close. “Should I take you now? Sink deep inside you, so deep we can’t tell where one of us ends and the other begins. Fill you up so good⁠—”

“Now,” Ruby gasps. Her legs tighten around me. “Now. Please. We can do all the other stuff after.”

She doesn’t have to say it twice.

Holding her close, I jog over to the cabinet in the corner of the room and gesture with my chin at the top drawer of it. “Top drawer,” I say. “Condoms. Can you grab one?”

Surprise creases her brow. “You have condoms in here?”

With a wolfish grin, I reply, “I have condoms in every room now. Just in case.”

“Oh.” She laughs as she grabs a condom from the drawer. “That’s actually very smart. And convenient.”

“That’s what I thought.” I carry Ruby back to the window, then set her down just long enough to open the condom and roll it on. Then I pick her up again. “I was trained to be prepared for anything, you know.”

Ruby wriggles her hips so my dick prods her center. This time, when I start to slip in, I don’t stop. “Being prepared is a good thing,” she says. “I certainly won’t complain.”

I push inside her, forcing myself to go slow even though my body is begging for everything. I kiss her, swallowing her moan with my mouth. I kiss her as I sink deeper, rocking into her, feeling her inner muscles clutch at me.

When I’m finally all the way in, I hold myself still for a few seconds to regain my composure. I’m more than old enough to be able to control myself, but when I’m with Ruby, I’m like a horny teenager again.

“Micah,” Ruby breathes. She squeezes her muscles around me. I jerk inside her. My balls draw up. “I need more. I want…”

“You want what?”

“Is it safe?” she asks.

“Is what safe? The condom? They’re new.”

“No, the window. I like the idea, but what if we push too hard on it, and the whole thing falls out? I know that’s a stupid question, but⁠—”

“It’s not stupid.” I kiss her forehead. “The window is secure. But how about this?” I walk her over to the wall, then brace her against it. “We’ll finish here. Just so you don’t have to worry.”

A soft smile curves her lips. “Always taking care of me.”

“Always,” I agree. “Now.” I lift her almost completely off me, then pull her down again. “How about ‌we get back to what we started?”

Ruby’s gaze flares with heat. “What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. Then I thrust into her again. “I’m not thinking clearly. Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Her hand comes to the back of my neck. She kisses me hard. “So, take me, Micah. Don’t hold back. I want everything you can give me.”

She doesn’t have to ask twice. “Always, Rue. Always.”