Page 47 of I Hate You More

“That’s funny,” she said to Spencer’s broad back. He stood looking through a window at the opposite end of the room. “I expected there to be more dogs inside a dog kennel.”

At the sound of her voice, Spencer whirled around. He didn’t look particularly pleased to see her, his mouth set in a grim line and crinkles of worry etched around his eyes. It was such a departure from the Spencer he’d been when they first arrived—that laughing, almost boyish man enjoying a homecoming—that she inadvertently reached out for him.

He didn’t reach back.

“What did you tell her?” he demanded. “What did you say?”

“I’m assuming that the children I’ve sworn to protect and serve are safely supervised?” she asked by way of reply. “And Wheezy?”

Spencer jerked a thumb at the window. “They’re fine. My dad is showing them the puppies. They’ll be entertained for at least the next hour.” He hesitated. “I should have warned you, Ruby, but I didn’t know she was going to pounce like that. My mom, she’s… That is… She’s not—”

“Relax. I didn’t say anything incriminating.”

She drew closer so she could peer through the window to the attached room. Sure enough, all of the creatures under her charge were in there. Like her current surroundings, there was something comfortable and lived-in about the space, although with a lot less furniture and a lot more Astroturf. All three of the boys were lying on their stomachs with their heads propped on their hands, watching as a bundle of squirming puppies thronged around an exhausted-looking mother. Wheezy looked equally relaxed. Like the dog who’d recently given life to nine babies, he’d collapsed into an exhausted heap.

“I’ve never seen them so quiet,” she said with a nod toward the boys. “Your dad must be magic.”

“He is. Both my parents are.”

She could feel Spencer shift to face her and braced herself for more.

“I know I probably sound obsessed, but you don’t understand,” he said. “My parents worry about Caleb—more than anyone should about a thirty-year-old man, but it’s always been that way. He’s not good at keeping in touch, so it falls to me to keep them posted. I’m sure you had the best of intentions, but I need to know what you said to my mom so I can run interference—”

When she interrupted him this time, she was careful to put a hand on his forearm and squeeze first. “Spencer, I know. I’m not as stupid as I look. I could tell that she was worried about him and needed reassuring. So that’s what I did. I reassured her.”

“You did?”

She nodded. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s handling neurotic mothers. I told her about the barbecues with Eva’s family and how much fun he’s had training Wheezy and that I’m very sorry, but I won’t fall in love with him and whip him into shape as a personal favor to her.” She laughed. “Of everything, I think that one hurt her the most. She sounds as though she’d really like to be a grandmother.”

Spencer stared, first at her hand and then at her face, studying it as he would a map.

“You’re good at a lot of things,” he said. “And I never said you look stupid.”

She blinked, so startled that she didn’t think to filter her response. “You didn’t have to say it. I could see it as clearly as you’re seeing me right now. You took one look at me and Wheezy standing in that hallway the first day we met and decided you knew everything there was to know.”

The tips of his ears turned pink, but he didn’t deny the accusation. She appreciated that more than he could possibly realize.

“It’s true that I may have jumped to a few conclusions,” he said as he placed his hand on top of hers. His fingers were warm and heavy, and they clasped hers with an urgency it was impossible to deny. “And I’m sorry for it—I really am—but when I’m overwhelmed, I retreat. Usually I hide behind Caleb, but he didn’t jump in to save me that time.”

“To save you?” Her mouth fell open. “From…me?”

“Yes, from you.” He shook his head with a self-deprecating grin. “You’re stunning, Ruby. You must know that. Every time you walk into a room, I’mstunned.”

In her short tenure on this planet, Ruby had been called all the synonyms for beautiful that existed in the English language. Men had praised every single one of her body parts, including those of both a visible and private nature. She’d won awards for her ability to look good and pluck at a harp with grace, and she’d enjoyed the social privilege that came with all that.

But right now, with Spencer’s hand on hers, his eyes so dark they swallowed her whole, she really, truly believed it—not that she was worth looking at but that she was worthseeing.

“Kiss me,” she said, unable to look away from his gaze. “Please, Spencer? I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me for weeks.”

Even though she was the one who made the request, the sudden sensation of his mouth against hers was so surprising that she couldn’t do anything at first but stand there and allow it to happen. Spencer was always so careful, so methodical in everything he did, that she’d expected him to kiss the same way. However, the man moving his lips over hers was no such thing. As was the case when they’d stood on opposite ends of his living room and bared all, he let himself go in the most glorious of ways. Instead of gently exploring her mouth, nibbling and coaxing the way some men did when kissing a woman for the first time, he went right for the good stuff. There was no hesitation in him, no shyness. The moment she opened her mouth even a fraction, he was claiming her for his own.

With the exception of his lips, no part of his body touched hers. There was something intensely erotic about it—and, she was forced to admit, something intenselySpencerabout it. She felt the same way whenever he buttoned his cuffs back up or stood just out of reach. His restraint was almost more intoxicating than his touch. It was as though he knew he had the power to break her, but he wouldn’t.

Not yet.

He tasted of the cookies his mom had baked for the boys, light and sweet and a little bit chalky. It was such an innocent way for a man to taste—and in the place where he’d grown up—that she couldn’t help smiling against his mouth.

“Well, that was very obedient of you,” she murmured. “Do you know any other tricks?”