Page 69 of Keeping Knight

Ruby turns to me. Her eyes are a bright, sparkling gold. In a tone low enough for only me to hear, she says, “This is really fun, Micah. Thanks for doing this.”

“What do you want to do with these?”

Ruby gives the brown cardboard box she’s holding a look of distaste. “I guess I have a simple palate, too. Because I am not a fan of fried tarantulas.”

I cross the kitchen and take the box from her, then carry it over to the pantry, where I stick it on the top shelf. “I’m not a fan either. Neither is Wraith. He just likes coming up with weird things to bring whenever we all get together.”

“This might be a dumb question, then.” She comes over to stand beside me. “But why are you keeping them if nobody likes them?”

“Because I can bring them into work,” I reply. Shutting the pantry door, I turn and take Ruby into my arms. First, I kiss her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally her lips. She tastes like chocolate and sugar from the cookies Sofia brought over and thankfully not fried tarantulas.

“You want to bring them into work?” Her forehead wrinkles. “I’m not sure I’d be too thrilled if my boss brought in spiders for a Monday morning treat.”

Laughing, I reply, “I won’t give them to Evie and the others. I have breakfast delivered for them. The tarantulas are for Beau.”

“Beau?”

“Yeah. He works in Wraith’s division. I’ve known Beau ever since we were Rangers. He became a Green Beret around the same time I transferred over to Delta.”

“And that means he wants giant fried spiders?”

My chest shakes with laughter. “No. It means we like to mess with each other. He’ll think the tarantulas are funny. Just like when he gave me tickets to visit this weird puppet museum upstate.”

“A puppet museum?” Ruby makes a face. “What kind of puppets?”

“Marionettes and ventriloquist dolls, mainly. Some life-sized ones.”

She shivers. “That sounds creepy. And you actually went?”

“I did.” Smiling, I kiss her again. “I got Jester to go with me. And it was creepy. I had dreams about puppets for days.”

“I’m not sure which is worse,” Ruby says. “Fried tarantulas or creepy puppets.” Then she smiles. “The dreamcatcher was a nice gift, though. I can’t believe he thought to give that to me.”

“It was,” I agree. “That’s the thing about Wraith. He comes across as this serious guy. Doesn’t like to smile, intimidates the shit out of people… but he’s actually got a great sense of humor. And he notices things. Not just notices, but does something about them. Like… Rogue was having a rough time a while back. Wraith got his hands on playoff tickets at Yankee Stadium. Right behind the dugout. And he brought all of us. Because he knew Rogue loved the Yankees, and he thought it might help him feel better.”

“Aw, that’s so nice.” Ruby grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. “You’re lucky to have such great friends.”

“I am. But I’d like to meet your friends, too. I know now isn’t the best time, but soon.”

“That would be great.” Her expression turns thoughtful. “They’re going to love you. Especially after⁠—”

“After what?”

Her cheeks go slightly pink. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Rue.” I stroke her cheek. “You can tell me. If it’s about an ex, I’m not going to get all weird about it. You’re thirty-two. As much as I don’t like thinking about you with other guys, it’s something I accept.”

“I don’t like thinking about you with other women, either,” Ruby blurts. “Those women in our cooking class? Elowen and Talia? They were always staring at you. And it annoyed me to no end.”

“Oh?” I grin at her. “You were jealous?”

She gives my arm a little shove. “Yes, I was jealous. Even though I told myself I didn’t want a relationship, I didn’t want you dating them. Or anyone, really.”

I pull Ruby closer, so she’s pressed against me. “Other than you?”

Her gaze dips. “Maybe.”

“I didn’t want anyone dating you, either. If that makes you feel better.”