Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
I hung back by a souvenir shop near the snorkel store, waiting until the customers fanned out, catching shuttle buses or hopping on bikes. When the last one left, I closed the distance to her, wishing I could approach her with the same certainty I felt on other jobs. Finding a stolen Stradivarius was simple compared to this.
I was flying blind, on nothing but hope, carrying only a small canvas bag. Ruby would be well-justified to shoot me down.
But I was taking the chance.
She was on the dock, hauling a mesh bag of snorkels to her friend’s shop. I pushed past the fear that I’d lost her for good, took off my shades, draped them onto the neck of my shirt, and walked toward her.
As I drew nearer, she set down the last bag and turned my way with a did you forget something smile that froze when we locked eyes. It seemed an eternity while she processed who stood in front of her.
What was that spark in her blue gaze? I hoped it was the same damn thing I was feeling—a rush of joy and hope.
But then her expression turned neutral. Wary. Guarded. Self-preservation had kicked in.
She brushed one palm across the other and took a few steps closer, meeting me on the sand. I hoped it was a good sign, but when she crossed her arms and raised her chin, I knew she was done with me.
But I hadn’t come here for nothing. Go big or go home.
“Why are you here?” she asked, immediately on the defensive.
“I miss you terribly,” I said, stepping closer to the woman I wanted and desperately needed in my life.
“Okay,” she said, wary. She wasn’t going to make this easy. I wouldn’t have expected her to. Nothing worth having was easy.
Saying I missed her wasn’t enough, so I said what I should have said yesterday.
“You’re right, Ruby,” I said, echoing her words from the car wash. “I trust you, Ruby.”
Her eyes narrowed, hard as stone. “You’re just repeating the lines I gave you, Jake.”
“But they’re smart words,” I said, and she was fierce today, protective. “I did everything wrong yesterday. Every single thing,” I said, laying my emotions bare. “I was frustrated and foolish. I reacted to the past instead of the present and said things I regret. Things you didn’t deserve.”
She tilted her head, her gaze unflinching. “Did someone tell you I wasn’t in on it? The car heist or anything else?”
“I told me that. I knew it deep down, but I figured out afterward I was focused on the wrong thing. I was obsessing over the diamonds we’d lost when I should have been listening to you. I’m so sorry I said you get too close to people like it’s a bad thing.” I gestured to the dock where she’d just said goodbye to her happy tour group. “The way you connected with those people—it’s special.” This was harder than I’d thought, pouring out my emotions in front of her unyielding gaze. I gripped the handles of the canvas bag more tightly. “It’s what I love most about you.”
“Yeah, but it can still be a bad thing.”
I shook my head. “It’s a good thing, Ruby. A great thing. You have a huge heart—you risked so much to help your mom. You care so deeply, and I love that about you. I was a fool who said stupid things, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Something in her expression softened. Her lips parted slightly. Her gaze grew less harsh.
Yes!
Emboldened, I kept going. “I should have told you right then that you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. That I care about you more than ten million in diamonds. That I don’t care if I ever solve this case. None of it is worth a thing if I’ve lost you.” I felt tossed about by the emotions storming inside of me. I was helpless against her.
She’d taken over my heart and mind.
She’d become the center of my world in a mere week.
And I’d let her get away.
“When you left me,” I said, “I realized you’re what’s most precious to me. You’re…everything.”
“Jake,” she said, softly.
Holy hell, was that a glimmer of hope?
I took another gamble, stepping closer to her, still speaking my heart. “I fell in love with you, Ruby. And I want to keep loving you. Please let me love you.”
There. That was all I could do.
Her eyes shone with emotion. “You,” she said, frustrated but affectionate at the same time.
“Me?” I asked, hopefully. Happiness surged through me, but I sternly warned myself that I hadn’t won her yet.
“You make it so hard to be mad at you,” she said, scowling, almost petulant.
“Do you want to be mad at me?” I teased.
“I did,” she muttered. Then she shook her head. “But I don’t. I can’t.” She gave a shuddering sigh. “I missed you.”