‘Don’t you have enough food for three, dear?’
‘Yes, I do. But I... I’m not family.’
‘Nonsense. You feel like family already, doesn’t she, Sebastian?’
Ruby experienced some sympathy for her boss at that moment. His mother had really backed him into a corner. He looked totally frustrated with her, his eyes carrying exasperation before he finally surrendered, a small rueful smile playing on his lips.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She does. Please, do join us, Ruby.’
Surprisingly, the evening went quite well, especially after she brought out the bottle of spumante, which Frieda consumed with gusto. The rissoles and mashed potato went down a treat but the coup de grâce was the lemon meringue pie, served with whipped cream. The gushing compliments from Frieda made all the trouble she’d taken worthwhile. Ruby hummed as she made the coffee, warmed by the feelings she always got when she made people happy, confirming her decision to become a social worker.
Frieda lingered longer than Ruby expected. She wanted to chat with Ruby a lot, asking about her life and her travels. Not that Ruby told her the whole story—more an edited version of it. After all, Sebastian was listening. Listening intently, she noted, and watching her with the sort of narrowed eyes that might have indicated interest on another man. But not Sebastian. He was just curious about her, she decided. Not attracted.
It was just after ten when his mother announced it was time she went home, with Sebastian obviously eager to take her. Ruby sensed he’d had enough.
‘This is the best birthday I’ve ever had,’ Frieda praised as they gathered up all her gifts and carried them down to the car. ‘What a shame Ruby won’t be here next year,’ she added. ‘Are you sure you can’t fire Georgia and keep her, Sebastian?’
A look of horror flickered across his face before he could hide it. ‘Afraid not, Mum,’ he replied. ‘But she’ll be with us a while yet.’
‘Yes. Yes, I suppose so.’ Frieda looked disgruntled for a moment, then her face brightened. ‘You’ll have to bring Ruby to Gloria’s for Christmas Day. Gloria always does a turkey with all the trimmings.’
Now that was the sort of Christmas celebration she liked.
‘Ruby might have other plans, Mum,’ Sebastian said before she could jump at the invitation. ‘She has family here in Sydney.’
‘Actually, I don’t have other plans,’ Ruby said truthfully. ‘I’d love to come. If that’s all right with you, Sebastian. And Gloria, of course.’
Their eyes met, his betraying nothing. Nothing at all. It annoyed the hell out of her that he didn’t find her even a little bit attractive. But then, perhaps he didn’t find any woman attractive these days. Maybe that was why he never brought a woman home. Because his libido was dead and buried, alongside his wife. Clearly, she’d been the love of his life and he had no room in his heart for anyone else. Maybe he had only been going to the Gold Coast to relax.
But even as Ruby worked through these thoughts, she wasn’t entirely convinced. For she had been aware of something simmering between them tonight. Women did have good antennas about these things. And hers had been twanging all night.
But maybe she was wrong. Maybe it was her own stirred hormones twanging away. In truth, she hadn’t been able to stop looking at him surreptitiously as she’d chatted away with Frieda. Looking at him, and wanting him. This lust business—especially when it was one-sided—was a right pain in the—
‘I’m sure Gloria would love to have you,’ Sebastian said briskly, putting an end to her musings. ‘Now, come along, Mum. You said you were tired.’
‘Thank you again, dear,’ Frieda said, coming forward to give Ruby a goodbye hug.
Ruby was glad when they left. She, too, was quite tired. It didn’t take her long to finish clearing away the table and put on the dishwasher. Ruby decided not to wait for Sebastian to come home before having her shower and going to bed. He wouldn’t expect her to.
She was just about to dive in between the sheets when there was a knock on her bedroom door. Her stomach tightened with instant alarm.
‘Yes?’ she called out warily.
‘Are you decent?’
Ruby glanced down at the elongated T-shirt that she wore to bed. It was white with a colourful beach-side logo on the front, which hid her underlying nakedness to a degree. But not entirely. Nipples like bullets were hard to hide. She reached for her blue cotton housecoat, pulling it on and wrapping it around herself as she walked to the door.
‘Yes?’ she repeated once the door was open.
To give him credit, he did look at her for once like a normal man, his eyes going from her released hair down to her bare feet. But once his eyes returned to hers, there was nothing there but cool politeness. ‘I just wanted to thank you personally for all the trouble you went to today. You went above and beyond the call of duty.’
‘My pleasure,’ she said, dismayed and, yes, disappointed. Which was silly. What had she been imagining? That he’d come to her bedroom to seduce her at long last?
She wished.
‘Mum thinks you’re lovely,’ he said.
Ruby’s smile was stiff. ‘That’s nice.’
‘I think you’re lovely too...’
It was all so unexpected. Ruby was shocked, both by the sudden thickness in his voice and the unmistakable hunger that zoomed into his eyes. When his desire-filled gaze dropped to her mouth, she sucked a breath in sharply. For surely he was going to kiss her. Any second now, he was going to step forward, pull her into his arms and crush his lips down on hers.
A wave of longing—no, craving—swept through her. For it was what she wanted more than anything else in the world. Ruby knew it wouldn’t stop at kissing. She couldn’t bear it to stop at just kissing. She wouldn’t let it stop at just kissing.
‘Sebastian,’ she said, the uttering of his name filled with her own hunger. She had never in her life felt anything as intense as the desire gripping her body right now, not to mention her mind. There was no room in her head for any other consideration. No thought of common sense, or consequence. No care for the future, just the here and now, and this utterly overwhelming need.
He stared at her hard for several seconds, his eyes glittering with the same need. Then, suddenly, he shuddered and turned his back on her.
‘Goodnight, Ruby,’ he threw over his shoulder, and started to walk away.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
RUBY WAS STUNNED. For a split second she just stood there, staring after him, until a fury rose within her. It wasn’t the fury of a woman scorned. It was the fury of a woman crushed by the disappointment of him rejecting what was clearly a mutual desire. There she’d been all this time, thinking he didn’t want her. But he had. He had!