Page 59 of Shadow Redemption
“You and Ruth. Are you a real couple or not?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Come on, Ben. You practically vibrate with tension whenever an unattached male is within a few feet of her. When you look at her, I don’t see friendship. I see a man warning off any potential rivals for her heart.”
Should have known he wouldn’t be able to fool Joe. The man was wicked smart and observant. Denying the obvious wouldn’t matter now. The only thing fake about this situation was listing Ruth as his wife when he registered for the suite. “She’s mine.”
A slow smile curved Joe’s mouth. “I knew it. You two have been dancing around each other for months.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Joe chuckled and clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Good job, buddy. I was afraid you’d let her slip through your fingers.”
“It’s too late for that.”
The spotter’s eyes widened. “Whoa. That’s kind of sudden, isn’t it?”
“Not really. She started working her way inside my armor the night we snatched her from Torino. Now, I need her.”
Joe remained silent a moment as he studied Ben’s face. “You’re in love with her.”
He shot a look at the second bedroom to be sure Ruth’s door remained closed. “From the first moment I saw her,” he said, voice soft. “It’s not just her face and body, although she’s perfect. Her courage, strength, and soft heart combined with her beauty just does it for me.” Ben turned to his friend. “There will never be anyone else for me but Ruth.”
“Does she know how you feel?”
“Some, not all.” No need to scare the woman to death. She’d deal with it when it was time.
A soft whistle. “Good luck, Ben.” Joe’s lips curved. “Now, if you’d just shut up long enough, you’d have time to catch some sleep before your lady rises for the day.”
He snorted as he walked to the couch. Joe was right. Ben needed to sleep a few hours to be alert. Stretching out on the cushions with his weapon close at hand, he closed his eyes, hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself by waking the entire suite with his nightmares, and dropped off to sleep in less than a minute.
Three hours later, Ben woke when Sam joined Joe at the French doors for a morning kiss.
His lips curved, glad to have an excuse to razz Joe and Sam. “Get a room,” he murmured.
Joe chuckled. “We have one. You’re just jealous.”
If Joe had made that comment two weeks ago, Ben would have agreed. Instead, now he looked forward to seeing Ruth again even though they’d only separated a few hours earlier.
Ben walked to the kitchen and started another pot of coffee, then called room service to place a large breakfast order, including more supplies for coffee and packets of herbal tea for Ruth.
As he hung up the phone, Ruth’s bedroom door opened and she walked out dressed in a pair of white capris and a blue tank top. Her face was clear of makeup. Her face lit when she saw him, a smile curving her lips.
His heart turned over in his chest. Wow. She was even more beautiful this morning than she was last night. Knowing they had an avid audience, Ben closed the gap between himself and Ruth.
He cupped her nape and drew her in for a long, deep kiss, claiming her mouth because he couldn’t resist her, grateful for the right to touch her at last. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Hi, handsome. Did you sleep?”
“Long enough to be alert. Don’t worry. The military trained me to recharge on four hours. I’m fine.”
She studied him a moment and must have been satisfied with what she saw. “I have to be on the beach in an hour. The photographer wants some early-morning shots.”
“We’ll be there. Room service will deliver breakfast in fifteen minutes. I ordered something light for you, but you’re going to eat.”
He turned her toward the couch he’d just vacated and noticed the broad smiles on Joe and Sam’s faces. “Shut up,” he muttered. “And keep your thoughts to yourself.”
“No way,” Sam crowed. “When did this happen?”