The Dangers of Dating Your Boss
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‘Good.’ Dave turned back to the stretcher he was cleaning.
Jack studied the man he’d be relieving. ‘You worried I’ll have scared her off by the time you come back?’ Ruby would go, but not because of him. Moving on was her modus operandi. Ironic that soon he would be heading away too.
‘We’ve got an excellent group of very professional people working here now and I’d hate to see the status quo change. If my wife hadn’t gone and bought our tickets and booked our tours, I probably wouldn’t be going to Europe this year.’ Dave’s brow creased. ‘Which is why Gail did it, of course. Women are very crafty, aren’t they?’
‘They can be.’ But not Red. She was more like a moth continuously flying at the light, getting nowhere. Always a tight coil of tense muscles with a sharp tongue to match. Jack used to wind her up just so they could kiss and make up later. He’d be wise to remember that in the weeks to come and ignore any outbursts. There’d be no making up now. Forget those heady kisses, the hottest sex he’d ever experienced and a lot of plain old fun and laughter. Forget how she could melt into absolute sweetness at the most unexpected moments.
Start with remembering her name was Ruby. Not Red. And that she wasn’t his type of woman. He took another glance outside, his eyes tracking the one woman he’d ever cared about. His gut twisted. Red’s sassy butt still swayed saucily. Sex in boots. Hot sex in a jumpsuit. ‘It’s been a while.’
Since he’d seen her. Since he’d held her in his arms and kissed her senseless. Since—Stop. Tormenting himself would only lead to trouble. But she’d felt wonderful when he’d lifted her up against his chest minutes ago. Warm, lithe, exciting.
‘Odd that she didn’t mention knowing you.’ Dave’s words crashed into his brain, slamming him back to reality.
Words that stung. Hard and deep. He shouldn’t be surprised. When he and Red agreed to split they’d both made it perfectly clear there’d be no going back on their decision. But surely that hadn’t meant they couldn’t acknowledge one another. ‘It was a few years ago. How long has she been working with you?’
‘Two months. Came straight from San Francisco.’
‘Two months?’ Jack all but shouted. If Ruby had kicked him in the guts it couldn’t have hurt any worse. Two months and not a word. Talk about putting him in his place. Sensing Dave’s eagle eye on him, he bit down on the oath hovering on the tip of his tongue and tried for casually unconcerned. ‘I’ve got a lot of catching up to do with her.’ But not on this shift.
‘She certainly has great work experience. Her credentials are superb.’
‘It’s the first time Ruby’s actually stuck at anything long enough to qualify.’ Amazing. And as far as he knew it was also the first time she’d returned anywhere. Had she finally tracked down her father and dealt with the past? That was the only explanation for her spending long enough in one place to put in the required hours to become a paramedic. Did that mean her angst had disappeared? Did a dog suddenly grow wool on its back?
Jack asked, ‘Is Ruby still taking on everyone head first? Like she has to knock them down before they get to her?’ He shouldn’t be asking Dave, but he was speaking boss to boss here, needing to know about a member of his crew.
Believe that and he’d believe anything.
Dave studied him thoughtfully. Was he having doubts about leaving his job in Jack’s hands? ‘Can’t say as I’ve noticed. And working in stressful situations on a daily basis I think I would’ve. Is that the Ruby you used to know?’
Already regretting his question, Jack nodded. He’d hate for Dave to think differently of Ruby because of him. ‘She used to have a few issues that distressed her big time but from what you’re saying maybe she’s sorted them out.’
‘Some relationships don’t stand the test of time, do they?’ Dave was studying him with a glint in his eye suggesting he’d somehow be watching out for Ruby even from afar, making sure his replacement didn’t upset her. Nice to know she had such a good friend. The man hadn’t finished. ‘But others can.’
Shaking his head, Jack muttered, ‘Not this one.’
Dave shrugged. ‘That’s a shame. I get the feeling Ruby’s ready to settle down.’
‘Then you really don’t know her.’ Ruby didn’t do settling down. Ever. Not like him. He’d been happy to stay in this place where he’d lived all his life. Until recently. Now he was so restless he itched. He was on the move, done with being the man everyone relied on to be a permanent fixture for them, of always being around when others found their lives going pear-shaped. It was time for his own adventures, and no one, not even a certain scarlet-haired woman, was going to upset this. Look out, world, Jack Forbes is coming. Yeah, right.
Jack forced a smile as he continued to watch her disappearing inside. She was as sexy as ever. His body had recognised her instantly. That slow burn starting in the pit of his belly when he’d seen her in the helicopter. And now it had spread out, down and up, engulfing every cell of his body. He wanted her. As strongly as he always had. Great to see ya, ruby-red girl.
Enough. Just seeing Red made him reel. Why he’d lifted her into that hug was beyond him, but nothing could’ve stopped him when she’d dropped to the ground right in front of him. To feel her body along the length of his, to touch that spiky hair with his chin, had brought longing charging through him. He flicked his finger against his thumb. Dumb ass.
So much for keeping everything on a boss to crew member basis. Should he hug every member? For a brief moment with Ruby in his arms he’d felt as though they’d never been apart. As if all that pain hadn’t happened, hadn’t torn him into shreds.
Jack turned and deliberately began studying the interior of the aircraft that would become a big part of his life for the next few months. ‘It’s a bit of a squeeze.’
Dave grinned. ‘Takes some getting used to.’
‘And I’m always at the front,’ a man drawled from the other side of the bulkhead. ‘Along with Slats. He’s ducked into the hangar for a minute.’