You Rock My World (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 3)

Or would he?

She slid from her car and headed inside. There were no frantic nails clicking on the hardwood floors, or excited barking to greet her, but she assumed Tasha was in the backyard with Travis. Ruby slipped out of her heels, untucked her cream-colored blouse from her pale pink skirt, and loosened her hair from its clip. She padded through the foyer into the large open space that occupied the entire width of the home. There was half an acre in her backyard, and beyond that, the lake.

She spied Tasha running like mad along the beachfront, barking and yipping at the wind, it seemed, and then the small dog stopped and raced back toward the boathouse. Back to Travis and his brother Wyatt. The two men were moving a large piece of stone, black granite from the looks of it. From what Ruby could tell, it was the finishing touch to a beautiful retaining wall that he’d readied for shrubs and plants.

Both of the men were shirtless—both tall and handsome—but it was Travis who drew her eye. He’d tied a bandana around his head, and his eyes were covered by mirrored aviators. He was unshaven (which was hot as hell), his muscles slick with sweat, and his shorts hung so damn low, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the man was commando.

Watching him made blood rush to every part of her body and had her heart beating so fast and hard, she felt dizzy. Travis Blackwell was a drug. A potent, intoxicating, addictive drug. The withdrawal was going to kill her when he left. And he would leave, that was a given.

But she wasn’t going to think about that. At least not yet.

Annoyed that his brother was here, Ruby hesitated, but the need to see Travis trumped her discomfort, and she opened the garden doors and headed for the beach. Over the past week, Travis had designed beautiful gardens that wrapped around her deck and followed the new flagstone path he’d laid down to the beach. The retaining wall he was currently working on sheltered a fire pit and seating area.

He looked up in surprise as she approached and then checked his watch. “You’re early.” His eyes slid from hers. “I needed help to finish the wall, and Wyatt was available.”

Ruby nodded, eyes on his brother, wondering how this was going to go. She and Wyatt weren’t exactly friends. The guy hadn’t been around much when she and Travis were together. That being said, he’d never been anything other than nice when they’d met up in the past. She didn’t not like him, but she wasn’t exactly jumping for joy to see him in her backyard. There would be questions. Questions she didn’t want to answer. He shouldn’t be here.

“Hey, Wyatt.”

Wyatt offered a smile. “Your place is great, Ruby. Amazing view.”

“Thank you.”

“Been here long?” he asked.

“About a year.”

“Did you build, or was the place—”

“I built it.” She cut him off, not meaning to, but wanting the conversation over. She wasn’t in the mood to make small talk with Travis’s brother. At the moment, she wasn’t sure what she was in the mood for. Her earlier lustful thoughts seemed a long way away.

Tasha ran past them chasing after a butterfly, her antics a bit of an ice-breaker, and Wyatt reached down to pet the little animal as she rushed past. “Okay.” He glanced up at his brother. “I should get going. Let me know if you’re coming for dinner.” He smiled at Ruby. “Regan and I hope to see you guys later. And bring Tasha. Our little mutt, Bella, would love the company.

“Oh, I’m not sure what… I mean, I think I have plans.” Her voice petered off into silence, and inside, she fumed. How dare Travis put her in this position?

Ruby shot a look toward Travis, but he turned slightly, avoiding her gaze. What the hell? He knew the rules, and now she looked like an idiot. The two men said their goodbyes while Ruby made a fuss over Tasha.

“That was awkward.” Travis threw some tools into a bin.

“You think?” Ruby wanted to hit him over the head. He was acting like she was at fault.

“You didn’t have to be rude to Wyatt.”

“I wasn’t rude.” But even Ruby winced at her lie. “I might have been a bit…cold. But he shouldn’t have been here.”

Travis whipped his head around. He was angry and not making any attempt to hide it.

“Are you kidding me? I needed help, and he was available.”

“I didn’t ask you to build this, Travis. You insisted.”

He made a strangled sound and took a step back. His jaw was clenched, his hands were fisted, and he was about as close to losing his cool as she’d ever seen him.

This was so not how she’d envisioned her afternoon. The two of them should have been naked—making out like the horny teenagers they’d become—not arguing over his brother and a damn retaining wall.

Her anger left as quick as it had come, leaving her knees weak and her skin clammy. God, normally, she loved to fight because the making up was so damn good. But today it wasn’t in her. “Look, Travis, we had an understanding. Wyatt being here kind of punched a hole in it.”

His anger, however, was still front and center. “Understanding.” He made the word sound distasteful. He grabbed the bin of tools and began walking toward her boathouse. His strides were long, purposeful, and Ruby had to jog to keep up.