Ruby rushed to the trunk, and refusing to make a second trip, she grabbed bag after bag of her groceries until almost every finger had a bag dangling from it. With head hung, Ruby traipsed to the door, and after juggling the bags from one hand to the other and back again, she trudged into the brownstone with only two things on her mind. Beer…and more beer.

With her hair hanging in soaked strands, Ruby squished her way up the steps, but halfway up the third flight, she stopped when a shadow fell over her. Ruby looked up, releasing an annoyed puff of air when she saw Bennett Archer standing at the top of the stairs. “What is this? A standoff?”

“Not at all. I’m just trying to be on my way,” Bennett said with no inflection in her tone.

Even if Ruby plastered herself against the wall, between the narrow stairs and the groceries, Bennett still couldn’t pass, and going down only to go up again wasn’t an option. Ruby felt her hands cramping, and she looked Bennett in the eye. “What do you want me to do, throw myself over the railing?” Ruby snorted when she saw Bennett arch an eyebrow. “Not going to happen.”

“Pity.”

As each second ticked by, Ruby’s annoyance grew. The last thing she needed was more of Bennett Archer’s imperious attitude. “Look, the way I see it, your majesty, you can either back up your highness heinie and let me pass, or I’ll just plant myself on these steps, and you can throw yourself over the railing. How’s that?”

Bennett’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “It appears your desire to court me is over.”

“Good guess. Now, are you going to move or—”

“I’m moving,” Bennett said, stepping back. “Anything to end this nonsensical chitchat.”

Ruby stomped up the steps, and as she did, she noticed what Bennett was wearing. Her leather coat was like the ones Ruby had seen before, except this one almost reached the floor and was gothic in appearance. Instead of one slit in the back for movement, several were cut into the skirt, and the worn leather was fitted at the waist and bust. The buckle closures were a style Ruby had never seen on a coat, and having yet to be fastened, what was underneath was in full view. From her knee-high boots to the painted-on lace-up front fastening trousers to the zippered, skintight V-neck top, Bennett Archer was dressed entirely in leather. Soft, delicious leather.

Ruby swallowed the moisture building in her mouth and stopped next to Bennett for a moment. “Wow. I didn’t take you for a biker bar bitch,” she said, giving Bennett a once-over. “Okay, so maybe one of those words has popped into my head before.”