Of all the expressions he’d seen cross her face, this was the one that was going to end him. There was such a wistful, pleading note in her melting-chocolate eyes that he couldn’t deny her anything.

In that moment, Spencer knew he was in trouble—real trouble, the kind that toppled empires and tore families apart. The kind that changed a man forever. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. With that sincerity and those hideous, adorable granny panties, she had complete power over him.

That was what scared Spencer the most. There was only one other person on the planet who had that power, and look how well he’d handled that. Caleb was about to be released into the world to continue on his self-destructive path, and there was nothing Spencer could do to help him. He could only watch and wait.

“I think I need to take another look underneath your dress,” he said. It wasn’t at all what he wanted to say, and it didn’t begin to capture the emotions that were thrumming like the drums of war in his chest, but it had to be enough. A woman like Ruby—so alive and so physical, so present in everything she did—required an alive and physical response. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll find what I’m looking for under there, but I’m more than willing to try.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t have the energy to stop you,” she teased.

“I don’t know how you managed it, to be honest,” he said as he slid his hand toward the hem of her dress. He took the time to enjoy the way she felt through the thin, summery fabric, a liquidity to her limbs that made him think of a cat. “I meant to stick to my resolution not to do this. I had a plan of action and everything.”

As though reading his mind, she made a low purr of contentment and gave a feline shimmy as she stretched into position. The buttons at the bodice of her dress strained in response. “Oh, really? Why don’t you tell it to me, and I’ll let you know how it sounds.” She laughed. “Well, I already know how it’s going to sound, but I want to hear it anyway. You’ve got your skintight-black-leather voice on right now. You could tell me anything.”

“Trying to provoke me?” he murmured as he gave up on his pursuit of her legs to flip open those straining buttons. He couldn’t help himself—there was a glimpse of an equally graying and functional bra underneath. He’d never been so intrigued by a woman’s underwear in his life.

“Always,” she admitted. “Does it bother you? You’re very enticing when you’re worked up.”