Chapter Twenty-Three Griffin
Chapter Twenty-Three
Griffin
What a dumbass I was.
In hindsight, everything was perfectly clear. That was the horrible part of being able to recognize our mistakes after we’d made them.
It was all cumulative, of course. Each day of the last couple weeks was a small, seemingly insignificant building block to this moment.
The party was in full swing when Ruby walked back in, and even though I’d plotted Marcus’s demise several times while he helped me clean up the house, I couldn’t fault any of the steps that had led us here.
The music was good—loud and sexy and throbbing through the center of my chest. The drinks were delicious, the laughter easy, as was the conversation. A bunch of the players were new to me, but everyone was kind and friendly, and I felt myself settle into the rhythm of this unwanted celebration.
The doors opened, and I swear to every deity in existence, there was a fucking spotlight—thick bright light aimed at the entrance—when she walked in.
Her eyes skimmed the crowd, anxiously looking for me, and I ducked past one of our linemen, unable to tear my gaze off her, soaking in the last of the dresses I’d bought for her. The unbearable pressure on my ribs didn’t make any sense, but I decided I didn’t care.
It was a white lace number, molded to her upper body and flaring out at her waist, the hem stopping at her upper thighs.
The tiny black bow at the top of the neck made her look so prim and proper that my mouth watered because I couldn’t help but wonder what she had on underneath.
The base of the dress was a nude-colored slip, giving the illusion that she was naked under the white lace.
On her feet were wicked-looking black heels, and I blew out a slow breath as I eased through the crowd.
The nerves on her face intensified when she couldn’t find me in the kitchen, and for a moment, I thought she might back out of the house .
. . but then she turned and saw me, a smile breaking open over her face as I approached.
A more polite man might have stopped at a respectable distance, but I wasn’t polite.
Wasn’t even close to anything of the sort. The ticking clock over our time left together, the music making my pulse throb, the sight of her in that dress, had me feeling something far more uncivilized.
I didn’t say a word, simply stepped up against her, my hands skating down the length of her arms until our fingers wove together, and I dropped my nose into the crown of her hair and inhaled—deep and greedy.
“Happy birthday to me,” I growled by her ear as I gathered her close against my chest. “You look incredible.”
Ruby lifted her head, eyes wide in her face. Fuck, why did they look like that? Bigger. Sparklier. Like she wanted to eat me alive.
The feeling was very, very mutual.
Her lashes were darker than normal. Thicker too. There was something slick and shiny on her lips, and I dragged my thumb along the bottom edge. “You look beautiful tonight, Ruby Tate.”
It was her eyes that smiled, her lips opening on a shaky exhale. “You told me to save this for a special occasion, didn’t you?”
I grinned. “I can’t believe I ever said you were a terrible student.” Leaning down, I ran the edge of my nose against hers, placing a featherlight kiss against her lips. She tasted like cherries, and I hummed as I pulled away. “Want some cake?” I asked. “It’s chocolate with raspberry filling.”
“Maybe one piece,” she said, eyes locking on my mouth. “I think I can allow for a few vices tonight.”
It took everything in me not to sling her over my shoulder and march to the bedroom.
I closed my eyes as I fumbled for restraint in a very public place, folded my fingers around hers, and led her into the kitchen.
The introductions were quick and overwhelming, Ruby’s eyes wide as I ran through everyone who was there.
For as nervous as she’d looked walking in the door, those nerves didn’t last long.
After a few minutes, Ruby was chatting with a few of the wives, shyly catching my eye when one of them asked how long we’d been dating.
“We’re . . . friends,” she said, her fingers squeezing mine under the table, where I’d refused to let her go. She was eating her cake with one hand.
Leticia, one of the linemen’s wives, eyed us. “Mm-hmm. I can see that. My husband and I were friends like that once too.”
“Ruby used to live behind me when we were kids,” I said. “She had a crush on my brother.”
Leticia’s eyebrows popped up. “Did she, now?”
“What can I say? I had terrible taste when I was younger,” Ruby said. She licked a bit of chocolate frosting off her lip and caught my eye. “Now I actually know what—and who—is good for me.”
There was no chance in hell I was letting this woman go tonight. Careless of who might see us or what they’d think, I leaned forward and snagged her mouth in a quick, searing kiss. “Careful, baby, I’ll think you’re staking a claim,” I murmured against her lips.
Ruby exhaled a quiet laugh, her eyes falling shut while her forehead rested against mine.
Everything about her made my head spin, and I didn’t want it to stop.
There was a disbelieving part of me still searching for a foothold in logic.
Why was it like this? Why her? What was it about the two of us together that felt so fucking good?
For the first time in my life, the sense of rightness was unshakable, and that was the scariest thing imaginable.
Showing her parts of myself that no one else saw, knowing that she appreciated them, felt like hanging myself off the edge of a cliff, and Ruby was the one capable of either tossing me off the side or helping me up and over into safety.
Maybe it was this short window of time. The ticking of a clock that I could practically hear in the background as I watched her pull away, cheeks flushed from our public display of affection. Leticia said something that made her laugh, and all I could hear was the roaring in my ears.
It sounded like her name. How long would it feel like this after she walked away?
After she returned to the cocoon she’d built, safely kept away from hurt. From hurting anyone else. The blood pumped quick and hot through my veins the longer I thought about it, about her alone every night, when I wouldn’t be part of her life. Alone, because that was how she wanted it.
Leticia left the table, and Ruby pushed the plate away, only a few bites of the cake left. “I’m done,” she proclaimed. “That half a piece will probably keep me up all night.”
Staring at her profile, I felt my heart churn restlessly, a persistent itch at the back of my mind urging me to do something important.
My mind raced over the things she’d told me, shifting through confessions like a deck of cards, and when the thumping pulse of the music broke through my thoughts, I found myself laser sharp with focus.
I shifted, untangling my hand from hers so I could angle her chair toward me.
I widened my legs around her chair and tugged her seat forward.
Her eyes widened, and I slid my hands along the silky-smooth skin on her thighs.
“Dance with me?” I asked, fingers trailing along the edge of her knees.
Ruby’s chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, and her lips curled in a sweet smile. “I’d love to.”
Shifting my grip so that both of her hands were in one of mine, I stood and led her into the middle of the room, where the group of people dancing shifted to accommodate us.
No one looked twice at us when I turned and settled Ruby’s hands onto my chest. Her fingers danced up and over my shoulders, her eyes fixed on mine, her cheeks slightly flushed as I grinned down at her.
We began to move, one of my thighs slotted between hers as I guided the movement of her hips.
Her smile was radiant in the dark room, and my hands moved restlessly over her body, the lithe line of her back impossible to resist as I banded an arm around her to drag her closer while the throbbing beat had our hips shifting back and forth.
Gripping her hand, I spun Ruby out and back, and her laughter, sweet and happy, caught somewhere under my ribs, and I wished I could fucking bottle it. We swayed for a few moments, her hands sliding over my chest, her gray eyes hazy as she surrendered to the music.
She was too far away. I slid my arm around her waist, anchoring her tight to my body while we danced. Her breasts were firm and warm against my front, and my throat went dry as I imagined what they’d look like. What they’d taste like under my tongue.
Sweet. She’d be so fucking sweet.
There was no resisting this woman, not for any reason that any sane, logical person could conjure, and I banished the slightest hint of it while we rolled together to the driving beat.
It didn’t matter if I got hurt or was left feeling even the slightest pinch of disappointment, because Ruby knowing I wanted her was probably the most important thing I’d do for the rest of my life. The thought that she might ever doubt it made me want to scream.
I plucked one hand off my chest and twirled her around so that her back was against my front, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders while I rolled my hips against her backside.
My other hand curled tight around her hip, and I almost groaned when she arched her ass against my very prominent hard-on.
The fact that this woman had ever felt like she needed my help was fucking laughable.
My hand, anchored on her hip, dipped lower, gathering the material of her skirt until my fingertips brushed the firm, warm skin on her thigh.
She dropped her head back onto my chest, and I dipped down to speak next to her ear.
“You in this dress should be fucking illegal, birdy,” I growled, licking along the edge of her ear. “Got me thinking about what’s underneath it.”