Chapter 5 #2
By the time we pull up to my house on the outskirts of Oak Ridge, Ruby is already passed out in the back seat of my truck.
She is stunning with her golden hair fanned out across the seat, her lips parted as she lets out the cutest snores I’ve ever heard.
I could look at her all night and not grow tired of the sight.
She’s not the perfectly polished singer right now.
No filters. No pretense. It’s just Ruby, the woman who’s had me in a freefall for the better part of a decade.
I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life—never had time for them—but I’ll always regret that night on the tailgate when I wanted to kiss her and didn’t.
She still wore Connor’s name on her back, still held his hand at parties, and pretended they were ok when I knew they weren’t.
She wasn’t mine to look at, and she’s not mine to look at now.
I steel myself and step out of the truck.
I close the door quietly so I don’t wake her, opening the back passenger side with the same care and consideration. Placing one arm under her knees and the other around her back, I lift her into my arms.
Ruby groans, and her head lolls against my shoulder. “Too heavy. Hurt you.”
“Goldie, I could throw you over my shoulder and run up a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat. Go back to sleep.”
“That’s kinda hot,” she murmurs.
The house is quiet when we step through the front door, the dim light of the living room lamp casting a soft glow.
I place Ruby down on the plush, dark grey couch, tucking a blanket around her curvy form.
Just as I’m about to stand, she tugs on my arm and pulls me partially over top of her body.
When her breasts skim against my chest, it takes all of my self-control not to give in to my baser instincts.
“Ruby…” Her name comes out as a gruff warning, but she’s nothing if not stubborn as hell.
Her glassy eyes dip to my lips. “You don’t want to kiss me?”
I lean over, brushing my nose against hers and closing my eyes. “I want to kiss you. God help me, I do. But not right now. Not like this.”
Someone should give me a medal for the amount of restraint on display. The woman I’ve wanted for years is asking me to kiss her, and I’ve somehow found the goddamn fortitude to turn her down.
I want to give her exactly what she’s asking for and so much more, but I can’t. Not only is she my brother’s ex, but she’s drunk and can’t consent to anything, even if her eyes are pleading with me.
Our breaths mingle, and her expression turns to one of sadness. “Why not? Don’t you want me?”
I sweep a lock of hair away from her forehead. “Because, Goldie, when I kiss you for the first time”—my thumb brushes over her bottom lip—“and it will be the first time—the first of many. I want you to remember it. I’ve waited years to taste those lips. I can wait one more night.”
“Ok.” She sighs. Her eyes close and her breathing slows. I chuckle softly to myself as she instantly drifts off to sleep.
Light footsteps fill the silence, and I glance up to find Ivy standing on the threshold between the living room and the kitchen.
“Aiden in bed?” I ask.
“Yeah, he’s been out for a few hours. Luca picked up Rylin and Roselyn, so I’ve just been hanging out.” She juts her chin at Ruby, who’s still fast asleep, and I realize I’m way too close for someone who isn’t her boyfriend. “Sleeping beauty ok?”
“She had a few too many, but I think she’ll be fine.”
She motions for me to follow her into the kitchen, where she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and pulls out a pack of pain relievers from her purse, handing me two of the pills.
“See if you can get her to take these. It should help stave off a nasty hangover. Are you good if I head out?”
“Of course. Thanks again, Ivy. I owe you.”
“And that’s why I’ll see you tomorrow night for that margarita.”
Once Ivy is safely on the road, I go back into the living room to check on Ruby. I sit beside her legs, gently jostling her awake. “Take these for me, baby. Then I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
Baby.
Fuck, how the hell did that slip out? With any luck, she won't remember it in the morning.
I hold out the meds in the palm of my hand. She takes them, and I twist the top off the bottle of water and hold it to her lips.
“Thanks.” Her voice is sleepy, and it’s clear she’s still a little drunk, but it’s the cute kind of drunk, not the sloppy kind. “‘Night,” she murmurs.
“Goodnight, Goldie.”
When those two words leave my lips, I’m drawn back to another night I’d said them to her—in this same small town under that same sky, two people with imperfect timing.
10 years ago, After the Prom
I steal a glance at Ruby, still in her silky prom dress in some shade of green I don’t know the name of, with the windows rolled down and her once perfectly styled hair blowing in the breeze.
She has one hand out the window like she’s trying to take flight, and she’s about to take my goddamn heart right along with her.
But I can’t let that happen. I shouldn’t be thinking about my brother’s girl like that.
Except… she’s not his anymore.
“Want me to take you home?” I ask.
She turns toward me, all traces of sadness forgotten. “I have a better idea. Turn left up here.”
“Gonna tell me where we’re going?”
“Oh, come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?” She tosses her head back and closes her eyes, letting the wind whip around her. “Live a little.”
She directs me down a gravel road that travels through a wooded area on the outskirts of Oak Ridge.
“You’re not some kind of secret serial killer luring me to my death, are you?” I ask.
“If I were, I wouldn’t do it in a satin ball gown and heels.”
“But clearly you’ve given it some thought.”
“The chances of me committing murder are low, but never zero. Watch your back, Murphy.”
Fuck, she’s adorable.
Ruby catches me staring, and a wide smile breaks across her face. It’s the real one—the kind that makes that dimple appear in her cheek. Being on the receiving end of a Ruby Hayes smile is like basking in the warmth of the summer sun. Exhilarating. Comforting. And deadly if you’re not careful.
The splashing sound of rushing water drifts through the open windows as we pull into a clearing near a small waterfall. Water cascades down the side of a cliff into the pool below before it flows into the creek.
I glance around the area, looking for a familiar landmark, but we’re surrounded by only nature. “Where are we?”
“Home.”
“The ranch?”
“Yep. Took the backroads to my favorite spot.”
She hops out of the truck as soon as I put it in park, and kicks off her high heels before tossing them through the open window.
I lean against the hood and cross one foot over the other, watching, waiting to see what she’s going to do next. Ruby is a walking contradiction, all softness and light but fierce as hell. Unpredictable like wildfire, and fuck if I don’t want to light the spark and watch it burn.
She gathers up the mass of green silk, exposing her bare legs from mid-thigh to her white tipped toenails.
It’s more of Ruby than I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and it only makes me want more.
I want to see all of her. I want to trace the contours of her body with my fingers, with my tongue.
I want to feel her against me. Beneath me.
No. I can’t think of her like that. She’s not mine. She’ll never be mine.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask.
She doesn’t respond, barreling past me into the water until she’s submerged all the way to her neck.
She kicks off the bottom and floats to the center of the pool, treading water.
The swells of her generous breasts threaten to spill out of the top of her soaked gown, and I can just make out the shape of her hard nipples beneath the fabric.
“Come on, Grumpy. The water’s perfect.”
I shake my head. “I’m fine here.”
“Party pooper.”
“I’d rather be a party pooper than drive home in wet jeans.”
“So, take them off,” she says matter-of-factly.
“Not a chance in hell.”
My jeans are the only thing between Ruby motherfucking Hayes and the raging hard on pushing against my zipper, and I’m not about to add the complication of proximity to the mix.
I’m more than happy to play the passive bystander this time—it’s nothing new for me where Ruby’s concerned.
No matter where I am or what I’m doing, if she’s there, I’m watching.
She’s always had an unshakable hold on me.
My headlights illuminate the scene playing out in front of me like it’s my favorite fucking movie.
Ruby climbs onto a rock and stands beneath the spray, the water cascading over her.
The dress sticks to her like a second skin, and I can see every curve and valley of her luscious body, like the winding country backroad that brought us here.
She directs her megawatt smile at me, and for a moment, the entire world disappears. It’s just me and Ruby in the middle of the woods.
No expectations.
No obligations.
Just the two of us and the light reflecting off her glistening skin. She’s looking at me like I might be worth something, and whatever's left of my heart falls at her feet.
For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to hold her, to kiss her, to call her mine. I only allow myself that one moment before I’m reminded why it will never be my reality.
The soft trill of crickets fills the air, and a quiet peace settles over us. Ruby floats back to the middle of the creek, where the full moon overhead reflects on the surface like the spotlight Ruby was always meant to have. This is who she is—who she’s destined to be.
Ruby has a future all mapped out for herself, and it doesn’t include her ex-boyfriend’s brother or the small town she’ll be leaving in her rearview, no matter how much I want it to.