2. Chapter Two Kieran
Chapter Two: Kieran
A nd that’s how I found myself on a Friday night, waiting for Ruby to show up at my apartment, heart pounding like I hadn’t already had her hands on me.
We’d met up again that weekend—after the gym. One drink turned into two, turned into my lips against her neck and my fingers playing with her pussy in the alley behind the bar. The way she kissed me? Desperate. Like she’d been waiting just as long as I had to break the seal.
That first night blurred fast—hot skin, breathless laughter, the press of her hips against mine like she couldn’t get close enough. She’d asked me to take her home. I’d indulged her…then I’d indulged her again.
And again.
And it hadn’t stopped there. Every weekend since, we found our way back to each other. We didn’t talk about what it meant. We just kept showing up. And somehow, it kept getting better.
There were a lot of things I liked about Ruby Marquez—her sharp wit, her stubborn streak, the way she could look at me like she saw straight through the layers I built to survive my family. But what really did me in? The way she touched me like she owned me. Like this wasn’t just a fling.
She was busy, but she always made time. Not just to fuck—but yeah, that too. And god, she was so good at it.
Tonight was no different. I should’ve been used to it by now, but I wasn’t.
I was restless, wired. I cleaned the apartment with the same energy I used to burn in the ring—hyper-focused, a little reckless.
I told myself it was about being polite, being a good host. But really, it was about her.
About wanting her to see the parts of me I hadn’t let her near before.
Not just charm and bravado. But something real.
A knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts and my heart pounded against my chest as I opened it.
Ruby stood there, dressed casually in black skinny jeans and a simple white blouse that hugged her curves in all the right places, a denim jacket on her shoulders.
Her dark hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and her deep brown eyes sparkled with expectation.
It puzzled me why she still dressed up; she would be naked in minutes.
“Kieran,” she greeted with a slight nod of her head, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
“You took a while.”
“Traffic,” she said, already sliding her jacket off and draping it over the back of a chair. “Shouldn’t you be offering me a drink?”
“I should,” I agreed. She was stepping out of her boots now. “What would you like, Rubes? I’ve got whiskey and bad IPAs.”
She shrugged, looking nonchalant…unbuttoning her blouse. Fuck, she was sexy. “Whatever you’re having.”
I nodded and moved to the bar, pouring two glasses of scotch. I handed her one, only glancing at her half-unbuttoned blouse, and our fingers brushed in the exchange. The contact jolted me, a spark of electricity that shot straight to my cock.
We were still playing at pretense, after countless times hooking up…but we both knew where this was going.
“Cheers,” I said, lifting my glass.
She clinked hers against mine, her lips curving upwards in a small smile. “To terrible ideas.”
Her toast made me laugh, a deep, genuine sound that seemed to echo around us. I watched as she sipped her drink, her eyes never leaving mine.
“You liked it last time.”
“I like it every time,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. “That’s the problem.”
I smirked. “Tell me how that’s a problem.”
“It’s messy,” she confessed, her gaze dropping to her glass. “Getting involved with someone like you…it’s dangerous.”
“Is that the DA talking?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation light. But my heart pounded in my chest, the weight of her words sinking in.
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “And what does Ruby think?”
She sighed, meeting my gaze again. Her eyes were darker now, hungry. “Ruby thinks this is a mistake.”
“But…?”
“But…” she trailed off, her gaze lingering on my lips. “But she can’t seem to make herself walk away.”
I stepped in, brushing a hand along her bare waist where her blouse had come untucked. My voice dropped to a murmur. “I told you I was really good in bed.”
We stood like that, close enough to feel each other’s breath, her blouse hanging open, my shirt half-untucked from earlier nerves. She looked at me like she was already halfway gone — unsure if it was lust or something worse.
“Don’t think about it,” I said. “I can make you feel so good.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. God, she smelled good, like fresh rain and sweetness and scotch. I buried my face in her hair, her scent filling my nostrils and making me dizzy.
Ruby’s hands clenched the fabric of my shirt, her breath hitching. “Kieran,” she breathed.
That was all I needed to hear…my name on her lips, like she was already begging.
My lips found hers in a kiss that was as gentle as it was demanding. Ruby responded instantly, her arms wrapping around my neck as she deepened the kiss. I groaned when she bit my lip, pulling back to look at me with heated eyes.
“You have no idea,” she murmured softly, her gaze flicking over my face, “what you do to me.”
“Show me,” I whispered back, pulling her closer.
She laughed. “What? How?”
“Well, we could make out, or I can just drop down to my knees and take your jeans off so I can see how wet you are…”
Her chocolate eyes glistened with desire. “So bold.”
“Only for you, Ruby.”
She shifted uncomfortably, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “You’re going to ruin me, Kieran Callahan.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Before she could respond, I pressed my lips to hers again. This time, the kiss was full of eagerness and hunger, both of us getting lost in it. Ruby’s fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled me closer, her hips rocking against my cock in a torturous rhythm.
I broke away from her lips, trailing kisses down her neck while my hands trailed up her sides, tracing the curve of her waist. She gasped, throwing her head back as she clung to me.
I undid the zipper of her jeans and slid my hand inside, finding the soft fabric of her underwear. “God, you’re soaked,” I murmured against her neck.
Her breath hitched as I moved my fingers in slow circles, eliciting a muffled moan.
“Kieran,” she whispered, her breath hot against my ear. Her hands moved to my belt, unbuckling it before moving to unzip my jeans. I helped her by kicking off my shoes and stepping out of the pants pooled around my ankles.
She moved her hand to cup me and I hissed in pleasure, controlling myself from bucking into her touch. “Ruby,” I growled, sliding a finger inside her. She gasped, her grip on me tightening in response.
“You like that?” I asked.
“Yes,” she breathed out, squirming against my hand. “More.”
Without wasting any more time, I moved her underwear aside and slipped another finger into her. She moaned, her body arching into mine as I picked up my pace.
The sound of my name from her lips sent a thrill of desire down my spine. I added another finger, slowly stretching her while my thumb circled her clit. Ruby cried out, her body shaking in my arms.
“Are you close?” I asked, pressing my fingers deeper within her.
She nodded, biting her lip as she tried to stifle the sounds escaping from her.
I eased off her, slowing my strokes as I watched her squirm in frustration.
The sight was incredibly arousing, the evidence of her pleasure glistening on my fingers.
“You’re so beautiful when you’re this desperate,” I murmured, leaning in to capture her lips with mine.
“But I only want you to come with my cock inside of you.”
“Kieran…”
“Can I fuck you raw today, baby?” I asked her, knowing the chances she’d let me were…slim. Still, it never hurt to try. “I’m only seeing you and I hope you’re only seeing me.”
I meant it casually—like a joke, like something fun to try—but I realized right away it was more than that.
I want more than to feel her…I wanted to have her completely, no barriers, no space between us.
I wanted to mark her, keep some part of her with me, even if she never said yes to anything else.
It was reckless, I knew that. But with Ruby, I always wanted too much.
She pulled back, meeting my gaze with a mixture of apprehension and…excitement? “Kieran, I don’t usually…” She trailed off, her cheeks flushed.
“Don’t you want to feel me inside without a condom?” I asked.
I could see the battle waging within her, the conflict between her rational mind and the desire that was threatening to consume us both. She bit her lip, her eyes searching mine for something—reassurance, maybe, or an excuse to give in.
“Don’t make this harder,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction.
I stroked her cheek with the back of my hand, then let my fingers trail down her neck and over her collarbone. “It’s only as hard as you want it to be,” I said, leaning in so my lips were just a breath away from hers. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
Silence hung heavy in the air as she weighed my words. Her chest rose and fell in deep, uneven breaths. I could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall, each second stretching into an eternity.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered at last, and my heart fucking leapt.
It shouldn’t have meant anything — we’d said those words to each other before, in different ways, different beds. But something about the way she said it now — breathless, shaky, trusting — cracked something open in me.
I kissed her again, hard and hungry, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the press of my mouth against hers. My hands moved over her body with new urgency — not just to touch her, but to keep her, like if I held her tight enough, she wouldn’t slip through my fingers.