Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
High school Ruby
Ryker
The moment I walked through the sliding glass doors, the unfamiliar city and airport felt a lot more like home.
With one ankle crossed over the other, Ruby leaned against her car, waiting patiently. She was still dressed in her uniform, a set of blue scrubs and a pair of white Crocs, with her hair tied in a messy ponytail and her glasses resting on her nose.
After a quick traffic check, I jogged across the street, cutting off a cab speeding up the ramp. Nothing – not even a freight truck – was stopping me from getting to her.
She grinned as I dropped my bag on the sidewalk, but just as I closed in on her, she pulled back.
“I haven’t showered since my shift, Wheels.”
“Don’t fucking care,” I growled. “It’s like you don’t even know me, Rubz. I’ve been hanging for this all week. Don’t make me wait a second longer.”
She didn’t fight it this time when I pulled her into me. When our lips met, a relieved sigh escaped her. I knew exactly how she felt – I was right there with her.
I’d missed this... actually, I’d just missed her in general.
Kissing her was like sliding into bed after a long day. With freshly washed bedding. And the sheets toasty warm from the sun. And the fan circling at the perfect pace. And no alarm set for the following morning. In other words... one of the best feelings in the world.
“Are you hungry?” she checked, resting her palms against my chest. “Because I am. There’s a good burger place on the way home, or there are healthier options if you want to be boring.”
I chuckled as I reached for my bag. “A burger sounds great.”
As Ruby left the airport, navigating the streets with ease, a sense of guilt hit me. While Ohio wasn’t familiar to me at all, I’ll bet she could navigate from the Philadelphia airport to my place without Google Maps.
Over the past four years, she’d dropped her plans more times than I could think to visit me. I’d barely spent any time here. Whenever I had, it had only been to pass through – picking her up or dropping her back.
Even though we had less than forty-eight hours together, I wanted to make the most of it and see all the places that were a part of Ruby’s world. Then when she talked about work, I could picture the hospital. And when she mentioned grabbing coffee, I’d know exactly how it tasted.
I reached over the centre console, gently squeezing her leg. “Thank you for picking me up. It feels good to be here.”
She smiled softly. “I’m really happy you’re here too.”
*
After each devouring a burger and sharing more sides than we could handle, we arrived at Ruby’s house. I’d been out the front before and in the entryway once, but I’d never gone all the way in.
The house had an older feel, with high ceilings, archways, and dark hardwood floors, but the white walls and fittings made it feel bright and modern.
As Ruby led me down the hall towards the stairs, I could hear voices floating from the adjacent room. Ruby quickened her pace, as if hoping to slip past, but just as she placed her foot on the bottom step, someone called out to us.
“Ruby? Hotshot? Are you trying to sneak past?”
With an apologetic grimace, Ruby steered us into the kitchen instead. This room had been completely remodelled, with timber cabinets, marble countertops and a massive island, which took up most of the space. Bri, Jaz, and Daisy were comfortably seated around it, an open bottle of wine between them.
“Hotshot,” Bri beamed, winking at me.
I playfully groaned. “Hello to you too, Bri.”
She slipped from her chair to hug me. “How was your flight? Do your legs even fit in a standard seat? I swear you’re taller each time I see you.”
“It was fine. I got an upgrade to the exit row.”
I may have flashed my dimple at the flight attendant to make it happen. Sue me. Planes weren’t designed for guys my height.
“Would you like a drink, Ryker?” Daisy offered. “We’ve got beer, spirits, hard seltzers.”
“I’m good for now.”
Ruby had given me the head’s up that the girls were celebrating Jaz submitting her final assignment. I was jealous she’d finished up with college. I still had two assignments and three finals to go.
I really should’ve been home, working on them, but when I’d managed to clear my football schedule, I hadn’t given a second thought to my course work. Ruby became my number one priority.
“Here’s one for you,” Bri said, pushing a pre-poured glass towards Ruby. “I heard Dr. Spring brought up the job again.”
Ruby nodded. “She did.”
“Job?” I pressed, curious.
Ruby picked up her wine and took a long sip. “I’ll tell you later. What time are we leaving tonight?”
“Seven,” Jaz answered. “So we’ll need to start getting ready in approximately–” She tapped her phone to check the time, “–sixty-four minutes. That means you two have an hour of privacy upstairs before our house turns into a getting-ready-warzone.”
A-getting-ready-what? I lived with four guys. I wasn’t used to all this female energy in the one place. While Tori had her own shelf in our main bathroom, we outnumbered her five-to-one. So dude energy still won out.
Ruby nudged me, discreetly gesturing to the door. “We’re just going upstairs to put Ryker’s things down.”
Daisy’s lips curled. “Sure you are. We’ll turn up the music.”
I didn’t miss the heat climbing Ruby’s neck as she walked out of the kitchen. Her friends were as relentless as mine. Maybe a tad less subtle too.
I could do plenty with an hour though if Ruby was up for it. It’d been too long since she’d taken me in her mouth. My list of things I wanted to do with her – and to her – had been growing ever since.
“This is mine,” Ruby said, opening the door furthest along the hall once we climbed the stairs.
Her bedroom was filled with natural light, with a large window on each wall. There was even an old-school bay window that Ruby had transformed into a reading nook – something she’d spoken about having ever since she was a kid.
Her bed was covered in a mint green quilt cover, with lilac pillowcases and linen. Towering behind it was the headboard of all headboards, the white fabric making it seem more like an oversized pillow than anything else.
There were countless scented candles on the dresser, which made the room smell amazing. Though even with all of them, the most distinct scent I picked up belonged to Ruby. It was the same smell she left on my bed after she spent the night, or whenever she borrowed one of my hoodies.
I set my bag down on a fluffy, white ottoman. “I like your bedroom here. It’s very you.”
She arched an eyebrow. “My bedroom at home isn’t?”
“Not anymore. It’s high school Ruby.”
“And I’m not the same Ruby?”
“Nah. High school Ruby wouldn’t let me do this.”
I reached for her wrist, pulling her to my chest and lowering my mouth over hers. She didn’t put up a fight. Her fingers threaded through my hair, anchoring me closer as though she’d been holding out for this too.
I backed us up until we were tumbling onto her soft bed. Ruby sank into the mattress as I dropped over her, my arms landing on either side of her head.
As she angled her leg over my lower back, raising her hips to meet mine, my hardening erection collided with the sensitive area between her thighs, seeming to surprise us both. Why the fuck had I thought it was a good idea wearing jeans when I’d gone this long without seeing her?
No matter how much I tried playing it cool around her, I couldn’t. The anticipation and curiosity about being with her was driving me wild. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted another girl – hell, more than I’d ever wanted anything.
Our hips steadily began rocking against each other until we were dry humping like teenagers. Ruby needily whimpered as she found a satisfying friction, tightening her leg over me to keep the position the same.
As much as I’d fantasised about getting her naked my entire flight here, this was just as good. It was rabid and desperate, and it made me realise Ruby wanted me as much as I wanted her.
I patiently allowed her to adjust the angle until she was panting breathily. I could feel her urgency in the way she moved. It was driving me wild.
With my mouth fused to hers, I reached between us to squeeze her breasts over her scrubs. She immediately arched into my palm, as though she’d been hoping I’d do exactly that.
My dick was throbbing from the foreplay, the zipper of my jeans working overtime. It was so close to the spot it wanted to be. Take the layers of clothes between us away, and I’d currently be fucking Ruby senseless.
“I’m really glad this Ruby lets me do this,” I growled, tearing my mouth off hers so I could kiss her exposed throat.
Her pulse raced beneath her skin, erratic and overwhelmed. As my tongue darted along her warm neck, her legs began to quiver.
This felt so innocently first-base, and yet somehow, it was also one of the hottest things I’d ever been a part of.
With a moan, Ruby’s hips jarred off the bed suddenly, as if surprised by the orgasm flowing through her. With fevered pants she trembled against me, her fingertips searching for my chin to pull my mouth back to hers.
I was finding it impossible to imagine a time when this intense attraction didn’t exist between us. I had no idea how a desire like this was ever meant to fade. Everything we did seemed to only make me want her more.
With lusty eyes, she smiled up at me, her cheeks adorably flushed. “That was unexpected.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, easing back slightly to give her room to catch her breath.
Her attention fell to the unmissable bulge in my jeans. Even if she hadn’t seen it, she knew it was there considering she’d just used it to get herself off.
Pulling her lip between her teeth, she dropped her glasses on the bed before pushing onto her elbows. “I don’t want to leave you hanging, Wheels, but I need to shower. I was in surgery for six hours and I feel gross and icky.”
“It’s fine, Rubz. Just promise me you’ll put the scrubs back on later for some nurse-patient role play.”
Judging by the subtle furrow of her brows, I got the feeling I’d said the wrong thing. I hadn’t meant to plant any expectations in her mind. Hell, if nothing happened beyond the dry humping, I was still going home very fucking happy.
While I was more than ready to fully be with Ruby, I wasn’t the one going through a breakup, or sleeping with someone new for the first time in however long. I understood she had reservations, and I was willing to wait for her – however long it took.