Ruby swallowed. How was she ever going to unobtrusively pick off and hide all those onions? “It’s great. In fact, this is one of my favorite combinations.” She served him a huge slice, and herself a tiny one. Good thing she’d had some toast before he came so he’d think she ate like a bird. At least this bird wouldn’t be going hungry tonight.
“So, you just had a birthday?” she asked, before she took a tiny bite, determined to gag it down.
He finished chewing and said, “Actually, my birthday’s next week, and it’s a watershed one. The big three-oh! My sister Imogen and her family were in town for her birthday, so she gave me my present early.” He looked down at his shirt and chuckled. “I don’t know why I wore this thing, it’s awful, but it was clean.”
“That color looks really nice on you,” she said.
“Well, thank you. I know you’re not being honest, but thanks for the support.” He grinned at her, and she felt like she was melting. He had gorgeous eyes.
She jerked her gaze away and took another bite. “What day is your birthday anyway?” she asked. “Because mine’s the nineteenth. Next Monday.”
His eyes widened. “Mine’s the day before that! How cool. We’re practically twins. How old will you be?”
She swallowed and wiped her mouth. “Twenty-eight. We were born almost exactly two years apart.”
He took another bite, openly staring at the balloons and the bear on the table. “Do you know who those are from?”
Ruby almost choked. That stupid Jeremy! “Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“Have you been holding out on me?” he said. “Do you have some secret boyfriend?”
She felt tears spring to her eyes. “Oh no! No! No boyfriend, and I’d never hold out on you!” She blinked rapidly and managed not to cry. “I think they’re from this weird guy I know.”
“You think they’re from a weird guy? Now I’m really curious.”
She knew they were from Jeremy, she didn’t need to check, but she also had nothing to hide. “You’re welcome to check the card yourself.”
Sean immediately hopped up. “Don’t mind if I do. I wanted to read it on the porch, but I was afraid I’d get caught.” He turned and threw her a mischievous grin. “I always was nosy. It’s because I’m a Libra.”
“Wait a second. As a fellow Libra, I’ve never heard that before. We’re supposed to be well balanced, not nosy.”
“I’m both. Pretty great, huh?” He tore off the envelope pinned to the bear’s chest. “You want me to read it to you?”
“Please.”
He opened the envelope and took out a florist’s card. He held it close to his face to better read the tiny writing. “Ruby. I’ve given you the whole day to cool off. Please consider this a peace offering. Can we begin again? Please let me make this up to you. We need to talk. I love you. Jeremy.”
Ruby had told him point blank to shove off, and he just kept plowing ahead with his own agenda, regardless of hers.
Sean sat down next to her and handed her the card. It had a sad clown printed on the corner of it. Pretty apt. “This guy sure seems to think he’s your boyfriend,” he said.
She was reluctant to tell him she was being stalked for fear that he’d not want to deal with a girl with so many problems, but she had to explain. “That’s the whole problem. Jeremy’s delusional. We’re not dating, but he is, well…he’s stalking me. Sort of.”
Sean leaned back on the couch and an odd expression came over his face. Oh no! He probably didn’t want to get involved with a girl who had a stalker after her!
She leaned in close and said earnestly, “Don’t worry, I’m getting a restraining order—”
“It’s just a really strange coincidence.” He shook his head.
She wasn’t following him. “What is?”
He grimaced. “As luck would have it, I have a stalker too. If you can call her that…” He ran his hand through his hair. “It just started again and, well, let’s not talk about her. Tell me about this Jeremy guy. How long’s this been going on?”
Ruby missed his question because she was thinking about the unknown bitch that was stalking him. Again! This was just great. She’d taken care of Tara, and now there was another one after him. He must be the catch of the century!
“Ruby?”
“I’m sorry. Actually, I just met him last Tuesday. It hasn’t even been going on a week yet.” How was that possible? It felt like a lifetime. “But in six days, he’s managed to make my life miserable. He won’t take no for an answer, and he says he loves me.” She snorted. “He doesn’t even know me.”
“I know what that’s like,” he said.
“So, tell me about your stalker,” Ruby prompted, and chuckled at how inane that sounded. But still…she wished she could take notes. “Do you know who it is?” She thought of something. “Could it be your ex-wife?”
“No, this is some crazy chick named Ashley. If that’s even her real name, which I doubt, because I don’t even know any Ashleys.” He frowned. “She keeps calling, then refusing to talk to me, and she left some dead roses on my wife’s, ex-wife’s porch…I mean, that’s pretty scary. And she left this ugly bracelet on my car, inscribed with her love. The thing is, she must watch me a lot if she knows where Millie lives because I’m super private and I’m only there to get my mail and for pick-ups and drop-offs. So, how’d she find me?” He looked at her again. “Sorry to complain. I guess it’s just my luck to attract another completely insane person. Any idea how we can get rid of our respective stalkers?”
Ruby listened with growing horror. Why, he was talking about her! He thought she was stalking him, and he hadn’t liked her bracelet, and he’d called her “some crazy chick” and a “completely insane person!” and he’d referred to Millicent as his “wife!” Ruby could hardly bear to look at him. “Uh, no. But yours doesn’t sound bad at all. Mine’s really crazy.”
He got a knowing look on his face. “Oh, so it’s to be a contest huh? The duel of the competing stalkers? Well,” his voice took on a childish whining quality and he crossed his arms, “Nuh-uh. Mine’s the worst. So there!”
She grinned in spite of herself. “No Way! Mine’s a complete ass!” He started to interrupt, and she waved him off and kept talking. “And I should win, because I’ve met mine, and you don’t even know who yours is.” She sobered up and said, “She could be a really cool person. Maybe she’s just shy. It doesn’t sound like the same thing to me at all.”
He put his wrist to his forehead and mimed falling back on the couch from a fatal gunshot. “Uh! Death by technicality!” He sat up and laughed. “Mine really is crazy, but since you won, what’s this guy done to you? Have you thought about getting a new phone number? I’m considering it.
“I just dumped my landline today and it should be dead by tomorrow evening, which will be such a relief. Not to mention that Jeremy broke into my house this morning while I was showering, and he refuses to take no for an answer. He scares me.”
Sean touched her lightly on the hand and glanced at the front door. “He actually broke in here?”
All she could think about was his hand touching hers. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and his frown deepened. “How can people be so deluded?”
Ruby swooned. She just knew if he’d caught Jeremy in her house, he’d have whupped his ass. “It’s sad,” she said. She took a deep breath and covered his hand with her own, wondering what he’d do.
He put his other hand on top of hers, squeezed for a moment, let go, and gently took his hand back. He resumed eating. “Have you gone to the police?”
She sighed. “Yeah, I called them this morning, but they weren’t helpful.” She took a bite and grimaced, hating the slimy, crunchy onions in her mouth. He knew Jeremy from high school! She tried to think of a reason not to mention this to him, but none came to mind. “The guy who’s stalking me is named Jeremy Van der Wyden.”
She expected him to say, “I went to high school with that loser!” but he just s
aid, “Oh?”
“I thought you knew him.”
He stared at her blankly. “Why would you think I knew him?”
Had she just made a blunder and told him something she wouldn’t have any way of knowing? She tried to remember how she knew this. Oh yeah, Jeremy had shown her his yearbooks and it was only natural that she’d recognized Sean. She was covered.
“Uh, Jeremy showed me his freshman yearbook from Kamata High, and there was a picture of you two together on the soccer team. I recognized you from that painting class we took together in college. Small world, huh?”
“Jeremy? From soccer?” he said. “I don’t remember—Oh wait!” He got a weird look on his face. “Was he a…” he made a big space between his hands to show large girth. “um, a big—I’m sorry. Was he, um, not very popular?”
She breathed easier. “That’s him.”
“He’s your stalker?” He sounded amused. Like she couldn’t even get a good stalker. She was being stalked by a fat, greasy-haired incel. Well, she was worth more than that! She could attract lots of cool people. She had to set him straight.
“He did used to be…unfortunate looking, but now he’s tall and muscular. A real dreamboat.”
“Then why don’t you just date him?” She analyzed his tone, but she couldn’t detect even a trace of jealousy in his voice. Damn.
“Because I’m not interested in him. We have no chemistry.” She caught herself before finishing, “And the only person I want to date is you.”
“I can’t believe he turned out to be a stalker.”
“He idolized you because you were nice to him. That’s probably why you thought he was normal. Believe me, he’s lost touch with reality, and he’s truly frightening.”
“Oh, I believe you. Do you want me to try and reason with him? He might listen to me because we used to know each other.”
“Would you?” she sat up and leaned towards him hopefully. “I’d really appreciate it.”
“No problem. You done with the pizza?”
He’d eaten half of it, and she’d managed to gag down most of her slice. “Yes. Thank you.” He closed the pizza box and stood up. He couldn’t be leaving, right? “You’re not going yet, are you?”
“No. I thought I’d just put this in your fridge. Why, do you want me to go?”
“No! I’d prefer it if you stayed the ni—I mean, if you stayed for awhile.”
“Then that’s what I’ll do.” He put the pizza in her refrigerator and sat back down beside her on the couch. He took her hand casually, sprawling back until he was comfortable. Ruby sat stiffly for a moment, before deciding to go with his lead. She cuddled up to him and put her head on his shoulder.
He did not move away from her, and they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. “I’m so glad you called me tonight,” she said. “It was…unexpected.
He stroked his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand and said, “I’ve been thinking about you all day. I’d forgotten how nice it was to spar with you.”
“Yes, I’ve always liked,” she hesitated awkwardly over his word. “…talking with you, too. It’s what I remember best about that painting class. What a good time we had just…talking.”
He was stroking her hand and her wrist now, and then he started rubbing her thigh. Her breathing quickened. Why didn’t he kiss her? Was she going to have to be the aggressive one?
Her whole body was on fire just from his delicate touch on her thigh. “What do you want to do now?” she asked huskily.
He glanced at her through his long eyelashes. “What did you have in mind?”
She leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss. He tasted like onions, peppermint, booze and coffee, and he responded immediately. She broke away, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and murmured, “Oh a little of this,” as she brushed her hand delicately over his crotch and felt him spring to attention. She left her hand there and said, “And a little of that.”
He turned and his face was flushed. He took her in his arms. Between kisses he pulled her shirt over her head and murmured, “I’d be agreeable to that.”
CHAPTER 19
At 4 a.m. Ruby awoke with a full bladder. She was about to sit up when she heard another person breathing beside her, and simultaneously remembered her night with Sean. She smiled, turned over to watch him sleep, and groaned.
She moved experimentally and assessed the damage. Her nipples were sore, her inner thighs scraped raw from his stubble, and her cervix had taken a prolonged pounding. Sean was an enthusiastic lover with unusual staying power, who preferred doggie-style—a position Ruby had never fancied, though she had pretended to love it last night through gritted teeth. Their first time had dragged on with the usual new lover awkwardness: too many position changes, slurpy kisses, and a rhythm they couldn’t seem to sync. When she began to chafe, she’d faked orgasm to avoid hurting his feelings.
The second time had been better, maybe, but it had still ended with her unfulfilled and disappointed. She stared at him, considering. He was willing and seemed teachable—and in her experience, some bad lovers weren’t, but in her fantasies, their first time had always been magical. A perfect ten. In reality, it had been a five.…No, six. Six and a half? She sighed. Six.
If only he’d nailed his dismount…
She’d had worse, but…she’d also had better. Much better. In hindsight, Simon was the best lover she’d ever had. She hadn’t fully appreciated his prowess at the time because he’d only been her third lover ever, and she’d taken his gifts for granted.
Sean had a lot to learn about what she liked.
She stroked his face. He looked so innocent. So trusting. His silky black hair was spread out over the pillowcase, and even in sleep, his natural expression was a slight smile. His face was definitely older than the baby face she’d fallen for at nineteen, but he was aging well. He didn’t look like he was about to turn thirty.
She really had to pee, but she didn’t want to leave him. Finally, the urge to go overwhelmed her and she snuck out of bed. When she returned, she managed to climb back under the covers without waking him. He must be a really sound sleeper.
Good to know.
She lay beside him, unable to believe her good fortune. He was here. Sean Chaplin was finally here. It felt so right to be sleeping beside him. Making love with him. Loving him. He probably had to work in the morning, but thank goodness he’d stayed over.
She couldn’t wait to watch the tape.
She’d missed taping their first time because she hadn’t remembered to steer him in here to turn on the video camera. She shuddered at the close call, glad that debacle wouldn’t live on in infamy. Thankfully, her memory had returned before their second go round.
She’d never made a sex tape before. She’d used her mom’s old school camcorder instead of her cellphone, which gave her an actual video tape to view as opposed to a digital file. She had enough sense not to make a digital file of a sex tape; her mother had taught her that much.
She wished the sex had been great—who made a sex tape of passable sex?
She did.
Still, despite her apprehension, she was sure that she’d been great. After all, she’d known she was on tape.
She snuggled up to Sean and closed her eyes. He was too good to be true. They’d gone to sleep like spoons, he hadn’t tried to pull away from her, and he slept naked. Simon had refused to sleep nude. He’d always put on his boxer shorts in case there was an earthquake or fire in the night. Sean was perfect.
…Almost.
She opened her eyes. He was so peaceful. Too peaceful. She was up for another go round, and by the looks of things under the sheets, so was he. And this time she would take the lead. No more fake orgasms. She craved a real one, and if he listened carefully, she could have one. Time for lesson one. She leaned over and kissed him awake.
Thank heavens for morning wood.
▬▬▬
Sean’s alarm woke them both again at 6:30
.
She stretched and smiled. When she turned over, Sean was sitting up against the headboard with the sheet pulled over his legs. His hair was spiky from being slept on, and he had dark stubble on his chin. He looked gorgeous.
“Good morning!” he sang. He leaned over and kissed her. “And I do mean good!”
“Yes.”
He rubbed his hands over his face. “Woo. I am one tired pup.”
“Are you sorry you stayed?” she asked, with a sly grin.
He shrugged. “Little bit—”
She smacked him and he laughed. “Last night was great.”
Ruby felt tears spring to her eyes. “It was magical.” Third time’s the charm, but she still needed to teach him how to kiss…
“Yeah.” He picked up his cellphone and said, “I need to call my answering machine to see where I sub today.”
She nodded, watching as he put in his code 1379. Suddenly he was hard at work in his laboratory on a cure for cancer. He looked up and smiled as she climbed up on his lab table completely naked. Yes, he could take a small break. Then it was a lazy Sunday morning, and they were reading the funny papers in bed. The door burst open, and their two beautiful little children bounded in and leapt onto the bed beside them…
Sean hung up the phone and tossed it on the nightstand, announcing, “I’m teaching Trigonometry at Calua High today.”
Trigonometry? She’d only ever gotten to Algebra Two. Math just wasn’t her thing.
“What’re you doin’ today?” he asked.
“I’m way ahead of schedule on this week’s cartoons, and I hope to finish them today, so I can send them off to my editor, Hal. I’ve added a new character and I can’t wait for his input.”
“Can I see them?”
“Well…” The new cartoons were based on him, and she didn’t want him to know that yet. By the time they came out in six weeks, they’d either be married or engaged, and it’d be easier to explain.
“…Hal doesn’t like me showing them to people until he’s seen them,” she said lamely, knowing Hal could care less who she showed her cartoons to. “But I have years of back cartoons you can look through if you want.”
Drawn To You: A Psychological thriller Page 17