by D. F. Jones
He pressed his face to her cheek and whispered in her ear, “Meet me tonight, Ruby. Come to my apartment at eight.”
Her expression was excited, but hesitant. “I can’t come to your apartment. What if Brent came over and found me there?” Ruby walked with Reed through the exit gate. Reed filled her with a roller coaster of emotions, and wow, what a ride!
“You broke up with him?” Reed asked as he held her hand a little while longer.
She replied reluctantly, “Well, not technically, but I am, tonight. I don’t want to hurt him. Come to Everglade Farms. Do you know where I live?” Ruby’s hands were tingling.
He stopped her before they were in full view of Brent and Tammy. “Yes, I know where you live.”
Her eyes searched his as she said, “Down the street from my house there is an old abandoned church and cemetery that sits on top of a hill. There is a driveway that goes around the back of the place. Meet me there around eight o’clock.
He pulled her into his arms once more before letting her go. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
* * *
Ruby tried hard not to look at Reed on the drive back from Nashville, for fear Brent would know the truth from her face. Ruby was in love with Reed. She hated to hurt Brent, but there was no other way around it. Brent and Ruby didn’t talk much until they dropped off Reed and Tammy. She was trying to formulate exactly what she would say to him. Brent had one hand on the wheel when he reached over with the other to hold her hand.
Ruby moved her hands to her lap. “Brent, it’s no use. I’m sorry but I’m not in love with you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Brent gripped the steering wheel with both hands and pressed on the accelerator. He rushed through the traffic lanes, dodging in and out of cars, driving like a mad man.
Ruby buckled her seatbelt and twisted around in her seat to see him nearly crash into a semi truck. She covered her eyes and screamed, “Slow down. What are you trying to do, kill us?”
Brent let up on the gas and checked his side and rearview mirrors before moving into the slow lane. “You’re delusional if you think Reed’s in love with you.”
Ruby sucked in a breath and stared at him, unsure what to say next. “What do you mean?’ She fidgeted in the seat and dug in her purse for the amber stone and she held it in her hand.
Brent glanced to her and then back at the road. “I’m not a fool! You’ve been pining after him all summer. It’s really kind of pathetic.” Brent’s words stung her. Dazedly, she wondered if Brent had known all along about her feelings for Reed. Why hadn’t he dumped her? Part of her wanted to take her fingernails and gouge his eyes out, while the other part wanted to feel sorry for him.
Ruby steeled herself, and after a moment said, “You’re trying to hurt me, and I don’t blame you. I’m sorry.”
He retorted, “You’re the one who is going to be sorry. You think the game is over, don’t you?” He honked the horn at a car that pulled out in front of them. “Get out of the damn way.”
Brent shot her a brief glare as he continued to lash out. “The game is over between you and me, sweetheart, not you and Reed. That game is just starting. I can tell you from experience Reed never loses, ever. You seem to forget, I’ve watch Reed play this game for three years. And in three years, I’ve only won once. You’ve gotten it in your pretty little head that Reed’s the good guy and I’m the bad one. Well, we’re both bad, honey.”
Brent’s breathing became labored and the muscles in his biceps were so tight that they threatened to rip his skin apart. He said, “Don’t be stupid. Did he ever tell you he wasn’t playing the game, Ruby?”
Ruby stared out the window as they passed the scenic vistas along Highway 99. Her mind raced back and forth between what Reed had said earlier in the park and what Brent was saying now in the car. Brent’s pride was hurt, and his unmitigated arrogance was starting to piss her off. “Reed said his feelings for me weren’t part of the game.” Ruby nervously began to bite the edge of the skin next to her fingernail.
The muscles in Brent’s jaw were clenched tightly when they turned onto Morgan Road. He said through gritted teeth, “But he never said he wasn’t going to play, did he?”
Ruby turned white as a sheet. She couldn’t say anything, because Brent was right.
Brent’s expression softened. He placed his hand on her thigh and said softly, “Poor, sweet Ruby, you’re in love with the wrong man. Don’t you think you could grow to love me? I’m crazy about you. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want to grow old with you.”
Holy shit, Brent was losing his freaking mind. She pushed his hand away and continued staring out the window. She had been a fool to think someone as gorgeous as Reed would fall for someone like her.
Brent turned his right blinker on and pulled down a tractor lane and stopped his car. He turned to face her. “Is he the reason you never made love to me? Tell me the truth.”
She whipped her head around and in a fit of fury said, “I’ve never lied to you, not once!”
“Then tell me the truth now,” he said.
Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Yes, he is the reason. Are you happy now?”
With sadness, Brent replied, “No, I’m not happy, not at all. I just wish you would really give me a chance, once you see the real truth about him.”
She crossed her arms, holding herself. Full of anger and disillusionment, Ruby said, “I’m through with Tap It. I thought I could compete and maybe teach you both a lesson. Instead, I taught myself one. Never date players. I don’t want to see you anymore.” She didn’t want to see either of them again. Tap It had taken its toll on her.
Brent flinched and reached over to pull Ruby into his arms, but she pushed him away. “You don’t mean it; you’re just upset.”
“You’re damn right I’m upset. I have nothing left to say.” Ruby held the door handle as Brent started his car and drove the short distance to Everglade Farms. Ruby jumped out quickly when the car stopped. Brent ran and caught her by the hand before she could run inside.
Max trotted down the sidewalk and tried to lick Brent’s hand. He shooed Max away and touched the side of her arm. Brent pleaded with Ruby, “Don’t leave me. Don’t do this to us.”
She looked at his hand on her arm and then back up to his eyes. Ruby wanted to send him away so he would never come back. Ruby jerked her arm away. “I’m sure you’ll find a replacement before the night ends.”
Brent crushed her into his arms, holding her tightly. “I’m not going to be able to stop loving you, just because you don’t want to see me.”
She felt the pounding in his chest. Her hands trembled as she pushed him away. “Goodbye, Brent.” She ran up the porch steps and into the house.
* * *
Ruby watched from her window as Brent slowly pulled out of her driveway. She felt a heavy weight in her chest. Brent’s words had cut her to the core. Now, she wondered if they were true.
Ruby walked down the hall and into the bathroom. She pushed back the shower curtain and reached down to turn on the faucet. Ruby stripped down and stepped inside, leaning her head back under the streaming water. For a few minutes, she allowed the hot water to run over her, easing the tension across her shoulder blades. She was preparing herself for battle; if Reed was playing her, it would end tonight.
After her shower, Ruby made her way into her bedroom and closed the door. She sat in front of her dresser and intended to use everything in her arsenal to make herself at least feel pretty. She applied foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner and mascara. She curled her hair quickly with a curling iron.
Ruby opened her closet door, moving through the rack of clothes until she came across her teal spaghetti strap top and paired it with her khaki shorts and then slipped on her sandals. Ruby dabbed Halston behind her earlobes and between her breasts. Finally, she added coral lipstick, which brought out the fullness of her lips.
Ruby was running down the steps toward the front door when
her mom walked out of the den to meet her. Lee looked at Ruby with eyes full of concern. “My, honey, you look beautiful tonight, but I thought Brent just left.” How did her mother always know when she was hurting?
Ruby looked at her mom, nearly on the brink of tears. “Mom, we broke up. I’m meeting Reed.”
Her mom had a confused look on her face. Lee asked, “Brent’s friend, Reed?”
“Yes, Mom. I have to go. We’ll talk later.” Ruby kissed her and dashed out the door. Her mom didn’t have a clue Ruby had been playing that stupid dating game.
Ruby could have walked up the hill to the church, but decided to drive. She had no plan, no thought-out words. She just wanted the game over, once and for all.
Chapter 7
Take It To The Limit
Ruby watched Reed pull his car up the hill and park behind hers. She was sitting on one of the Campbells’ tombstones. He walked to her car and looked inside. Reed looked so good in his white shorts and yellow button-down shirt, which he had rolled up to his elbows. He turned and spotted her. He waved, breaking into a grin that would have melted butter.
“Hey, whatcha doing sitting in the graveyard?” He walked over and sat on the edge with her.
Ruby raised one shoulder and said softly, “Talking to the dead.” The night was hot and sticky as she combed her fingers through her hair, allowing the small breeze to hit her neck. She could smell Reed’s masculine scent mixed with Aramis cologne. He was all man, nothing but hard-as-a-rock steel. He made her weak in mind and body. She tried hard to focus on the task at hand.
Reed’s lighthearted expression changed quickly when he looked at her. His jaw actually dropped open. “God, you’re so beautiful.”
Ruby came close to laughing, seeing the surprised expression on his face. She met his gaze. “Yeah, well, not as pretty as you are.”
Reed tensed hearing the edge in her voice. His hand cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. “What’s the matter?”
“Brent said I was a fool for being in love with you. That Tap It was just starting between you and me. He said you never lose. Is it true?” His eyes bored into hers as though he could read her deepest, darkest secrets. Her skin heated from the look Reed gave her.
His brows creased with concern. “I told you I wasn’t playing the game, Ruby. Are we going back there?”
“Do you love me, Reed?” Ruby wanted him to tell her the truth. If he didn’t, then she would let him go and try to build a life where he wouldn’t be a part of it. It seemed impossible that only a couple of months ago her life had been normal. She would never be normal again. He had changed that for her.
Reed managed to croak out an answer. “I’m not sure what love is, Ruby. All I know is I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Ruby listened to his cop-out answer. She had fallen for Reed all summer. As their friendship deepened over the last few weeks, she knew she was lost in love and had made Brent suffer for it. She felt guilty over Brent and confused over her feelings for Reed.
She needed to know if the signals Reed had been sending her were valid. “You can’t stop thinking about me? You don’t know what love is? Well, I will tell you what love means to me. It may not be the Webster definition of love, but I know what love feels like. I know when I’m around you, my moods change, my temperature spikes, and my ability to think straight goes out the window. Being near you makes me happy and sad. Sometimes you make me sick. But I would rather have my feelings for you, than to never have had them at all.”
The breeze rustled in the pine and cedar trees and she pushed the hair off her face. “Riddle me this, if you can’t stop thinking about me, why did you let me stay with Brent all summer?”
Reed let out an exasperated sigh. He looked up into the sky like he was praying for deliverance and then he looked back down to her. “I’ve felt all of those emotions. You have driven me crazy this summer. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I have followed you and Brent around all summer, just to be near you. When I looked into your bedroom at the lake and saw Brent pulling your shirt off, I was insane with jealousy. I wanted to kill both of you. I talked my coworker into coming with me to the lake, just so I could be near you. Even if it meant I had to watch you in his arms and see him kiss you. I thought you were playing Tap It. But that morning, you had desire in your eyes for Brent, not me.”
Ruby leaned closer to him. The power between them was like a magnet to steel. Her voice quivered between anger and tears. “You could have put a stop to Brent and me weeks ago. The night you kissed me, you could have asked me not to go out with him. You didn’t fight for me once! Instead, you let me remain in the arms of another, while you continued to have sex with Ms. Priss.”
Reed threw his hands up in the air and then pulled her up to him. “Good god, Ruby! Why are you doing this now? We can finally be together, and you’re trying to sabotage us.”
Ruby stood toe-to-toe with him, her hands balled up in fists. Her anger rose to the point of no return. “Me, sabotage us? You knew about the game the whole damn time. You knew the night at the store and the ballgame. You were a damn coward not to tell me or stop it before it even started. I think you were playing the game the whole time. I’m not a fool, I’m not!”
Reed’s hands dropped away and he paced back and forth and then stopped to face her. “I wasn’t playing the game! I told you! That night at the store, I came to ask you out. What did you want me to do? You never called me, remember? You were supposed to call me when you were through with the game and Brent. Did you forget that?”
Ruby shook while she shouted at him. “I don’t call guys! I don’t intend to start now. I’m finished with Tap It. I don’t want any more games. Go on back to Tammy or god knows who else you have waiting in the wings.” She spun around and headed to her car, but Reed caught her, turning her around to face him.
Ruby felt Reed’s fingers tremble as he spoke in a low and dangerous voice. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You do realize you’re doing exactly what Brent wants you to do. He doesn’t want you with me. I couldn’t fight for you. You had to leave him first.”
Ruby opened her hands, palms up, and shrugged. “See, I don’t get it. You and Brent have played this game for three years. You didn’t care what Brent thought about the other girls. You went after them. You didn’t even try to come for me, not once.” Tears sprang into her eyes.
Reed let go of her and took a step back. “This isn’t about Brent or what he thinks. It was about you and what you wanted. Yeah, we had stolen glances this summer, but you never indicated you really wanted me. Not one time, not until today. I didn’t come after you, damn it, because I thought you were in love with Brent.”
Ruby’s shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them to look into his eyes. “I’m tired and confused.”
Reed’s lips brushed softly against her cheek. He whispered, “Then believe me, Ruby. Give me a chance.”
Her head fell forward to rest on his shoulder. “I really want to believe you. I’m in love with you,” she said, gravely. “I see the same sky above me, the same stars and moon, but nothing will ever be the same for me, because I love you.” Whoever said love was grand evidently had never been in love. This sucked. Ruby pulled back from him slightly and cradled his face in her hands while she searched his eyes. “There, I have professed my love to you, the game is over. You have won.”
He said, “Silly goose, I told you this thing between us has nothing to do with Tap It.” He scooped her up in his arms. His mouth crushed over hers. His kiss was raw and demanding. He probed inside her mouth with his hot, wet tongue, plunging in and out, gliding over her teeth. He adjusted his angle and then he devoured her. Reed twisted his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer to him. The world could end right this very minute and she didn’t care. Reed was kissing her, sweeping her away into a state of euphoria.
Ruby had been waiting on Reed her whole life. She knew she was way out of her depth, but she didn’t car
e as long as he kept kissing her. He pulled and sucked on her lower lip and then nibbled her top one. His mouth covered hers and his expert tongue made her want more than just kissing. She wanted every bit of him. Reed pushed her back against the car and grabbed the strap of her top, pushing it over her shoulder to give him access to her breast.
Ruby broke from his kiss for a moment to breathe. She couldn’t think. She needed oxygen. Reed hadn’t professed love to her, but maybe he cared for her. Ruby tilted her head back and gazed into the dark, burnished color of his eyes, the quirk of his sideways grin, so invitingly kissable. The man was simply too gorgeous for words and she was helplessly lost.
Reed said in a sexy Southern drawl, “Ruby, you know there are really no guarantees in this life. All I can tell you is, while we are together, I will cherish you.”
Resigning to whatever he was offering her, she sighed. “I don’t expect anything from you.” Ruby knew she was setting herself up for a whole world of hurt loving him. Her blood pounded in her veins as she tried to wiggle out of his arms.
Reed held her tighter, with one arm around her waist as he tilted her chin up to him. She trembled under his touch and melted under his glare. “You should expect everything. You should want everything. That’s what you deserve.” The heat intensified between them. Ruby felt flushed and restless. She wanted him but knew in the end he would crush her. There would be no pieces left to pick up. Ruby knew she should tear herself from his arms. She should stand up to him and tell him to “kiss it where the sun doesn’t shine.”
But she didn’t, and she never broke eye contact. Her voice quivered. “Take me, Reed, eat me up, and spit me out.” Ruby laid her hand on his cheek. “Come with me.” Then she caught his hand and led him to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. Ruby entered the back seat. She lay back as he stretched his body over hers. The sultry look on his face made her want to strip naked. His muscular body molded against the softness of hers. Reed’s tongue glided over her lips and into her mouth. His warm breath mingled with hers as little shallow gasps escaped from her. She tingled everywhere Reed touched. His scrumptious smell clouded her brain. Women threw themselves at Reed, and here he was, with her.