by Anna Brooks
“Vegas, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“What the hell are you doing in the Midwest?” She smiles and hands back my ID. “If I were from there, I’d never leave that weather.”
“I just needed a break, I guess.” The lie flows smoothly off my tongue, and I make a mental note to use that line again if anyone else asks me.
“What brings you here of all places? I mean why not Chicago or Madison, at least?”
“Umm.”
She twists her ponytail and bites her lip. “I see. A guy?”
My eyes widen, and she laughs. “It’s always a guy. I understand. Let me grab your beer. I’m Lisa, by the way. Holler if you need anything.”
She slides my beer over, and I set some money on the bar top. I grab my notebook out of my bag and turn to the page that has a dog ear in the corner. Earlier in the day when Pierce was in the store and I hid in the storage closet, I got an idea for my story, so I’m really plugging along and proud of the fact that I’ve written three pages.
I order another beer and have the chilled glass halfway to my mouth when he walks behind the bar. My hands become shaky, and somehow, without spilling, I set the beer down and pretend to write in my notebook. He’s talking to the two people behind the bar, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him laugh. God, he’s amazing. I forgot how handsome he was this close up. Everything about him is just perfect, and I’m scared shitless to approach him because when he tells me he doesn’t remember me, then where does that leave me?
Do I consider myself a stalker? No. I’m just buying time, is all. I want to live in the fantasy world where there was a connection between us and I saw a sliver of hope for a normal life. It’ll only be short lived because soon enough, he’s going to see me at the store and the cold reality will wake me from my unrealistic dreams.
“I’ll be outside.” Pierce’s voice snaps me from my trance, and I give my head a slight shake.
Again, his scent assaults me as he walks by. I wish I could reach out and grab it and rub it all over myself. I wish I could rub him all over me. “Jesus, Ruby,” I mutter to myself and slam half my beer before I continue to write. As subtly as I can, I glance at the door every few minutes hoping to catch a glimpse of him. It swings wide as a few girls come in, and my eyes burn when I see a blond with her arms wrapped around Pierce … my reality shattered sooner than I thought.
Chapter 6
Pierce
“STACY, STOP.” I GRAB her arms from around my neck and as much as I want to push her away, I know she’s drunk and would probably fall on her ass. Actually, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
She’s a woman, asshole.
I have to remind myself of that sometimes. This chick has been the biggest regret of my life. One time. I slept with her one time. Now, she thinks she’s special or something. I don’t understand for the life of me how a woman can possibly be this desperate.
If they were more like her … I don’t even know her name, and after three years, my heart still hasn’t healed from losing her. Angel. That’s what I call her because to me she is. She was straight from heaven, and as fast as she was here, she went back up.
“Come on, Pierce,” Stacy whines and runs her finger down my cheek.
“If you’re going in, go. Otherwise, you need to leave. I don’t want you, Stacy. I don’t know how many ways I can say it without being a complete jerk.”
“Aww, but it was so good. Don’t you want—”
“No, I don’t. I don’t want you, Stacy. We fucked once years ago, and it wasn’t even good. This desperation is actually really sad. You should work on that. Get out of my face and leave me the hell alone.”
Her eyes widen, and she stomps off down the street teetering on her stilettos.
“Shit.”
I jog down to her and grab her arm. “You’re wasted. Let me call you a cab.”
“No. You don’t want anything to do with me.”
“I don’t mind being acquaintances with you, but that’s it. You need to understand that. Find someone who’s interested in more because it’s not me.”
I sit her on the bench in front of the pub and dial a cab. Thankfully, it arrives in a few minutes, and I reach in and throw some money at the cabbie. Stacy crawls in the back and mumbles her address, and I tap the hood of the car and walk back inside.
Nik notices the tension in my shoulders because he nods for me to meet him at the end of the bar. “What’s up?”
“Stacy’s a pain. It’s like she doesn’t understand the English language.” I shake my head and release a huge breath. “I feel sorry for her, man. Her desperation isn’t normal.”
“You must have a magic dick or something.”
I look at the girl sitting at the end of the bar writing in a notebook, and I turn to glare at Nik. “Dude, watch your mouth.”
The girl squirms in her seat and I tilt my head to assess her a little more. She’s got a hoodie on, so I can’t see her whole face, but her black glasses are sticking out a bit and even though the pen is on the paper, it’s not moving. Hmm.
“I’m gonna go back out there.”
“Later, man.”
The night is going by painfully slow, and I almost miss it because I’m messing around on my phone when the girl with the hoodie walks out. “Have a good night.”
She doesn’t respond but breezes by. Her eyes catch mine for a millisecond, and I suck in a breath when it hits me. She looks familiar. Really familiar. “Hey,” I yell.
Ignoring my call, she hurries away and rounds the corner. I turn to follow her, but Nik sticks his head out. “I’m gonna need a hand. Dumbass college guys trying to see whose dick is bigger.”
Damn it.
“’Kay.” I reverse my direction and follow him inside. “That’s the second time you’ve talked about dicks tonight. You tryin’ to tell me something?”
“Fuck you,” he mumbles under his breath.
“Idiots.” About six college-aged guys are all in each other’s faces, and I help Nik separate them and kick them out of Kelly’s. The rest of the night goes by fast since it’s already after one in the morning, and an hour later, I drag myself home.
I can barely sleep as thoughts of that girl invade my subconscious. I think it was just because she had glasses on that she reminded me of my Angel. And just like that, my cock turns to stone. I don’t even bother pretending it’ll go away, so I reach down and grab it, gritting my teeth at the contact.
Since I sleep naked, I don’t need to worry about taking off any clothes, which has come in handy because not a night goes by that I don’t fuck my hand to the thought of her. I close my eyes and try to remember her laugh; how she managed to sound innocent but sexy at the same time. Her soft skin, her eyes, her lips.
A bead of pearly white leaks out of the tip and I smear it around with my thumb and jerk myself a little harder, a little faster. The nasty thoughts I have of what I want to do to her are so bad they shock even me. I want to do things I’ve never done before, things I’ve only dreamed about.
My cock all the way down her throat. My fingers in her ass. Her body tied up and at my mercy. Blindfolded. I’d make her beg … God, I can just picture her here on this bed. Pierce, please. Sweaty and desperate. Needy.
“Angel,” I whisper as cum shoots all over my chest and pools in the crevices. A nightly ritual I’m almost embarrassed about. I’m not a teenager, yet every time I think of her, my dick seems to revert to adolescence. My fantasies become even more perverted and depraved with each night that passes.
* * *
Work is by far the only thing that gives me a distraction. MMA has always been like that for me, so when I see the little girl in pigtails who tries so hard but just can’t get it right, I focus all my energy on helping her. I’m trying to let her figure it out herself, but when I see tears, I can’t help it.
“Becca, take a breath.”
She looks at me frustrated, and I kneel down in front of her. “In.” I suck a d
eep breath through my nose. “And out.” Then push it out through my mouth. She copies me and I smile. “Do it again. In … and out. Good. Now, let’s try from the beginning, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
She bows, and I nod my head for her to continue. I work with her for about ten minutes until she has the form down properly and I give her a high-five before I walk away.
“You’re so good with little kids,” Beth, one of the moms, says to me as I grab my water bottle and take a drink.
“Thanks.”
“Are you gonna have some of your own one day? You’d make an excellent father.”
After setting my bottle down, I grab a towel and wipe my face to rid it of a fine layer of sweat as I think about her question. I honestly had never thought about it before a couple of years ago. When I left Vegas, I tried calling the owner a few times, but I could never get through to him. He never called me, and I assumed he either didn’t try or couldn’t find out who she was. I even went back once and stayed for a week, walking around trying to find her.
Because she’s the only one I ever could picture a life with. Kids. A family. A future. There was a point when I thought maybe I was delusional and so wasted that night that I made everything up. But I have the blanket as proof. I know I didn’t make it up. I sleep with the damn thing every night and not a day goes by when I don’t feel like I let the love of my life slip through my fingers.
“If the right woman comes along, then yes, I’d love to have a family. But only for the right person.”
She smiles at me. “You’re going to make some girl very happy someday, Mr. Kelly.”
Once the class is done, I go to my office and do the payroll for the few people I have working for me and then close down my computer. A few guys are still on the other side sparring, so I hop on a treadmill and get a run in then take a quick shower.
Both the store and my gym close at ten, so I often see Leroy in the parking lot. Tonight is no different, with the exception that he has that girl with him. We wave at each other and the girl looks down and hurries to her car. I get into my own car and notice I forgot to turn off a light inside, so I hop out and jog inside to shut it off. As I’m about to walk out, the message button flashes on the machine, so I listen to it real quick to make sure it’s not something important. Turns out it’s a parent letting me know their son has the flu and won’t be in class for the rest of the week.
When I make it back outside, Leroy’s car is gone, but the girl is still sitting in hers. In the silence of night, the odd clicking sound echoes all the way to me. She probably already called someone to help her, but I head over to check on her anyway. My father didn’t raise me to be the type of man who leaves a woman alone in a dark parking lot.
She’s hitting the steering wheel as I knock on the window. Her head whips in my direction, and before our eyes have a chance to connect, she looks at her lap. I hold out my hands even though she’s not looking. “I’m Pierce, and I own the gym next door. Are you having car trouble?”
She shakes her head, and I roll my eyes at her lie. “Umm, then why isn’t your car starting?”
Her shoulders shrug and I reach for the door handle, but it’s locked. The sound of me rattling it causes her head to whip in my direction, and when I finally see her face, her beautiful face, my knees jellify and I grab onto the top of her car to keep from falling.
“Angel,” I whisper.
Her frightened eyes fill with tears as I pull on the door handle harder. I need to get to her. I need to touch her, hold her; I need to know that she’s real and that she’s here.
“Open the door, baby.”
Her tongue peeks out between her lips, and she reaches up and clicks the locks. I yank on the handle and am on my knees in front of her before the door is even open all the way.
“It’s really you?” I ask, holding her face in my hands.
She nods and I pull her against me and lift her out of the car, pressing her against the side so her soft body is flush with mine. “What are … How, when?” I can’t even form a sentence, I’m so fucking unhinged.
A single tear floats down her cheek, and I use my thumb to wipe it away. She reaches up and the heat of her hand on the side of my face calms the erratic beats of my hearts. “God, I can’t believe it’s you.”
“It’s me.” She leans up on her toes and presses a kiss to my other cheek. “It’s you.”
“Yeah, angel, it’s me.”
I grab the back of her head and pull her away from the car so I can wrap my arms all the way around her. She winds hers around my waist and buries her face in the crook of my neck and just holds me. I shift on my feet so I can get closer and hang on for dear life, because I’m not ever letting her slip away from me again.
“Pierce, I can’t breathe.” She pushes a little on me and I ease up. “Still can’t breathe.” Reluctantly, I let her go but grab her hands.
“What are you doing here? And you’re working at the st—” I clear my throat. “Ruby. Your name’s Ruby?”
Her eyes light up when she smiles. “I like hearing you say my name.”
“Ruby.”
Chapter 7
Ruby
“RUBY.” HE SAYS MY name again, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so big.
“I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re all I’ve thought about for the past three years. I tried to find you; I went back there. How did you find me?”
I still don’t know much about him, but I want to know everything there is. He doesn’t seem to be the type that gets flustered easily so seeing him like this is kind of cute. “I have my ways,” I tease.
He runs his hands up my back, but they split at the small of my back and as one slides down to my waist, the other goes up to the back of my head. “I have to taste you. I’ve dreamed about it every single night, and now that you’re here, I can’t wait another second.” His whispered words fade away as his lips close over mine. I let out a sigh and open my mouth to welcome him. His hand forms into a fist and gently tugs at my hair, the sting a beautiful pain that somehow erases the misery of the past three years without him.
Our lips and bodies rock into each other, and I’m pretty sure if he weren’t holding me up, I’d be a huge puddle of mush on the ground. I grab his sides and squeeze so hard he’ll be bruised in the morning. In the distance, I think I hear something getting louder, but the second the thought enters my brain, Pierce growls into my mouth, deepening our kiss, and I forget about it. A door slams and I jump, shocked at how loud it sounds in the empty parking lot. Pierce turns and stands directly in front of me, but reaches back and places a hand on my hip as if he’s afraid I’ll vanish if he’s not touching me.
“You called for a tow?” A deep voice echoes in the dark, instantly sending a chill down my spine.
Pierce speaks before I get a chance to. “Yeah. I’ll get the keys.” He reaches into the car, grabs my keychain, twists the car key off, and then hands it to the guy.
“Can you sign here, please? And leave your number.”
“I can do it. It’s my car,” I interject, moving to stand next to Pierce.
“I got it, Ruby.” He accentuates my name and smiles.
The pen scratches across the paper and Pierce rips off one of the carbonated sheets and tucks a copy into his pocket. The driver licks his lips as he looks me up and down.
Pierce turns back to me. “Do you need anything else out of your car?”
“I can get it.” I nudge him out of my way and open the back door to grab my bag, then I stretch my body to lean up and take my purse from the passenger seat. Pierce clears his throat and I look behind me to see him crossing his arms and staring at the tow truck driver. “Watch yourself, man.”
“Okay, that’s everything.” I shut the door and Pierce throws an arm across my back to unhook my bag from my shoulder before dropping the rest of my keys inside. It slides down my arm, and he reaches over and snatches it before it fall
s to the ground, then throws it over his shoulder.
He nods at the driver and grabs my hand. “Let’s go, angel.”
“I thought she needed a ride?” the driver interjects almost accusingly.
“Hell, no.” Pierce ignores him and tugs me away. “I’ve got her.”
“I don’t want to make you go out of your way.” Even though the driver creeps me out, I don’t want to be a burden on Pierce. I give a little shrug, but Pierce’s hand tightens around mine. He turns his head to get closer to me. “You honestly think that I’m going to let you get in a truck with him? Especially when I just got you back?”
“Well, I just thought—”
“No worries, Ruby. Okay? I’ve got you.”
I’ve got you.
Who am I to argue? “Okay.”
“You can go.” Pierce pointedly looks over at the man who’s still looking at me.
“Thank you.” I wave to the driver as Pierce leads me to his car.
He reaches for the passenger door, opens it a tad, then slams it shut. “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe you’re here.”
“Me neither.”
“Why are you here?”
His eyes dart down to my throat as I swallow, then they slowly slide back up my face. “You,” I whisper.
“You came here for me?”
“Yes.”
He has the cutest smile on his face and his cheeks tinge pink. “I’m glad.”
“I was so afraid you wouldn’t remember me.”
“God, I haven’t forgotten anything about you. I remember everything. Sometimes I’d even think that I made it up because you were so perfect, and I became almost infatuated with you …” He clicks his tongue and grabs my hand with his. “I’m so damn happy you’re here. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, actually I am.”
“Can I take you out to eat?”
“That would be nice.”
He kisses my cheek before opening the door, and I sit on the plush leather seat that cushions my ass like a down pillow. But the seat isn’t the only thing making me feel like I’m on a cloud right now. Just an hour ago, I was rushing out of the store, hoping to avoid Pierce for one more day because I didn’t know what I would say to him. I certainly didn’t think he’d welcome me with open arms like he just did.