Ruby's Choice (Ditch Lane Diaries Book 1)

by D. F. Jones

  Reed moved with the grace of a dancer, tracing her lips with his tongue, nibbling on her bottom and then her top lip. She ran her hand over his biceps and down his back in a pitiful attempt to mimic his moves.

  Ruby had a flicker of a premonition while he made love to her. Ruby knew in her heart that she would marry this man. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Reed. Images flashed in her mind of her having his children, and growing old with him, and she wasn’t even holding the amber stone. She had found her home.

  * * *

  Reed watched Ruby’s face as he slowly seduced her. He wanted to please her. He wanted her to enjoy every caress, every touch of his fingers and his mouth. Every inch of her was the sweetest nectar to his lips. When his finger slipped inside her, a cry ripped out of her. He watched as she writhed and Reed fed on her pleasure. He was flying, soaring high above the clouds with emotion. He had never experienced such an amazing feeling before with anyone else, only with her as he locked onto her beautiful brown eyes.

  Ruby was his now, and his alone. He had only known her for a few months, but he was in love with her. He loved her more than his own life. He would kill for her and would gladly die for her. He didn’t verbalize these feelings but allowed the love from his fingers, his lips and mouth to speak the words for him.

  Reed enjoyed the look of pure satisfaction that lit Ruby’s face; it was the most erotic moment of his life when she broke apart, feeling her reach ecstasy. He couldn’t wait any longer; he needed to be inside her. Reed pressed himself against her silkiness and sunk deep inside her, claiming her so completely. Ruby loved him, and her love made him the happiest man alive. She filled the air he breathed, consuming him. He had been unable to resist her. He had been unable to stay away from her. Being with Ruby just felt right as he went over the edge of desire.

  * * *

  The Sunday night after returning home from their excursion to Nashville, Ruby and Reed decided to go out and eat Italian food. They walked into Tony’s Restaurant and Reed asked the waitress to seat them in her darkest corner and then squeezed Ruby’s derriere. Since it was after rush hour, the restaurant had their jukebox fired up. The restaurant had white-and-red-checkered tablecloths and candles were lit in dark red glass globes. There were only a couple of tables occupied.

  The waitress looked dreamily at Reed and placed them at the largest table in the restaurant. To the waitress’s credit, it was dark. They ordered a large pizza, a pitcher of beer and a large Coke for Ruby.

  Ruby was sitting so close to Reed, she was practically in his lap. When the pizza came out, he was nibbling Ruby’s neck. The waitress’s eyes flashed wide at Reed and then at Ruby. She quickly placed the food on the table and then disappeared back into the kitchen.

  Reed murmured in Ruby’s ear, “You’re just too sweet, woman. You’re addictive. I want you right now.” He ran his hand up from her thigh to the V where her legs met. She stopped him from moving farther into dangerous territory.

  His words made her melt against his shoulder. Ruby looked around and said, “Behave yourself. We’re in public, for crying out loud.”

  She squirmed a little before grabbing a slice and taking a bite of pizza. “Pizza is my favorite food and this is sooo good.” She woofed down the first slice and reached for another.

  Reed grabbed a slice from the pizza pan and took a bite. He closed his eyes for a moment and then he grabbed the pitcher of beer and poured another mug. He laughed. “You eat more than any woman I know.”

  Ruby looked at him out of the corner of her eye, with cheese hanging off the side of her mouth. “Most women eat. They’re just too bashful to eat in front of guys. I don’t have a bashful bone in my body.”

  Reed circled an arm around her shoulder and then leaned in and licked the cheese off her mouth. “Yeah, I kinda noticed.”

  When the waitress cleared the table, Reed poured one more beer and then placed his hand on Ruby’s thigh, rubbing back and forth. She loved the warm feeling she got when he affectionately touched her. Reed had started nibbling on her ear again, when she giggled and looked up to see Brent staring down at her.

  Brent stood with his hands shoved in his pockets. He was with two girls and a guy she had never met. “Having fun?”

  Reed leaned back against the booth and pulled Ruby under his arm. With a laugh, he said, “Yeah, we’re having a blast.”

  “Then you won’t mind if we join you.” Brent directed his next comment to Reed. “I mean, what’s a little fight between friends, really.” Brent sat down across from them and the other people followed him. “Reed, this is Patti and Rachel, and you remember Brad.”

  Reed pulled his hand away from Ruby’s shoulder. “Brad, this is Ruby. Brad’s the one who introduced me to Brent when we were freshmen.”

  Patti’s eyes widened and then she said, “Hold the phone, you’re Reed Jackson? Oh, every girl on campus has heard of you because of Tammy Wright. She’s told our entire sorority about you.” Patti’s eyes dropped down toward Reed’s lap and then back up to Reed’s eyes. She smiled and said, “So, glad to finally meet you.” She reached her hand out to shake Reed’s, and then she looked at Ruby. “Lucky girl.”

  Ruby straightened in her seat and quickly put her arm around Reed’s shoulder, playing with his hair. “Ain’t I, though.” Ruby flashed Patti a brilliant smile and inched just a little closer to Reed. He laughed and reached over and kissed Ruby.

  Brent looked annoyed at Patti. “What’s this, the Reed Jackson adoration society? God, man, what do you do to these women?” Brent stared at Ruby, studying her face.

  Reed ignored Brent and turned to Brad. “Still in the dorm?”

  Brad looked from Reed to Brent, and said, “Yeah. My parents aren’t going to pay for a place for me to live. I’ll be living there until I graduate. At least this year, I’m the RA, with my own unit and bathroom. How’s Steve?”

  Reed held Ruby’s hand under the table, running his thumb back and forth against her skin. “He went home this weekend. His dad called because one of their mares is in foal. He wanted to be there when the colt was born.”

  Ruby noticed Brent’s anger and knew he was getting ready to explode. Brent said maliciously, “So, you have the place all to yourself. How convenient for y’all.”

  Reed’s gaze flickered to Ruby and then back to Brent. “We stayed in Nashville this weekend. We went to a Bob Seger concert and had dinner at the Tower.” Ruby wished Reed would keep his mouth shut. Reed reminded her of an alpha wolf staking his claim.

  Brent’s jaw muscle ticked, and then he said through gritted teeth, “Wow, very impressive, even for you, Reed.” He turned his daggers to Ruby. “I knew something looked different about you, honey. So, I guess you’re finally celebrating becoming a woman.”

  Ruby’s temper flared. She jumped up and threw her Coke in Brent’s face. Patti and Rachel’s mouths dropped open. Ruby raised her voice. “You’re such an asshole!” She stormed out the door.

  * * *

  Reed leaned over to Brent before he left the table. “I’ll kill you if you ever talk to her like that again.”

  Brent wiped the Coke off his face with napkins. “Anytime you think you’re man enough, bring it on.”

  Reed ran out of the restaurant and found Ruby leaning against his car. “Don’t worry about him; it’s a wasted effort. I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. My vanity got the best of me. Forgive me?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. Brent is never going to stop being mad at me. I hurt him. But right now, the only thing hurting him is his pride. Wonder what Patti and Rachel thought.”

  Reed frowned at her and crossed his arms. His eyes flashed with anger. “That matters because…?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I was just curious.” Ruby shoulder-bumped him. “You jealous?”

  “Hell, yes. Get in the car, damn it.” Reed had never been mad at her before. He had never had this overpowering feeling of jealousy in his life. Ruby was his woman. She placed her han
d out to stop him.

  “Reed, I was just kidding.” She reached over and kissed him.

  His expression softened and he relaxed. He trailed the outline of her jaw with his finger. “Sorry, I get a little mad thinking about you and him this past summer. I know he won’t stop either. He still thinks this is a game. I know him. He is going to try and get you back. I could kill him, just thinking about it.”

  Reed’s hand was trembling. Ruby covered his hand with hers and gave him a squeeze. “This isn’t a game, remember?”

  As Reed walked around to get inside the car, he glanced up and saw Brent staring at Ruby through the glass door of Tony’s restaurant. A slow smile lit Brent’s face.

  Chapter 10

  Boogie Nights

  Rumors had been floating around about Reed cheating on her from the day they became an item. Ruby knew it was probably Brent or Tammy behind most of the gossip. Reed had spent most of his free time with Ruby, so she didn’t know when he would have had the time or the energy to cheat. But he had acted suspiciously when she walked up on him talking to Tammy in the campus bookstore. Ruby had pushed those thoughts out of her mind, because she loved him. He had told her he was in love with her and that she was his girl.

  Ruby had developed a voracious appetite for Reed. They were constantly touching each other or kissing. Sandy would get so worked up about their blatant display of affection that when Ruby and Reed would walk into the Bell Street house, Sandy would start humming the theme to Love Story.

  Ruby and Reed had been dating for two months when he received a call, the Thursday before fall break. “Honey, I have to go home. Mom’s been rushed to the hospital.”

  With a look of concern, she said, “Oh God, what happened?”

  “Dad said she is having gallbladder surgery.” He ran his fingers through his hair and his brows furrowed with worry.

  Her voice trembled. “Please let me go with you.”

  “No, honey, I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I need you to go to school and get my class assignments from my professors. I also need you to go to the marketing department and tell Sarah. She will cover for me at work.” He hugged her tightly and she looked up to see tears in his eyes.

  “Reed, she is going to be fine. I will start praying, too.” She also thought, if needed, she would drive Anna to Knoxville. Anna could use her healing abilities to save her. Ruby’s heart was breaking for him.

  Once Reed arrived in Knoxville he called Ruby. His mother was in recovery and she would be going home in a couple of days. Ruby was thankful his mother had made it through her surgery. She had seen the strain in Reed’s eyes before he left her. Reed loved his mother and respected her. It made Ruby love him more.

  While Reed was out of town, Sandy and Anna decided to take her to a new nightclub. The girls had not been out together in months. Jerry had finally gotten enough nerve to ask Anna out, so she had spent her free time dating him. Sandy had become the editor in chief of the school newspaper. She was constantly working to meet deadlines and breaking news stories.

  Ruby preferred Levi’s and a long-sleeved flannel on a Friday night, but getting dolled up and going dancing with her buddies would be good for her. Sandy and Anna beat Ruby getting dressed. Sandy had on a silky black jumpsuit with a wide black leather belt and wide silver hoop earrings. Anna wore a winter white halter top dress with a gold belt and gold hoop earrings. Since they were both dressed, they turned their attention to Ruby.

  The girls picked out one of Sandy’s dresses for Ruby, a long red silky dress with slits to the thigh on both sides. The dress had been designed to flare out when the wearer twirled. They paired it with a wide black belt, silver hoop earrings, and black sling-back heels.

  Sandy fired up the stereo to play a song by Donna Summer, and she proceeded to teach Anna and Ruby the hustle. Once they had their moves down, they sauntered out for a night of dancing.

  * * *

  It was opening night at Faces, Murfreesboro’s (or the ’Boro, as the locals called it) newest disco and bar, and people lined the sidewalk, waiting to get in. Ruby could hear the pulsating music as they walked up to the door. Sandy knew the bouncer so they walked past the crowd. To thank him, Sandy kissed the guy on his cheek, and then they entered the club.

  A huge chandelier hung inside the foyer. The disco had been stylishly lit with multi-colored lights. They had two huge mirrored disco balls, which sparkled on an already crowded dance floor. The high-energy people who had made it inside were dancing, laughing and shouting to be heard over the loud jams that the DJ had cranked up.

  Sandy grabbed Ruby and Anna and headed toward the dance floor. “Come on, my little darlings, let’s boogie.”

  The girls danced all around with their arms waving in the air, moving to the beat. Ruby was having such a large time. It wasn’t just the dancing—Ruby felt a special bond with best friends. The club periodically released fog along the floor, glitter floated from the ceiling and strobe lights had been set off in conjunction with the musical beats, to the squeals and delight of the clubbers. And it didn’t take long for all three girls to be surrounded by guys, which added to the fun.

  The girls danced to at least three more songs before they searched for a table. Anna found one close to the bar. Ruby plopped down onto a chair. Sandy flagged their waitress down to order drinks, only to learn a tall, blond man at the bar had bought their table a round. The girls thanked him with a wave and a nod.

  Ruby took a sip and realized it was too tart for her taste. Sandy laughed, seeing Ruby wrinkle her nose, and said, “It’s a Tequila Sunrise. If you don’t want yours, sweetie, give it to me.”

  Ruby gave the drink to Sandy and ordered a Coke from the waitress. Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up” began to play and Ruby jumped up. “Come on y’all! Let’s dance, I love this song!”

  Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand, and she turned to see Brent leading her onto the dance floor. Ruby peered back at Anna and Sandy and shrugged. Ruby wanted to dance. It was just a dance.

  Looking at Brent under those lights and listening to the music reminded her of the fun times she had had with him this summer. She danced and moved rhythmically to the beat. He placed his hand on the small of her back, as they moved in perfect time. Ruby matched him, step for step. Their simple dance was quickly turning into something primal. She took a step back and let her hands drop away from his shoulders. Ruby began to dance by herself.

  * * *

  Brent had been scanning the Faces crowd when he spotted Ruby with her friends. He had no idea she would be here tonight and without Reed. The moment he saw her, he felt a strange tightening in his chest. She looked so damn beautiful tonight in that dress, as he watched her and her friends hit the dance floor.

  Brent had always thought Ruby was pretty, but tonight she was stunning. She took his breath away, her beauty shining like a brilliant star. Tonight she no longer had the look of a girl, but a beautiful woman.

  He knew he had to have Ruby. She would not put him off any longer. He definitely didn’t want Reed near her. Brent had been picking up girls left and right, just to keep his mind off Ruby. And then, he had seen her with Reed in the Italian restaurant and knew by the glow on her face, she was no longer a virgin.

  Brent watched Ruby dance with her girlfriends. He had been making his way across the club, when he noticed the guy at the bar buying them drinks. He had seen the dude staring at Ruby. Brent quickly strode over to Ruby and grabbed her hand before the dude at the bar could make his move on her.

  As they danced, her bare skin touched him, which knotted red-hot desire at the base of his spine. He didn’t care about Reed or his friendship. All he cared about now was that Ruby was back in his arms. With her so close to him, his heart was pounding so loud it made his ears ring. He guided her away from the dance floor, and she continued dancing across the crowded room. He grabbed her hand and whirled her around to him. He dropped his arm around her waist, pulling her against the length of him and then rubbed hi
s thumb gently across her cheek.

  * * *

  Brent bent over to kiss Ruby, but she placed her hands on his chest and the smile on her face disappeared. “Don’t, Brent. I’m sorry. I got carried away by the music. All I wanted to do was dance, for crying out loud.”

  Brent’s eyes stayed steady on hers. He gently raised her wrist to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss there. “I don’t want to stop. I miss you.”

  Ruby wriggled out of his grip, took a step back away from him, and frowned. “Stop it. I mean it. Behave yourself. I’m in love with Reed. I’m going back over to Anna and Sandy, now that my senses have returned.”

  Brent placed his hand against the wall to block her from moving. “He’s not been faithful to you.”

  Ruby felt a spike in her chest. Her eyes flew up to meet his. She shouted, “You’re lying. You’re a damn liar!” She felt a nagging disillusionment, a sense of betrayal, just from hearing the words. Not her Reed. He was in love with her.

  Brent stepped closer to her. He bent his head down to her, leaning close to her ear so she could hear him over the loud music. “I wasn’t there in the flesh. I only heard about it. You know where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Then Brent leaned back against the wall of the club, crossing his arms against his chest.

  Ruby didn’t want to believe Reed would cheat on her, but now Brent had peaked her interest. She would not allow Brent to see her pain. Instead, she replied in a quick, clipped tone, “Well, you wanted my attention, now you have it.”

  Between the music and the people, it was hard for her to think, much less talk. Brent led her over to a table in the back of the club and they sat down. He pulled his chair close to her. “Reed’s been seeing Tammy on the sly. Rachel and Patti live in the same apartment complex. Patti saw him come out of Tammy’s apartment two days ago.”