by Claire Raye
“Yes, that’s your chair, obviously.” I can’t help but tease him back, knowing how absolutely cheesy it is that I tied balloons to his chair. We’re twenty-two years old, but he missed out on so much as a kid. He can’t tell me he isn’t enjoying this already because the smile that stretches across his face gives him away. He’s beaming, bold and natural, his eyes wrinkling up in the corners, the dimple in his cheek more pronounced.
I bring him over his coffee and cinnamon roll, sitting down across from him. The cake is cooling on the counter, the frosting now in the fridge until I can get to it.
“So this is what it feels like to celebrate a birthday as an adult, huh?” he asks, taking a bite of his cinnamon roll. I watch his face, his eyes seem more blue than normal today, his face more relaxed, even his posture is less defensive, his shoulders loose.
“Twenty-two looks good on you, Caleb Parker,” I tell him as he looks up at me and nods slightly.
“Maybe California looks good on me, leaving Providence. Maybe it’s you who looks good on me.”
There he is again with the flirty words, the insinuation, and while it’s fun as hell, it’s still just that, fun. No real words of, “Ruby, I want you”.
“Maybe we just look good on each other,” I respond back, shooting him a sly smile, and while I do want him to come right out and say it, I can’t deny that I love this banter we have going. It’s really been some epic foreplay.
“You’ve always looked good, Ruby.”
“And so have you, Caleb,” I announce winking at him as I brush my foot against his bare leg.
We spend the day at Manhattan Beach, eating tacos from a truck and basking in the sun that we both know will soon disappear in the next few weeks as winter approaches. The sun is just beginning to set and Caleb leans back on our blanket, resting on his elbows.
“Mind if we stay and watch the sunset?” he asks and I can’t help but grin as if he can read my thoughts.
“That’s exactly what I planned to do. A little birdy told me you like to watch the sunset,” I tease, letting my head fall to his shoulder.
“You’ve done your research,” he replies, kissing the top of my head.
“This is just the start. We still have cake at home and I have a few other tricks up my sleeve.”
“Seriously? I feel like you’ve nailed the entire day already. The beach, tacos, the sunset and a beautiful girl. It’s all good for my soul.”
He’s right; it does feel like he needed this, that he needed to feel normal again. Being able to be out and relaxed is something I haven’t seen in him since he arrived. There’s always been an unease about him, a worry that makes him look over his shoulder, and today that is gone and left in its place is an air of confidence he’s never had before. His head is held higher and he looks around taking in the beauty of the beach as he breathes softly next to me.
We watch the sun sink down into the water, closing out our perfect day and leading into an equally perfect evening.
“You want to drive home?” I ask him as we walk back to the car. It’s been a while since Caleb has driven a car and I feel like it will be just another thing to add to his list of feeling like his old self again.
“Yeah sure,” he says, taking the keys from my hand as we climb into my little SUV. He exhales hard as he starts the engine and then instructs me to give him directions, but he already doesn’t seem like he needs them. That confidence I’ve watched him gain floods over into everything we’ve done today.
“So, when we get home, we can have cake or pizza? I figured since it’s your birthday, I’d let you decide if you want to eat your dessert first.”
His eyes shoot over to me, wide and sparkling with mischief, but something about the way he smirks tells me he isn’t just thinking about cake.
“Let’s have dessert first tonight,” he responds, winking at me.
“Cake it is then.”
We’re back to the house in just under thirty minutes and with both of us still in our swimsuits, I grab the cake from where I left it to cool on the counter. Grabbing the frosting from the fridge, I get it covered quickly. I add some sprinkles and a few candles, lighting them and placing the cake on the kitchen island between us.
“Make a wish,” I tell him, my elbows resting on the counter as I lean closer to him.
“Aren’t you going to sing to me?” he asks, his eyebrows going up as he waits for my answer.
“Of course,” I reply, singing softly to him as he watches my face, his eyes flicking between the dancing candle flames and my lips.
And when I’m done, he takes in a big breath, pushing the air from his lungs as the flames flicker once and then go out.
“Happy birthday,” I whisper, the room darker than it was just moments ago, the only light coming from under the kitchen cabinets now.
I grab a knife and cut the first piece, sliding it onto a plate and then moving to cut another piece, mimicking my same movement as I slide the second piece onto a plate. I set the knife down, my fingertips sticky with frosting as I bring them to my mouth, sucking the first one in.
Something about the motion makes Caleb’s eyes widen, the blue nearly disappearing as his pupils expand. I stand there watching his face, his chest rising and falling fast, his eyes locked on where my finger is connected to my mouth and in that second, he stalks over to me.
He’s standing tall, towering over me, and I feel myself holding my breath, my heart racing. I’m silently begging for this to be it, for him to make the first move. And as if he can hear my thoughts, he pulls my finger from my mouth, and replaces it with his mouth.
“Fuck,” he groans against my lips, his hands gripping my hips roughly as he pulls my body against his. Our mouths are desperate and needy; we’re all tongues and hard breaths, our hands groping at each other’s bodies.
Caleb’s hand tangles in my hair, pulling my head to the side, he sucks and bites at my neck as I grind my hips against him. I feel deprived and insatiable, like this could go on forever, but still wanting it to happen immediately. I’m desperate for him, desperate to have him inside me.
“I need you to say it, Caleb,” I say, breathy and loud, begging him.
“I fucking want you, Ruby. I want you so fucking bad,” he tells me, not needing an explanation of what I needed to hear.
It’s like an open invitation and neither of us holds back. Caleb backs me up against the counter, his large body looming over mine as he uses his knee to widen my stance, shoving my legs open wider. He steps between them, his hard-on pressing against my lower stomach and I reach between us, my hand slipping into the front of his boardshorts.
Caleb’s head now falls back, a loud groan leaving his mouth as I wrap my hand around his hard length. He’s big and my small hand feels like it can’t possibly jerk him off the way I know he wants right now.
I fumble with the tie on his shorts, our mouths connected, our teeth clashing, kissing in desperation, but I know he wants more than this and I drop to my knees. Shoving his shorts down, I take him in my mouth, far and deep and he moans out again, encouraging me. I slide my mouth up and down, slowly, my teeth scraping gently, and he knots his hands in my hair, pulling a little as if he needs something to hold on to.
“Ruby,” he barks out, my name a warning on his lips, but I don’t stop.
Chapter Twenty
Caleb
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…
Oh fuck, this feels amazing, unbelievable. So. Fucking. Good.
“Ruby,” I moan, my fingers tightening in her hair. “Ruby…” I trail off, my eyes opening as I look down at her, see what she’s doing, what she’s doing to me. God, it’s so fucking good, but shit, I need her to stop. I need her to… “Ruby,” I say again, sliding my hands to her arms and pulling her up to me before I can’t stop.
I groan as her mouth slides off me, instantly missing her warmth and her wetness. “What?” she whispers, a little breathless. “Is something wrong? Do you want—”
<
br /> “No,” I say, cutting her off, my breathing also a little ragged. “Absolutely nothing is wrong.”
“Then why did you stop me?” she asks, and I can hear the sliver of fear in her voice.
I cup her jaw in my hands, bringing her face to mine as I press a kiss to her lips. “I don’t want you to stop,” I whisper, my forehead against hers, my eyes closed. “I really don’t want to stop any of this.”
“So what’s wrong?” she asks, confused.
I let out a soft laugh, even though there is absolutely nothing funny about this. “I…I um, shit, I haven’t done this in a really long time, Ruby and I…fuck, I don’t even have any condoms.”
I feel her fingers as they slide under my chin, lifting my face to hers. I open my eyes and find her smiling, her beautiful brown eyes looking back at me. “Come with me,” she whispers.
She takes my hand in hers and I awkwardly follow her to her bedroom as I quickly pull my shorts up. Inside, she walks over to my side of the bed, opening the drawer of the side table and pulling out a large and unopened box of condoms before throwing it on the bed, an incredibly sexy smile on her face.
“I’ve got it covered,” she whispers, walking back to me.
I exhale and groan with relief all at the same time and as soon as she’s close enough, I pull her against me. My hands slide up the back of her thighs and higher, taking the dress she’s wearing with me until it’s up and over her head and she’s in nothing but her bikini. Ruby’s smile widens as she pulls off my t-shirt, throwing it over her shoulder before she pushes my shorts to the floor so I’m standing naked in front of her.
“You’re wearing too many clothes still,” I whisper.
She grins, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth as she reaches behind, pulling on the strings of her bikini top until it comes loose and falls from her body.
“Fuck,” I murmur, knowing I fantasized about doing exactly that as she lay beside me on her bed last weekend.
My eyes are fixed on her breasts, unable to look away until I see her hands move to her bikini bottoms and slowly slide them down her legs so she’s naked, too.
“Come here,” I say, my words urgent and demanding as she steps toward me. I reach for her at the same time, my arm slipping around her waist as the other goes to the back of her neck, pulling her mouth to mine in a hard kiss.
Ruby pushes us backward, my legs hitting the bed as I sit down. I watch as she stands over me, a sexy smile on her face as she brushes her thumb across my mouth. “You are beautiful,” she whispers, before moving closer, climbing onto the bed, her legs on either side of my hips as she straddles me.
I reach for the box of condoms, practically ripping it open in my haste to get one. I don’t know which one of us gets it on me, but as soon as it’s on, Ruby is lifting herself up before slowly lowering her body onto my achingly hard dick, our eyes locked together the whole time.
“Oh jesus christ, Ruby,” I whisper, my hand gripping the back of her neck, my mouth against hers. “Fuck, you feel amazing.”
I feel her mouth curve into a smile against mine, her arms around my neck as she kisses me. “Yes,” she breathes out, before slowly lifting up and repeating the move.
I feel overwhelmed and out of control, my whole body consumed by lust and want and need and something else I can’t describe. I wasn’t kidding when I said I hadn’t done this in a really long time and it’s as if Ruby can sense how little control I have. How much I’m trying to hold on right now, trying to last so I can make this good for her.
I keep my eyes open, watching as she slowly rides me, my hand still gripping the back of her neck as my other one now moves between us. She lets out a gasp when I touch her, my thumb brushing over her most sensitive spot.
“Oh yes,” she moans, her head falling back a little. “Yes.”
She continues to move, up and down, slowly and deliberately as I move my thumb against her. Both of us are moaning, our breathing growing more and more ragged as we’re consumed by each other, by the things we’re doing, by the way we are making each other feel.
She looks fucking amazing and I can’t take my eyes off her as she gradually increases the tempo, her body tightening around me as her skin heats up. I watch as her mouth falls open, her eyes closing as her head falls back.
“Caleb,” she cries, my thumb still pressed against her, still pushing her closer and closer until I finally start to feel her, feel as she falls apart and comes around me.
It’s enough to push me over the edge with her, thrusting up into her one last time as I explode inside her. “Ruby, yes…Fuck, yes.”
Her head falls onto my shoulder, her breathing hard and hot against my neck as I slide my arms around her and hold her close, burying my face against her neck and inhaling her scent, which is now a mix of coconut, the beach and us. My heart pounds in my chest, my whole body feeling more alive than it has in a very long time as every nerve fires rapidly beneath my skin, electricity coursing through me.
I’ve tried so damn hard to resist this girl, to not do this with her because she deserves so much more than me or what I can offer her. But right now, I cannot for the life of me figure out how I thought I could stop this. I feel drawn to her in ways I can’t explain. She is so much more than just a comfort or a balm against my nightmares.
She’s…everything.
“Are you okay?” she eventually asks, her head still on my shoulder.
“Fuck yes,” I chuckle. “I am so fucking good right now. Are you?”
She lifts her head, her beautiful smiling face looking back at me as she brushes a hand against my cheek. “Absolutely.”
Smiling, I lean in and kiss her, whispering, “Best birthday ever.”
She lets out a soft laugh. “What about your cake?”
“Didn’t I just have my dessert?” I tease, sliding my hands up her back and wrapping my arms around her ribcage.
Ruby pinches my side. “Cheeky boy,” she says. “Do you want cake?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go get it,” she whispers, her mouth at my ear as she sucks and bites at my earlobe.
I groan, my arms tightening around her. “No,” I murmur.
“No, you don’t want cake?”
I nuzzle at her neck wanting fucking everything right now. “I want cake,” I whisper, kissing my way to her mouth. “And I want you.”
Her lips find mine, brushing across them in the softest of kisses. “You can have both.”
“Good,” I groan, deepening the kiss, never wanting any of this to end.
Eventually though, I do have to do something about the condom situation, so I gently ease Ruby off me, immediately missing the feel of her body wrapped around mine.
“Let me go take care of this,” I tell her. “And get cake,” I add, smiling as I lean down to kiss her.
I walk out to the kitchen, ditching the condom in the trash before putting the cake in the fridge and grabbing two beers. Then I pick up the slices she cut earlier and take it all back to her room. Ruby is lying in bed already, smiling as I walk in and join her.
“Oh holy shit,” I moan when I finally taste the cake she’s made me.
Ruby giggles. “Is that good?”
I shovel some more in, amazed at the trouble she’s gone to for me today. “Good?” I say around my mouthful. “Ruby, this is fucking delicious.”
She laughs again before trying it herself and the two of us eat in peaceful silence.
After we’re done, I take her plate from her hands, pulling her closer so she’s lying propped against the pillows as I rest my head on her chest, my arms wrapped around her.
“Thank you, Ruby,” I whisper, pressing my lips to her skin, right against her heart. “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”
I feel her fingers in my hair, gently brushing it back. “You’re welcome,” she says quietly. “I just wanted you to have a really nice day.”
“Mmm,” I murmur, nuzzling her. “It was way more
than nice.”
She laughs softly, her fingers still running through my hair. It feels so fucking good to be touched like this, to feel her warm skin against mine and to hear her heart beating beneath my ear.
“Can I ask you something?” she eventually says.
I lift my head, my eyes meeting hers. “You can ask me anything.”
She smiles, her finger tracing my eyebrow. “You said it had been a long time since…”
“Yeah,” I tell her, letting out a soft laugh. “It has, a really long time.”
“Like…?”
“Like, I don’t know, six months, maybe longer,” I admit. “And even that was nothing serious, just a…you know…” I trail off, not really wanting to admit that my sex life for the past two years has been nothing but a couple of random and extremely intermittent one-night stands that always left me feeling empty and shit. “What about you?” I ask, my chin resting on her chest. “That’s a pretty big box of condoms you have there?” I tease, my eyes flicking to the box on her nightstand.
Ruby blushes, a hand on her face now and I can’t help but laugh as I pull it away.
“What? You can tell me,” I say, trying to ignore this sudden feeling of jealousy that rears up inside me.
“Well,” she says, biting her lip, her cheeks a little pink. “That actually came from your sister.”
“What?”
“Yeah, she um…she kinda gave it to me after you started sleeping in here. You know, just in case,” she says, air quoting the last part.
“Oh my god,” I say laughing, part of me appalled at the fact my sister did that and part of me eternally grateful because she’s just saved me from a massive case of blue balls.
“I know,” Ruby says, now laughing. “When I tried to correct her, she then played it off like her and Reid didn’t need them because they were all serious and shit, but I didn’t buy it.”
“No,” I reply, chuckling. “I don’t either.” I pull myself up a little, so I’m hovering over her, feeling weirdly nervous about how I actually ask my next question. “So, no one serious for you?”
