by Anna Brooks
He grabs a bottled water from the cooler, tosses it in the air, and catches it before walking up to the register.
I clear my throat during his approach in an attempt to seem natural. “Hey.” I bob my head, but instead of looking casual, I look like a bobble head. Idiot.
He leans on the counter and points at his cheek. “Kiss me hello, Ruby.”
Excitedly, I meet him in the middle, but he turns his head to catch my lips against his. He pulls back with my bottom lip between his teeth and finally lets go then gently kisses it.
“I wish I could say I’d meet up with you after work, but the rest of my day is packed. I have two classes and my afternoon girl has a big test she has to study for, so I can’t leave at all. Plus, I have to head over to the pub to bounce as soon as I close.”
My face falls, and he offers a sympathetic smile. “Tomorrow, though, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Are you still getting a ride home with Leroy?”
“Yeah, he said he’d take me.”
“Good.”
He glances at his watch and back at me. “I’ve really gotta go. But I’ll call you later?”
“Sure.”
“Bye, Ruby.”
“Bye, Pierce.”
He lifts my hand and kisses it, and once he gets outside, I walk to the window and watch him jog back to the gym. When he reaches the door, he turns and waves at me. I would be embarrassed that he saw me watching him, but he turned to look, so whatever.
About two more hours go by when my phone vibrates in my pocket. I don’t recognize the number but answer it anyway.
“Hi. Is this Ruby Russo?”
“This is.”
“It’s Vinny from Tow and Go Automotive.”
It takes me a brief moment to remember my car is at the shop. “Yes. Hi.”
“Your car is done. It was just the battery, actually. It’s ready to pick up whenever you’re ready.”
“Oh. Well, I work til ten, so I can come by tomorrow and get it then, if that’s okay.”
He clears his throat and makes a hacking sound that causes me to dry heave a little. “I’ll be here until midnight, so come by after work. I kind of need the room in the lot anyway.”
“Sure. What’s the address again?”
He gives me the location, and I double check with Leroy that it’s not too far out of his way to drop me off. The rest of the day goes by like normal, and Leroy and I finish all the closing duties of the store and drive to the shop.
We’re on the road for ten minutes before I apologize. “This is farther than I thought, Leroy. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not that bad, Ruby. I don’t mind at all.”
Twenty more minutes later, Leroy follows me inside, and when the bell jingles on the door, footsteps get closer. The same driver, Vinny, rounds the corner and glares at Leroy.
“Hi, I’m here for my car.”
“Yeah, figured that.” Vinny hands me an invoice and I give him my card, which he swipes quickly. “Sign.”
I scribble my signature, and when Vinny leans down to grab my keys, I give Leroy the wide eyes. He mouths I know and I roll my eyes. This guy is an asshole.
Vinny hands me my keys and I hoof it out of there as fast as I can. Leroy follows right behind me until the first light, and he honks when he turns right and I go left.
The apartment is dead quiet thankfully, so I set my purse on the counter and put a frozen mac and cheese in the microwave. I talked to my mom earlier today, and she was in a good mood. I’m sad I missed the time with her because I was working, but I have to save money because I don’t know what the future holds. Since I’m the sole provider, I need to be smart about it.
While I’m waiting for it to heat up, I grab a fork and fill a cup with water from the sink. My phone chimes, so I unlock it and read the text.
Pierce: You got home okay, right?
Me: Yes. I went with Leroy to get my car so I just got home a few minutes ago.
Instead of a text response, my phone rings and I answer it. “Hey.”
“You went to that shop without me?”
“Leroy went in with me, why?”
“I wanted to go with you.”
“I’m not stupid, Pierce. I wouldn’t walk into an auto shop by myself at almost midnight. Especially after what happened with him,” I snap defensively. I might be young, and I may have been sheltered, but I have more street smarts than most.
“I’m not saying you are. I’m sorry if it sounded that way. I just wanted to be there with you, that’s all.”
“It’s fine.”
The sound of glass breaking makes Pierce swear. “Sorry, babe. I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He hangs up before I can respond, just as my microwave timer beeps. I stir the noodles and melted cheese then go to the living room and sit on the couch. I found an old TV at a thrift shop and placed it on the floor with a pair of bunny ears that allows a few local stations to come in semi-clear.
The news is on and a story about Vegas flashes across the screen; my food turns to cement in my stomach, and I spit out the bite in my suddenly dry mouth.
I spill the cardboard container as I jump up and run out to my patio. The fresh air does little to calm me, and I lean down with my hands on my knees to bring as much oxygen to my lungs as possible.
Flashes and memories begin to taper away, and I slowly sit down and rest my back against the sliding glass door. I was tired a few long minutes ago, but now I know it will be a horrible night of insomnia. What was at one point a defense mechanism has become a torturous reminder of events I pray to forget.
I’ve quickly learned the best way for me to get over my fears is to find a distraction. I need to remind myself that I’m safe. There hasn’t been any contact from any of them since I left, and I don’t plan on there being any. Not with what I told them I had on them.
I go back inside, grab my purse, and head to the twenty-four-hour grocery store. A chore for some, a novelty for me.
Once I start pushing the cart inside, I realize I’ve gotten one that pulls to the right. Instead of being annoyed, I revel in the fact that I’ll need to push it slower, ultimately wasting more time. I plan to spend a couple of hours here, so any excuse not to look like a freak hanging out in the produce section is a good one. It’s bright in here and there are people around, a perfect place to hang out in the middle of the night.
I painstakingly choose some fruit and a couple of peppers, then go to the first aisle. The cart starts to squeak and shake halfway through, and I curse when it veers off to the right and knocks over a display of cracker boxes.
“Here, let me help you.” My head snaps to the side to find where the deep voice is coming from. A guy stands there looking at me with two boxes of crackers in his hands. “These things can be tricky to navigate.” He nods toward the cart.
“Yes, they can. Thank you.” I tuck my hair behind my ears and bend down to pick up the rest of the boxes. We stack them and I offer a smile of thanks. He’s attractive enough, reddish hair and piercing green eyes. His jaw is square and dark stubble adorns his face. I begin to back away, though. My flight instinct is on high alert, and I hate that I automatically think the worst of people. I prepare myself to be my own defender.
It’s difficult because in the past I knew that I was safe, and I never questioned it in this aspect of my life. Stranger danger and all that stuff. It was kind of hard to with a bodyguard following me everywhere. But now that that’s gone, it’s such a strange feeling of relief and terror. I’m regretting my decision to come here; I thought it was a good idea because I’ve been fine before. This is the first time, though, that someone’s ever confronted me.
“I’m Pete.” He interrupts my thoughts.
“Oh, um. Hi.” I slide my feet a couple inches away, prepared to just leave my food and run to the car if I have to.
“Do you have a name to match that pretty face?”
A nervous laugh escapes my l
ips, and I look at the floor thinking of a way to get out of this situation. Is he flirting? Harmless? A predator? Just being a nice guy? It’s late, but other people are here. He wouldn’t try to grab me, would he? Follow me? Oh God, what if he follows me to my car?
God, you’re stupid, Ruby. What was I thinking coming here alone? Dad was right when he said I wouldn’t last in the real world.
I should have just stayed home and suffocated myself by being locked in my apartment. God, I’m so fucked up.
“Don’t tell me a pretty little thing like you is shy?” He cranes his neck to the side in an almost eerie manner and a chill runs down my spine.
I lift my head to say something. Not sure what. If I blow him off, will it make him mad?
“She’s not shy. She’s taken.” A strong hand grips my wrist and pulls me back into an even stronger chest. I freeze in terror for a brief second before I recognize the voice. Pierce’s arm wraps all the way around my shoulder, his strong forearm rests possessively on my collarbone, and I have no choice but to lean into him. For a brief moment, I allow his body to comfort mine, imagining what it would be like to feel like this all the time. To be able to actually sleep in his strength and greedily suck up the tranquility I find in his presence.
The other man lifts his hands in surrender. “Sorry, bro. Can’t blame me.” His eyes trail up and down my body as he backs away. Pierce’s bicep tightens as a deep rumble in his chest vibrates against me.
Once the guy is out of sight, I try to pull away, but Pierce doesn’t let me.
“I hate guys like him.” He says it out loud, but I’m not sure if he’s expecting a response, so I don’t give one.
He steps next to me, and his arm slides across my chest, his fingers grazing my collarbone. A different kind of chill follows in the wake of his fingertips. He rests his arm on my shoulder like he doesn’t want to let me go. Please don’t let me go. With his other hand, he grabs my cart and drives it forward. Of course, the stupid thing stays straight. Figures.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m the first bouncer to leave, so as soon as it slowed a bit, I left.” He smiles. “I ran out of kale this morning, so I wanted to stop and get some. And I ran into this beautiful woman who I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all day.”
We round the corner and get to the cereal aisle. He drops his arm and I walk a couple of feet away and grab some sugary crap for me. Since he hasn’t said anything else, I figure I need to say something. “What did you mean about those kind of guys?”
He rocks back on his heels. “The ones who think they can take whatever they want. Feel like everything should be handed to them. Like they don’t need to put any work in to get the reward.”
I press my lips together and begin pushing the cart again. “Work?”
“Effort is needed to reach your goal. Prizes aren’t handed to you on a silver platter.”
“Hmm.” I toss the box in my cart and push it a couple of feet forward. “He was just helping me pick up the boxes.”
“Ruby, he wanted in those tight little shorts.”
My feet stop, as does the cart, and he bumps into me from behind. His hands gently grip my upper arms and his fingers dig in a little bit before he releases me. He trails the tips of them down and steps to my side.
What if that guy really did? What if he took what wasn’t his? In an attempt not to show my insanely pessimistic personality, I give the guy the benefit of the doubt, because sometimes just pretending there’s good in people is better than the harsh reality.
“He was just being nice.”
“No, he wasn’t,” he snaps and runs a hand over the top of his head.
A woman turns the corner and huffs because we’re in the way. Pierce pushes the cart to the side, giving her a tight smile. He crowds me into the shelves but not in an aggressive way. Just enough so she can walk by.
My heart pounds and I slowly look up at Pierce. One of his hands flexes on the handle of the shopping cart, the other on the shelf next to my head. His body isn’t touching mine, but the heat coming from him has me on the verge of panting.
When I trail my eyes from his tight jaw up past his cheekbones to his brown eyes, I swallow loudly and moisten my lips. Pierce’s nostrils flare just a little bit, and he steps closer — close enough so I can feel him, all of him. The hand that was on the shelf next to my head is suddenly on the side of my face. He takes his other hand off the cart and places it on my neck. His thumb makes a swipe across the side of my jaw before he drops it.
Chapter 12
Pierce
I DROP MY HAND and step away from Ruby. As hard as I am right now, and as tightly as I’m wound up, I need to back off. She’s definitely not ready for me to unleash all the pent-up frustration I’ve had imagining what she’d feel like underneath me, especially in the middle of a damn grocery store. I want her in my bed and on my couch and over my desk, on the mats at the gym, in my car. God, just the thought of her tight little body naked and bared to me causes every single muscle in me to tighten.
Everything about this girl is perfect. Her light brown hair, her brown eyes, her perky breasts, her small body. Even her voice. It’s like butter, smooth and soft.
But she’s so shy and inexperienced. So painfully shy that I feel like a jerk for even talking to her with all the thoughts that run through my head. All I have to do is look at her and her face flushes. She avoids eye contact and constantly tucks her hair behind her cute little ears. It hasn’t been long at all, but I’m dying for her to tell me that she’s ready. I won’t push her, though. I’ll wait forever if that’s what it takes to get her to trust me and to open up to me. The last thing I want to do is chase her off before I’ve even started.
When I happened to walk down the aisle, I recognized her right away. But when I heard that guy trying to spit some lame pick-up line on her like that, I held myself back from breaking his jaw. That’s also something so out of my comfort zone it scares me. I do not allow my temper to get a hold of me; I don’t let douchebags spike my anger. But for her, yeah — for her, nothing is the same.
If she knew about this carnal desire I feel toward her, she’d run away. So I continue backing up and grab her cart. She needs slow. I do too, though, because I already feel like I’m doing a one-eighty around this girl.
“Let’s finish shopping. I’m exhausted.” She relaxes at my words.
She slowly walks next to me through the rest of the aisles. When she reaches up on a top shelf to grab a can of vegetables, her shirt rises a bit and a small slit of tanned skin peeks out. I bite back a groan and continue watching, disappointed when her skin is no longer visible after she puts the can in the cart.
“Don’t you need to shop?”
I shamelessly drag my eyes up until they reach hers. I did. Until I walked up the aisle and saw the wannabe player drooling over her. She was oblivious, and that almost made me mad, too. She should always be aware of her surroundings, especially when a guy like that is talking to her.
She probably sees the good in people and doesn’t realize what a guy like that really wanted by helping her out. When he called her a pretty little thing, I almost lost it. I’m the only one allowed to call her that. My body had no control over myself when I pulled her against me. The last thing I’d want to do is make her uncomfortable, but she melted into me and allowed me to take care of her, which is something I never wanted to do before with anyone other than my family.
“No, I don’t need to shop anymore. I’ll be fine.”
Her brows draw together. “I’m fine, Pierce. I appreciate you stepping in, but I’ll be fine.”
She has no clue. Absolutely none. No way in hell would I leave her in here with that guy still wandering around. She shouldn’t be anywhere alone … I clench my fists together at the thought of what could have happened if I wasn’t here.
“I’m good,” I tell her, hoping I keep the sudden rage off my face.
“But—”
“Listen. That guy was a douchebag, and I’m not leaving you alone. Don’t you know that about me yet?”
“But I’m fine. I shop all the time by myself.”
“Not today. Not with me.”
She only gives a small jerk with her head, and I follow behind her as she finishes loading her cart. After she checks out and we’re at her car, I help load her groceries into the trunk and push the cart into the collection corral.
“You’re working tomorrow normal time, right?” I ask, as I open her door.
She looks at me then at the door then back at me again. “Yeah.”
“I’ll see you for sure during the day. We can make plans then. Let me follow you home.” It’s not a question, and when she opens her mouth to argue, I shoot her a look telling her just that.
She nods. “Okay.”
“I’m right there.” I point at my black Camaro, but then realize she’s already been in it. “Wait for me.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
I jog to my car and reverse out of the spot then wait for her to do the same. She’s adorable, only riding a few miles above the speed limit. At a stoplight, her eyes catch mine in her mirror and I swear my heart pounds a little harder. A short time later, she pulls into her subdivision with several buildings. At the very first driveway, she parks at the rear of the building and I back into one of the visitor spots.
By the time I get to her car, she’s already taking out her grocery bags and I tug them from her grip. “I’ll take them.”
“It’s okay, I can do it.”
“Don’t argue with me, baby. I’m walking you in.”
Her head jerks back and her beautiful eyes widen like saucers. “I don’t want you to.”
Chapter 13
Ruby
PIERCE ACTUALLY FLINCHES AS I reach for the bags, but his reflexes are much faster than mine are, and he grabs my wrist in a gentle but firm hold. “I realize we don’t know each other that well, but let me fill you in on a little something.” His grip relaxes and his thumb rubs over my pulse point. “I am not the kind of man who is going to let a woman, especially not you, walk alone to her car or her apartment at two in the morning.”
