Chapter 38

Wyatt

This coffee shop has good coffee, but the chairs and tables suck. I can barely get my knees under this little, round, doll-size thing. This is a coffee table?

“Can I get you something, sir?” The young waitress smiles brightly as I look up at her.

“Just a coffee, please.” I’m still fucking with the table, trying to arrange my legs.

“Cream or sugar?” She smiles at me again when I glance up.

“No, thanks. Black is fine.”

“We also have some great apple pie available right now if you’re interested,” she pushes.

Now, I look at her a little closer and understand what’s going on.

Her hip’s cocked suggestively in her black-and-white uniform. As I meet her gaze, she bats her eyes briefly.

“I’ll stick with the black coffee,” I say, making my voice as dull as I feel.

I don’t even bother to watch her walk away. Instead, I look out the window at the pedestrians scurrying quickly off to wherever they’re going.

She doesn’t interest me.

In fact, not much has interested me over the last week or so. I’m so thrown off. I just fucking miss Ruby.

I haven’t been eating or sleeping. I’m seeing everything in black and white. Dull and hazy.

The indistinct view is numbing but better than the alternative.

But really, who cares? I certainly don’t.

I don’t care about anything except for the fact that I’ve lost Ruby. And I don’t want to think about that.

When Jake contacted me, I almost didn’t get back to him. How do I explain it to him? How do I not talk about it to him?

But he’s my bro. He needs to talk, so I have to have his back. And I do.

It’s just hard.

I broke the bro code fucking his sister, so the least I can do is explain myself. I assume that all came out when Ruby got her fucking boss off in the ambulance.

Maybe he wants to update me on the lawsuit against the family or something. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.

Whatever it is, at this point, I’ll just have to deal with it.

Hey, maybe he really just wants to see how I am.

“Here’s your coffee,” my friendly waitress announces, bending slightly as she sets it on the table, exposing the top of her tits down to the nipple in front of me.

Not a twitch. My cock only has eyes for Ruby.

“Thanks,” I rasp.

Averting my eyes to the window again, I let myself think about Ruby naked beneath me. When I pin her to the bed with my cock, and she arches and uses me, squirming and moaning.

Fuck, she’s perfect.

“Hey,” she calls to me, moaning beneath me.

Wait. That’s not right.

“Wyatt?” she calls.

I jerk my eyes from the window to stare blankly at Ruby standing next to my table.

I’m speechless. I can only stare as she slowly unzips her coat, taking it off to put it over the chair back across from me.

“Can I sit?”

I just nod stupidly. I don’t want to say or do anything that will make her leave.

My friendly waitress is there before she even has her butt in the chair.

“What can I get you?” she asks, almost annoyed.

She’s sneaking looks at me from the corner of her eyes as Ruby looks at me quietly.

“I’ll just have a black coffee. Thanks,” she says.

Thankfully, the waitress leaves with Ruby’s order as I stare at my love, face-to-face.

She looks beautiful, with her halo of hair in the sunlight from the window. I want to run my fingers through it and pull her into my arms.

I clench my fists tightly and brace myself for what she has to say. Probably some closure shit that’s going to piss me off even more at myself.

I’m going to kill Jake for this later. Though I can’t blame him for wanting his revenge—I fucked his sister. If he wants to humiliate me, I guess I earned it.

Fuck.

“I want to thank you in person for what you did to Mr. Fentress,” she starts.

I watch her soft lips form the words, but I’m having trouble processing the meaning.

What? Thank me?

“I don’t...really have any experience with sexual harassment cues. According to the counselor I’ve been talking to at labor standards, I should have reported him ages ago.”

I’m baffled as I watch her eyes fill with tears.

“Instead, I let this escalate to the point where he intruded on my family time and involved you all by association. I’m so sorry.”

Tears are running down her face as her coffee shows up. The waitress drops some extra napkins before walking quietly away.

Sniffing, she picks up a napkin and wipes her eyes before looking at me again.

“So, thank you for kicking his ass. I should have done it myself, but you did a much better job.”

I bark out a short laugh, taken aback. Her giggles start and cut off quickly, as she looks at me again from under wet eyelashes.

“Do you forgive me?” she asks quietly. Her small, timid voice makes me realize I’m still sitting like an idiot, staring at her.

“Of course, Ruby. You didn’t do anything wrong! You didn’t even know. I’m sorry for fucking up things with your boss,” I finally say. The words just tumble out of my mouth.

She straightens in her chair, leaning forward over the postage stamp-size table so our faces are only a foot apart.

“You didn’t fuck things up with my boss. You assessed the situation and saw that I was in danger. You saved me.”

Her hand reaches across the table, palm up, silently asking for me to grab on. I do quickly, grasping the lifeline she’s offering.

She has no idea how much this means to me.

“You’re my hero,” she says. Squeezing tightly, she smiles softly as more tears leak from the corners of her eyes.

I just can’t help it. She shouldn’t be crying.

Reaching with my other hand, I slowly wipe her leaking tears off.

“I’m nobody’s hero. But if anyone wants to think I am, I’m thankful it’s you. You don’t have to thank me, Ruby. I would do anything for you.”

Lifting her hand to my mouth, I kiss her soft fingers tipped with green nail polish.

Hopping up, I’m afraid I’ve pushed too hard, and she’s going to leave.

She moves around the table, dropping sideways into my lap, on top of the legs that won’t fit under the table.

Throwing her arms around my neck, she hugs me tightly.

I’m slow to embrace her back because I can’t believe my good fortune. When I do, though, I have no intention of letting go.

Inhaling her soft scent, so fresh and inviting, I close my eyes and savor the moment.

She’s so small in my arms, so enticing. My cock hardens immediately as she brushes against it with her hip.

Almost like she knows, she slides her body closer into mine and begins kissing up my neck before whispering in my ear, “I missed you.”

Pulling back, she moves into my line of vision. Sincerity and regret is clear on her face.

I run my hands up her back and into her hair, then I pull her face closer to mine. Moaning, our lips meet, and she opens to my aggressive tongue.

I want her and need her so much. I’ll show her this way.

I savor her as she opens to me so sweetly.

I tug her ass higher into my lap with my arm. I can’t help grinding my needy cock against her.

She feels so good, too good.

Her hands on my shoulders push slightly, signaling she wants to stop. I slow and release her reluctantly.

We’re both panting as she rests her forehead against mine.

“I love you, Wyatt. I love you, and I’ve missed you so much.” The cloud suffocating my heart lifts instantly at her words.

I didn’t even realize just how much I needed it, but now that she has said those simple words, I feel like I can breathe.

Squeezing her, we kiss again before she tugs away.

This time, she pulls away by sitting up, separating our faces a foot or so, looking at me seriously.

“I want our life together. Please don’t give up on that. Can we try? Together?”

Her eyes flit over my face, gauging my reaction. I don’t know what she sees, but I know I would never say no to her.

Not for anything.

I’m going to be tripping over myself, trying to give her anything she could possibly want or need for a long, long time.

“Oh, baby...Ruby, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”

Brushing her hair back from her face, I lean in to peck her lips, already swollen from our kisses.

“Of course, I want to have a life with you. Nothing would make me happier.”

She throws her arms around me, hugging me again tightly.

I rock her side to side as we enjoy the moment. The relief of the past ten minutes has made me feel lighter.

Almost...happy?

Yes, definitely happy. I squeeze her tightly as the realization of just how wrapped up in her I am already settles into me. I can’t lose her again.

But then her voice is there as her lips brush my ear. “Let’s go to my place. It’s just around the corner.”

She pulls back and winks, hopping up to grab her coat and putting it on.

I dig out my wallet and quickly drop enough bills for our coffees before following her out.

The day feels brighter and warmer than when I walked in, and I’m sure it’s all because of Ruby.