Page 77 of Spark

“Thanks.”

As Nadine walks away, I pull Ruby into the laundry room and quickly lock the door behind us. That exchange has givenme the chance to slow down and gather myself, the chance for my brain to take over the wheel from my hard-on and my heart—enough, anyway, to make me realize now isn’t the time to spill my guts to Ruby, after all. In fact, now that I’m in complete control of myself again and not caught up in the moment, the kiss, the adrenaline, the feelings, I realize that doing what I was about to do very well might have been catastrophic.

Be a Doberman,I hear Savage saying as I turn around to face Ruby.Not a golden retriever on a leash. Not the guy who’s been in love with this girl for twelve years. You’re a fuckboy, Kendrick. A guy looking for a fling, and nothing more.

“That was crazy,” Ruby says, rubbing her forehead. “Did you see Nadine’s face when?—"

“It’s gotta be a fling,” I blurt, suddenly breathing hard.

Ruby presses her lips together and her eyebrows ride up.

“A friends-with-benefits fling,” I clarify. “I should have made myself clear before kissing you. That’s my bad. But that’s all this can be, Ruby. A fling.”

Ruby bites back a smile, making it clear she likes what she’s hearing. “Kind of like one of yourtourflings, you mean? The ‘tour’ being however long I’m staying at your place?’”

Well, shit. That went easier than I would have expected. Maybe even easier than I would have hoped, if I’m being honest. “Mm hm.” I drop my shirt and jacket onto a nearby chair, barely able to look at her. Suddenly, every piece of me wants to backtrack. To open my mouth and tell her I’m just kidding. That I could never treat her like a simple tour fling when I’ve loved her for so long. But before I ruin the plan so egregiously, Ruby beats me to the punch.

“I think that’s pure genius, KC.” She exhales in apparent relief. “I’m so glad we’re on the same page about this.” She sighs again. “Honestly, after the shit show with Cooper, and especially because I can’t do anything to risk our friendship, afling definitely feels like the right call. But only if we both swear, up and down, crossing that line while I’m staying with you won’t change our friendship. Kendrick, we both have to promise everything will go back to normal after the fling is over, or we really shouldn’t do this.”

22

KENDRICK

Ruby leans her ass against a dryer and flashes me a sultry smile. “You promise you won’t hate me after this the way Cooper did? He was a close friend, too. I mean, not nearly as good a friend as you are, of course. But, still, I traded my friendship with him for sex—mediocre sex, at that—and look how that turned out.” She rolls her eyes.

My brain feels like it’s physically melting. I can’t believe Savage wasthisright about everything. About Ruby’s reaction. About me needing to be a Doberman at all times. Why did I doubt him? He’s always been irresistible to women. Always. But until this moment, a small piece of me doubted him.

I clear my throat. I’m shaking. “Can you do me a favor, please, and not mention Cooper while I’m standing here, hard as a rock for you? Not to mention, I don’t appreciate being compared to a guy with the emotional intelligence of a stink bug.”

Ruby snickers. “That’s fair. Sorry.”

I take a deep breath to control my trembling. “I’m not Cooper, Ruby. I assure you, I can handle a fling, the same way you can.”

She bites back a smile. “I’m glad to hear it.”

I return her sexy smile, my body a riot of greed and desire.Is this really happening?I take another deep breath.“Is there anything else you need to chat about before I walk over there and kiss the fucking hell out of you? Don’t be shy now. There’s no rush.”

Ruby’s cheeks bloom. “Nope. I think that covers it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

“So, I can come over there and kiss you, then?”

She nods, slowly, her cheeks aflame and her breathing shallow and quick.

“I’m gonna need more than a nod, sweetheart,” I say softly. “I’m gonna need a clear and enthusiastic yes out of you, from this moment forward.”

Ruby’s smile widens. “Fuck yes. How’s that for enthusiasm?”

“It’s music to my ears.”

It’s beyond exciting to get confirmation Ruby wants this as badly as I do, even if it’s not for the same reasons as me. Plainly, she envisions this as some kind of crazy, temporary detour in our friendship. A footnote to it, rather than the origin story of our happily-ever-after. But, hey, at least, in the short-term, our goals appear to be perfectly aligned. We’re both dying to fuck. For now, that’s good enough.

With my heart crashing against my sternum, I walk slowly across the laundry room toward Ruby. And when I reach her, she immediately tilts her head back and closes her eyes, inviting me to kiss her. Exhaling slowly, I slide one arm around her waist, pull her close to me, lean down, and press my lips to hers.

After initial contact, my lips open Ruby’s and my tongue mingles with hers. And that’s it. I’m gone. Experiencing a kind of euphoria that makes my soul feel like it’s hurtling into outerspace. As my dick hardens to steel, I slide my hand down Ruby’s back to her ass, and when she moans her approval, I give her a greedy squeeze that elicits a groan from both of us.

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