It was a running joke between us. A few nights after my sister and Dominic had returned from living abroad in Japan, I’d taken them out to dinner, and Payton made the bet the waitress would find her fiancée more attractive than me.

I’d lost that one, but won the dollar back when we asked the hostess. It had passed hands countless times, but currently was tucked in my wallet. It’d been the bartender the last time we’d gone out for drinks. He’d winked at me right after, and al

though I didn’t swing that way, I’d still take it as a win.

“Okay, Mr. Fucking Perfect,” Payton said. “My New Year’s resolution is to find you a special lady friend. And by lady friend, I mean someone you can stick your dick in.”

“Jesus.” I swallowed hard and choked on the spit. “You’re my sister.”

“Yeah, and you’re my mopey big brother who clearly needs to get laid. I can offer Dominic up as a wingman, but he’s too distracting. The wedding ring only slows the hoes down.” She glanced across the room. “Joseph. He needs a new project.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about Joseph. As time went by, I was coming to terms with the club and Joseph’s role in all of it, but he’d set my sister down a path I wasn’t happy with.

“I don’t care to be referred to as a project, and you don’t seem to understand how resolutions work,” I said. “You can’t set one for someone else.”

My sister shrugged. “I do what I want, Kyle.”

Yeah, wasn’t that the fucking truth?

Black and gold balloons were suspended in netting over the dance floor of the Opulent Hotel’s ballroom, waiting for the clock to hit midnight and start the new year. Round tables covered with black tablecloths and gold napkins surrounded the hardwood tiles on three sides. The simple, temporary stage was on the fourth, and held the deejay booth.

I’d done what was required of me at the fundraiser twenty minutes ago. The superintendent gave a long speech, and I’d been called on stage to accept a plaque and handshake as the school’s gesture of gratitude. It’d been awkward, holding the man’s hand and my smile for a long moment while pictures were taken.

Did I need to stay all the way until midnight? I took a sip of my drink, which was far more Coke than bourbon, and glanced around the room. Frank Sinatra sang from the speakers and couples had partnered up on the dance floor, swaying to the music. Cocktail dresses sparkled in the soft chandelier light.

I needed to get out of here before the balloons rained down on all the happy partygoers. I was starting off another year in Chicago alone.

Fuck it.

Payton’s resolution for me was stupid, but true. I could call Julius and ask for a wingman, but I was pretty sure he was holding out hope for Courtney. I’d had dinner with him right after Christmas, a casual thing to watch a college bowl game. How long would my new friend wait after the divorce was finalized, and would he make a move at all? Or would Julius wait forever to see if Courtney was interested in him as more than a friend?

I could call Joseph as well. After Payton had pitched her “project” to him, he’d set his gaze on me and seemed pleased. But I didn’t need help or a wingman. There was no reason to go trolling bars, or list myself on dating websites. I was done kidding myself. I already knew what I wanted, and I hated it.

There wasn’t a ring on Ruby’s finger.

Sure, we were both still angry, but there’d been feelings between us before. Strong, deep ones. What would have happened if I’d stayed in Chicago? Would there be a ring on her finger now?

I stared down at my drink. Maybe it was stronger than I thought.

Whatever. I’d convinced her to give me a shot once. Could I do it again? And . . . did I really want to? There were days when simply hearing her name scraped at the hole left where she’d ripped my heart out.

At that exact moment, the universe tilted on its axis.

A woman in a pale pink dress stood at the bar, her intense gaze locked onto me. My knees softened and I tightened my grip on my glass, fighting against the weak response. Her dark hair was pinned up, and her lips were stained a vibrant red, the same shade as her name.

Ruby.

Chapter

SIX

RUBY

Breath halted in my lungs. Kyle’s tuxedo was simple. Maybe it wasn’t even a tux, but a jet black suit he owned and a matching silk tie. He looked out of place, standing alone with his fingers curled on a glass tumbler, while everyone else mingled around him.

The moment he saw me, hairs lifted on my arms. Every nerve ending in me fired up to the ready. As anticipated, he looked amazing, and it pissed me off. What was I doing here? Was I really this stupid? I must have suffered PTSD last time I’d seen him, because I’d forgotten his magnetic effect.

The flood of emotions overtook me. Desire. Longing. And on top of it all, heart aching pain.

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