Color burst off in the distance, lighting the night sky, and we turned together to look at it. A series of fireworks exploded in reds and brilliant golds, and rained down over Lake Michigan. It had to be the New Year’s Eve fireworks display over Navy Pier. Which meant—
“Happy New Year, Kyle.” It was barely a whisper.
I turned my head to look at her, and her mouth sealed over mine.
Chapter
EIGHT
Ruby’s soft lips pressed against my mouth, and everything went offline. Her kiss shut me down faster than a sustained ruling on an objection. Desire took command. I tightened my hold on her so she was fitted against me, and then I kissed her back.
Her kiss was sweet and slow, but mine was an assault. When her lips parted, I slipped my tongue inside her warm mouth, taking possession. Claiming and branding her, like she was mine. I deepened the kiss, pushing into her, forcing her head to tilt back just enough so she’d welcome me further.
I wasn’t in control. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to touch her, and definitely wasn’t going to kiss her. Everything was unraveling, and I hated it. I poured my frustration into my movement, dominating and taking from her. Ruby’s soft moan fed into my desire, and it pumped through my bloodstream.
Five years I’d wondered what our kiss goodbye would have tasted like. I imagined it would have been a lot like this. Our kiss dripped with longing and need, and burned with heartache.
No.
I braced my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, severing the connection of our mouths, and we stood staring at each other with disbelief, gasping for air. The heat of the room was to blame for the mistake of that kiss. Or maybe the music. And certainly her dress.
“All this time,” she said, “I believed you left without saying goodbye.”
“I did leave without saying goodbye.” My hands were still holding her shoulders. Why was that? Why hadn’t she squirmed away, and why the hell couldn’t I let her go? “So, goodbye, Ruby.”
Her expression hardened into pure determination, and she took a step toward me. Like a strange dance where she was leading, I backed up to keep my arms straight and not allow her to come closer.
“I loved you. You know I did. Even when you never said it back!”
The wall inside me eroded and I finally dropped my hold. Anger and hurt seeped through the cracks, making my voice build. “If that’s true, how could you think for one fucking second I’d walk away from you like that? Jesus! Did you consider any other scenario where I wasn’t an enormous asshole?”
Her mouth hung open.
The silence should have calmed me, but instead I grew angrier. “I waited for you at your apartment because I knew you wouldn’t blow me off. I mean, the thought never even crossed my mind.” My tone was as dark as the sky outside. “But it seems like me abandoning you was the only thought you had.”
“That’s not fair. We were supposed to meet at your place, but it was empty and you were gone. What was I supposed to think? If the roles were reversed, you would have thought the same!”
“No, I wouldn’t have. And I definitely wouldn’t have jumped on the first piece of ass I could find twelve hours later.”
“What?”
Fucking hell. “I could barely get a word in when I called at two a.m. You were too busy telling me about the guy you’d brought home from the bar.”
Her expression twisted from outright shock to confusion. “I didn’t. I would never—”
I had to point out the obvious. “You don’t even remember talking to me, so . . .”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I went out with my sister, yeah. But I was so drunk and miserable, she took me back to her dorm room.” Her tone was sharp as a knife. “I slept on her floor, very much alone, and woke up to the text message from you.”
I wanted to believe her, but my lingering anger was hard to overcome.
“If I said I was with anyone else, it was a lie. Just an extension o
f the shit I said earlier.” She gazed at me with fresh hurt. “I was drunk and defensive. I can’t believe you thought I’d really do that.”
“You realize you’re telling me you lied repeatedly, and in the same breath I’m supposed to believe you when you say you loved me?”
A noise of frustration tore from her throat. “I’ve gone five fucking years hating you for the wrong reasons.”