Page 37 of Spark

“Fuck me, Kendrick,” Ruby rasps out, gasping for air and gripping my bare neck.

“First, you’re gonna come for me,” I growl out.

“I can’t . . . I can’t get there,” she blurts. “Fuck me. Come on.”

I don’t know why she’s saying that when her body is so plainly telling me the opposite.

Yes, every woman is a unique puzzle to unlock; I know that very well.

But I’ve never once gotten a woman this soaking wet before, while her clit is this swollen and engorged, and her moans and pants and sounds are this desperate and increasingly unhinged, and then also felt the telltale squeeze of those intimate muscles, and then not made her come within minutes.

As a matter of fact, based on what Ruby’s body is now telling me, I’d bet every dime in my fat bank account she’s going to get there in a matter of seconds.

“Oh, you’re gonna get there,” I coo. “Fuck yeah, you are, pretty baby. Right fucking now.” I lean down and lick her nipple as my hands continue their work. And when that doesn’t do the trick, I nibble on her.

That does it. She throws her head back, growls like a wild animal, digs the fingernails of one hand into my bare arm, and releases with an orgasm that feels like an undulating vise against my fingers inside her.

I’m going haywire with desire, frothing at the mouth to get my first-ever taste of Ruby, while also feeling rabid with the need to fuck her.

Not able to choose my adventure, I slide the slick, Ruby-coated fingers of one hand inside my mouth, while simultaneously reaching for my zipper with my other.

It’s a fatal mistake.

Even before I’ve unzipped my pants and freed my throbbing cock from its bondage, literally the nanosecond my tastebuds get a taste of the deliciousness that is Ruby Connolly, my eyes roll back, my balls feel like they’re exploding, and my entire body convulses with an orgasm that’s so powerful and unstoppable, my knees buckle.

I grip the edge of the dryer with both hands to keep myself upright as warm cum hurtles out of me and, unfortunately, all over the inside of my briefs and pants.

“Fuck me, Kendrick,” Ruby gasps out, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. “Oh my god, Kendrick. I can’t believe you got me there. Nobody ever has. Only Bruno. Fuck me, Kendrick. Come on.”

When my pleasure subsides, Ruby’s still looking like she’s in heat. Clearly, she’s got no idea about the mortifying thing that’s just happened to me. And the last thing in the world I want to do is confess it to her.

“Kendrick, fuck me,” Ruby whispers urgently. “What are you waiting for?”

I take a deep, steadying breath. “I-I can’t. I’m so sorry, Ruby. I . . . I . . . can’t.”

Ruby opens her eyes and stares at me. But when she glances down at my crotch, understanding washes over her. “ Oh . Did you just . . .?”

I look down, and fucking hell, there’s a large, telltale wet splotch on the front of my pants. “Yeah,” I admit. “I’m sorry. That’s never happened to me before. Usually, I can go forever. I guess I just?—”

“Don’t apologize.” She flashes me a sultry smile and runs her hand up my forearm. “Seriously, Kendrick, I’m nothing but honored.”

I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t get how this happened. I swear, it’s a first for me.”

“You haven’t had sex in a while. Plus, this whole situation feels extremely .

. . forbidden.” She snickers with glee. “You got me going like never before, literally, so it’s a huge compliment to know I did the same to you.

” When I shake my head in shame, Ruby slides her palm to my forearm and pinches me, forcing me to look at her.

“Kendrick, listen to me. My entire sexual life, I’ve never once been able to have an orgasm with a partner without a sex toy being involved.

Not once. That was a first for me. Something I’ve desperately wanted to happen for almost ten years now.

Something I didn’t think I was physically capable of doing.

” She smiles. “Not to mention, that was way better than any orgasm Bruno’s ever given me, by a long mile.

And on top of everything else, you got me there even faster than him. ”

“Seriously?”

Ruby puts her hand on her bare chest and nods. “Swear to God. So, please, don’t apologize again. If you do, I’ll be forced to slap you.”

I’m floored by all this new information.

For all these years, I’ve had no idea Ruby struggled sexually like that.

I mean, I’ve always known the girl loves herself some “me” time.

She’s never been shy about saying that. But whenever she’s commented about preferring her dildo to the real deal, I’ve never understood that’s the reason why.

I straighten up. “Your orgasm was insanely hot for me. The hottest thing I’ve ever witnessed in my life.”

Ruby smiles. “Knowing you came in your pants at the sight of me coming is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, so we’re even.” She motions to the front of my pants. “I wish I could frame those pants and put them on my wall like a trophy.”

“I’d literally have to kill you if you did that.”

She giggles. “You’re probably going to want to change before we head back into the party, huh?”

“Fuck the party. If we leave now, by the time we get to my house, I’ll be ready to go again.”

“Ooooh, count me in.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pull you away if you’re not ready to leave.” I grimace. “I’ve already done one thing prematurely tonight.”

She laughs. “Yes, I’m very, very sure. And that sounded an awful lot like an apology, Kendrick.”

“It was self-deprecating humor. That’s a totally different thing.”

“Close, though. Careful with that.”

I look down at the splooge stain on my pants. “I’m supposed to return this outfit before I leave tonight.”

Ruby cracks up. “You really can’t leave those on the rack for some poor employee to find. Can you imagine being the person assigned to retrieve those pants in the morning and realizing what they’re covered in?”

Ruby laughs at the vignette, while I can’t help grimacing.

“Looks like I’m buying them now,” I mutter.

“Seems like the only possible outcome.” With that, she raises her arms, nonverbally asking me to help her down from the dryer, and I grab her by the waist and place her gently onto her heeled feet.

From there, Ruby turns her back to me and I zip her up.

But before I release her, I move her long, pink hair to the side and kiss her bare shoulder and neck.

“I love this dress on you,” I whisper into her ear as my lips traverse her neck. “But I’m going to love it off you, even more.”

Ruby turns around, smiling. “Is this dress the reason you got the idea to have a fling with me? If so, I’m going to name my first-born child after Laila and that stylist.”

I contemplate the best, most Doberman-like answer to the question.

In reality, as sexy and hot as this dress is on Ruby, it’s preposterous to think it triggered tonight’s display of sexual attraction to her, when, in truth, I’ve wanted to do every possible sexual thing to this woman’s body since she slid into the chair next to mine twelve years ago.

“Bingo,” I say with a wink, even though every fiber of my soul wants to confess my undying love to her. “That’s one hell of a dress on you, Ruby Duby.”

“Thanks. I’m supposed to return it, too. But since you’re taking your fancy clothes home, I think I’ll do the same. What are they gonna do? Call the cops on us?”

I chuckle. “No, but they’ll most likely dock the cost from our paychecks.”

“Oh. Damn.”

“At least we earned those bonuses, right? That will cover it and then some.”

“And then some? Try again.”

“ What ? How much is that dress worth? ”

“They told me sixty-five-hundred. Isn’t our bonus a measly five grand?”

“Holy shit. Is it made of hundred-dollar bills or something? They said my outfit costs less than a grand.”

Ruby shrugs. “Welcome to the world of women’s high fashion, sweetheart. They price everything more. And don’t get me started on tampons not being universally free.”

I move a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Don’t worry about a thing, cutie. I’ll cover the cost of both our outfits. No sweat.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Yes, you can. I didn’t do a damned thing in that party to get that bonus. That money is blood money, as far as I’m concerned. Plus, I make more than you, remember? Let me do this, babe.”

We don’t talk about it much—the disparity in our earning power.

But since my appearance on Sing Your Heart Out two seasons ago, my income jumped dramatically, thanks to all the side gigs that poured in after that.

At this point, I bet I make three to four times what Ruby does.

Hence, the reason she’s got a tiny condo in the valley, and I was able to buy a three-bedroom, Spanish-style house in North Hollywood.

“Thank you so much,” she whispers, blushing. “I really appreciate that.”

“You bet.” I swallow hard. “You really didn’t have a clue about the hidden cameras?”

“Nope.”

I shift my weight. I figured she’d say that, but still, it’s good to hear one last time. “What about Cooper being at the party tonight? Were you trying to piss him off a little bit when we kissed?”

Ruby cocks her head and furrows her brow. “Cooper wasn’t even in the room when we kissed.”

“But he was around somewhere. Someone was definitely going to tell him about it. ”

“Cooper didn’t even cross my mind. I forgot he existed.” A vertical wrinkle appears between her eyebrows. “What’s going on, Kendrick?”

My heart is thrumming. “I just wanted to confirm, one hundred percent, that kiss wasn’t for show this time.”

Ruby’s features soften. She takes a step forward and lays a palm on my chest. “Kendrick, I promise, every single drop of lust you felt from me in that party, and in this laundry room, was the real deal.”

Lust .