Page 6 of Wild Card (Royal Bastards MC: Cody, Wyoming #1)

SIX

Ruby

B rett has been silent our entire journey home. All night, he’s faked smiles while people congratulated us, but I’ve sensed the anger growing inside him. I’ve felt it in the way he’s crushed my hand in his, and now he’s driving these roads far too fast.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper when we get closer to home. Hearing the tremble in my voice makes me realize that I’m scared, and it confuses me. Sure, Brett can fly off the handle, but he’d never hurt me.

Brett says nothing, just focuses on the road ahead, and narrows his eyes.

“Brett, talk to me,” I beg him, trying to remember a time when I’ve ever seen him this mad.

Last Halloween, when three boys egged his car, he completely lost it, but even then, he wasn’t this angry.

He flies past the turning into town, which I assume means he’s not taking me home, and although I’m feeling like it would be best that he did, I decide to say nothing.

We really need to talk about the fact that I’m still wearing the huge diamond ring on my finger, and maybe when we get back to his place, he’ll be ready to do that.

He pulls up outside his father’s mansion, gets out, and slams the car door so hard that the whole car rattles. I close my eyes and take a breath before getting out and slowly following him inside.

He throws his keys down at the marble floor and slides his hands through his hair like he’s trying not to lose control, while I stand in silence and wait for him to be ready.

“Do you have any fucking idea how much you humiliated me tonight?” he yells as he turns around to face me.

“Brett, I’ve said I’m sorry. I was just so shocked and I?—”

“ Fuck! ” He startles me when he kicks the side table.

“You need to calm down so we can talk.”

“Calm down! Calm fucking down?” He charges at me, gripping hold of my arms and slamming me back against the door. “I asked you to marry me and you laughed in my fucking face.” His face is so close to mine that his spittle lands on my face.

“I told you I was sorry, I wasn’t expecting it.” I turn my head to the side and wait for him to release his fingers from where they’re digging into my biceps.

“You’d think a girl like you would be grateful.” He laughs to himself when he finally backs down.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask as he takes off his suit jacket and loosens his tie.

“You know exactly what it means, Ruby. I only started dating you because I felt sorry for you. Everyone in this goddamn town feels sorry for you.” He laughs some more as I stare at him in confusion.

“You work in that run-down bar; you even have to fucking live there because you can’t make your rent.

You’re gonna end up just like your momma,” he sniggers.

“So what if I do? My mom was a good person; I could do a lot worse than turning out like she did. Brett, why are you being so cruel?”

“I’m just telling you how everyone else sees it.” He shrugs before heading up the stairs.

“Take that back.” I chase after him. There’s no reason for him to bring my mom into this, and just when I’m almost caught up, he quickly turns around and strikes me across the cheek.

I stand in shock, feeling my lip throb from where the huge ring his father gave him for his twenty-first birthday caught it.

“Fuck, Ruby, I’m sorry.” The rage on his face instantly disappears as he reaches out for me, but I step back, looking down and seeing the blood on my fingers after I touch it to my mouth.

“Ruby.” Brett shakes his head like he’s confused as I continue to back away from him. “Ruby, come on, I said I was sorry. I just—” I spin on my heels and march out the door, passing his car and rushing toward the gate as fast as these stupid shoes will allow..

“Ruby, get back here!” he yells at me from the door, but instead of doing what he says, I reach down, take off my heels, and run.

The whole town seems to be in darkness when I eventually get back to it.

The streets are empty, and I can’t help feeling relieved.

The last thing I’d want is for someone to see me like this.

I get to the back door of the bar, and curse myself when I realize I’ve left my purse in Brett’s car.

I can’t wake up Earl and have him see me like this.

My lip’s feeling sore and swollen, and I’m too tired to come up with an excuse for why, right now.

I’m still in shock that Brett lost his temper to that extreme, and I don’t care how sorry he is; he was wrong.

I walk around the front to try that door.

Earl was running the bar by himself tonight.

He’s getting old, and there’s every chance he could have fallen asleep while cashing up and left the door unlocked.

I sigh with relief when I try it and it opens, though inside is pitch black.

I close the door behind me, pulling across the two bolts when I figure it’s better than nothing, and when I smell a strong scent of cigarette smoke, I look around and notice a cherry burning red in the corner where Ash was sitting earlier.

“Good night?” I recognize his voice and roll my eyes.

“What the hell are you doing sitting here in the dark? You could have given me a heart attack.” I march straight for the back door so I can head up to my room.

I just want to be alone so I can figure out what I’m doing with my life.

I know I shouldn’t let it, but what Brett said about my mom is really getting to me.

For the short time she lived here, everyone in town liked her.

Him being mean about her because he was mad at me was unfair.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Ash must get up, because I hear his heavy boots against the wood floor, getting closer. “How was the fancy party, pretty girl?” I feel his breath against my face, and I don’t know why, but I will for him to touch me.

“I need to get to bed,” I whisper, closing my eyes and breathing him in; he smells like cigarettes, single malt, and danger. It’s a lethal combination, so why do I find it so appealing?

“This really is a sleepy little town, ain’t it?” He laughs to himself. “It’s only just past eleven, and the place is dead.”

“Ash, I’m tired, and don’t you have a clubhouse to hang out at?”

“Stay up; have a drink with me.” He gets even closer, so close that his lips are almost touching mine.

“I don’t think that's a good idea,” I whisper.

“It’s a terrible idea, but a lot of good things come outta bad choices. Why don’t you make me one of yours?”

“Because I don’t hook up with bikers.” I shove him out my way and head for the door.

“Ouch, you sure know how to sting a guy.” He moves again, this time to block the door, and I’m just about to tell him to move, but he flicks the light on.

“Ruby, what the fuck happened to your face?” That cocky smile I imagined would be on his face isn’t there. Instead, he looks very serious.

“Nothing happened.” I stare down at the floor because I’m a shit liar.

“Then how the hell do you have a fat lip?” He shocks me when he takes my chin between his index finger and thumb and forces my head up into the light so he can get a better look at it. “You need to tell me what happened.” He looks me dead in the eyes, forcefully.

“I don’t have to tell you anything.” I find a little sass despite everything that's happened tonight. “I don’t even know you. This is none of your business.”

“Bull shit.” Taking my hand, he drags me toward the bar, sits me on a barstool, then disappears behind it.

“What are you looking for?” I ask when he starts searching under its surface.

“What d’ya think I’m looking for? A first aid kit or something.”

“Ash, it’s really not that bad.” I shake my head. I really don’t need all this fuss.

“`Got it!” He slams it on the bar beside me, then pours two glasses of whiskey before joining me on the other side. “Drink this, you look like you need it.” He hands me the tumbler, then sets to work opening the box and taking out some cotton and the liquid alcohol.

“So, ya gonna tell me what happened?” he asks again, and I knock back the whiskey to avoid his question.

“This is gonna sting,” he warns before dabbing the cotton to my lip.

He wasn’t fucking lying. It stings like hell, and when I flinch, he uses his free hand to cradle my face and keep it in place.

I stare into his dark brown eyes while he takes care of me, and he starts to smile.

“Watcha lookin’ at?” he asks, staring right back at me and placing down the cotton once he’s done.

“I’m just surprised. Thank you.” I manage a smile back at him despite the fact it causes more stinging.

“You're welcome.” His voice comes out soft as he tucks my hair behind my ear again. This time, I appreciate how careful his fingers are, and for some unknown reason, my eyes fill up with tears.

“What happened, Rube?” he whispers, and when I close my eyes and a tear spills down my cheek, he catches it with his thumb.

“Rube? I don’t think we know each other well enough to–”

“Stop avoiding the question. He did this to ya, didn’t he?”

I feel sick just thinking about it.

“Ruby, if he hit yo–”

“He didn’t hit me; it wasn’t like that.”

“Then explain to me how the hell it was.” He turns angry. “What the fuck was that jumped-up prick thinking?” He starts heading toward the door.

“Where are you going?” I leap off the stool and follow him.

“To teach that preppy son of a bitch a fuckin’ lesson.” I rush to stand in front of it before he gets there.

“Ash, this really isn’t your problem, just leave it.”

“Yeah, well, I’m making it my problem.” He tries to reach around me, and I grab his hand.

“Please, don’t. You’ll just make it worse.”

“Hell, yeah, I’mma make it fuckin’ worse.

” He goes to open it again, and not knowing how else to stop him, I reach up on my toes and press my mouth against his.

My lip hurts, but I take the pain, lifting my hands up to frame his face and holding him against me tighter.

At first, Ash does nothing, just stands static while I’m stuck to his face like a leech.

Then, suddenly out of nowhere, his tongue invades mine, and the force of his body pushes me back against the door.

Something in the pit of my stomach erupts, making me want to climb up his body and cling to him, but I manage to contain myself, and eventually, when I’ve run out of oxygen, I gently push him away.

“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes to avoid the smug look on his face. I bet this guy gets women throwing themselves at him all the time.

“Whatcha sorry for, darlin’?” he asks, holding up my chin and sliding his thumb over my bottom lip. “If you wanted me to kiss ya all better, all you had to do was ask.”

“I…I shouldn’t have done that.” I slip under his arm and bury my face in my hands. “I think we should go to bed. Forget this happened and just start afresh tomorrow.”

“What the hell is that?” he asks, taking the hand I’m wearing the ring on and looking at it in disgust.

“That's a long story that I don’t want to get into right now. Like I said, it ain’t your business.”

“You're engaged to this guy?” He disregards what I just said. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“You make a lot of judgments for someone who doesn’t know me,” I snap back at him.

“Oh, I’d say you just made things pretty fuckin’ familiar between us.” He laughs sarcastically, reaching around my hip, grabbing my ass, and dragging me onto his body. He reaches his head down like he’s going to kiss me again, and I pull back.

“Thank you for helping me, and I’m sorry about the kiss. I’m going to bed.” I turn my back and rush toward the door that leads upstairs before I lose myself again, and let him.