Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

T he Guy

Macklin

She ruined me. It’s been two weeks since she moved into our house. Since I saw her naked body. I shouldn’t be remembering her curves or the way her plump breasts looked. I shouldn’t be thinking of her naked at all, but I was at a loss of how to scrub that day from my mind. I’d gone home after morning skate because I forgot a textbook, and now my life was fucked five ways to Sunday. I’ve wanted Ruby Foxx ever since I could remember wanting a girl. We came to Riverside U the same year because I couldn’t imagine being apart from her or Hayden. In some way I was hoping she’d choose her first-choice school, which was Westfall U, just so I wouldn’t have to watch all the guys hitting on her. No, that wasn’t the real reason I didn’t want her here. The truth is, I wanted her like my next breath, but I wasn’t willing to screw up my friendship with Hayden. Going after Ruby would mean sudden death to our long friendship. It was a price I couldn’t pay. He was the only family I had. Besides, Ruby had always been a good girl. Sure, the guys all wanted her in high school, but she kept her nose in the books and trained hard on the track team. Knowing she was not dating anyone was a relief. We had boarded a bus from our hometown together. Heck, her abuela even paid my bus ticket to Riverside U. We sat side by side on the bus in eerie silence. I didn’t know what to expect from my time at Riverside. I was playing on the hockey team, and I couldn’t be distracted by her perfect blue eyes or her long honey hair. When we were younger, I knew to keep my distance, but Ruby was a woman now and she had all the mouthwatering curves a man could ask for. I knew back in high school she didn’t get around, but to keep my sanity at Riverside U I kept my distance. I lived my life. I had different girls in my bed all the time. Everything was perfect until that fateful morning two weeks ago. Now I can’t sleep, I can’t stop thinking of Ruby, and I don’t want to bring any girls to my bed. Like I said, she ruined me. I liked having control of all situations, maybe because growing up it felt like there were so many things out of my control and having a plan and compartmentalizing made things easier.

Now, Ruby was living under the same roof as me. I had seen her naked body, and I was sure that someone up above was messing with me in every way possible because dangling her in front of me was like dangling forbidden fruit in front of someone who was not allowed to eat fruit. Okay, that was a bad analogy, and I should not be thinking about eating any part of Ruby. I should not think of the small mound of hair I saw between her legs as I reached down to help her with her towel. I’m not even sure why I tried to help her cover herself, other than I panicked and wasn’t thinking straight.

The carefully planned life I was living shattered the day she moved in here. Now, I was emotion-eating a pint of coffee H?agen-Dazs ice cream in my room, on my bed, with the knowledge Ruby was out with a guy on a fourth date. I should not have been privy to that information, but the guy came to pick her up from the house and Hayden grilled him with some questions. I was sure my best friend was going to say he wasn’t good enough for his sister but, to my dismay, he liked the dude.

I use my spoon to dig out more ice cream to find my pint is empty. If I keep eating this way, I am going to lose my six-pack. I get up from bed and trudge downstairs. Aaron, Cade, and Luc are at the kitchen table doing schoolwork.

“What’s up, bro?” Cade asks.

“Not much,” I reply. I go to the fridge and open it, even though I don’t know what I am looking for.

I hear the front door open. I’m expecting it to be Hayden returning from a hookup, so I go to meet him at the front door but it’s Ruby at the door with her stud.

“Hi, Mack,” she greets. “This is Knox.”

“Hey, bro, nice to meet you,” Knox says, stepping forward to shake my hand. “Ruby said you’re an old friend from back home.”

Ruby is smiling her sweet smile.

“Yeah, we grew up across the hall from each other,” I reply, shaking his hand.

“It’s nice that you have good friends,” he says to Ruby. “I came all the way from Cali. I transferred this year.” Damn, he’s friendly and nice, which is probably why Hayden approved.

“Cool.”

“Well, you have yourself a good night,” Knox says to Ruby.

Now I feel like a third wheel. I should walk away and give them their privacy, but that isn’t what I do.

Knox rocks back on his heels and his gaze drops to her perfect lips. He leans in and pecks her lips. She kisses him back and then he pulls away.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he tells Ruby.

She smiles and leans against the door, looking all ga-ga goo-goo for the guy.

She closes the door.

“So how was your night?” I ask.

“Like you care,” she responds, attitude dripping from her tone. I know it’s well-deserved after the way I’ve been ignoring her.

“Why would you say that?” I ask because I don’t have something better, other than begging forgiveness and telling her how much I am attracted to her.

She gives me a look that says, “Who are you fooling Macklin?” And she has a point.

“Between school and hockey, my life has been busy.” I shrug as if the whole situation isn’t eating my insides.

“Add in all the puck bunnies and you don’t have time to even say hi to an old friend,” she snaps, calling me out in true Ruby fashion.

“I didn’t mean to shut you out. I’ve had a lot going on,” I rebut.

“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes in frustration. Can’t say I blame her.

“So are things getting serious with the guy?” I ask. I don’t know why I am pushing for information after she shut me down, other than I don’t want this guy to be important to her.

“Why do you care?”

“Just making conversation. What was that, like the fourth date?” My tone is a little high and I don’t know what is happening to me. I’m not a guy who turns to mush over a girl, except when that girl is Ruby Foxx.

“Keeping tabs on me, Macklin?” she bites back, a hint of a smile appearing. She never used to call me Macklin, only Mack. Her cold shoulder hurts but I made the bed I’m sleeping in.

“I still care about you, Periwinkle,” I respond and that seems to fracture a little of the ice she has built around her.

She sighs. “He’s a nice guy. We’re getting to know each other. He’s willing to take things slow, which I like,” she confesses and the information puts me at ease too.

I swallow. “Good that he isn’t being a pushy bastard. If he is, let me know.”

“What are you going to do? Beat him up?” She raises her brows. I may have warned a few guys away from her our senior year of high school. Hayden wasn’t there to watch out for her because he left for Riverside. I felt like it was my responsibility to look out for her. That, and I couldn’t fathom any of those horny teenagers touching her. Not that I was any different.

“If you want me to,” I offer with a crooked grin.

She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re crazy. I don’t know what I think of Knox, but I want to see him again and see where it leads.”

I grit my jaw at those words.

“How about you? I was expecting you to have a revolving door of women coming through.”

I tilt my head to the side. That was the case before she ruined me. “I haven’t found anyone who caught my eye lately,” I lie.

“Well, I’m sure that will change soon.”

“I feel bad for shutting you out, Rubes. I need to make it up to you,” I tell her.

“What do you propose?” she asks.

“Hayden said you’ll be here all semester. I should maybe make you a bookshelf to keep in Shane’s old room,” I offer.

“That’s completely unnecessary.” She laughs. Maybe it was, but I still remember the look on her face when I made her that first bookshelf. Her smile radiated pure joy, and it warmed my heart in a way I’d never felt before. It was a feeling I longed for but would never admit.

“My schedule is busy, but I’ll get around to it,” I assure her.

She yawns. “I should go to bed. Do you know if Charlie came back from the library?” she asks.

“Not sure,” I reply, scratching at the scruff on my jaw.

“Okay, well, have a good night, Macklin.”

“You too, Rubes.”

It would be a few weeks before we would speak again, and she was still casually dating The Guy.