No one knew the truth. I didn’t even tell my best friend, Sierra, and I shared everything with her.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want sex—I did. I simply wasn’t ready. And as soon as I faced actually doing the deed with someone, my desire just…fizzled. My sex drive was in perfect working order though, and I had an array of battery-operated toys in my nightstand drawer to prove it.
Dean leaned in close—so close that I felt the warmth of his breath on the curve of my neck with a full-body shiver—as he brought his lips to my ear.
“If a good dicking down is what you’re after,” he said, in a voice so low and gravelly that I forgot how to breathe. “That kid would be a piss-poor choice. You wouldn’t feel a goddamn thing with his grassblade of a cock. And he wouldn’t have a fucking clue how to make you come anyway.”
Dean pulled back to look at me, his eyes hooded, the air crackling between us with what he’d just said. My mouth gaped open like a fish and my knees felt wobbly.
“I’m well aware a girl like you has needs, honeybee,” he added. “And I’m not your dad, so I won’t cockblock you unless I have a reason to.”
I watched him walk away, gathering up my shopping that he’d deposited on a nearby bench. The breath rushed out of my lungs like a punctured balloon. I rubbed my ear where the phantom heat of his words still lingered.
Ho-ly shit.
Chapter four
Titan
I shouldn’t have interfered with Ruby and that kid. And I shouldn’t have said what I did either. One minute, she was standing right next to me. The next thing I knew, Ruby wandered off, talking to that…boy.
And something vicious twisted in my chest. Before I realized what I was doing, I forced myself between them, using my body as a shield.
I tried to reason it away. Ruby was an incredible young woman—bright as the sun, lively, and full of joy. She needed someone who realized what a precious and rare jewel she is. Someone who was willing to give her the moon if that’s what she wanted.
That smarmy kid with his too-white teeth and his skinny jeans with the saggy ass had no idea what a treasure Ruby was. I couldn’t stand by and watch her make that mistake.
But I didn’t have an excuse for the things I whispered in her ear. It was inappropriate, out of line, completely uncalled for and…
…and true. Every word of it.
Even though Ruby was my best friend’s daughter, that didn’t mean I had to sit there and twiddle my thumbs while she chased after mediocre sex. And I had no intention of preventing her from getting laid either.
That woman needed toe-curling, earth-shattering, forget-her-own-name orgasms. She needed to come so hard, over and over, that her legs were still trembling hours later.
Then a small, quiet, filthy little voice in the back of my mind damned me to hell.
I want to be the man who makes that happen for her.
Shaking my head, I chastised myself for entertaining a dangerous thought like that. Maybe it held a kernel of honesty. And maybe I wasn’t fucking blind to how attractive Ruby was.
So what? I couldn’t do anything about it. She would never be mine.
Despite my best attempts to smother that thought into silence, I continued to wrestle with the echoes of it, replaying in my mind for the rest of the day.
After finishing up with the market, Ruby, Barrett, and I agreed to grab dinner at the Old Spruce Pub. The place was so packed that we barely managed to secure one of the last remaining tables. The dark wood paneling and low lighting created a cozy, warm atmosphere—a welcome refuge after hours spent in the cold and snow. The murmur of conversation filled the air, mingling with the scent of earthy beer, savory roasted meat, and yeasty fresh bread.
“I have so much wrapping to do when I get home,” Ruby declared, shedding her coat as she studied the menu. “It’s going to take hours. And I still don’t have all of my shopping done.”
I blew out a breath of disbelief.
“What else could you possibly need to get?” I asked. “I’ve been carting around at least twenty pounds of your shopping all day.”
“Oh, come on, you can handle it.” She squeezed my bicep with both hands. “For a big, strong guy like you, twenty pounds is nothing.”
I hated the damn knot that formed in my throat at her touch. I hated the fact that my cock twitched in my pants. At the goddamn dinner table, in the middle of a crowded restaurant, no less.
Over a woman half my age.
