Bitter Truths Read online

  “What can you do?” Oliver asked.

  She spun around to face him. “Oliver.”

  “What’s wrong, Ruby?”

  “Nothing.” She wasn’t used to this whole sharing thing, and staring at Oliver, it made her nervous. Really nervous. He inspired feelings that terrified her. She had been alone for so long, and the thought of finally having someone to rely on, scared her.

  “I’m not an idiot.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “Then look at me.”

  She released another sigh. It was what she seemed to do around him. He just drove her crazy with all of his demands, and knowing that he felt something for her. She was scared of feeling something for him.

  “What’s going on?” he asked once she started looking at him.

  “I—I don’t know. Everything is moving so fast, and I don’t know how to deal with it. I feel things for you, and I want, I don’t know, I want you. I didn’t want the kiss to end the other night, and I wonder what it would be to have a life with you. Is that crazy?”

  “I don’t think that is crazy,” he said.

  “Then what do you think? Because I’ve spent a long time wanting to kill you, and now that has changed. I’m not this girl who worries about what guys think of her, or what it’s going to be like to finally have sex. I’ve had one focus in my life, and that was revenge, Oliver. I don’t know how to be this girl.”

  “I’m not asking for you to change, Ruby. I like you exactly the way you are. There is no pressure here.” He moved in close, cupped her cheek, and tilted her head back. His thumb once again ran across her lips. “I’m happy to wait, and I’m happy to show you that I can wait.”

  He dropped his head down, claiming her lips.

  The problem? She didn’t want to wait. All of her life she’d been waiting, and now she was bored of waiting.

  ****

  Later that night Oliver sat eating a bag of cheesy chips, and trying to watch the movie. The scene was heating up, and his cock was straining to get out. He wouldn’t do anything about it. In the kitchen, he heard Ruby making them both a hot chocolate. She was the best woman in the world as she loved snacking on chips and candy while watching a movie.

  “Here we go,” she said, taking a seat beside him, and putting the cups on the table.

  She flopped down, and he stared at her thighs. They were rounded and smooth from the years of training. He did love the slight curves of her body, but he hoped in time they would soften a little when she came to trust him.

  “This is so bad,” she said, grabbing a handful of chips.

  “What is bad?”

  “I’ve not done any training in a few days. The pounds are going to start to pack on everywhere.” She pointed at her body. “Right now I don’t care.”

  The food she made was nice. It was more than nice. He understood why Lionel had wanted her to go to culinary school. She had a gift, like his mother, in the kitchen.

  “Wow, is this porn or what?” she asked, munching away.

  He looked at the screen to see the main stars had gotten naked. Of course no one saw the man’s cock, nor did they see the woman’s pussy. “Nah, this is not porn.”

  “Do you watch porn?” she asked.

  “Sometimes. You ever watched it?”

  “Nope. Never been interested in it.”

  His curiosity got the better of him. Grabbing the remote, he pressed the channel for the adult fun, and sat back. He wasn’t ashamed of his dick, and his gaze was on Ruby as her face went bright red.

  “Wow,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “Is that even possible?”

  He glanced at the screen to see one woman taking three men at once. It was such a classic, but Oliver wasn’t interested. He wasn’t the kind of guy who had to share. Being the third brother, he’d been used to having to share. He didn’t like sharing anything that belonged to him, and Ruby, she belonged to him. She was his woman, and all he wanted to do was treat her, protect her, love her.

  The feelings she inspired inside him, he’d never felt before. Women were just holes to be used, or at least that was what he’d thought. Being in Ruby’s company was all he needed. He was turning into a pussy because of this damn curse. It was going to drive him crazy.

  “When it comes to sex, everything is possible.”

  “No kidding. Do you really have to spit on each other? That seems really gross.”

  He chuckled, offering her some more chips. “She’s not excited. That woman is probably bored out of her mind.”

  “With a dick in her mouth?”

  “Yep. She’s probably thinking about the gas bill she has to pay, or some groceries that need picking up.”

  “That’s a bummer. Do you think of stuff like that?”

  “When I’m fucking the women are usually wet.”

  “I don’t want to hear about the other women you’ve been with.”

  He rested his arm across the back of her chair, and he started to tease her hair, twirling the strands around his fingers, and stroking over her neck. The top she wore didn’t hide her rock hard nipples, and his mouth watered, wanting a taste of her.

  Life had been all about work lately, and right now, he wanted to spend all of his time completely devoted to this woman.

  “I’ve got to, erm, head out tomorrow,” she said.

  “Okay. Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No. This is something I’ve got to do by myself. We can meet up after though. Maybe you could take on one of your jobs that you do with for your father?” she asked.

  He tensed up. The jobs he did for his father were not exactly flattering. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Please. I’m not some weak woman. I’m not like Harper.”

  “You’re calling Harper weak?”

  “No, not weak. She’s … delicate. Like a girl. She doesn’t know what it means to fight.”

  “I know what you’re trying to say.”

  “Thank you. I like the girls, and Betty. I feel sorry for her. She has feelings for Damian, and knows that he’ll never feel the same way.”

  “Our dad and uncle tried to warn him about getting the wrong woman pregnant. He didn’t listen. He was going to marry her.” Oliver couldn’t marry someone just because they had his kid. He didn’t think Damian was right in trying to marry Betty, or even considering it.

  “Are there any little Olivers running around?” she asked.

  “No. I’ve always bagged my dick. No one was ever going to get my kid.” He didn’t even realize that he was saving that for his own woman. Crap, just the thought of Ruby swollen with his kid made his cock pulse pre-cum into his boxer briefs.

  He wanted to see her tits swollen along with her stomach.

  Never had he wanted something so good in his life.

  “Nice to know.” She giggled. “I’d be a weird step-mom.”

  “You’d be the best, and you know it.” The sounds of the woman getting fucked filled the silence in the room. “Do you trust me?”

  “No.” She laughed. “I tried to kill you a week ago.”

  “That’s not recent though. I’ve proven to you that you can trust me.”

  “Very true. You took me away from a roach-infested apartment.”

  He shuddered. Putting the bowl of chips on the table, he took her shoulders, and moved her so that she was lying on the sofa.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to make you feel good, and you don’t have to panic or worry. I’ll stop the moment you tell me to.”

  She hesitated, staring into his eyes. “You won’t hurt me?”

  “No, of course not. I’d never hurt you, Ruby. I don’t think I’m capable of doing that. I just want to make you feel good.”

  “Make me feel good?”

  “Yes.”

  She swallowed, and slowly, her body started to relax. “I’m all yours.”

  He smiled, and leaned down to press his lips against hers. It was quick so sh
e didn’t panic. The last thing he wanted her to do was be scared.

  She licked her lips and smiled. “That was nice.”

  “That’s just the start.” He kissed down to her neck, and sucked on her neck where her pulse had started to pound. Biting down, he soothed out any pain with his tongue. She smelled like strawberries, from the soap she loved to use. He wasn’t going to lie. He had taken care of his release while scenting the damn soap. He was a man possessed. “You’re so soft,” he said, moving to her shirt.

  He pulled the straps down her arms, exposing more of her tits. Before he went any further, he looked into her eyes to make sure that she was happy with him to keep on going. When she showed no signs of panicking, he pulled the top down, watching as her tits popped over the edge. Her nipples were a beautiful red, tight, and begging for his lips to be around them.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking that your tits look ready to be sucked.”

  “They, er, they ache.”

  Reaching out, he cupped the large mounds, running his thumb across each peak. He settled between her thighs and watched every single reaction.

  “That’s so good,” she said.

  Her cheeks were flushed, and he released her tits, moving down her body. Catching the band of her shorts, he tugged them down, and she tensed up.

  “I’ll be naked.”

  “You’ll have your shirt on.”

  She stared at him, one eye brow raised. “I’ll be naked, Oliver. You know it.”

  He smiled. “To make you feel good, I want these shorts out of the way.”

  “Fine.” She helped him to remove her shorts, and he threw them far away so she wouldn’t have time to get them back on.

  The scent of her sex was heavy in the air, and his mouth watered. He wanted a taste of her, and that was a surprise for him. He never went down on any woman. It was something he was never interested in. He didn’t like the taste of pussy.

  Ruby’s pussy was so beautiful. A light dusting of hair covered her lips, and he ran his fingers across her pussy. The lips were glistening with her cream, and they were partially open, showing her slit.

  Her virgin slit.

  His own heart was racing. His woman was a virgin and had never been with anyone else, and he didn’t want to fuck this shit up.

  Sliding his fingers between her slit, he found her clit, and using two fingers, he teased her body.

  “Oh,” she said, arching up.

  Her eyes were on him, and he loved how bright and green they were.

  “You look so beautiful right now,” he said.

  Leaning down, he flicked his tongue over her nipple, sucking it in deep.

  “Oh my.” She gripped his shoulders, and he expected her to push him away, but she held onto him, clearly wanting more.

  He was more than happy to oblige her. He wanted her to come, to scream his name as she did.

  Unable to resist a taste, he moved between her thighs so that his face was level with her pussy. Opening the lips of her pussy, he stared at her clit. Swiping his tongue over her clit, he sucked the nub into his mouth, and the taste of her was amazing. She was musky, clean, and everything he thought it wouldn’t be. All he wanted to do was give her pleasure without taking anything from her.

  “Oh, wow, Oliver, that is amazing.” She drew out the last word, arching up toward him.

  Her body was all virgin in every way. Her responses to being touched were so innocent, and so ready to be tested.

  Sliding his tongue down to her entrance, he was tempted to plunge inside, and claim her virginity now. He stopped himself. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. She meant everything to him, and he would die protecting her.

  She started to thrust her pelvis against his face, and he gripped her ass, holding her steady as he teased her clit.

  Within seconds, she came, screaming out his name as he kept her orgasm going. He teased her clit, prolonging her orgasm until she was practically begging for him to stop.

  Pulling away, he licked his lips, not wanting to lose a drop of the taste of her.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked.

  “That was your first orgasm. Did you like it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that’s what that woman is not going to get, but any time you want to feel like that, all you have to do is come to me, and I’ll give it to you. Clear?”

  “Clear.”

  Oliver got to his feet, walking toward the bathroom. He’d done well. He knew he had.

  Chapter Nine

  Entering the café, Ruby smiled the moment she caught sight of Lewis behind his computer, completely oblivious to the world around him. Closing the door, she ordered a coffee and a pastry, and took a seat in front of him.

  “You’re finally out in the open,” she said.

  “I don’t know why you didn’t just come back to my place. I’d have been able to work while you were waiting.”

  “I’ve got a date afterward.”

  That caught his attention, and he actually stopped working, and looked at her. She smiled.

  “Date?”

  “Yeah, a date.”

  “Who with?”

  “Oliver.”

  “Ah, the curse. I was wondering about that. Everything I could find online was just, you know, rumor. Do you feel anything?” he asked.

  She didn’t know if she felt anything, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver’s tongue, and every time she looked at him, she thought about how he made her feel. He wanted her to go to him any time she felt the need arise, but that was so embarrassing. How the hell could she do that? Admit that not only she wanted to feel his tongue between her thighs, but also a hell of a lot more. Whenever he wasn’t home, she found herself skipping to the adult channel nearly every single day.

  It was embarrassing.

  No, not just embarrassing, humiliating, and she was confused. All the time now she was confused.

  “I don’t know.” She handed him the files from out of her bag. “I was really hoping you could tell me if you can decipher any of this.”

  “You can’t make any sense of it?” he asked, taking the paperwork.

  “Nothing. I’ve been trying for days. There are odd words, but Lionel was always worried that someone was after them. I guess he had a right to be worried.”

  “Yeah, whoever it was did kill him.”

  She flinched, hating the finality to his words.

  “I’m sorry. That was insensitive.”

  “It’s fine. Ten years, I should be used to being told it, don’t you think?”

  “Nothing will ever prepare you to feel loss, Ruby. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  She took a deep breath, thanking the waitress as she brought over her coffee and pastry. “How have you been?”

  “You’re not going to rant at me. Curse me?”

  “Why would I do that?” she asked.

  “When I fuck up like that, you usually demand it.”

  She shrugged. “I guess I’m growing up or something.”

  “Or maybe Oliver Denton is good for you.”

  “Maybe.” She thought about his tongue. That was one thing that was good for her.

  “Do you want me to get on this quickly?” he asked.

  “Pretty much. Anything on the Coltons?”

  “Just the usual. Nothing different from Denton, only they’re a surviving family.”

  “What is their deal anyway?” she asked, tearing off a piece of her cinnamon bun. “I don’t get it. Oliver doesn’t really talk about it, and neither do any of the others. For the most part, it’s like the name is just the problem.”

  “The Coltons were badass people. Between the Dentons and the Coltons they ruled every single element of the dark community.”

  “Dark community? Are we talking paranormal?” she asked.

  Lewis chuckled. “No. We’re talking black market. Women, guns, drugs, everything that always has to stay hidden. Auc
tions, slavery, the sex market.”

  “Oh.”

  “Some pretty rough shit. Now, the Dentons, they deal with women, but they offer protection. They’re not just some pimps that beat the shit out of the women. They respect them, offer them protection, privacy, a decent life.”

  “The Coltons don’t?”

  Lewis looked around the coffee shop. “From the work I’ve done, whatever anyone wanted, the Coltons delivered. Anything.”

  “How bad?”

  “Bad, Ruby. I mean really bad. We’re talking kids, the slave market, and even snuff.”

  “Snuff?”

  “Where it’s sex and death combined.”

  “Oh, wow.” She was shocked.

  “Yeah, from what I’ve read, the Coltons went too far, and several of the Denton women that worked for them, ended up being killed.”

  “You really can find everything out, can’t you?”

  “I’m the master of knowledge. I’m sure it’s the only reason we remained friends.”

  “I love you like a brother,” she said, reaching out to take his hand. “You mean everything to me.”

  “Then do me this favor. Stick with the Dentons. You belong to Oliver, Ruby. You deserve happiness, and I know he can be the one to see you happy.”

  “Lewis…”

  “No, don’t Lewis me. I know, okay? I get what you want to do to avenge your brother’s death. I get it, and I understand it, but I know what those people are capable of. You’re my sister, or as good as my sister, Ruby. I don’t want to consider you getting hurt, and knowing what those bastards do, I can’t help you, if you go looking for trouble.”

  She had never known Lewis to react like this so he must have been really scared.

  “Promise me.”

  He held her hand so tightly, and she couldn’t not promise him. “I promise. I promise that I will do everything to stay safe.”

  “I mean it, Ruby. If I even think that you’ll go back on your word, I will make sure that I don’t give you any of the details you want.”

  She took a breath, and nodded. “Let’s put all of this morbid stuff aside, and just have a nice lunch.”

  “Sure.”

  He filed away the two folders she’d given him. There was nothing more to be done. She had lunch with Lewis, and as she left the café, she watched him climb into his car, and drive away. Wrapping the jacket around her, she started to walk toward the casino where she knew that Oliver would be waiting. It was only an hour’s walk away, and it gave her a chance to clear her head. She couldn’t stop thinking about Lewis’s warning. She’d never known him to be so determined for her to not search for the men responsible for killing her brother.