NC-17 | It's Like Navigating Quicksand | S3!Ruby/Sam (2/2)

[dugindeep]

A week was not a long time in actual living, but it was long enough for Sam to think at length of what was happening between him and Ruby. Every time he passed her door, he relived the two nights they were pressed together not to mention the quick kiss in the common room, and he’d want to stop, knock, and try to talk to her. But a deep breath always pushed that thought away and he kept on walking.

That week was long enough to think about it ten times over, yes. Long enough to figure it out, no.

He did get far enough to diagnose her as bi-polar, if running into her outside the building that Saturday afternoon was anything to go by.

“Boy, you just get dumber and dumber, don’t ya?” she called out when he followed Dean to the Impala, and his brother yanked a parking ticket out from under the windshield wiper.

Dean glared at her while Sam just stared, trying to compare the Ruby he talked to in the common room with this one, not to mention with the one from the bar or the one who twice pushed him away from her door.

“What’re you talking about?” Dean asked with a heated look.

“It’s a no parking zone, short bus,” she flung back quickly, pointing at the sign at the curb.

“You’re short bus, short bus,” he mumbled.

“Nice,” she said a cocky nod. “You think that up all by yourself?”

Dean fired on Sam, “We goin’ or what?!”

Sam continued to eye her and felt a narrow thread of guilt for following Dean without question, for ignoring her when they’d had a halfway decent conversation the last time they saw each other. But he didn’t know what else to say or do when she was being that harsh, so he slid into the passenger seat and numbly nodded with Dean’s complaints about her smart mouth and attitude.

*

Two more weeks and another parking ticket, Dean drank himself under the table, literally. Shot after shot and he couldn’t keep up, and Sam did little to stop it. He just rolled his eyes and dished out I told you so after every groan about the Police Department.

“Oh, God, there’s the bitch,” Dean mumbled from his position, laid out on the bench across from where Sam flipped through that day’s newspaper.

Ruby kicked at Dean’s knee and rolled her eyes. “Like you’re such a saint. I can’t believe you managed to live this long without lightning striking you down.”

“I’m very saintly. And adorable,” Dean tacked on as he failed to sit back up, instead crashing against the wall.

“Dean, just shut up,” Sam said tightly, wishing with everything he had that he was free of both his inebriated brother and Ruby.

“Not until she shuts up,” Dean pathetically argued.

Ruby narrowed her eyes then scooted into the seat next to Sam. He huffed and slid closer to the wall, but tsked when she reached across the table to snag a couple of Dean’s abandoned fries. Just as she drew her hand back, Sam felt a swell of disgust on Dean’s behalf and smacked her hand, forcing it to drop every fry to the table.

She whipped her head to face him, and he felt something flare inside at it, at her surprise and at his gall to even do that. The word sorry was an inch from slipping out of his mouth but she just smirked and quickly grabbed another fry. Though she was slow in bringing it up to her mouth, licking her top lip, and practically sucking it inside.

At that, everything flared under his skin, and he couldn’t help but watch her take another fry in the same manner, her eyes bright to his as if daring him to stop her or even comment on it.

Sam was hypnotized, only bothered by the way she seemed to thoroughly enjoy that he couldn’t stop looking at her and admiring how she could eat leftover fries with such pleasure.

“Oh, God,” Dean said as he sat upright and frowned. “I’m gonna be sick.”

“You okay?” Sam asked with worry.

“No. You guys are disgusting.”

Dean rushed up and out of the booth, stumbling as he went, and Sam sat up, nearly pushing into Ruby. “Dean, you okay?”

“I’m leaving,” he said with a quick turn and short wave. He dug his keys out at Sam’s pissy look and tossed them onto the table. “Calm down, dude, I’ll walk. But you better finish … this.”

Sam huffed and leaned back in his seat, ignoring Ruby’s triumphant smile. “Just you and me now, cowboy.”

“Yeah, great.”

Ruby hummed then ate another fry, slower than before, pushing it between her lips with a low whimper. “God, these things are orgasmic.”

Sam stared at her, managing to calm his brain from the onslaught of tension. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“Damn straight, cherry pie,” she murmured as she popped one more into her mouth then licked the tip of her finger. “It working yet?”

He couldn’t ignore that it was, but he looked away with a flat, “No.”

Ruby smiled and shifted on the bench to face him. “Aww, Sam. You just need to loosen up a little. Learn to enjoy the moments we have together.”

“Really?” he asked with a tight smile. “Like you leading me to your door then pushing me away.”

“See, I knew your ego was battered.”

“Like you care.”

“I do,” she said gently. “You’re not such a bad guy. You did help me move a table.”

He snorted. “Like you even care about that.”

“I do,” she repeated with a small nod. “Those muscles of yours sure did help me out. And you were nice when you did it.”

Sam watched her, tipping his head to the side. “Was that a compliment?”

“Something like that,” she returned idly while wiping her fingers into an already crumbled-up napkin. When he didn’t respond, she frowned before biting in her lower lip and smiling carefully. “Okay, so the cut and run doesn’t work with you. I get that now.”

“Lucky me,” he grumbled with a high eyebrow.

Ruby pursed her lips. “Lucky me, I’d say.” Sam still remained silent, and she nudged his elbow with a sly look. “What do you say we get outta here?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Can’t even offer a girl a ride home? Gonna leave me here all on my lonesome?”

Sam scratched at the back of his head, so willing to do just that if it weren’t for the nagging feel of guilt and a small thread of want still tied to her.

Ruby took a deep, audible breath, and shifted closer with a hand light at his knee, which he tried to slip away from, but there was only so much room in the booth. She raised her hand with a small smile. “Okay, look. You and your brother are big boys, and apparently I misjudged you. I like you, Sam.”

He couldn’t help but stare at her and how simply the words came through. “Okay …”

“You know how to take a compliment?” she asked with light eyes.

“From you?” he laughed. “No, I don’t think I do.”

“Well, I,” Ruby started, with strength and mirth, but it quickly dwindled, and she sadly smiled. “You’re a good guy. I’m sorry.”

Sam’s sudden, “Wait, what do you-" was lost in the air as she slid out of the booth and left the bar.

He didn’t stay much longer, having no reason to; he wasn’t drinking, and the only two people he would bother talking to had each left in a hurry.

Back at the apartment building, Sam spun his keys around his finger as he stalled just outside her door. For all he figured it was a waste of time to even attempt to figure Ruby out, to sort out all the jagged pieces with those that were missing, he still moved forward and knocked on the door.

She pulled it open, wearing just cotton pants and a tank top. Without layers of shirts and a jacket, she seemed plain, not to mention vulnerable with big blue eyes blinking up at him.

“Sam?”

Words spun his brain around as he worked to find the right thing to say, but they failed him, yet again, and he went with instinct. One hand cupped her face as he leaned in and kissed her. She didn’t shirk away, and even more surprising, she opened right up to him, mouth going wide and tongue pressing right back into his.

“You like me, huh?” he murmured with a smile as his other hand tugged her hip closer.

She more than easily went to him and closed her eyes as they kept kissing. “Yeah, I do.”

“Funny way of showing it.”

“I am kinda funny.” Ruby pulled back but then grabbed his hands to bring him inside.

Once over the threshold, Sam nudged the door shut with his foot then pressed her into the wall before tucking his hands just underneath her tank, fingers tight at her lower back. She arched into his hold, knocking her head back into the wall and groaning before tugging at his belt so they lined up tight.

He was shocked by her ability to keep quiet, foregoing tiny whimpers when he started nipping at her jaw. All her barbs were stowed away as she tucked a leg around the side of his thigh and he rocked into her. And she was silent more when his mouth again took hers, tongue diving deep to control the kiss, all his anger and frustration with her mood swings being forced out right then.

Ruby wound her arms tight around his neck to pull them even tighter and press their mouths harder with the scrape of teeth on lips and tongues. They stayed connected like that, hips slotted together, her leg around his, and their faces closer than anything, until she whimpered and tipped her head down with heavy breathing.

Without a word, Ruby’s hand drifted down his neck and over his chest, palm feeling every muscle through his shirt. “God, Sam,” she whispered with the touch.

He leaned back in, kissing at her ear, along her jaw, and right up to her mouth, which welcomed him just the same as before. He slid his own palm over her ribcage and up, thumb coasting the edge of her bra. The slight shift in her stance dared him to go further, and he did, moving his hand to palm her breast, squeezing and fondling.

The second she grabbed hold of his belt, tugging forward and making room for her fingers to dip inside, he pushed his hand under her tank top and slid his fingers under the bottom of her bra. The bare skin under his fingertips made him smile with their kiss, especially when she arched into the touch then moved her hand lower to cup him through his boxers.

He pushed into her hold, nipping at her lower lip, and mumbling, “Where’s your bedroom?”

“Hmm?”

“We should go to your bedroom.”

Ruby smirked against him while rubbing him fast and hard. “This is good here.”

Sam knocked his forehead into the wall, pressing his cheek into hers, unable to process much beyond the way her fingers curled around him, keeping the soft cotton of his boxerbriefs as the only barrier. He groped her back then over her ass as he panted against her neck, unable to do anything more than mouth at the salty skin. Sam slipped his hand into the back of her pants and was turned on even further at the absence of underwear leading to her smooth skin. He couldn’t slow himself down if he tried, and his hand went further until his fingers found wet skin and slid over her pussy.

She whimpered again, louder and needier, moaning his name as he began to finger her, pressing hard and fast like she was pumping her own hand around him.

“Sure you don’t want the bed?” he asked against her ear.

Her head nudged his, and she answered on quick breaths, “Don’t think I can last ‘til then.”

And she really couldn’t, because within a minute, she was grinding onto his hand with high-pitched whines filling the air, and she came right there in the hallway with Sam barely keeping her upright. The fact that he made her come and the noises she was making were more than enough to bring him there, too, and he groaned into her ear as his orgasm washed over him and she stroked him through it.

Their hard breathing was the only movement for some time, until Sam settled his hands at her hips and slowly kissed along her shoulder. “You gonna kick me out now?”

Ruby sighed and tipped her head to give him more room. “Do you want me to?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. But, no.” She fell silent, so he stopped what he was doing, and pulled back enough to search her eyes and wait for her to put an end to his time in her apartment. “Do you want to?” When she murmured his name on a small protest, he quickly said, “I don’t want you to. And I don’t want to leave either, but there’ve been too many times that you make a quick turnaround, and I’m lost and don’t know what to think about you.”

“We hardly know each other.”

“I know,” he admitted with a nod.

“What you don’t know about me could fill a book … A big, fat, heavy book.”

“I know.”

She bit into a frown. “I’m talkin’ books of biblical proportions, Sam.”

He lightly smiled and nodded again. “I know. But you’re not exactly making it easy to read.”

“Who ever wanted to read The Bible?”

“Priests?” he offered, amused and further happy when she tried to hide a smile. “And nuns, teachers, students? People have done it.” After a pause, he went on, “You could at least give me the chance to try. It’s the least you could do.”

An eyebrow rose and she took a quick look down to his waist. “Funny, I thought this was the least I could.”

He gave a small smile. “It’s not exactly a disappointment.”

Shifting out of his space, she mumbled, “Yeah, I bet.” Sam sighed as she walked further into the apartment, stopping before another room. “I’m crashing into the luxury of Egyptian cotton,” she said with a tip of her head.

Sam nodded, sucking in a breath and ready to leave.

There weren’t more words, but a small motion of an eyebrow as she turned into the bedroom told him enough, and he followed.

*

Sam knew he should not have been surprised to wake in the morning to an empty bed. While the coffee on the nightstand eased it a bit, he wasn’t sure how to feel about the notecard under the mug with a simple Busy scribbled on it. It was her pushing him off, again, and he couldn’t have been more pissed in the moment.

After downing the lukewarm coffee, he left the apartment and headed for his own. His mood was only egged on by Dean’s proud smirk when Sam walked inside.

“There’s my boy,” Dean said on a low rumble from where he’d taken over the couch in a more than obvious state of being hungover.

Sam rolled his eyes and turned right to the kitchen to grab some water.

“I have to say, I admire your perseverance,” his brother called from the living room. “I don’t know that I could’ve held out that long. You make it worth it?”

He drained a glass of water while doing his best to keep Dean’s taunting voice from getting to him.

“And staying the night … not always my thing, but at least you get a second chance in the morning, right? It’s like a sequel. Same characters and general premise, but boldly going where you’ve never gone before.”

Sam finally turned to the living room with a tight smile and nodded. “Right, Dean. Just like that.”

“Thatta boy, Sammy,” Dean grinned and winked.

“Awesome, okay,” Sam said quickly to avoid any more of the conversation and left the room.

*

It was later that day when he ran into Ruby in the lobby. He was heading out for errands, leaving the elevator, just as she took a step back and out of the way, barely looking at him.

Sam caught the door to let her move in with the handful of bags she was struggling with then reached out to her. “Hey, let me help you.”

“No, I got it,” she said, quiet but firm.

He figured there was no reason to mask his feelings when she was still brushing him off, so he gave a critical look and he asked, “This morning?”

Ruby pushed the button for their floor and muttered, “I left a note.”

“Really crappy note, don’t you think?”

“Hallmark wasn’t open that early and I didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked.”

They shared a long look and she pushed the button again, only he refused to move his hand from the door so it wouldn’t close.

“I have to go, Sam,” Ruby nearly complained, but she sounded drained and conflicted.

hE sighed then raised his hands in defeat and watched the door slide closed between them.

His anger bubbled up as he walked out the front door, unable to even file away all the ways he was pissed at her, and himself.

But the second he got to the car, it multiplied, and he shouted in frustration before kicking the yellow, metal boot covering the back wheel of the Impala.

It only took one call with a few choice words for Dean to join him at the car.

Dean looked like he could cry, but instead turned on Sam. “Why’d you park her here?”

“You park here all the time!”

“Yeah, but not on Saturdays,” Dean argued, as if that was enough.

“What the,” Sam sighed before spinning away from his brother to avoid smacking him. “You’re the one with the tickets. Why haven’t you paid any of them?”

“Right, like I’m Donald Duck swimmin’ in cash. C’mon!”

Pissy and impatient with his brother, Sam complained, “That’s not even the right character.”

“Whatever,” Dean shot back. “You know what I mean.”

Sam shook his head, rolled his eyes, and decided walking would not only get him to the store but far away from his brother as well.

*

Thanks to the boot and Dean being insufferably stubborn, they had to walk everywhere. It only added onto the bitterness Sam had been carrying and continued to over the next few weeks.

It wasn’t helped when he and Ruby took the same elevator down to the lobby, and while he did his best to ignore her, she spoke gently. “Look, I know you don’t wanna listen to me-”

Sam glued his eyes to the roof of the elevator car. “Why would I?”

“Because I can help your brother.”

“How?”

She cleared her throat then carefully said, “With the Impala.”

“How?”

“I know people.”

Sam tsked and crossed his arms, still refusing to look at her. “That’s real helpful.”

“I know people who can get him out of it. All the tickets and fines.”

Sam turned at that and tried to ignore the sincerity of not only her words but her careful gaze. Despite how genuine she seemed, he couldn’t accept it. “Yeah? Your dad’s just gonna wave a hand and make it all disappear?”

“Well, not-”

“And I should trust you why?”

“I know you don’t want to listen to me-”

He chuckled harshly and looked to the ceiling again. “Not really.”

A second later, they landed on their floor and the elevator doors slid open. Sam couldn’t get through them fast enough because Ruby still grabbed at his elbow as she followed. “Sam.”

Licking his lips, he considered truly hearing her out, but instead, he latched onto a small piece of Dean that had wiggled its way into his brain, and he gave a harsh smirk. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’m all crazied out.”

*

Over the next few days, Sam and Dean bickered over every little thing, but Sam knew it was grounded in the car’s permanent location in front of the building.

As much as he hated to bring it up, he huffed out, “Maybe Ruby could really-”

“Her?” Dean shot back harshly. “No, not a chance in hell. She’s more trouble than she’s worth. You of all people should know that.”

“Dean, just think about it.”

“I said no, Sam,” he pushed back. “I don’t trust her to give me change for a dollar, why would I put this in her lap?”

Sam put a hand out and sucked his lips in as he tried to calm his anger and voice. “Because it’s the only shot we have aside from coming up with the money. And it ain’t growin’ on trees, Dean.”

“Well, find another way.”

*

They’d become so accustomed to the sight of the boot on the car that it was more alarming when, just two days later, it was gone.

Sam slowed as he neared the parking spot the Impala had been stuck in without being able to go anywhere. His eyes roamed the car, inspecting it for any sign that would tell him it really wasn’t their car or something else had happened to it.

When he got into the apartment, he called out, “Dean? You here?”

“Back here,” Dean returned from the bathroom.

Sam rested against the door frame and watched his brother’s reflection in the mirror, not nearly as grossed out as he usually was when Dean started picking between his teeth without abandon. “The boot’s gone.”

Dean wiped a hand down his shirt and grinned into the mirror. “What can I say? I’m a charmer.”

He stayed quiet as he assessed Dean, waiting for the truth to leak out because it made no sense that it magically disappeared. “What’d you do?”

With a smirk, Dean passed him through the doorway, patting at Sam’s chest. “Just worked my magic on a pretty little thing in the clerk’s office. Said she’d look into it … and other things,” he added with a flip of his eyebrow and wicked smirk.

Sam did his best to not groan at his brother’s good fortune. However it really happened, he was grateful nonetheless.

But it ended there because there was a knock at the door and Dean pulled it open to reveal Ruby. They eyed each other while Sam pointedly walked into the kitchen so he wouldn’t have to see either of them.

“Oh boy, it’s Satan’s little helper,” Dean said.

“Don’t get too excited, bucko,” she returned.

“Oh, I’m trying.” After a moment, he asked, “So what’re you lookin’ for? Another puppy to kick?”

“It’s nauseating how precious you think you are.”

Sam could hear them trade insults, and then smiled when Dean huffed out a laugh, refusing to continue.

It was silent for a bit before the door actually closed, making Sam think their staredown went on for longer than was likely necessary before they left.

“Hey, Sam,” Ruby said from the doorway, surprising him that she’d come in.

“Ruby,” he returned pathetically without facing her.

“I got something for you … or your brother. The car, actually, I guess. But I didn’t really want to leave it with him. So it’s here. For you.”

Sam was alarmed with how she fumbled through her words and sounded ten kinds of insecure. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to the doorway and barely got a glance at how she nervously licked her lips and crossed her arms before his eyes were drawn to the kitchen table. Or more specifically, the green hangtag at the edge.

He stepped forward and kept eying her as he reached for it then read over the laminated piece. It was a parking pass. For their building. For the Impala.

“Why?” Sam asked, lost for any other words.

She shrugged against the door frame. “Because I can.”

He was immediately thrown back to the day they talked in the common room about why she helped out with communal meetings. Even if he could pretend she was dolling out a favor, there was no reason for him to think she would actually do that. None of it made any sense. “You’re giving us a parking pass.”

Ruby shrugged again then moved away as he stepped closer, practically stalking around her. She bumped into the counter and shrugged again. “Like I said, I like you.”

Sam flapped the pass at his other palm and looked away. “I’d hate to think what you’d do if you didn’t.” When he faced her again, he was quiet for a few moments before pointing out, “You left me at your place after …”

She nodded and looked guilty, but only said, “I was able to waive half the tickets. My dad couldn’t go much lower than that.”

His eyebrow rose at the idea that the parking pass and forgotten tickets were her version of an apology. He crossed his arms, but released them immediately, uncomfortable and unsure of how to respond.

Ruby straightened and went to the doorway, looking anywhere but him. “Okay, well, that’s it. My good deed for the year,” she joked, but he could still see how she was tense.

When she reached the front door, Sam carefully grabbed her elbow. “Hey, hang on a minute.”

She slowly worked out of his grip then gave a tight smile. “My plan was to not be here when Big Brother returned.”

“He’ll be gone a while.”

Her eyes met his for just a second, but it was long enough that he saw something more than the trouble and play she’d always shown before.

Sam leaned forward, planting a hand in the space near her head as he said, “Look, I-” but stopped when he caught her flinch and slide away. He pulled back with his hands up in peace. “Okay, so, you’re cautious now,” he said patiently. “That’s good to know.” Ruby didn’t look at him, but she also didn’t move further away, and he considered that a small win. “So, can you tell me why you keep running away?”

“I’m not running.”

“Why do you keep pushing me away?”

Slowly, she looked up with equal parts defense and defeat, but then her shoulder twitched and she stood tall, crossing her arms and looking tough. “Liking people doesn’t exactly work out like roses.”

He tilted his head in thought and tried his best to not smile. “You’re scared.”

“There you go, Sam. You solved the eighth wonder,” Ruby said as she leaned back against the wall.

“You like me and you’re afraid I’ll hurt you?” She shrugged while tightening her arms and he leaned away to give her space. “So what happened?”

She rolled her eyes, replying, “Enough to stay away from trouble.”

Sam dropped the smile and asked carefully, “Why’re you so scared, Ruby?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

Ruby huffed and shot back, “Because you’re a good guy with a shit brother.”

His eyes widened and he took a step back, feeling the hit just as firmly as Dean would have if he were in the room. “Well, that was succinct.”

She roughly sighed and again looked away, but still rattled on, “Last guy I dated had a crap family and we argued about them all the time. He always sided with them and pushed me away when I wouldn’t play Stepford Wives.” After a short pause, she continued, “And the first chance Dean ever gets,
he digs right in and-”

“So do you,” Sam pointed out with a sideways look.

It took just a few seconds, but Sam could see the fight leave her, shoulders dropping and face softening. “Okay, so I’m a bitch, just like he says. Don’t know why you want a part of this.”

Sam moved closer, dipping his head down to hers. “Hey. I don’t know why either,” he joked before sobering, “but I do.” The moment her eyes dropped down his face, he closed the space between them and kissed her.

Ruby whimpered and seemed to refuse to return the kiss, but when he cupped her cheek, soft yet steady, she tilted her head and kissed back.

“You’re funny,” he suddenly said, as if he had to convince her why he was interested, between kisses, “And beautiful. And smart. And incredibly helpful with the Police Department.”

She chuckled into the kiss and brought her hands to his face, fingers dipping into his hair and holding him close. “I don’t do that for all the boys.”

“I hope not.” Sam kept on kissing her, slow sweeps of his tongue with hers, lips sucking and wet for true intent but not forcing it any further.

Suddenly, Ruby stopped and pulled back, head against the wall as she stared at him.

He slid a hand over her cheek and back over her hair. “Hey, don’t. Not now. Not after the breakthrough we’ve got going on.”

She bit her lip and glanced away for a moment. “I do have a life to get on with today. You’re not the only thing on the calendar.”

“Okay. Is there room on that calendar to prove you wrong?” When Ruby eyed him, he tipped his head and smirked. “Let me take you out for dinner. Or keep you in. Whichever.”

“Alright,” she mumbled, turning to the door and pulling it open. “But you make one mistake and the first thing to go is the parking pass.”

As she pushed through the doorway, she shot a smirk over her shoulder, and he felt pretty okay about it.

*

“No way, man. My show’s on!” Dean argued when Sam asked if he’d go out for the night.

Sam nodded towards the TV with pursed lips. “Really, dude? This?”

“What?”

He glared at his brother while a handful of hospital staff hurried across the screen.

“It’s compelling,” Dean tried to defend, but still got off the couch and snagged his jacket. “I’ll be down at the bar. But if I find someone-”

“Go to her place,” Sam quickly argued. “Seriously.”

“Fine, but you’ll owe me.”

He tipped his head. “Don’t think so, Dean.”

“Okay, fine. We’ll be even,” Dean mumbled as he left the room and eventually the apartment.

Sam wasn’t exactly nervous, even if it’d been a while since he’d put in a real effort for a date. He had pasta cooking on the stove and red sauce bubbling right next to it; it wasn’t a big deal but he knew it was cliché all the same.

And Ruby did, too, because the second she reached the kitchen, she raised an eyebrow. “Really, Sam? Thought you had more class than this.”

“I’m just trying to ease you into it,” he joked. “I’ll bring out the good stuff on Date Five.”

“If you get that far,” she murmured as she leaned closer to the sauce pot and breathed in the rising steam. He saw her hide a smile as she turned away and lamely said, “Not too bad.”

After eating and talking through stories and backgrounds - including her awkward relationship with her father made more awkward by her asking him to lift the parking fines, and his quiet story of both his parents having passed, leading him to stick with Dean no matter what - Ruby smiled and tapped her empty plate with her fork. “Not bad at all, Sam.”

“Yeah?” he asked with a smile of his own as he moved their dishes to the kitchen sink. When she nodded and drank more wine, he chuckled. “Was that a compliment?”

“It’s been known to happen,” she said, moving to stand next to him at the sink. As he started to clean, she pulled herself up to sit on the counter and watched. “Why? Does it scare you when I’m nice?”

He shook his head while rinsing off their dishes. “If I can handle your attitude, I think I can handle something nicer.”

Ruby licked her lips then took another sip of wine while looking up to the ceiling. “Wine’s not awful either.”

“So, you didn’t hate the unclassy dinner and you don’t mind the wine?”

She pursed her lips, still not looking at him. “Yeah, I guess that’s the Cliff’s Notes.”

“And you like me. We can’t forget that part,” he pointed out with a small smile. She kicked at his knee, rolling her eyes, but he caught her ankle and laughed as he moved between her legs. “Have I done a good job convincing you that I’m a decent guy?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ruby mumbled begrudgingly, but didn’t stop him from getting closer and kissing.

His hands were gentle at her hips as he started the kiss soft and slow. Yet in no time, Ruby was opening her mouth wider and pulling him in with arms around his neck. He squeezed at her hips then slid his hands down to her thighs, squeezing again, before moving to her back, tugging her to the edge of the counter just to feel more of her warmth. She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched forward so their chests were pressed together, and it gave him the nerve to drop his hands to her ass, grabbing her through the jeans as he remembered that night in her hallway, which only amped him up faster.

Just as he pulled back to cool down, she murmured, “Your room?”

His eyes roamed hers, trying to read any hesitation at all. “Really?”

“Tell me you don’t share with Dean. You have bunk beds, don’t you?”

Sam laughed, and any tension or worry he had at going too fast eased itself out. He still felt the need to say, “We don’t have to. I mean, I want to, yeah, but I don’t want to push you.”

“I’ve been pushing you for weeks, Sam. It’s about time you got yourself a backbone.”

He smiled, grateful her snark was back and that she was using it for good, not evil. Intent to show that he did indeed have a backbone, he tugged her off the counter, pulling her legs around his waist, and kissing her as he walked them to his bedroom. Once inside, he brought them both down to the bed and laid out on top of her.

Ruby stretched below him, letting his hands roam her body and push up her shirt so he could dip down and kiss bare skin. His mouth followed the cloth until it reached high enough that he had to pull the shirt off with her help. She settled back on the pillows and he went down with her, kissing her mouth, tongue winding with hers, before he trailed kisses down her jaw, neck, and over her shoulder.

She tugged on both layers of his shirts, quietly laughing when it was near impossible to get them off without busting a few buttons. From there time spend by as they removed Ruby’s pants then Sam’s then shared long, intense kisses. They slipped out jeans, and coasted hands over every inch of skin in view then removed the other’s underwear to leave them with miles of warm, bare skin.

He crept down to kiss across her belly, going further to nip the joints of her hips, and finally over her pussy, already warm and wet. He licked at her clit, drawing moans and making her practically claw over his head, fingers twirling in the hair. To calm her, he stroked a hand over her hip and up her side, smooth and slow even as he was insistent down below, sucking on her when he wasn’t trying to lick his way inside. As she became wound up, her legs trembled and he had to push at her knees, keeping her wide to make room for him to tongue over her repeatedly.

Ruby grabbed at his hair, tugging impatiently. “Sam,” she breathed out. “Sam, stop, it ain’t gonna last much longer.”

He grinned at her words, loving the idea of getting her off just with his mouth right there and barely touching her anywhere else. But ignoring his own need, hard and heavy between his legs, wouldn’t work for much longer, and he slid up to lay over her.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed herself up. “I didn’t mean you had to come to a complete stop.”

Sam smiled down on her, stroking a hand over her hair. “Just … a little patience, okay?”

Even with his own insistence on it going slow, once he’d touched himself to put on a condom, he could barely keep himself together. It was worse when he lined up with her and started to push in. The heat engulfed him and he had to push all the way in, bury himself inside her, and hide his face in her neck with a groan.

“You feel so good,” he murmured.

She twisted her hips to force movement and smirked against his cheek when he groaned again. “You gonna do this, cowboy?”

Wrapping his arms around her, he sat back on his knees and pulled her with. As he tightened his hold at her back, he pushed up into her, forcing a moan through her lips, and he grinned in triumph.

There wasn’t much more in the way of words. Their mouths were busy with each other, kissing long and hard while she rolled her hips down and he gave shallow thrusts in return. Despite the slow pace, it didn’t take long for each to start whimpering, clutching each other, unable to focus on kissing, instead just pressing cheeks together as she came. The way her body clutched his pushed him right there, too, and he panted through his orgasm, riding it out with her wrapped around him everywhere.

Before she could pull away, Sam laid her back on the bed and kissed her, slow and lazy. He leaned up on an elbow and looked at her from beneath lowered lids, feeling drained in the best way.

Ruby bit her lip then released it with a wry smile. “So, that wasn’t half bad.”

He snorted and kissed her quickly. “I’m pretty sure that means it was good for you.”

She shrugged, shoulders pressed up high as she looked away with the same awkward smile on her face. “I guess I could live with it happening again.”

He kissed her once more then slid up and off the bed. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,” he added when she shifted up against the pillows.

“What? You gonna chain me to the bed?” she called out while he was in the bathroom.

Returning with a smirk, he slid close to her in bed and kissed her shoulder. “Maybe next time.”

She turned to her stomach but stayed near, even while hiding her face a bit into the pillow. “You’re not so bad, Sammy.”

He didn’t even mind the nickname coming from her, especially when he could still see a smile peeking out from behind long strands of hair across her cheek. “Yeah, you, too.”

*

This time, when Sam woke in the morning, he was surprised to find the bed empty. With a huff, he flipped to his stomach, throwing his arms out and under the pillows and planting his face into the mattress.

Infuriating didn’t begin to describe how he felt about Ruby. The fact that she’d given him a chance, let him in, and made him believe there really was something between them had been a ruse and some sadistic way for her to screw him over for whatever reason. His mind raged against her and even himself for allowing it to happen yet again. He couldn’t deal with it anymore, couldn’t manage to think that Ruby was … coming back into the bedroom, crawling over him, and covering his body with her own.

Sam tensed up, trying in earnest to flip the switch that was just wishing her all ill will under his control.

Her arms wound under his chest as she kissed his back then rested her cheek against it.

Pathetically, he confessed, “I thought you left.”

Ruby laughed into his skin before taking time to suck a little mark then kiss it, forcing him to twitch with the feeling. “You still all wounded from before?”

Sam reached behind to stroke fingers over her side and down to her ass. “No, but you may have to convince me that you’re sticking around.”

She shifted up his body and nipped at his ear. “I think that could be arranged.”

It didn’t take much, but he slid out from under then tucked her back into him, feeling the whole length of her naked back against his chest. As he kissed down her neck, his thumb and forefinger played with her nipple, brushing then squeezing to work her up. She reached up to hold his head against her, encouraging him to keep going, and he knew he was getting her there. With one hand groping her breasts and the other sliding over her stomach, he nudged her legs apart, forcing one over his knee to spread her open. His hand trailed down over her wetness and inside even as he shifted away to grab a condom off the nightstand and get himself ready.

Seconds later, he pushed in from behind but went back to holding her tight with an arm around her chest while he fingered over her clit. She twisted as well in his arms as possible to kiss him while her hand squeezed over his thigh, encouraging him to keep going, to speed up. His fingers slid over her faster and with more pressure, and she moaned into the kisses and grinded back on him before shivering with her sudden orgasm. Sam thrusted a few more times then came while tucking her tight against him and burying his face in her hair.

After he pulled out and tossed the condom, he moved right back against her, holding her tight. She hummed and squeezed at his arm to keep him closer then murmured, “Morning after. Very nice.”

He kissed her shoulder with the sleepy satisfaction to her voice, and content that she was still there. But then he groaned at Dean’s voice in his head, telling him how great sex was the morning after.

Because even if Dean was right about that, Sam thought he was doing pretty well on his own. And Ruby’s quiet, happy sigh seemed to say the same thing.