The Drazen World: Run (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “Sounds like you have a pretty diverse family. I bet it’s hard to be so far away from them.”

  “Well, with family, you know… those can be the most difficult relationships in your life. A little distance from them is bringing me a welcome break.”

  Sam smirks. “Oh, believe me. I know exactly what you mean.”

  He swings into the spot next to my car and parks, and after we get out, he takes my hand and walks me the few steps to my car door. “Beautiful and smart. My kind of girl.” He kisses my hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Those blue eyes become darker and deeper as he looks at me through his long lashes.

  “Yes. Tomorrow.”

  Chapter 7

  The sun is setting, bringing pink-and-orange dusk to the horizon, and Sam and I are seated on a small deck at Syrah’s Wine Bar, overlooking the coast. The water in the distance sparkles with the remainder of the sun. Our white tablecloth is filled with shiny flight glasses of red and white wines, baskets of crusty bread, a selection of locally made cheeses, crackers, and small plates with antipasto salad and ahí tuna bites.

  The cool evening is starting to settle in, but I’m still so, so hot. The wine is buzzing through me, leaving a warm glow from my belly to my toes, but my temperature is elevated because this man is so damn sexy. His hair’s a little messy from the breeze and has a slight copper tint from the setting sun. He’s sitting close to me in his light slacks and a tight black shirt that highlights his pecs and arms. When he moves just right, the outline of his abs become visible and make me want to rub my hands on him.

  I feel as though something magnetic is pulling us closer together. His leg touches mine. My hand rests on his forearm. We’re becoming a tangled mess of swirling glasses and sips. Words like “light or full-bodied” and “tart or round” find their way to our tongues. I’m pretty sure my panties are soaked. I shift in my chair as he watches me over his wine glass.

  “I knew wine made everything taste better, but these pairings are delicious.” I finish another glass, feeling accomplished.

  His eyes are focused where my sundress meets the side of my breast. “Agreed. It’s just another beverage until you really experience a good pairing.” He smiles at me and sets down his glass. “Tell me more about you, Eve.” He sits back, takes my hand in his lap, and rubs circles in my palm with his thumb.

  Oh, damn. “W-well, I know that where I come from, we either drink dark craft beer or deep red wine in the winter. When the snow is up to our knees and the wind is so cold it takes our breath away, it keeps us warm.” I feel more heat bloom within me as the color in his eyes deepens. He seems to take in my words as if they’re a prelude of something to come. “All of these wines are delicious though. I never knew there was so much to know about wine.”

  “It’s funny, you know. When you grow up on a family vineyard stomping grapes and worrying about how the California drought will affect the crops, it just becomes a part of you.”

  While he talks, I watch the smile lines around his eyes move as his expression changes. He speaks of the vineyard with respect and a sense of nostalgia in his tone.

  “I’ve always wanted to stomp grapes. It seems so organic and old-fashioned in a world where everything is made by machines and conveyor belts.”

  “That’s true. My family is old-fashioned in that sense. We haven’t changed how we do things for decades.” He kisses my hand. “I think you would like grape stomping.”

  Laughing, I remember how Aaron once stomped on the grapes I’d spilled all over the kitchen floor. I freeze. Aaron. I should tell him about Aaron.

  I pull my hand away and brace myself. I like Sam, and I want to be honest with him. “So, Sam, I have to tell you something. I’m nervous because it might send you running for the hills, but I want you to know.”

  His expression becomes a little more solemn, but his smile doesn’t leave his eyes.

  So I spill it. How I’m a single mom. How my son is everything. How my parents rejected me because I chose to keep him. How I’m working so hard to build a solid future for him. I probably say too much. Still, even after this disclosure, I’m surprised that I feel so relaxed and free. Sam's smile returns, and I realize just how laid-back he is. He doesn’t seem affected by this news at all.

  He laughs gently. “I have to admit that honestly, that makes you even more attractive to me. Knowing what you’ve been through and seeing how strong and devoted you are in spite of it all, it makes me want to be closer to you.”

  I’m not sure what to think or say, I’m so surprised by his reaction, but our connection seems to deepen with our silence. He sighs and leans in to touch his lips to mine. Our first kiss is delicious. He tastes so sweet, like the port we just finished. His lips are full and lush against mine, and the combination makes me a little dizzy. He smells like earth and ocean and breeze.

  He breaks our lingering kiss and taps his lips on each corner of my mouth while holding my face. His gaze is sincere. “You’re beautiful. I’ve enjoyed this.”

  “Me too. Maybe a little more than I should.” My eyes close as I try to regain my composure. I reopen them and say, “And thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a man.” I feel myself blush. “I mean, since I’ve been out like this. I mean, like we are together.” I look at my feet, feeling as though I’m saying too much.

  “We could change that, you know.” He takes my chin and lifts my face to his, then he picks up my hand and presses his lips to each finger. The other hand sweeps the inside of my thigh.

  “Okay,” I say, knowing exactly what he meant.

  Before I know it, he tugs at my hand and we weave our way inside the building. The restaurant is empty except for a few men in golf attire sitting at the bar. I’m dizzy with drink and lust, but he leads me through the dimly lit restaurant to an even darker back hallway. There, he pushes me against the wall, his hands on either side of my head. We kiss again, breathing deeply. My arms go up around his neck, and I notice that when I’m in heels, we’re almost the same height.

  Our bodies connect shoulder to shoulder, my breasts against his firm chest. His cock is hard and presses on my hip. I feel pressure and weight between my legs from the touch of his body. I feel bold, so I open my mouth and tease his lips with my tongue. His breath catches, and he takes over, covering my mouth with his. We both moan, squeezing all over and pulling each other closer. I’m doing this. I deserve this. At least this one time. This one night.

  He deepens the kiss, our tongues twirling and exploring. We pull away from the wall, walking and tripping into the single bathroom. The door closes, and he flips the lock. His eyes are hooded, and I swear he’s looking into my soul in that moment. My heart skips a beat as I wait for his next move. I’m frozen because, for the first time in a long time, I don't know what to do next. This man makes me forget about everything, everything I was and all that I’ve been through. He commands such a presence that all I can do is wait for his next move.

  “Eve. You are breathtaking. I need you.” He tugs at the straps of my dress.

  “Sam… you… I…” I can’t get the words out.

  “Eve.” He finds my breasts and pushes on them hard, lifting and squeezing. We both let out a groan. “I’m gonna fuck you now,” He grinds his hips between my legs. “I’ve wanted to do this since we met. I’m gonna bury my cock so deep in you. I don’t think I will ever get enough of you.”

  “Please, Sam.” I reach for his belt.

  My ass hits the sink. He lifts my long legs so they wrap around him, and my hands fall back on the faucet, my arms holding me up. He grabs my pussy over my panties, squeezing with urgent fingers, rubbing back and forth until I match his rhythm with my hips. His breath is hot on my neck, and I moan at the ceiling. He teases my center with his whole hand, but he pulls away and I whimper at the loss of his touch. I hear the crinkle of a foil wrapper and moan in anticipation.

  He pulls off my panties, and I can feel how I’m soaked to the core when he looks down to watch
himself push inside me. I catch a glimpse of him, long and thick and hard, as he slides in. I’m dizzy from the size of him, gasping and clutching his shirt.

  This went so fast. We were having dinner and now this. THIS.

  His thrusts are slow and deep. Pausing each time, he grunts as he buries himself deeper and deeper, almost to the end of me. I don’t even have a minute to take it all in or second-guess this decision. All I feel is bliss and ecstasy. I can’t hold back, so I hold on tight while he pumps in and out, so expert and smooth, aiming toward that place deep inside me.

  He groans when he reaches between us to find my clit. He circles and teases it, then he pulls back a little to watch my reaction. “You need to come, baby. I want to watch you. Come for me, Eve.”

  “Okay… okay… oh, fuck.”

  Pleasure rips through me. I’m barely holding on, but his strong arms hold me up. With one last thrust, his body comes to a halt inside me as he moans into my hair. Both of us are trembling and panting, somehow trying to stay quiet. But the feeling of his hot breath on my face and the sound of his quiet moans when he finds his release makes me louder, so his hand goes over my mouth to silence me. The sheer force of his grip on my face makes my pussy clench him harder and draws out my orgasm. His thrusts slow down, but he’s still stiff and deep inside me as both of us are breathless and glistening with a light sweat. His hands are on my face, his nose tucked by my ear.

  Our breathing slows, and he finally pulls out of me. After he drops the condom in the trash, he brings me back to his chest and wraps his arms around me. He leans his back on the wall for support.

  He kisses my ear and whispers, “Eve.”

  I turn my head and whisper to his lips, “Sam.”

  His arms tighten around me. I kiss him because I still can’t form any words. In that kiss is a decision that needs no words. Sharing that together in such a spontaneous way spoke volumes between us.

  He helps me with my panties, smooths out my dress, and tucks himself back together. I smooth my tousled afro back down to a reasonable size. My hands are still shaking, while his movements are smooth and fluid. His touch is reverent when he kisses my forehead before taking my hand, and we walk right out of that bathroom as if nothing ever happened.

  Our drive back to my apartment is quiet, but we hold hands, our fingers caressing. Our companionship is much quieter than the urgency we just shared.

  “You inspire me, you know,” Sam says out of the blue.

  “Why is that?”

  “I’ve never let myself think about having kids,” he says, looking into the headlights ahead of us. “Managing the Stock and traveling so much for the vineyard keeps me busy. And here you are, a single parent in grad school, plus you’re holding down a job.” He kisses my fingertips. “You’re doing it all. It’s impressive.”

  “Oh, if you only knew.” I snort. “If you only knew what a hot mess I can be.”

  “Hot for sure. I doubt the mess part… but it’s okay if that’s true.”

  He stops the car in front of my apartment building and leans over for another kiss. One peck on my hand, one on my mouth, and I slide out of his car to save myself from gushing.

  On the one hand, I’m embarrassed for losing control with him in the restaurant. I feel a little like I let myself down. On the other hand, the way he looks at me tells me he still respects me. And I respect him too. He makes me feel wanted and cared for. Plus, that was a really good time. That man can fuck. For real. I shake my head as I walk to my apartment building.

  Chapter 8

  The morning light barrels through the blinds of my bedroom window like a freight train. I can barely open my eyes—partly because I feel as though I slept better than I have in years, partly because I can feel the effects from the wine I consumed last night. Oh my god, so much wine. The only cure for this slow and heavy feeling in my head is the best thing ever invented and it awaits me in the kitchen. Whoever thought of harvesting the coffea fruit, extracting the seeds, roasting them, grinding them up, and pouring hot water over them to make the delicious beverage called coffee is a pure genius.

  Aaron is still sleeping, so I sneak out the kitchen to make a pot. As the pungent aroma permeates my apartment, I wrangle my curls up on top of my head and jump in the shower, noticing how I’m slightly stiff and deliciously sore where it counts. The hot water feels so good, and steam surrounds me as the memory of Sam’s touch floods my brain. My whole body swells at the thought of his hands on me, pushing me against that sink, thrusting deep inside me with his strong arms holding us up. Why did I react that way when his hand covered my mouth? It was forceful and overbearing, yet it made my orgasm so much more intense. But it was a dominant move, which usually makes me uncomfortable.

  I’m so turned on right now from just the thought of him and the way he commanded my body last night. I can also feel my cheeks flushing and a familiar pressure building between my legs from the memory of him. I take a moment to relish the thought of how he touched me, then Aaron’s cry brings me back to the present moment. He’s awake. Back to life. Back to reality.

  As I chase and wrangle Aaron, dressing him and pinning him to the floor so I can put on his socks and shoes, I have this eery feeling that I won’t be seeing Sam again. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised or heartbroken if that was a one-night fling. I have to admit it would be better that way. Okay, maybe it would be slightly heartbreaking, but it has to be just me and my boy for a while. Life is complicated enough right now, and having anything more than one night with Sam would be too much. I resign myself to that fact since he’s a gorgeous, wealthy single man and I’m probably just another one of his nightly conquests, it doesn’t matter anyway.

  Some day I’ll have the chance to date again. But first, maybe it’s time to go home and deal with the situation called Matthew, Aaron’s father. No matter what happens with Sam, spending this time with him has made me realize that I need closure on my relationship with Matthew. There are too many things I want to say and too many unanswered questions.

  ******

  “Knock, knock, Mia,” I say with Aaron in my arms, watching his big brown eyes as I tap on her door, ready to drop him off for a few hours. I was able to trade for a lunch shift today.

  “Not, not, ee-ah,” Aaron says with a huge grin.

  Mia swings the door open and leaps to take him out of my arms. They embrace, and Aaron plants a huge slimy, open-mouthed kiss on her cheek.

  She looks at me as she lets me in and says, “Hey, girl. What’s up?”

  “I’m off to work, that’s what’s up.”

  “Nooo, I mean what’s different about you?” She puts Aaron down and walks in a circle around me with her tortoise-shell glasses pulled to the end of her nose and her pointer finger tapping her chin. Smiling, she stops in front of me and puts her hands on her hips. “Ummm, how was your date? You were very quiet when you picked up Aaron last night.”

  “It was good. It was great actually.” I’m grinning.

  She’s also grinning, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

  “The spontaneous sex in the restaurant bathroom kind of great.”

  “No. Way! Looks to me like spontaneous sex in the restaurant bathroom suits you. You are glowing. Oh my god, girl, you go!” She squeals, clapping and jumping up and down so her curls bounce like Slinkys. She’s so adorable.

  “So what happened? Did he just grab you and—” Her shoulder thrusts forward.

  “Yes, he just grabbed me and—” I say, making a pulling motion.

  “And then did he, like, push you and—” She snarls.

  “Yes, he pushed me and—” I sigh a big swoony sigh, shaking my head and grabbing my bag. “I’m not gonna lie, it was hot, but I’m not sure this could work out. You know? I can’t get distracted. I need to stay focused.”

  Mia grabs my biceps, her eyes filled with sympathy. “Yeah, I know what you mean, but give yourself a hot minute to enjoy this. You had fun, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but—�
��

  “But nothing. Stop thinking. Try giving yourself a chance to be happy. You can be happy and still try to stay focused, right? At least try. If it doesn’t work out, then you’ll know.”

  I search her eyes for a moment. “Right. You’re right. I’ve been overthinking this all morning. You’re always right.” I smile, shaking my head and pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, girl.”

  She kisses me emphatically, right on the mouth. “That’s right. Don’t you ever forget it!”

  ******

  Due to the never-ending traffic in LA, I’m late for work, so I’m trying to rush in heels through the hall leading to the employee elevator. The clop-tap, clop-tap of my shoes echoes off the tile floor until I rush into the locker room with a swoosh. Quickly, I dress in a sheer black top, purple mini, and black-chevron patterned tights. I’m almost ready to go out and greet my tables when Frankie finds me in the locker room. Shutting the door behind him, he slinks in and looks at me with his beady black eyes, and I have this weird feeling he’s going to say something inappropriate. I roll my eyes and continue to buckle my heels around my ankles, looking down as he approaches. Oh, man, I do not need this today. I am too tired to put up with his bullshit.

  He sulks over to me in his dark blue poly suit, comb-over, and squints at me. “Did you know your little friend and Drazen are fucking? You know, Monica sucks Drazen’s cock. Did you know she does that? Mmhmm.”

  He comes so close, I can feel his breathing on my back as I’m bent over my shoe.

  “She don’t work here no more, but she still sucks his cock. And you know, he likes it rough in the bedroom, so Monica must like it too, right?” He pushes his hips forward and puts his hands on his hips, which makes his round belly jut out farther.

  “Yeah, whatever, Frankie. You go right ahead with your fantasy.”

  “No, it’s the real deal. I heard some of the other girls talking about it the other day.” He grins as though he's found the cat that got out of the bag.