“Hey. What’s this?” she asks.
“Uh. Breakfast?”
“Yeah, but you baked. And you used dishes that aren’t paper.” She sets Aaron down, and he toddles away while she points at the table.
“I know. Eat my baked goods at your own risk, but I had time today. For once, I wanted to feel like a real person and not some rushed crazy woman.” I sigh. “It feels good. And I want to teach Aaron things like baking. Shall we?”
She smiles and takes a seat. “Oookay, but remember the number for 9-1-1 in case I choke or get poisoned.”
“Ha. Ha. You’re funny.”
“I know, right? So, are you still going today? You should go.” She avoids eye contact, probably thinking I’m going to back out at the last minute.
“Yes. We’re going,” I say with confidence.
“Really?” She takes a sip of coffee.
“Really. I mean, I still have some doubts about adding a relationship to my shit storm of a life, but it seems like he’ll be around for a while.”
“Oh, you mean the super-rich hottie who worships the ground you walk on?” She rolls her eyes.
“He does not.”
“Ummm, yes, he does. Have you seen the way he looks at you? He has to be pretty close to falling for you.” She takes a bite of muffin, her expression somewhere between fear and surprise.
“Well yeah, but that has nothing to do with love. It’s just physical attraction.” I scoff and lift Aaron into the high chair.
“Okay, maybe, but don’t be surprised when he makes some sort of proclamation of love this weekend. I have a sense about these things. I’m always right,” she says with a smirk.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, you think so? Always right?”
“Pretty much. It’s one of the many, many reasons you love me. Hey, what time do you leave?”
I shove a piece of muffin in Aaron’s mouth. “This afternoon. Sam had a lunch meeting.”
“Ffffam!” Aaron shouts, arms flailing, feet kicking, spraying muffin bits two feet in front of him.
“That’s right, bud. Ssssam.” I smile at Aaron’s hearty laugh. “What will Mia do without us all weekend?”
“Mia is going out tonight with a man she hopes will be her next boyfriend, and she plans to spend all weekend exploring every inch of his glorious body and ridiculously huge house.”
Talking about herself in third person. Cute.
“Oh, you're predicting you’ll meet him tonight?”
“Nope. Already met him. Date is set. Sex will happen,” she says confidently.
“For real? You better not hold out on me, bi… scuit. When was this date set?” I’m trying to swear less around my son. Apparently, that means saying biscuit.
“Today, when he sat next to me at the counter at Cafe 64. His name is Austin. He’s a banker and he travels a lot, so I’m taking full advantage. It was like insta-lust. We have sex dates set for the next month.” She smirks and licks butter off her finger.
“I want coffee and a full report Monday morning.”
“Ditto.”
Chapter 5
Sam
Telling someone about the scenic drive to my family’s vineyard in Temecula is one thing, but watching Eve’s reaction as we weave through the scenic landscape takes my breath away. I make this drive several times a month and the Hwy CA-79 by-way offers a stunning panorama. With her hand in mine, I feel her joy the moment we round the corner where the city ends and the mountainous countryside begins.
I’ve had the same reaction many times myself, but my view of Eve’s experience is better. The sun and contrasting dark shadows from the mountains dancing on the exquisite lines of her face is captivating. I squeeze her fingers and her bright eyes follow the landscape, eventually meeting mine.
With sparkling eyes and a relaxed smile, she squeezes my hand back and mouths, “Thank you.”
Winding down the long driveway, wispy green grass, yellow fields, and long rows of grape vines welcome me back to my childhood home.
Having slept most of the drive, Aaron chirps from his car seat when he awakens. Fucking hell, those things are hard to install. It’s a good thing Eve knew what she was doing, because the instructions made no sense at all.
“Dat!” he shouts, his little finger pointing at the tall brick-and-stucco buildings as we pass the large stone atrium and tasting room of the winery.
Eve turns in her seat. “That! Yes, what is that?”
An antique fire-truck-turned-food-truck with faded red paint and original, shiny steel fenders is parked at the back of the small band shell waiting for the next local band to set up. Billowy smoke wafts from the small chimney at the top of the truck, carrying the distinct smell of smoky garlic from the artisan pizzas baking inside.
“Fiow fwuck!” Aaron exclaims, making us chuckle.
“That’s right, buddy. Fire truck,” Eve says as she lets go of my hand to try to calm his flailing arms and legs. “It’s so fun to see new places, but shhh, try to calm down.”
As we approach the reconstructed 1900s farmhouse, my mom pops around the corner of the house with garden shears and flowering honeysuckle branches in her hands. She drops them, takes off her gardening gloves, and envelops me in a hug when I cross in front of the car to get Eve’s door.
“Oh, Sammy! Hi, honey.” She kisses my cheek. “And you must be Eve.”
Mom grabs Eve and pulls her into a clumsy hug. I haven’t exactly been bringing dates home lately, so I can see why she might be pretty eager to meet any woman I’ve been spending time with.
“I’m so glad to meet you, Eve! I’m Valerie and my husband, Steve, is around here somewhere. And this must be Aaron,” she says with outstretched arms and a huge smile. Mom takes him from Eve, hitching him right on her hip as though no time has passed since she held kids in that same position every day.
After we unload the car and let Aaron run around for a bit, Mom calls us into the kitchen for dinner. As usual, everything she has prepared looks mouthwatering, from the sliced prime rib, green salads, and potatoes, right down to the plate of brownies. The smell of them baking still lingers in the air.
While we feast, my older sister, who manages the finances of our family-run vineyard, joins us. “Hi, Eve, nice to meet you. Yeah, Dad, about that contract we discussed earlier, I’m still thinking we need to have our lawyer look at it. The terms aren’t squeaky clean and I don’t want to have to clean up the mess later.” She sits down and takes a bite, barely making eye contact with anyone at the table.
“I’ll take a look at it Monday.”
“It’s really something to take seriously. I don’t think there’s much time left, and you haven’t done anything about it yet,” she says, still directing conversation to her plate of food.
“Sarah. We have company now. This can wait. And Sam handles the contracts.” Dad turns his attention to Eve. “So, Sam tells us you’re a grad student. And you’re raising your boy alone? Good for you.” He smiles and refills everyone’s wine glasses.
“Yes. Thank you. He’s a good boy.” Aaron coos as Eve brushes his cheek with the back of her hand.
“He sure is.” Mom smiles at them. “I was getting my degree in viticulture, which is winemaking if you didn’t know, when Sarah here was just a tiny baby. We were struggling at the time to keep the grapes growing. As you can see, in the end, the kids, they turn out okay.”
“Oh, hey. Look at the time.” Sarah scoots her chair back loudly and quickly clears her dishes.
I don’t know what’s going on, but she seems uncomfortable and won’t look me in the eye. Sarah doesn’t have the warmest of personalities, but this is unlike her. She’s out the door before anyone can say goodbye.
Mom shrugs, but I catch my parents exchanging a meaningful glance.
Eager to change the subject, I say, “So where’s my little bro?”
“He’s out there with the tractor somewhere. Probably hauling some fallen brush from the heavy rain. I’m headed out there now. Maybe
tomorrow I can take Aaron out for a tractor ride,” my dad says and pinches Aaron’s cheek.
“He would love that, Mr. Traulich. Thank you.”
“Please. Call me Steve. I’ll see you in the morning. I’m turning in when I get back.” He shakes hands with Eve and pats me on the shoulder.
“We’re turning in too, Mom. Eve and I are sleeping in my room and Aaron is sleeping in the guest room.”
“Okay, honey. Good night, you two.”
When the old farmhouse was renovated and expanded, my room was made into a suite with a bathroom, fireplace, and kitchenette, since we knew at that time that I would be traveling and needing to stay here sometimes. Right now though, my main objective is getting Eve into this king-size bed so I can sink deep inside her.
Aaron is already asleep, and even though she looks sleepy from being in the dark room, trying to get him down, I click the remote to start the gas fireplace and take her in my arms. Just feeling her curves against me makes my dick stand at attention. Her tits pressing against my chest draw a groan from deep within me. She echoes with a groan of her own as I bring my mouth to her soft, supple lips.
Eager to be inside her in any way I can, I kiss her hard and plunge my tongue deep, bringing short breaths and gasps from her. As I ravage her mouth and press my fingers into any flesh I can hold onto, my aching cock strains against her belly. I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around me in the way that only she does. The change of the angle at our hips positions my tip right at her entrance. I could free my cock, slip her shorts and panties aside, and shove inside her right now. Take her quick and dirty, like I always want to. Conquer her. Remind her she’s mine. Fast and hard to mark her.
Instead, I decide to take my time and lay her on the bed.
I tug at her shorts, leaving her shoes on. They’re the sandals I bought her with the laces that tie up and around her beautifully shaped calves. Espadrilles or something. Hot as fuck.
Lifting her legs so I can slip off her shorts, I kiss around the soft laces where they touch her skin. Nipping and kissing up her legs, I settle between them where her skin is soft and wet, her scent so sweet. I’m close enough that she can feel my breath hot against her, bringing a deep moan from her as she wiggles in anticipation. Sliding my hands beneath her ass, I bring her pussy up to my face. Licking straight up and down, moving her hips with my hands, I devour her, fucking her with my tongue. She’s shaking and on the edge already.
Fuck. It doesn’t take long to drive her insane, so I have an idea. I roll onto my back, guide her knees to either side of my head, and continue to suck and lick until she does exactly what I want. She starts to move her hips in a rhythm, trying to find the best stimulation on her own.
Driving my chin into her, I free my mouth enough to say, “That’s right, Eve. Do it. Take what you need.”
She looks down at me holding out my tongue as she moves herself around. I grind my chin into her and suck on her clit, and she puts her hand on the wall for support as she continues to move on my face.
“God, your scruff is making me crazy.” She grabs my hair with her other hand and rides me until she squeaks and comes all over my face.
Fucking hell.
I’m so hard, my dick is pulsing.
Guiding her hands onto the headboard, I slide her hips down so the slick folds outside her pussy cover my cock. She starts to move just like she did on my face and makes herself come again.
“Fuck. You’re so fucking hot. I’m about to explode.” I watch her expression as I shove my dick into her hard from underneath, pushing her hips down onto me.
We both groan at the sensation of me finally filling her. She’s still hanging onto the headboard and her tits are dangling above my face. I catch a nipple with my teeth, and the view of her coming again as I pound into her from below makes me blow my load with such force, her face twists to stifle her scream. God, she’s loud and I love it, but I’m glad we’re not going to let the whole house know how hard she’s coming. She shakes so hard she collapses beside me from the sheer force of her orgasm.
I can’t get enough of her. We lay spread eagle on the bed, catching our breath. Fingers laced together is our only physical contact now. I could go again right now. But before I can even pull her into the crook of my arm to make the next move, her breathing evens out and I know she’s asleep. I close my eyes, drifting off into a blissful rest as well, as I hold her close anyway.
Chapter 6
Sam
After breakfast, Dad takes Aaron out for a ride on the tractor while Eve and I walk around the vineyard. Weaving in and out of the rows of vines, I show her the various grape varieties and explain which types of wines they make. When I can’t stand it anymore, I push her against a grape vine trellis to kiss her and dig my fingers in her pussy until she quivers and her come drips onto my shoe.
After lunch, my mom takes Aaron on the golf cart to the “app-oh” orchard while Eve and I stomp grapes and laugh. She gasps when I kneel in the barrel filled with smashed grapes to eat her out.
We pant and sweat as we rinse our clothes and fuck against the shower wall in my private bathroom, washing away the grape juice and pulp. Drying her back with a towel, I feel her smooth skin against mine and watch the water drops disappear. I can’t help but feel like every childhood fantasy I had while growing up here in this bedroom has come true.
Holding hands, we tour the winery buildings, passing multitudes of casks stacked in large rows in the cellar room, exploring the tasting rooms and banquet hall, then we make the decision to hang with the crowds tonight. Pizza from the food truck, a bottle of wine, and live music sounds like the perfect evening. Eve is sure Aaron will love it too. But not the wine part.
That evening, while Eve and Aaron dance on the dirt floor in front of the band, my phone pings with a text from Debbie. There’s been another incident at the bar, but this time she’s asked me to review the security video when I get back. Plus, I want to see him for myself.
Within an hour, my phone pings again. It’s Will Santon, a local PI who has been doing some work for me. I hired him after Eve’s ex called and threatened me when she was visiting Minnesota. He spotted Eve’s ex, Matthew, near her apartment today. That fucker is in LA. Looks like I have some things to take care of when I get home.
Chapter 7
Eve
Waking up next to Sam has become my new favorite thing. The way he sleeps on his stomach with his pillow over his head and elbows bent gives me a delicious view of the well-defined muscles in his back and arms. The way his hair is messy and his eyes are squinty when he lifts his head out of a dead sleep. The way his eyes change to an azure blue when he realizes I’m right next to him.
This morning, he kisses my shoulder, pulling me close so he can tickle my skin with more kisses along my collar bone and neck. I wrap my arms around his head, giving him access to trace a line under my chin with his tongue as I wrap my leg around his hip so he can press his morning erection through the sheets between us. Within moments of waking up, I’m gasping with need for him. The way he cherishes me, needs me, and wants me in such a desperate way is a lofty feeling I’m not willing to give up anytime soon.
Today, I see traces of something new in his eyes when he laces his fingers into my hair, pressing his forehead to mine, his soft breath against my mouth.
“Eve, this weekend, having you here has been unbelievable,” he whispers. “I really care about you.” He moves his hands to cradle my jaw, his brilliant blue eyes swimming with intensity and emotion. “You’re unreal. From my wildest dreams.”
With our arms squeezing each other tight, I kiss him slow and deep, eliciting a low groan from him. “You are too. This weekend has been like a dream. I love being here with you.”
Arms and legs tangled in the sheets, nose to nose, I feel as though our souls are slowly joining like two pieces of dough, shaping and molding to become one. Ready for a partnership in something bigger and beyond our understanding. This weekend has changed m
e and my outlook. It has changed us.
******
Following the heavenly smells that travel upstairs through the stairwell, I stop in my tracks when I see the kitchen island and table are lined with the most enticing spread of dishes and baked goods I’ve ever seen. Egg bakes, breakfast meats, a ham, a few types of bread, pastries, fruit, and even a bear-shaped pancake for Aaron. Sam and his family are already seated at the table, sipping coffee and engaged in a conversation so deep, they don’t notice us until Aaron’s voice breaks the tension in the air.
“Ffffam!” Aaron bellows as he runs with loud, clumsy footsteps toward Sam’s open arms.
“Hey, my little buddy,” Sam says, catching the totting toddler.
Sarah, who was talking a moment ago, looks up while she watches Sam and Aaron, then she returns to the same posture from last night—looking down, hovering over her plate, and making no eye contact with anyone. Well, isn’t she just a peach.
“Nose,” Sam says, with Aaron in his lap, squeezing Aaron’s nose. “Honk. Honk.”
The whole family, except Sarah, is grinning from watching them. Giggles take over the room, except where Sarah is sitting. She hasn’t looked up once and continues to shovel food in her mouth. Interesting. Maybe she doesn’t like kids.
After gorging on the most amazing brunch, I’m so full I can hardly move. Valerie volunteers to clean Aaron up, Sam is with his father and brother in the office upstairs, and more quickly than I realize, I’m sitting alone with Sarah.
She sits back in her chair, her short, wavy blond hair framing her face and shoulders, with her short legs stretched in front of her under the table. Her eyes are still focused on her fingers laced around her coffee cup.
The Drazen World: Hold (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 2