“I’m gonna send you away for a few months to live with Uncle Jethro.”
Draven threw his bag in the back of Peter’s truck and then got into the front. It had been hard to say goodbye to his mother, sisters and the club, but he decided to take Skull’s advice, knowing that it wasn’t just his brother’s request. He knew that his dad must have had something to do with it.
The truck sped along the two-lane blacktop road shimmering with the afternoon heat. Getting shot by his boyfriend and moving away from his home was a lot to take, especially after leaving prison. Therefore, he found himself unusually detached as if he were just trying to block out the pain of the whole experience.
“We’ve got two guys who’ll be looking out for you while you’re in Stockton. I heard you knew them from way back in high school.”
“Yeah, I know who they are,” Draven said, resting his cheeks on his knuckles. He knew about the plan and although he wasn’t sure if he agreed with the whole thing as Skull laid it out, he didn’t argue. After all, it was he who got himself shot by his boyfriend, a guy who Skull and other members of the club frequently warned him about, but he was too caught up to listen. So, there was a part of Draven that believed he deserved this.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be back to Good Hope in no time.”
“Yeah,” Draven said. But he wondered if there would be a place for him to return to. He’d temporarily stepped down from his position as vice president and he no longer had a boyfriend. His dad’s advice came back to him.
Chapter 6
Elliot
“He won’t keep you on after the summer, Elliot,” Gina said. “No way. You’ll have to find a real job in a month.”
“You don’t know that. Also, I don’t see why I can’t do what I love,” Elliot said.
It was almost opening time at Sweet Paradise and Gina just came in for her usual orders of imported truffles, which were expensive to buy. Gina intended to give it to her new roommate, who was also her new crush. Elliot stood behind the register and dutifully prepared her order while they discussed his long-term career plans.
“You graduated with a BA in Literature,” Gina continued.
But what was the end result? Elliot wondered as he fumbled with her bag. He graduated college a never-been-kissed virgin. Somehow he’d avoided every flirt who tried to make eye contact with him and now he was haunted by his growing fear that he’d end up a forty-year-old virgin.
“You can do better than working here. I’m mean, don’t get me wrong, Sweet Paradise is okay, but eventually, you’re gonna have to fulfill your potential.” Gina picked up a black jelly bean from a jar and plopped it into her mouth. “Besides, Jethro’s nephew might take over.”
Jethro was the store owner. The gentle, soft-spoken man seemed to adore Elliot and Gina. They suspected that he didn’t even need their help to run the store, but he kept them on simply because he liked their company. Lately, he’d been going through a kidney ordeal and needed surgery. He told Elliot that his nephew was going to be working in the store while he was recovering.
“I don’t know, Gina. I like it here. Maybe if I got the urge like you did, I would do something different,” Elliot handed her the bag. He admired her desire to explore the world. Gina had worked at Sweet Paradise with him for a few months, but after growing restless, she handed in her notice and decided to travel to Europe for a few weeks. She knew what she wanted out of life and never tried to justify her desires to anyone.
Elliot felt that the same could be said for a lot of the customers who came into Sweet Paradise. To some extent, almost every customer tried to justify their purchase, which Elliot never understood.
The store was long and narrow and by noon there were always kids with baskets full of candy.
“I’ll take a few of these...for my nephews,” Mr. Mackey said as he approached the register.
Elliot nodded as he put the candy in a bag. He already knew Mr. Mackey’s order of candy-coated chocolate wasn’t for his nephews because his wife mentioned to Elliot that the man had a sweet tooth.
“Hey, how’s Alex?” Gina asked.
“Ugh,” Elliot replied, after handing Mr. Mackey his back. “I’m just hoping that he’s not like the other guys. There are too many guys looking for casual hookups on Grindr.”
“You only had five dates, don’t give up. I'm sure you’ll find someone who’s compatible. You all set for tonight then?”
“Just about. I’m gonna get my haircut, I've already picked what I want to wear,” Elliot said. “God, I'm nervous.”
“I’ll be fine. I was nervous too when I was on the dating scene,” Gina said. “But I had some great experiences. Just keep an open mind.”
“Yeah, I'll try.” Elliot nodded and smiled to a boy who stood patiently behind Gina. He bagged his purchase and the boy paid for his candy.
He usually was dressed in plain attire, a white shirt and blue jeans, but he tried to appear more provocative whenever he went on dates. Tonight, he decided to style his hair. He usually preferred to keep his hair short because it was so long and it took too much effort to maintain, but lately he’d let it grow a little and now he was going to get a sexy haircut.
“Okay, make sure you text me as soon as the date’s over. That’s if you’re not too busy,” she said with a wink as she prepared to take off.
“Believe me, I'll probably end up back at your place shouting about how the universe has thrown me another douche again,” Elliot said, laughing.
When Gina left, Elliot wondered if she was right that he would find someone who was compatible with him. A guy who he could talk with, enjoy spending time with and someone who just wanted a quick lay.
Being stood up was a slap in the face after Elliot had taken the time and made the effort to look his best. The last time he remember feeling so embarrassed was at college when he arranged to meet a guy in his dorm. He spent half an hour outside the guy’s door only to receive a text informing him that the date had to be canceled because he had other plans.
It shattered Elliot’s confidence and he avoided the curious gazes of guys altogether during his remaining time at school.
He sat at the bar and kept his eyes focused on his phone. The place wasn’t too packed, groups of people were scattered throughout the room and they seemed too busy laughing and chatting among themselves to pay attention to his circumstances.
This definitely was a blow, but alcohol was the perfect remedy to blunt the pain. Elliot signaled the bartender and got another gin and tonic. Prickled with humiliation, he wasn’t ready to text Gina to let her know what had happened. It would take a few more drinks before he would be up to it, and then he planned on going to her place and crying his eyes out.
Life was so unfair. He was nice, kind and considerate and he just wanted to meet a guy who would be good for him. A good guy who would treat him well and hang out with him. Together, they could beat back the loneliness that was singledom.
After his third order of gin and tonic, Elliot didn’t care about any of those other things. Loneliness and finding someone to share mutual interests with was not his immediate concern. The most troubling thing was that he never been kissed. He was twenty-one now and he was still fantasizing about what most people did on a daily basis.
Elliot gulped his drink, dropped his glass on the bar top and groaned. He whipped out his phone and texted Gina:
The bastard stood me up
I need to talk
About this dating
Thing!
He hopped off the stool and crashed into a brick wall.
“Well, hello.” The voice was low and hoarse.
It was then that Elliot realized that the brick wall that seemingly materialized out of thin air was a man. The body of a man. And it was as hard as steel.
“Sorry,” Elliot said, but the moment he looked up and saw eyes that shimmered like emeralds, he felt the urge to bury his gaze into the ground.
“What’s the hurry?” he asked. “Let
me buy you a drink.”
“Eh, I have to be somewhere. I-I,” he stuttered but clamped his mouth shut. The guy was a complete stranger. He didn’t need an explanation. But as Elliot looked took the man in, the hairs on the nape of his neck stood up and his heart jumped.
Trouble.
The tattoos, the dangerous looked in his eyes, and the way that he exuded confidence as if he were the most important guy in the room, which may just be because he towered over Elliot. All these attributes were registered on a subconscious level and his abdomen twisted into knots.
“Sorry, I have to go,” Elliot said. He wasn’t sure why, but every part of him wanted to get as much distance between him and the guy as possible. Elliot rushed out of the bar.
Chapter 7
Draven
Draven watched the man leave and shook his head, slightly confused. He was used to people being afraid of him, and his role as vice president only increased the tension whenever he walked into a room. But that was in Good Hope. There was no way that people here would know that he was a biker, except for the tattoos, which would have given away his identity with close inspection. However, Skull wanted him to keep his nose out of trouble while he was living with Uncle Jethro.
Draven peered into the murky mirror behind the bar and blew out a breath. He was dressed in a black tee, his hair was gelled back. He left his biker jacket back in Good Hope. He smirked as he wondered what Skull and his dad thought making him look like a regular civilian might do for him. His mother sure liked how he looked, she wouldn’t stop telling him that he looked like a model. People were always complimenting his looks, and they were always surprised to learn that he was Skull’s younger brother. His older brother’s face told the tales of his many wars.
The bartender came over to him and took his order. Draven ordered a shot of whiskey. A curious glint flashed in the bartender’s eyes as he looked at Draven’s tattoos, and it appeared as if he were about to ask Draven about them, but he must have thought better of it because he turned away. Returning with Draven’s drink, he smiled.
“Nice tats,” he said.
“Thank,” Draven said, taking his glass.
When he was younger he always wanted to have battle scars and bruises like Shull, but he soon learned that his club’s reputation got him all of the fear and respect he needed. Now, Draven wondered what it would be like to get the attention of the hottie who ran out of bar. Before Michael, he always hooked up with rich men, wild college guys or the occasional celeb who was in the closet. Basically, he attracted guys who loved the idea of being a member of an outlaw motorcycle club. Most guys thought a life on the edge made things more exciting.
But Draven wanted to know what it would take to have the guy who dashed out of the bar after knocking into him.
And then, as if the universe was listening to his thoughts, the guy stepped back into the bar and stared at him from across the room. He looked directly into Draven’s eyes. It was as if they collided into each other again, only this time something was different.
Draven felt a stirring in his stomach, his cock twitched and his balls tightened. He raised his glass, gesturing for the guy to come over. He looked hesitant. This intrigued Draven and he decided to go over to him.
As Draven swaggered across to the gorgeous guy, he noticed that the man retreated to a corner in the bar. Even though they were a distance apart, Draven could still see the mixture of fear, curiosity, and arousal in the other man’s expression. Every now and then the man would bite his bottom lip, and Draven wasn’t sure if it were a trick of the lights or if the man was trembling.
Draven always got the sense that people expected him to behave in an arrogant and entitled manner because he was a member of the Devil’s Sons. But this wasn’t the case. All of his brothers worked for everything they wanted. Outsiders expected them to have it easy just because they operated outside of the law, but his club had their own set of rules. And they worked hard for what they wanted.
For Draven, this applied to relationships too. Even with hookups, he never carried a sense of entitlement, he peppered his conversation with stories to try and impress guys who he dated. Though he thought most guys were attracted to him because of who he was, he never expected them to be.
Just as he was halfway across the room, a tap on his shoulder halted him. Draven turned and saw two men standing behind him. They were dressed like bikers and were both shorter than him.
“Draven?” One of them asked, extending a hand.
“Mickey and Truant,” Draven said. “You’re the guys my brother sent to look out for me?” He shook their hands but groaned inwardly. He wanted to look back at the hot guy in the corner, but he needed to attend to business first.
“That’s us. I’m Mickey.” The smaller of the two stepped forward. “Sorry, we’re late. Sam told us you were here. We thought you were gonna arrive later, boss.”
“Sam?” Draven’s mind honed in on the gorgeous guy in the corner. Was he Sam?
“The bartender,” Truant said.
“I see,” Draven said. When he glanced over at the bartender, the man gave him a nod.
“So you lived here as a kid, boss? I think it’s totally badass that we get to show you around. We’re gonna wreak so much havoc,” Mickey said. “Let me get a drink, boss.”
“Thanks, I'll have a whiskey,” he said. “And hey, don’t call me boss.” As they went to sit at a table, Draven looked back at the corner of the room. His heart sunk. The guy was gone.
Chapter 8
Elliot
“You could have just called if you were feeling sick, Ellie,” Jethro said. “You look as if you’ve been up all night.”
“I’ll be alright, Jethro. I just need to sip this.” Elliot left his cup of coffee and smiled. He figured it was sweet of Jethro to be concerned and to offer him the day off work. But he needed to keep busy.
It was the morning after he’d seen the dazzlingly gorgeous guy with the crazy tattoos, and Elliot was back at the candy store opening up. Having spent most of the night awake thinking about the guy at the bar, he concluded that even though the man was utterly, mind-blowingly stunning, he was dangerous. It was definitely not the kind of man that Elliot would’ve dared to bring home to meet his parents. His dad would have blown a gasket.
And still, Elliot went back into the bar and stared at the guy. Was he insane? Every cell in his body screamed for him to get away that night, but the moment he fled the bar and felt the crushing loneliness, he rushed back inside seeking a cure. But when he came back inside and looked into the man’s eyes, he realized that he might have just made a terrible mistake.
As he filled the cookie kiosk with the orders that came in that morning, Elliot wondered what about him appealed to the tattooed guy. Did his hairstyle and clothes work? It couldn’t have been his cool demeanor as he’d been everything but cool. Even as he tried to keep calm when the guy approached him, Elliot couldn’t stop his body from trembling. It was as if someone had just dumped water on him.
Elliot filled kiosks with peanuts, Smarties, marshmallows, Oreos and caramel apples. Then Jethro called out to him. He finished stocking up and went to see him. As he watched Jethro cut caramel for a few minutes in silence, he reminded himself that guys as hot the tattoo guy never looked twice at him. This was how it had been at college. Even when he tried not to look at the guys who were openly gay, he could sense that the handsome ones were never into him.
Gina told him that he had self-esteem issues and that he needed to let his inner beauty shine through and then guys would flock to him. Elliot didn’t buy it.
True, it wasn’t like he was the most confident guy, but he didn’t feel that it was a merely a confidence issue or even a self-esteem problem. He just never saw himself as attractive enough to draw the attention of a good looking guy. Last night had been an anomaly, which the universe corrected instantly.
The tattooed guy definitely didn’t live in the area, he was just passing through and looking fo
r fun. Elliot couldn’t tell if he would like or unlike to have a guy like that cruising him.
Nothing extraordinary would happen to him, he’d lived in Stockton all his life; he knew that a hot guy was not going to show up in his life and change everything.
“My nephew is starting today,” Jethro said He finished cutting the caramel. “He’ll be here soon and I’d like you to show him around.”
“No problem,” Elliot said. He hadn’t thought much about Jethro’s nephew, however, he always spoke about a man named Draven with him. And on more than one occasion, Jethro’s eyes lit up when he recalled how he and his nephew would go on bike rides together.
“Take this out to the front for me, I'll give him a call. It’s been years since he’s been here and I never owned this place back then.” Jethro picked his phone off the side of the table and made the call.
As he took the caramel slices and made his way to the front, Elliot smiled at the way Jethro was beaming as he waited for the line to connect. It was nice to see his spirits lifted. He’d grown worried about Jethro as the surgery date got closer. Other than Elliot, the old man never had any family or friends to see him through it. Even so, Elliot resolved to visit him every day in the hospital and go by his house to check up on him. And with Draven around, he expected things to get easier.
Elliot walked out to the front and began laying out the caramel slices when the bell to the front door chimed, pulling his attention away from his task and to the tall, dark man who walked into the store.
Elliot almost dropped the tray when their eyes met. It was the guy with the tattoos. For a few seconds they stared at each other, and Elliot’s pulse quickened.
Candy Kiss Page 3