by J. L. Drake
She closes her eyes and whispers, “Mom.” He can almost picture her mother sitting there, encouraging her to play. Telling her how much she loves her. Slowly, a faint smile tugs at her cheeks before she extends her hands and presses down.
Her fingers dance along the keys, making it look effortless. He doesn’t recognize the song. It’s different at first, but then a note triggers his memory, and he soon realizes she’s playing Yesterday by The Beatles. She’s twisting the melody, adding a little bluesy touch. He likes it, likes it a lot, actually. But what stops his heart mid-beat is when she starts to sing the chorus. Her voice is low but strong. His brandy gets stuck in his throat around the knot lodged there. Setting his drink down, he leans forward and rests his forearms on his thighs, drinking in the intoxicating feeling. It’s such a raw and powerful moment.
One finger rests against his temple as he closes his eyes, getting lost in the lyrics. A noise off to his side snaps his eyes open. He slowly turns and he sees his mother cupping her mouth. Her cheeks are wet, the same as his. Savannah, right here, right now, is making progress. She’s trusting him with a talent she doesn’t share with anyone. He smiles at his mother, who blows him a kiss before she disappears up the stairs.
Moving his attention back to her, he watches in awe as her body moves to the music, and he knows she’s born to feel it. He never knew she could play like this. It makes him realize how much he still has to learn about her. Which gives him an idea.
Her shoulders rise at the high notes. Her hair slides off to the side, exposing her slender neck, while her eyes close, pouring her heart into every single word. It’s easy to see this is her outlet and passion. He makes a note to look into converting one of the offices into a play room for her. So she can escape and play in private.
When the song ends, she doesn’t turn to look at him. She just sits staring at the keys. Breathing in deeply, he clears his throat and moves to her side, seeing her teary eyes. “She was with me,” she sniffs, “all the time I was in my prison. I could see her and feel her touch sometimes.” A tear slips down, but he catches it before it falls. He doesn’t have to ask her to go on. He’s heard her tapes with Doc Roberts and how she decided to kill herself at the end, when she lost all hope. “Now she’s only with me when I play.” She ducks her head down so her hair hides her face. “I’m scared I’m going to lose my memories of her.”
“Share them with me, so you won’t.” He lifts her chin, showing her his eyes, letting her see his sincerity. “Thank you for that, Savannah.” He slowly leans down and drops a kiss to her lips, letting them linger a few moments before he says, “You have a lovely voice.”
“Thank you.” She sighs, closes the lid, and takes a sip of her martini.
He tucks her hair behind her ear, wanting nothing more than to make her feel better.
He offers a hand after he stands. “Come to bed with me?”
Her smile touches the corners of her eyes as she stands, threading her fingers through his. He pulls her in and buries his face in her hair.
“I need to hold you.”
Her grip tightens as she turns into him. “Please do.”
Chapter Five
“Cole,” she whispers, her hand running across his stomach. “Cole, wake up.”
“Mmm,” he mumbles, pulling her closer and keeping his tired eyes shut. It must be two a.m.
The bed moves as she climbs on top of him. Her hair falls all around as she kisses his chest, his shoulders, his neck, and stopping at his ear. “I need you.” His eyes open to her hungry gaze. “To dominate me.” A flash of excitement spreads over her face as a wicked smile appears. She sits back on her knees, holding her arms above her head and letting a scarf drop from her fingertips. Oh sweet Lord, this better not be a dream!
He grips her hips, sending her to the side so she’s flat on her back. He snatches the scarf and binds her wrists together. “You want me to be rough, baby?” She bites her lip as she gives a nod. “You haven’t had enough from last night?” Her legs drop open to show how wet she is. Her eyes drag away from his, and lead a hot trail down to his straining erection.
“Make me scream, Cole,” she says, her voice husky. “Make me leave here with a reminder of you.”
Leave. That word stings a bit.
He hovers over her and rests his weight on one arm, while the other skims the back of his fingers down along her skin until they meet with the moisture dripping out of her. “You’re full of me.” He grins down at her. “I love that.”
She pulls against the restraints, flicking her hips up so he’ll touch her there. He loves how she gives up all control. He needs this just as she does. His fingers push inside, scissoring as they go.
“More,” she begs. “Cole, I need more.”
He leans down and nips her nipple, making it taut, then blows a stream of air over the top, and she gasps. She’s hungry, and he loves it, but he also knows it grounds her when she’s feeling lost. The idea of teasing her right now is tempting, but no, he’ll give her what she wants. He moves to position at her opening and ever so gently nudges forward.
“Cole!” she nearly shouts, lifting her hips off the mattress.
He steadies his balance and thrusts forward, slamming into her with almost all his strength.
“Yes!” she cries in relief, dropping back in the mattress.
He grabs her legs, hooks them over his shoulders, and pulls her to the edge of the bed so he can stand. He nearly folds her in half as he leans over, getting as deep as possible before he starts thrusting at a maddening rate. Her breasts bounce around in his face, making him even harder. Her bound hands fly forward and run through his hair. He shifts his angle and gets what he’s been waiting for, her scream. The scream that makes him pick up speed. She’s close, so he pulls out and hauls her up and against the wall. Her hair is wild and sexy, and she pants and cries as he reenters her. He drops her down onto him and uses her body weight to slam down.
“Oh god, baby, I’m gonna come so fucking hard,” he growls, biting her neck.
That does it. She bucks, screams, and fists him from the inside. She gives in, tossing her head back. He follows, getting himself as deep inside of her as possible.
He presses his forehead to hers as they both pant and try to catch their breath. Her eyes go from wild with need to satisfied, and it’s one sexy look.
“Shower?” he asks, peeling her away from the wall. She shakes her head and he laughs.
He frees her wrists and wraps his sweaty body into hers and kisses her shoulder.
***
Savannah
I head into the kitchen on a search for that heavenly smell I missed so much—Abigail’s cinnamon rolls.
“Well, fuck me sideways,” Mark says through a bite of toast. “Look who spent the night.”
“Morning, Mark,” I mumble as I pour myself a large cup of coffee and help myself to a warm roll.
He grins and brushes the crumbs off his fingers. “That it is!”
“Why are you so damn chipper?”
“Because, my sweet Savannah, Cole is winning you back, therefore we all do.”
I can’t hide my smile as I sip my coffee. Cole strolls into the kitchen, pulling on a t-shirt. I sneak a quick peek at his stomach and remember it flexing when he held me up against the wall, plowing into me like his life depended on it.
“Morning.” He flashes me a dirty smile, then grabs my face and kisses me.
“Awww,” Mark cues from behind us. “Hey, Keith, you owe me twenty!”
“What?” Keith mutters, coming into the kitchen. “Oh, come on!” He curses. “Really, guys, you couldn’t have held out to Valentine’s Day?”
“Pay up, dude.” Mark holds out his hand as Keith shoves a twenty at him.
“You made a bet on us?” I laugh, realizing how much I miss this place.
Mark jumps up on the counter and bites an apple. The guy never stops eating; it’s amazing. “Yup, as to when you’d all get back together.” He snaps t
he twenty in the air.
“I’m getting that money back,” Keith informs him as he heads out of the room.
“Whatever, dude!” Mark calls out, then looks back over at us. “Well, I’m out. See ya later, Savi.”
***
“You look happy,” Jake says as he pours a beer from the tap. Our shift is going by fast. We barely have a moment to think, it’s been so busy. It’s eleven, and only now is it dying down enough that we can talk in a normal voice. “Does this have anything to do with a sexy Army man?”
“Perhaps.” I bump his hip with mine to move him over. “And Graham?”
“Oh, it’s all good.” He winks. “He’s one dirty bird.”
I laugh, but stop when I see his face light up when he looks at someone over my shoulder. I turn to find Cole making his way through the crowd.
It’s been four days since I left the house. He whispers something in a girl’s ear. She looks at me, then nods as she gets up and frees him an open seat. He removes his jacket and places it over the back, then undoes a few buttons on his dress shirt. Poor guy hates dress shirts. I feel his discomfort. He really is an army pants and t-shirt kinda guy.
I finished with my customer and head over. “Welcome to Zack’s,” I joke. “What can I get you this evening?”
He smirks. “Brandy, neat.”
I nod, then look over at the guy next to him. “And you?”
“Mmm…” he glances at the menu, “Fat Tire.”
I place Cole’s drink in front of him while Jake grabs the beer for me. “You from around here?” I play with Cole, who grants me one of his sexy smiles.
“You could say that.” He takes a sip of his drink. “You have plans later on tonight?”
The guy next to him snickers. “Good luck, dude. No one has gotten into her pants. Believe me, my buddy has tried many times.”
Cole actually laughs, which totally throws me for a loop. Jake looks at me, confused. I just shake my head. “Well, that’s good to know.” Cole takes another sip of his brandy. “I wouldn’t want to have to kill someone.”
I chuck my rag at Cole, knowing he isn’t joking. He catches it and holds it out at each end. “This reminds me of last weekend.”
I grin and shake my head. He’s so playful right now, and it’s fun. “Where were you?” I ask, tugging at my shirt and nodding at him.
“Meeting,” he answers, finishing off his drink. I reach down to make another, and when I look up, the bottle nearly slips out of my hand.
“You!” she screams, pointing a finger at me. “I’m going to kill you!”
“What?” I gasp, trying to play catch-up with the crazy charging my way. “What are you talking about?”
She picks up a salt shaker and chucks it at me. I manage to move, and it flies past me. Cole is on his feet, holding a hand up to her.
“Don’t act innocent, you bitch.” She glances at Cole. “Your whore gave out my apartment number to Don, and he showed up on my doorstep, handing me a stack of cash and wanting me to screw him.”
I move to Cole’s side. “Christina, I never gave your address to Don! I don’t even know where you live.”
Jake bursts out laughing. “Maybe he knew your address because you screw every customer we get, Chris.”
“Fuck you, Jake.”
“No, thanks,” he chuckles.
She suddenly charges me, but Cole blocks her path. Grabbing her arms, he waits until she cries out because of his grip. “You ever touch Savannah, and I’ll make sure it’s someone looking to do more than have a shitty fuck with you at your door, Christina. Leave my family alone. This is your only warning.”
Christina is still heaving with anger when he lets her go, tossing her forward. She spits at my feet, and then Zack appears out of nowhere and kicks her out the door.
Cole ducks down so he’s eye level with me. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” I look around at a few stragglers, embarrassed, though I shouldn’t be. She was the one who looked like a fool. “Can you drive me back to my place?”
“Of course.” He takes my bag from Jake and offers him a ride, but he has plans with Graham.
Cole parks the car and walks me to my apartment, but stops in the doorway. “I can’t stay, baby. I have an early meeting.” I feel my disappointment hit hard but push it aside. It was my choice to live here in town. “Hey,” he brushes my hair out of my face, “you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He leans in, stopping right before he hits my lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Cole.” He gives me a long kiss before turning away.
***
My eyes glaze over as I dip my fry in the ranch dressing, twirling it around then popping it in my mouth. Jake has been talking a mile a minute about Graham and what they’ve been up to. I love Jake, but he doesn’t have a filter when it comes to his sex life.
“Hey, you don’t like your burger?” He points his fork at my untouched bacon cheeseburger. I shrug, feeling off. I think I’m just tired. Cole had to fly to Washington to deal with some things in person for four days, so sleeping has been a little hard again. “You’re not going to freak out on me again, are you?”
I chuck the rest of my fry at him. “You’re an ass.” I hand my plate to a waiter who is going by and slip behind the bar, fastening my apron around my waist. “I think I’m just tired—”
A guy comes busting through the door, cupping his mouth. “Honey, I’m here!” I look at Jake, who is very obviously checking him out. Shameless. Graham appears from out back.
“No way!” He slams his tray down on the bar and heads over.
“I told you I’d come visit. Now spin,” the guy orders, making Graham do a sexy little turn. “Damn, your ass looks fucking fab in those jeans.” I see Jake stand, but he doesn’t go over. The guy notices, tilting his head at Jake. “Well, looky here, is this…?”
Graham blushes and rolls his eyes. “Be good,” he warns.
The guy makes a hungry face at Jake. “That’s like telling the spider to let the fly go, my dear.”
A very pretty blonde walks in behind him, chatting quietly on the phone. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Okay, I’ll call you later. Yes, I promise. I love you.”
Graham grabs the guy’s arm and walks him over to us. “Jake, this is my cousin, Pete Jones. He’s from L.A.”
Jake's face lights up, and he holds out his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you. This is my friend, Savi.”
“Well, smack my ass, Graham, you have some hotties here.” The girl tucks her phone away, smiling and joining Pete’s side. “This little love is my best friend, Emily.” He waves his hand around dramatically. “You wouldn’t believe the hell I went through to convince her boy toy to let her come up here.”
“Pete.” She shakes her head, extending her hand to me. “It’s to meet you all.”
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask, seeing Jake visibly relax now that he knows Graham doesn’t have a secret boyfriend.
“Dirty martini with three olives for me, please.” Emily checks her phone again as she takes a seat at the bar. “My theatrical friend will have a vodka cranberry.”
I laugh as I make their drinks. Pete is something else; even his hand movements are loud. Emily smiles at her phone. I know that look. That’s the look of some dirty texting, right there. “What are you are guys doing up here? Vacation? Skiing?”
She takes a long sip of her drink. “Yeah, something like that.” She laughs more to herself than me. “I had a hard last few months, and I just needed to get away. When I heard Pete was coming up here to see Graham, I thought it sounded perfect. The mountains can be so quiet, and I really needed to get out of the city.”
I nod, knowing exactly what she means. “I get that.”
Her phone buzzes. “Sorry.” She turns the ringer off. “My boyfriend’s a bit over protective.”
I hear Jake laugh behind me. “I think you and Savi have a lot in common, Emily.”
“Are
you from here? I hear a bit of an accent,” Emily asks, fiddling with toothpick.
I shake my head. “Born and raised in New York. Living here for just under a year.”
“That’s a big move. Do you miss it?”
Do I?
“Honestly, I don’t. I think I was meant for the mountains. It just took something big to get me here.”
“A man?” She grins.
I lean my hip into the counter. “Yeah, something like that.”
“An Army guy,” Jake chimes in.
“Oh,” Emily eyes go dark, “gotta love a man in a uniform.”
I clink my water glass to hers. “Yes, you do.”
Pete and Emily stick around most of the night, while I start to feel worse as the night drags on. I barely make it to the locker room when I throw up in a garbage can.
“Oh, sweetheart, are you all right?” Zack asks, rushing to my side. He pulls out a napkin then calls out to one of the staff to bring me some water. “Do you have the flu? It’s been going around.”
“Not sure,” I croak, feeling like I could puke again.
Zack helps me to sit down on the bench. “I’m going to get my keys. I’ll drive you home.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m all right, really.”
Zack opens my locker and gathers my things “If you’re sick, sweetie, I don’t want you here.”
The idea of going back to my lonely apartment makes me feel even worse. “Do you think you could take me to Sue’s?”
He bundles me up and loads me in the car, and we head off to Sue’s.
Zack holds on to me as we shuffle up the icy walkway. I’m so damn tired I just wanted to be in a comfortable atmosphere so I can sleep. Sue meets us at the door, looking worried.
“Come here, honey,” Sue whispers, taking me inside and thanking Zack for bringing me here. “Are you hungry?” I shake my head. “You’re awfully pale. How about some tea?”
“Okay,” I whisper as she sits me down on the couch in front of the fire and removes my shoes. Wrapping a blanket around my shoulders, she helps me lean back so I can lie lengthwise on the couch.