Running Scared (Running Hearts Book 2)

by Saffron Blu

  “Okay. My brain is awake… just. My eyes are still asleep.”

  I smiled, thinking mine felt the same. Even though we’d slept for a lot of the journey from the US, it obviously wasn’t a good enough sleep to keep us awake after chatting for a couple of hours. It was a great conversation that flowed easily, and the deeper I got to know Sam, the more I liked her.

  “Coffee is on the counter,” Sarah called out.

  I stood and stretched, smirking as I noticed Sam’s eyes trained on the patch of abs that my riding t-shirt flashed before taking Sam’s hand and tugging her up. “Come on, let’s get you that life elixir. It might wake you up.”

  “Elixir of life,” Sam corrected. “And the way I feel right now, I don’t even think that’s gonna work.”

  Our drinks were on the breakfast bar, and we both parked our butts on stools in front of them, sipping our coffee in silence. It wasn’t long before Aimee’s youngest son joined us, jumping up on the stool beside me. “Hey, I’m Dan,” he offered me his hand, his brown eyes locking on mine.

  “Hi, Dan, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Matt,” I said, taking his hand in mine and giving it a gentle shake.

  “Chris says you play guitar and sing. I had guitar lessons, but I liked the drums best until I broke my arm. I never sang.”

  I grinned. “I do. What did you learn to play? Maybe we could play it together sometime.”

  “Have you brought your guitar?”

  Dan’s question surprised me. Not because he asked it, but because I hadn’t even thought about not having my guitar with me. It wasn’t like I could’ve carried it to the airport with me without Sam asking questions, so the whole surprise of me joining her would’ve been spoiled. Dan must have seen something in my face because he laid his hand on mine and looked at me with solemn eyes. “It’s okay, you can borrow mine or even my mum’s.”

  I frowned. “Your mom plays guitar?”

  “No, silly.” He laughed. “She bought one to learn and never did.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s a nice offer. I might just take you up on it if you don’t think she’ll mind.” It probably wouldn’t be top of the line like some of mine were, but my old favorite wasn’t either—it was always the one I’d pick up whenever I reached for one.

  “Chris, you’ve got to leave for your rugby game in ten minutes. Are you ready?” Sarah called out from the lounge.

  “Yeah, Nan, I just have to get my boots.” Chris walked out of what I assumed was his bedroom, and a smile spread across his face as he caught sight of Sam. “Hey, Sam, are you and your boyfriend going to come and watch me play? I know you still prefer American football over rugby, but come on, you’ve only watched a couple of games and not one of mine.”

  Sam’s eyes fell on mine. “Would you mind?”

  I glanced back at Chris, who was also watching me with a hopeful stare. “Are you kidding? I’d love to watch a rugby game, and if there’s someone I even know playing… all the better.”

  “Did you say we have ten minutes?” Sam asked Chris.

  “It’s probably closer to five now.”

  She guzzled down the last mouthful of her coffee before sliding off her stool. “I’m just gonna freshen up. Don’t leave without me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  SAM

  It took me fifteen minutes to get ready, but thankfully, Chris’s game was a home game and was being played on the local university fields, which were only a five-minute drive away. Chris and Sarah had left, but it was easy enough for Matt and me to follow in my car.

  By the time we found Sarah in the crowd of parents along the sideline, the game had only just started. Spencer was the team’s coach, so he was under the team shade tent, chatting to the kid who sat on the subs’ bench. I ran my eyes over the field. Chris was easy enough to find on the right-wing. He gave us a little wave when he spotted us, earning him a telling-off from his closest teammate.

  “I’m sure you’re meant to distract the opposing team,” Matt offered with a laugh.

  I giggled. “I didn’t mean to distract anyone.”

  The game seemed pretty fast-paced. The parents’ shouting and cheering had me confused as to who was actually winning, though. There wasn’t a scoreboard, and I hadn’t thought to keep track of the numbers myself. Matt started to cheer along, and I thought he must have some idea about the game. I leaned into his side, so he’d hear me over the crowd and asked if he could explain the rules to me.

  He laughed. “I have no idea. I’m cheering when Sarah gets excited.”

  At half-time, the kids huddled together under a shade tent and sucked on what looked like oranges while Spencer talked to them animatedly. The referees appeared back on the field, and at that point, the kids threw their hands together and let out a loud cheer before running onto the field ready, refreshed, and reenergized for the second half.

  It went pretty much the same as the first half, except our team seemed to be running in the opposite direction. The only reason I knew Chris’s team had won was because once the final whistle was blown, the whole team jumped, cheered, and ran at each other offering high-fives and hugs. It was such a great atmosphere. Even the opposing team high-fived the winners as they walked off the field, the team captain offering a cheer.

  “Three cheers for the Crocs. Hip Hip…”

  “Hooray,” his team called.

  He clapped, as did his team. “Hip hip…”

  “Hooray”

  “Hip hip…”

  “Hooray.”

  Chris’s team captain offered the same for them.

  “Three cheers for the Hornets. Hip hip…” the team following through with the three cheers. It was such a great sense of sportsmanship, and I was really impressed.

  “You wouldn’t see that happening in an American school game,” Matt said into my ear, his breath fanning over my cheek, sending goosebumps in its wake.

  Chris’s match had been the last of the day, and it was late afternoon by the time it ended. The temperature was still up in the mid-eighties, and it probably would be until well after sunset. Matt’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

  I gasped as my heart leaped into my throat at the thought that it could be Dom calling about Aimee.

  Matt’s eyes fell on mine after he’d taken in the name on the screen. “It’s my mum,” he told me. As much as his words eased my heart a little, I didn’t think my heart would really ease until we did get the call from Dom telling us she was awake and coming home.

  “Hello,” Matt said into the phone. I offered him a smile and waved him away, so he could take his call privately. I watched his back as he strode across the field and away from the crowds of people celebrating the winners.

  “He’s a nice guy. I can see he cares for you,” Sarah said from beside me. I flicked my eyes to her, surprised she was there. Last time I’d seen her, she was running into the middle of the field to hug Chris.

  “I don’t know if he cares, but he’s a great guy.”

  “Dom is, too. I hope Aimee gets to know him before she comes home. It would be such a shame for her to lose the chance of knowing a good guy for once.”

  I smiled. That would be great. Aimee hadn’t had much luck in the past with guys, and meeting a nice one for once was an experience she really deserves. “Yeah, I hope for that, too.”

  The douche canoe who was Aimee’s ex-husband walked over and congratulated Chris and Spencer on the win. His eyes landed on me, and I forced a polite smile. I’d been Aimee’s best friend for a long time. Even though I lived across the other side of the world for the majority of our friendship, I was there through their relationship and all of its troubles. I hated the guy in front of me even more than Aimee did.

  “Any news on Aimee?” he asked.

  “Nothing new,” I offered, selfishly glad when I watched his face fall in disappointment. Matt stepped up beside me, his arm brushing against mine.

  Douche Canoe’s eyes flicked to Sarah’s. “I heard your place i
s getting a little crowded. If you need us to have the boys for a few days, we can.”

  “It’s not crowded,” Chris argued. “Sam’s part of the family, and Matt’s her boyfriend.” I bit my lip in order not to smirk. Douche Canoe’s hate for me was equal to mine for him, and it was nice to see him grimace as his son had my back.

  “Thanks,” Sarah said to the douche. “We’ll keep your offer in mind, and I’ll let the boys know it’s there, but we’re all fine at our place.”

  He nodded and chatted for a few minutes with Spencer and Chris about some of the plays during the game. I couldn’t follow it, so I lost track of what they were saying after a few seconds and turned my attention to people-watching.

  I loved to people-watch. It was a great way to spark my muse. You never knew what magic could happen from seeing a look pass between two people.

  We had a celebratory dinner when we got back to the house, Spencer firing up the barbecue, a beer in hand.

  Reece came out of his bedroom and set up the pool table they had on the undercover patio. “Do you want to play, Matt?” he asked shyly, making me smile. Reece was the quieter of the two older kids, and it was nice to see him trying to come out of his shell. Aimee would be proud.

  “I’d love to,” Matt answered excitedly.

  “I’ll play the winner,” I said before anyone else could. I’d lived in the house long enough to know if you didn’t make a claim, you’d be sitting through three or four games before you got to touch a cue.

  “Damn,” Chris complained. “I’m after you.”

  After Reece’s first few shots, Matt leaned against the wall. “Jesus, Reece, you’re good at this. Am I ever going to get a turn?”

  Reece laughed and got another one of his balls into the pocket. “Maybe,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

  Sarah brought out a portable speaker, and Chris chose an awesome playlist with songs from the sixties, seventies, and eighties for us to listen to.

  The night was filled with good food, great music, and fun had by all. At some point during the evening, Dan brought out Aimee’s guitar and asked Matt to play for us, which he happily did. Once he started strumming on the strings, you knew he was doing what he loved. His body seemed to relax, and his eyes closed as he opened his mouth and sang a beautiful acoustic rendition of one of their pop songs. It almost had a country feel to it.

  A few hours later, just as we were ready to call it a night, Sarah’s cellphone rang, and as soon as she caught sight of the name on the screen, she quickly answered, “Hello.”

  I watched with bated breath as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the call.

  “Uh-huh… yeah, I guess no news is good news.” She didn’t sound happy about the admission, but it was the truth. Even if none of us were satisfied by the lack of news, we all simply wanted Aimee to wake up, and the more time that passed before she did, the more worried we became. I didn’t think any of us wanted to voice it, but with each day that passed, I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever come back to us. I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

  “Thanks for calling, Dom. Look after yourself while you’re watching over my daughter.” With a smile and a final goodbye, she hung up.

  The kids had gone to bed an hour earlier, and Spencer stood after draining the last of his beer bottle. “I think I’m going to call it a night,” he stated.

  “Me, too.” Sarah stood and grabbed her empty wine glass off the coffee table. “Night, guys.”

  “Night,” both Matt and I offered in unison.

  Once we were left alone and Matt’s eyes landed on mine, there was a heat in them that had warmth pooling in my stomach. “Are you ready to head to bed, too?” His words were full of promise, and as much as I was excited to see where things would go between us, I was also terrified of falling too deep, too quickly. But I didn’t care. Just like Aimee, I deserved a chance with a good guy, and I wasn’t going to pass this chance up.

  “Yeah,” I answered, my voice sounding breathier than I’d intended.

  Chapter Fourteen

  MATT

  Sam’s breathy reply played on my mind the whole time she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. It was probably what gave me the nerve to pull her into my arms the second she stepped into the room wearing her tank and shorts PJ set. The shorts were black, covered in purple stars, and the matching black tank had a large purple glitter star across the chest and the words ‘Shine Bright’ underneath.

  She looked up at me, her palms relaxed against my chest. “Hi!” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and all I wanted to do was free that plump lip and taste it. The second her lip popped free, I crushed my lips against hers.

  Sam moaned into my mouth, and I took advantage of her parted lips by slipping my tongue inside, tasting her minty fresh breath. Her hands slid up my chest, and her fingers delved into the hair at the base of my neck.

  I dropped my left hand to her ass and pulled her tighter against me, needing to feel more of her. I knew she’d be able to feel my hard-on between us, and when she lifted her leg, wrapping it around my thigh before grinding her pussy against me, I lost all my control. I hoisted her up, so she had no choice but to wrap both her legs around my waist and blindly walked us over to the bed, not breaking the kiss until I had to and placed her on the soft mattress.

  Sam fumbled for the zipper on my shorts the second I released her. A smile took over my face at her eagerness, and I leaned back slightly, giving her the room to get to what she wanted. She pushed my boxers down along with my shorts, and my cock sprung free. Sam flicked her eyes to mine and licked her lips as a blush rose across her face. “Can I…”

  Even though she’d left her question hanging, I knew what she wanted and gave her a brief nod. I’d never been asked my consent for someone to blow me before. It was always a given, but the fact that Sam was asking, surprisingly turned me on all the more as the appendage in question throbbed, and a drop of precum leaked out of the tip.

  I groaned as her tongue teased the head, licking off the precum and then swirling around the ridge before her mouth opened wider, and she slid it down my shaft, engulfing my cock to the hilt.

  “Fuck,” I called out, trying to keep my voice quiet, knowing we weren’t the only people in the house. The sight of her deep-throating my cock was erotic. Nobody had ever taken me in that quickly and deeply before.

  Sam ran her hands up my thighs, her nails scraping along my flesh as her fingers curved around my ass, pulling me tighter against her face as if she couldn’t get enough of my dick. I wanted to close my eyes and bask in the feeling, but I didn’t want to miss a second of the sight before me—her plump pink lips shining with wetness while stretched around my shaft. She looked so fucking sexy.

  She slowly slid her mouth back up my shaft and ran her tongue over the underside as she did. One of her hands left my ass, and she stroked the base of my cock. One pump, two pumps before she once again wrapped her lips around it and bobbed her head, following the rhythm of her hand. She hummed around my dick, and I couldn’t hold off closing my eyes and dropping my head back as I basked in the sensations. Her other hand shifted from my ass cheek, and her fingers fondled my balls. I felt them tightening, and when she rubbed a forefinger over my taint, there was no holding off my climax.

  “I’m gonna…” I slipped my hands into her hair and gave her a gentle tug in case she didn’t hear my warning, but her eyes locked onto mine as she kept on greedily sucking my cock.

  “Sam!” I breathed her name as I came. I watched her throat work as she swallowed it down and couldn’t believe how uninhibited she was. I couldn’t wait to have my turn tasting her, but first, I needed to sit my ass down because my legs were about to buckle.

  As soon as my cock popped free from her mouth, I dropped onto the bed beside her, falling onto my back. My eyes closed as I focused on catching my breath.

  I felt the bed dip and her arm brush against mine as she laid beside me. She gigg
led. “That good, hey?”

  “Good? Fucking amazing. Epic. What’s a word that’s better than that because it totally was, and I can’t think straight to find a suitable word. You just blew my mind.” I turned my head to look at her. She was on her side watching my face, a huge grin across hers.

  “They do say guys think with their dicks, so maybe I did just blow your mind.” She fell into a fit of hysterics, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

  If I felt like I could move, I’d wipe that smirk off her face and show her how it feels to be on the other side of a blown mind.

  Chapter Fifteen

  SAM

  I gasped as I tried to stop laughing. My joke wasn’t even that funny, but I’d just sucked off Matthew Dalcin, and clearly, my brain decided now was a great time to freak out and fall into a fit of hysterics. Aimee would never let me live this down if I ever told her. The thought of her not recovering brought me back down to reality, and I vowed then and there that no matter what teasing Aimee gave me, I’d be telling her about my post blowjob giggle fest.

  Matt shifted onto his side and ran a finger over the glittered star across my chest, making my nipple peak under the thin material, and all my concerns about Aimee drifted to the back of my mind.

  “My turn to taste you.” Matt’s voice was huskier than normal, and it sent shivers of anticipation through me. His fingers lifted the hem of my tank, and I arched my back off the bed enough for him to easily strip me of it. I’d usually be shy and feeling vulnerable when in this position with a guy, but as I was bared to him, Matt revered me as though I was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Boy, did that do a girl’s self-confidence a world of good.

  Matt dropped his mouth to one of my nipples and licked over it with his tongue. My back arched off the bed as goosebumps broke out over my skin. He kissed his way over to the other nipple and showed it the same attention.