Running Scared (Running Hearts Book 2)

by Saffron Blu

  My breath came out in short pants as he kissed and sucked his way down to the waistband of my shorts. He paused and cut his gaze to mine, a question on his face. I lifted my ass off the bed in answer, and he slid my shorts and underwear down in one quick tug. He wasted no time, and once he had me bared, he spread my legs and swiped his tongue over my slit.

  The warmth of his breath against my core and the feel of his tongue lapping at my lips had me moaning. “Mmm…”

  He pulled his mouth off my pussy and grinned up at me. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

  “Matt… less talking. More—” My words were cut off with a groan as he speared his tongue into my pussy. I couldn’t help but move my hips in rhythm with his tongue, trying to get where I needed to be.

  Matt’s thumb brushed over my clit, giving me another sensation to pull me closer to the edge.

  “Oh god. Oh god,” I chanted before quickly placing my hand over my mouth to muffle my cries.

  His tongue ran through my folds and circled my clit. While two of his fingers stroked in and out of my pussy, need pooled inside me as I climbed closer to my climax. His teeth nipped at my clit, and the pain-pleasure of it sent my orgasm crashing over me.

  Matt’s fingers left my pussy, and even though I’d come, it felt like a loss. I wanted more. I wanted him to fill me. I shifted up the bed with what energy I had left. “I want you, Matt. All of you.”

  Matt lifted his shirt over his head, and I finally got to see him in all his naked glory. I’d been so worked up in my need to get him off first and then climax myself, I hadn’t realized he wasn’t completely naked.

  I let my eyes roam over him, the peaks and valleys of his muscles contracting as he rolled on a condom. He clearly worked out regularly to keep his magnificent physique, even though I hadn’t seen him enter a gym in the few days I’d known him.

  He smirked. “Like what you see?”

  “Oh, yeah. If you come up here, I might show you how much,” I said. Feeling somewhat courageous, I slid my hand down my body, stopping just above my mound as I let my legs fall open, so he could see how wet and ready I was for him.

  “Fuck!” Matt cursed as he climbed up the bed and hovered above me, taking his weight on his elbows as his hands cradled my face. “You’re so beautiful.”

  I crushed my lips against his, tasting myself on him and wondering if he could taste himself too. Just the thought of it turned me on all the more.

  I felt the tip of his cock brush against my entrance. Before he ran it through my wet slit and up to my clit, I felt him reach my entrance again. Unable to take any more teasing, I wrapped my legs around the back of his thighs, not giving him the room to shift back again.

  As a reward, his dick slowly inched inside me.

  “You feel so good, Matt. So good,” I moaned in pleasure as he stroked in and out of me.

  Matt groaned. “So do you, Sammy.”

  The way he said my name with such reverence sent my heart beating crazily in my chest. Could I dare to hope he was having feelings toward me like I was him? Because as much as the thought of having feelings for him this soon terrified me, I had to admit they were there, even if I were only willing to admit them to myself right now.

  Matt brushed his mouth over mine and ran his tongue over the seam. I let him in without any hesitation. I wanted as much of him as I could get, as much as he was willing to give me. The way he devoured me, I had the feeling he was giving me everything he had.

  One of Matt’s hands roamed over my thighs and around my ass, his fingers squeezing my cheeks as he slid over it. I fisted my hands in his hair and tugged, pulling a grunt from him. For a second, I worried it might have been too much, but when he thrust faster and harder, the thought disappeared.

  I met him thrust for thrust, gasping into his mouth as I got closer and closer to climax. “Matt,” I whispered his name against his lips as my orgasm washed over me.

  “Sammy,” I heard him whisper as his cock throbbed inside me, sending another shockwave over me before I fell into a blissful haze.

  Chapter Sixteen

  MATT

  The sound of kids laughing woke me, and when I glanced at the clock on the bedside table over Sam’s head, I was surprised to see we’d managed to sleep through the night and even most of the morning. It was almost eleven o’clock.

  “It’s my turn.”

  “You just had your turn.”

  The boys’ voices were easily heard through the door, and I momentarily wondered how much noise we’d made last night.

  “I’ll unplug the machine, and nobody will play on it,” Sarah threatened them in return.

  I chuckled, wondering if that were something Aimee would normally do. It was strange because although I hadn’t really met her—except for a couple of minutes between her coming around from Dom knocking her out and her being wheeled away in an ambulance—I’d heard so much about her since that day that I felt like I knew her.

  “What’s so funny?” Sam’s voice was husky with sleep, and the sound brought a smile to my lips as I pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder.

  “Nothing really, just the kids and Sarah.” I kissed my way across her shoulder, and when she tilted her head, giving me more access, I made my way up her neck.

  “Mmm…” Sam hummed, clearly enjoying my mouth on her neck. “What time is it?”

  “It’s probably just past eleven.”

  She jerked in my arms. “Holy shit!” Sam turned to face me and gave me wide eyes. “We slept in.”

  I nodded.

  “Do you think we might ha—”

  “Don’t say it, you’ll jinx us,” I said, effectively cutting her off.

  Sam pressed her forehead to my chest with a groan. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re superstitious.”

  I let my fingers trail up her back. “I’m a musician, and superstition comes with the talent.”

  Sam’s breath tickled my chest as she let out a laugh before pressing a kiss to the center of my chest. “Then, I guess I’ll have to forgive you.”

  Sam stiffened as we heard Sarah’s phone ringing in the other room. We both waited in silence, listening to see if it was news about Aimee. Dom’s tinny voice was easy enough to recognize, but it was distorted enough that we couldn’t decipher the words through the closed door.

  Sam sat up and leaned over the bed to snag her pajamas and underwear off the floor before quickly tugging them on. Knowing how deep her concern for Aimee was, I followed her lead and pulled on my shorts.

  Once we were out of the room, Dom’s voice coming from the phone in the kitchen became much clearer. “No news is good news, right?”

  “Let’s hope so.” Sarah sounded deflated, and I felt so bad for her. Her daughter was in a coma halfway across the world, and there was nothing she could do but wait. I knew from experience that waiting sucked.

  “She’ll wake up. I’m certain of it.” Dom sounded so sure. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was psychic or something.

  Sarah spotted us and smiled. “The sleeping beauties are finally awake.” She glanced back at the screen on her phone and pressed her finger to the screen. “Wave to Dom.”

  Sam waved her hand, “Hey, Dom.”

  I also did as I was told. Sarah wasn’t someone you didn’t obey. I guessed it was something to do with her grandmotherly voice. “How are ya, Dom?”

  “Ah, you know me, I’m good.” He didn’t sound convincing this time, and I started to worry that this was taking a toll on him. I hoped the guilt wasn’t eating away at him. I knew it was bothering him before, and I could only assume the longer she stayed unconscious, the worse it would get. I made a mental note to call Al and ask him to check in on his brother.

  “You do realize we can all tell that you’re lying?” Sarah offered, calling him out. “You better be remembering to eat.”

  “I am, Sarah. The nurses bring me meals when they feed the patients. I think they worry they’ll have another patient if they don’t look after me
.”

  “Good. You need to look after yourself because when Aimee wakes up, she’ll need you to be healthy and running on all cylinders, and you can’t do that if you’ve been starving yourself.”

  “I promise I’ll be everything your daughter needs when she wakes up.”

  Sarah smiled at Dom. I saw a twinkle in her eyes and couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. “I’m going to pass you over to Matt, so you guys can catch up. Thanks for calling, and I’ll look forward to talking to you again tomorrow.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Sarah. Catch you tomorrow.”

  Technology was brilliant. The fact they could video message each other across the world every day never ceased to amaze me. I accepted the phone from Sarah and turned it in my hand, grinning at my friend on the screen in front of me. Sarah was right to be worried about him, he looked like he hadn’t slept for days.

  “Jesus, Dom, you look like shit.”

  Dom chuckled halfheartedly. “Thanks. Way to make a guy feel good.”

  Sam walked around the kitchen counter and headed for the coffee machine. She glanced at me and mimed drinking while mouthing ‘coffee?’ I nodded and offered her a grateful smile before turning my attention back to Dom to have a well-needed chat with my best buddy. I hoped, if anything, I could at least offer him a little distraction or company to get through what must be another long and draining day.

  Chapter Seventeen

  SAM

  The soft golden sand beneath my feet was hot, and I had to pick up my pace to get down to the harder stuff that had been cooled by the water lapping against it all day.

  When Matt had suggested a stroll on the beach to take our minds off our friends still in America, I figured we both needed it. The quiet rocky beach at Point Cartwright was the best place. There are never many people there, and although Matt hadn’t been recognized over here yet, I was more than aware it was only a matter of time. And it probably wasn’t far from Matt’s mind either.

  I tugged Matt closer to the shoreline, and we walked along the ankle-deep water in companionable silence, our fingers laced together between us.

  “Have you ever been in love?” I asked. It was a question that had been playing on my mind a lot since getting to know Matt. He’d never really spoken about an ex, but whenever the subject of relationships came up, he either turned the subject my way or moved onto something else without answering me.

  “Have you?”

  There he went again. Deflecting.

  “Ah-ah, I asked first.”

  Matt sighed. “Can we sit?”

  I nodded, and he led me away from the water but only far enough to stop and sit on the start of the dry, softer sand.

  “Yes. I was in love once. I was a kid and didn’t understand that’s what it was at the time, but looking back on it now, yeah, it was love.” I could hear the pain in his voice, and although he said he didn’t know at the time, it had clearly ended in heartbreak.

  I glanced at him as I pulled my knees up and rested my head on them. “Tell me about her?” I spoke softly, hoping that he knew he didn’t have to if he didn’t want to. I had a feeling he needed to talk about her and the breakup, but I wasn’t going to force him.

  Matt ran his finger in the sand in front of him as he spoke, his eyes glued to the movement. The crease of worry in his brow had me watching him more intently, needing to look for any sign that I may be prying too much.

  “He. It was a he.” He turned his gaze to me, and the defeat that showed in the slump of his shoulders made it clear he didn’t like what he saw in my face.

  My eyes were so wide in surprise that my eyebrows had practically risen to meet my hairline. I quickly schooled my features. “Hey.” I reached out and ran my hand over his thigh beside me. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Like at all. I was just surprised. Tell me about him.”

  “He was my best friend.” I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening again, but this time he smiled at the sight. “Not Dom. At school, we were called the three musketeers… me, Dom, and Will.” The name was said on a breath, and there was so much emotion attached to it. I was instantly grateful I’d brought the conversation up because he needed to get this out. He’d mentioned Will in previous conversations, but there was never that much emotion behind the name. I guessed he’d kept it buried deep until opening up to me at that moment.

  I won’t lie. My heart plummeted hearing it because even though I knew Matt liked me, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to compete with memories of this person. Will.

  Matt carried on talking, clearly not noticing my worries. “As I’ve said before, it was the three of us who actually started the band back in high school. Kat and Al joined us, and we got signed. Shit happened, and he didn’t want us to live in the closet, but that’s the only way we could be because the label made that perfectly clear in the contract.” Matt shook his head sadly. “I’m sure we could’ve fought it if we really wanted to, and Will did, but I was a coward. I was too scared to have it any other way.” Matt stared out to the turquoise ocean, and we both watched a bird dive for fish for a moment or two.

  “Do you think you two will ever clear the air?” I asked, feeling the need to break the silence and get him back to talking before he decided he’d done enough.

  He sighed. “Probably not. Our chance has gone, and any contact we have just brings up memories. Good. Bad. They all hurt.” He spoke quickly like he felt as though the sooner he got the words out, the quicker the subject would be finished, and I started to feel bad about pushing him more. Maybe I should’ve just left him watching the bird.

  “Holy shit! Look!”

  I snapped my eyes up from the sand at the excitement in Matt’s voice and let my gaze follow his finger. I frowned as I watched the water, unsure what he was looking at. Just as I was about to look away, a whale broke the water’s surface, rising and crashing back down making a huge splash. “A whale.” I flicked my eyes to Matt. “It’s a freaking whale.”

  We both jumped up, keeping our eyes on the vast open water waiting for our big friend to pop up again.

  “There.” I pointed a little further up the beach than he had been last time, clearly making his way somewhere. I vaguely remember Aimee mentioning to me that it was whale-watching season, and if we headed to the beach when we got back from the States, we might just catch sight of some swimming down the coast, but never in my wildest dreams did I believe I’d actually see one.

  Matt points to a grassy area above where the beach ends and a rocky cliff face starts. “I bet we’ll get a better view if we go up there.”

  I grinned. “Race ya,” I said as I ran up the beach.

  “You sneaky cheat, getting a head start.” The humor was clear in Matt’s voice. I picked up my pace, knowing he’d have a much longer stride than me since he was a fair bit taller, after all.

  Strong arms wrapped around me, and I was suddenly pressed against a hard chest. “Jesus, woman, I need a breather. Running on sand takes it out of ya.”

  I turned in his arms—grateful for the reprieve—and slid my hands up his chest, only stopping when I had them locked around his neck. “A breather, hey?” I gave him my most salacious smile.

  He licked his lips, and I knew what was coming before he even leaned in. So when his lips covered mine, I instantly opened, allowing his tongue to sweep inside. I’d become addicted to his kisses during the time we’d been here in Australia. I’d been so worried about Aimee while we were still in America that nothing had happened between us there except that moment in the elevator. At the time, it wasn’t something I was really aware of, but now I feel like it was wasted time, especially when I knew he wouldn’t be staying here forever. At some point, he’d have to go back to the States. His life was there, not that we’d discussed it yet. I kept putting off bringing it up, and I had a feeling he’d been doing the same, both of us living in denial.

  His hand cupped the back of my head as he maneuvered me to get a better angle, deepening the
kiss the second he did. After a few more moments, I pulled back just enough to break the kiss. He pressed his forehead against mine as we both breathed heavily.

  “Your ‘stopping for a breather’ didn’t quite work to plan, did it?”

  Matt laughed raggedly. “It wasn’t well thought through, that’s for sure.”

  I glanced in the direction we’d been heading before we’d gotten distracted, unable to see over the edge from where we were stood. “We’ve probably lost the whale now.”

  “Maybe. Let’s go check,” he said, releasing his hold on me and taking my hand before striding toward the railing at the edge of the grass.

  As we looked out over the cliff edge, my eyes roamed across the ocean, looking for any splashes that weren’t just a break in the water. I shifted so I was looking further right and squealed as I squeezed Matt’s hand when I spotted the big dark figure.

  “It traveled pretty far,” he stated, clearly impressed.

  “It’s massive, although from up here, it doesn’t look that big. But yeah, whales are huge and can probably cover a lot of distance in a short space of time.” I smirked. “I don’t think that kiss was particularly short either.”

  “I suppose you’re right on both accounts.” Matt slipped his arm across my shoulders as we both stared out to sea.

  It was a moment that felt perfect, but I knew it probably wouldn’t last. Life had too many complications for things to be all hearts and flowers forever. But I was going to soak up all the perfect moments I could get so I had the memories to get me through the lonely nights once Matt walked out of my life for good.

  Chapter Eighteen

  MATT

  My mind wandered back to our earlier conversation as I watched the whale jump about in the ocean. I didn’t know what made Sam ask the question she did, but I was glad she had. As much as I’d been falling deeper for her every minute I spent with her, I needed Sam to know all of me, and that wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t know those things about my past and who I’ve loved.