Risking Her Heart: A Contemporary Romance Novel

by Rochelle Katzman

  “I’m okay, but thank you.” She smiled.

  Drake smiled back with a twinkle in his eye. “Really? Because the baker made some fresh chocolate chip scones this morning.”

  “He did?” Livvie’s mouth watered. There was no way she could turn down one of his decadent scones, and Drake was well aware of that.

  “He did.” Drake smirked. “If you’d like one…or two, you can join me in the kitchen.”

  Drake emphasized the word kitchen. How had he known? Livvie sighed. Of course he knew.

  “I’d like that very much.”

  Drake placed his hand gently behind Livvie’s arm. His easy touch made her heart do a little dance.

  They walked in silence until they reached the kitchen. Livvie had never been in here before. It was beautiful, with dark wooden floors, white cabinets with glass, white granite counter tops, and a huge island in the center with bar stools. This kitchen was a dream. Her mom used to cook a lot, and she had taught Livvie. Livvie rarely cooked for herself, but this kitchen would definitely inspire her.

  “Do you like it?”

  Livvie beamed from ear to ear. “I more than like it.” She laughed.

  “Do you cook?’ Drake asked, grabbing a large plate of scones from the counter.

  He held out the plate, and she grabbed one.

  “I cook, but I’d much rather eat.”

  Livvie bit into the scone and closed her eyes, savoring every crumb that hit her taste buds. Drake laughed. Her senses were out of control between her satisfied taste buds, smelling the delicious scones, looking at the man in front of her, and listening to the beautiful sound of his laughter. She was definitely experiencing sensory overload. As she took another bite of the scone she felt chocolate drip onto her chin, so she licked it off. Then she took another bite, and felt Drake’s eyes on hers again. Gone was the laughter she had seen a few seconds ago. Instead, she saw such intense lust she had no choice but to stop eating and put down her scone.

  “You’re not eating?” Livvie whispered.

  Drake’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Watching his throat move turned her on.

  “I’d prefer to watch.”

  Livvie’s heart was going crazy, and her entire body felt as if it was pulsing. She needed to do something, anything, so she jumped up on the island and sat there, swinging her legs as if he wasn’t affecting her at all. She grabbed her half-eaten scone and placed it right under Drake’s nose.

  “Are you sure?”

  Drake inhaled, staring at her the entire time. Livvie pulled the scone away from his nose and took another bite.

  “Mmm, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

  “Oh, I know what I’m missing.”

  Livvie could no longer pretend. “But do you miss me?” she said softly as she put down the scone.

  Drake exhaled. “You’re here.”

  Livvie couldn’t stop herself from pressing further. “But I won’t be tomorrow.”

  Drake spread her legs slightly and then moved forward so he was standing between her thighs. He then grabbed her legs, which stopped her from swinging them.

  “And I will miss you terribly.”

  Livvie’s heart beat faster. “We could change that,” she whispered. She wanted Drake to get over his fear of commitment and give them a real chance. He admitted he’d miss her. That had to mean something.

  Drake was staring at her with such intensity. “Let’s not think about tomorrow. Instead, let’s make love as much as possible with the time we have remaining.”

  Make love? Where did that come from? It wasn’t the answer she wanted, but did he make love to all the women whose hearts he’d broken? “I didn’t realize we were making love. Making love is when two people come together, hoping they have a tomorrow. Even if they’re scared. I assumed we were fucking.” She had no right to say that. He had told her there would be no tomorrow. And she hurt him. She could tell from the look in his eyes.

  But a second later, the hurt in his eyes had gone, replaced with danger.

  Drake clenched his teeth and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. He grabbed her hair in one hand and then pulled her head all the way back.

  “So you think I’m a coward?” he said between clenched teeth.

  He was hurting her, but she wasn’t in pain. In fact, she was turned on beyond belief, and her nipples hardened against the soft cotton of her dress.

  “No. I didn’t say you were a coward,” she said, her head completely bent back.

  “You didn’t have to. But you’re wrong. I’m not a coward.”

  He pulled her head up slightly and kissed her hard. He held his lips in place, forcing Livvie to breathe through her nose, and then his actions grew gentle. He moved his lips slowly against hers, making sure he touched every part of her waiting mouth. His tongue slipped in gracefully and met hers. He licked her tongue as thoroughly as his lips kissed her mouth. Livvie moaned. He was the best kisser she had ever been with. He was the best at everything.

  He touched her knee and then sensually caressed all the way up her to her inner thigh, to the piece of cotton that was protecting her most intimate spot. He placed his hand flat against her crotch over her panties. Holding his hand there, he spoke in a seductive voice against her ear.

  “I wanted to continue making love to you, but clearly you’d rather fuck. So you win. We’re going to fuck.”

  Without warning, Drake removed his hand from her crotch, and then, using both hands, he ripped her panties. Roughly, he touched her clit until it swelled under his finger. In that moment, he owned her body, and he could do with it as he pleased.

  Once her arousal was evident, he unzipped his pants enough to take out his beautiful, thick cock. He pulled her hair again, this time causing slightly more pain, and thrust into her hard until she felt it all the way to her stomach.

  Livvie moaned out of a mixture of pain and pleasure. And then he started to fuck her—over and over again, as if he didn’t care if she came or not. This was just fucking. But it drove Livvie crazy. She moaned even louder, and in the back of her mind, she hoped Drake had locked the door to the kitchen. But even if he hadn’t and someone barged in, there was no way she could stop this now. She wanted him with an intensity that scared her. So she grabbed onto his shirt, slipped her hands under it, and touched his chest all over.

  “You slut,” Drake said while continuing the beautiful torture. “All you want is to fuck, don’t you?”

  Livvie nodded.

  “Say it,” Drake demanded.

  Livvie was so turned on she could barely speak, but she knew she had no option.

  “I want to fuck.”

  He groaned and then, keeping one hand in her hair, he reached the other hand to touch her clit softly, his gentle strokes in exact opposition to the way he was fucking her. The two extremes combined set her on edge. She felt her orgasm build, but she wanted his permission before she came.

  “Drake?”

  “Yes, slut?”

  She loved him calling her that and it made her even wetter. She couldn’t hold back from coming, but she knew she had to.

  “Drake, I need to come.”

  He pressed hard against her clit while continuing to thrust. “Come for me, Olivia.”

  Less than a second later, Livvie screamed as her orgasm took over her body. She desperately grabbed onto him, needing to hold on to something. And as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she heard him groan and felt his cum shoot into her body.

  When they had finished, Livvie’s arms remained around his neck, and Drake released her hair and hugged her tightly. It felt right. Magical. And she was leaving tomorrow.

  He kissed the side of her hair. “Why don’t we wrap these scones and take them to my bedroom? I don’t know about you, but I think this will be the perfect day to stay in bed.”

  Livvie smiled. “What would Mr. Birkshire say?”

  He pulled out of her and pulled up his pants. Livvie pushed down her dress and tried
to fix the wrinkles that had formed.

  “Mr. Birkshire will be relieved that he won’t have to prepare the dining room for us and can instead leave a tray of food by my door.”

  Livvie didn’t care anyway. She was sure that by now everyone in the castle knew they were fucking. Or making love. Or whatever. She was leaving tomorrow, so it didn’t matter.

  She jumped off the island. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Drake smiled and grabbed her hand.

  They may not have tomorrow, but at least they had today.

  Chapter Fifteen

  On Livvie’s last and final day at Morganthal Winery, she woke up in Drake’s bed, but this time, when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t alone. Drake was still there, lying beside her, fast asleep. She let out a sigh of relief. If she had woken up alone, she would have been devastated. She was grateful he was still sleeping as it gave her a chance to take in her surroundings.

  After they had shared amazing sex in the kitchen, Drake had taken her up to his room for more sex. He kept on referring to it as making love, yet Livvie refused to call it that as she was leaving today. He had previously made it very clear that after the week was over, so were they. And since they had spent the entire day and evening fucking, all she saw was Drake’s gorgeous body. It wasn’t even until the evening that Drake picked up the tray of food Mr. Birkshire had left outside his door. After looking around, she realized this was definitely a bedroom for a man. If he ever decided to get married or live with a woman, he would have to add a feminine touch to it. But that thought depressed her, so she focused on the dark wood dresser, the largest flat screen television hanging on the wall, and the black leather couch on the side of the room. His hardwood floors were covered with a beige rug, and his enormous bed had a wood and leather headboard. The furniture was obviously expensive and obnoxiously masculine. She thought Drake would have better taste. Livvie smiled to herself. She’d finally found his first flaw.

  “I swear I didn’t decorate my room myself,” Drake said, half asleep.

  Livvie laughed. “No?”

  “No. I decorated the rest of the house, but when it came to my bedroom, I was closing a big business deal, and the interior decorator I hired to help me was getting on my nerves. So my assistant at the time on Wall Street picked all this out.”

  “And do you like it?” Livvie had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing.

  “I hate it.”

  “Then why not change it?”

  “When it was finished and I received the bill, I discovered it had cost me a fortune. I honestly didn’t want to spend any more money on this house. And clearly, you can see how well my assistant knew me. And hated me, I might add. She put me in the category of an egotistical, wealthy man with bland taste.”

  Livvie laughed again but then stopped herself as Drake rolled onto his back and grabbed her hand. Then reality crept in.

  “I’m leaving soon.” Livvie swallowed tears that formed.

  “What time?”

  “What time is it now?”

  Drake turned toward his night table and glanced at his clock. “It’s eight o’clock in the morning.”

  Livvie paused before she spoke. “My flight leaves at noon.”

  Drake squeezed her hand. “And it takes about two hours to get to the airport.”

  Livvie inhaled. “I know. I should go,” she whispered.

  Drake climbed on top of her and pressed his lips against hers. A goodbye kiss. She could feel it in the intensity of his lips against hers. She broke the kiss by moving her head to the side. She didn’t want to cry in front of him.

  “I have to go,” she said.

  Drake nodded and moved off her but not before he gazed down at her naked body. And the look in his eyes spoke volumes. He wanted to remember her as she was now. Yesterday, he told her he’d miss her terribly. She had to cling to that.

  Filled with pain, Livvie stood and gathered one of the blankets that had fallen. She didn’t care that she was naked in front of him, but she had to pack, and she had no idea who would be in the hallway.

  “Thank you,” she said once the blanket was firmly in place.

  Drake lay back down and clasped his hands behind his head. “For what?”

  “For showing a random raffle winner a great time.” She laughed, trying to keep the moment light, but she knew she had failed. The tension in the room only grew thicker.

  “Thank you for being the one who won the raffle.”

  Drake smiled, but Livvie didn’t think the expression was genuine. She could feel him detaching. Drake did not want a commitment. Period. She needed to leave before it started to feel weirder.

  “Okay, well I’m going to quickly pack my things and then go.”

  “Take care of yourself, Olivia. And make sure you continue to write.”

  Livvie smiled and then turned and left his room, closing the door behind her. He hadn’t even gotten up and walked her to the door. How awkward, how…final. The man she’d seen these last few days, was gone.

  In the hallway, she stood there a moment and held the doorknob. She closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. Only a few more hours. And then she’d be back at her house, and she could break down and cry. So she inhaled, let go of his doorknob, and opened her door for the last time. But before she walked in, she kissed her hand and placed it back on his door.

  “Goodbye, Drake,” she whispered. Then without a second glance she went inside her own room to pack and get out of there as quickly as possible.

  * * * * *

  Standing in the entrance hall for the last time, Livvie felt numb. This was the best and the most torturous week she’d had in her life, and she was afraid she would wake up tomorrow in her own bed in Los Angles and discover it’d been a dream.

  She lifted the handle of her suitcase, mentally preparing herself for the reality that awaited her once she was on the other side of this door. She inhaled deeply, wanting to remember what the castle smelled like. She looked around for the last time and took little mental pictures. She knew she needed to leave. The longer she delayed her departure the harder this would be.

  “Ms. Collins, I didn’t realize you were leaving so early. Please don’t leave without these scones. The baker made them specifically for you.”

  Livvie released the handle and graciously took the paper bag out of Mr. Birkshire’s hand.

  “Thank you, Mr. Birkshire. I’ll miss seeing you every day.” Livvie tried to smile. “But if we meet again, please call me Livvie.” Without thinking about it, Livvie put down the scones and wrapped her arms around Mr. Birkshire, giving him a warm hug. She swallowed back the tears. Even leaving Mr. Birkshire was hard. He very carefully placed his arms around her, but she could tell he felt uncomfortable. Not wanting to make it worse for him, Livvie ended the hug, and Mr. Birkshire instantly stepped back.

  “Livvie, you will come back.”

  Looking into his eyes, for one solid second she believed him. Then again, hope could be rearing its ugly head again. And hope was an illusion.

  Knowing she was about to break down, she smiled at Mr. Birkshire and then quickly picked up her scones.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  Swallowing back more tears, Livvie rolled her luggage to the door. She glanced back at Mr. Birkshire, who had that compassionate look in his eyes that she hated, and she smiled. He didn’t smile back but the look in his eye said it all. Then she glanced up at the grand staircase, secretly hoping she would see Drake once more. But she didn’t.

  Mr. Birkshire stepped in front of Livvie and opened the door. “Please let me.”

  But as he held the door open for her, she couldn’t even look at him. The minute the Napa air hit her skin, she ran to her rental car that was awaiting her. She didn’t care what Mr. Birkshire thought of her or even if Drake was staring at her through the window. She simply needed to get out of there as fast as she could. She threw her luggage and the scones into the back seat, and then opened the fr
ont door and sat down. Once she closed the door and turned on the car, she was tempted to look back at the house. But she couldn’t. She was barely holding it together as it was, and if there was even a small chance that Drake was looking, she didn’t want him to know how much leaving him was affecting her. Instead, she gripped the steering wheel hard because if she didn’t, she would run out of the car and back into Drake’s arms. However, he was clearly already done with her. He hadn’t even offered for them to stay in touch. So Livvie drove down the long road back to Main Street. Once there, she stopped and pulled over to the side of the road. Without realizing it, she had stopped at the exact point where she first saw his castle. And then the tears began to pour down her face. She had just left a man who had broken down all her walls in one week and who she had fallen deeply in love with. And the reality of her life, which she had managed to keep at bay, was creeping back in.

  Livvie cleared her throat and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. It was time she drove to the airport and dealt with whatever reality awaited her. Her dream was clearly over.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Day one, day one, day one, day one, Livvie repeated to herself over and over again. She sighed loudly and dropped her suitcase onto the floor. As she looked around her living room, she gripped the bag with the scones. She wished she had remembered to take a bottle of wine before she left Morganthal Winery. The scones were the only thing—besides her new journal—that she had from there. She would need to rebuild her life, and today was the first day of that journey.

  Strange, thought Livvie. Everything in her house looked the same. Nothing was disturbed. No one had broken in. But it felt different. She had moved into this house three years ago, a year after she was hired to write for the television show. She remembered the first time she walked into the house after she’d signed her lease. It was similar to this moment, yet it felt so different. The place had come furnished. She remembered Carly saying that Livvie should buy a house. And Carly had been right. Financially speaking, Livvie would have been smarter to buy, but deep down, she hadn’t been sure she’d want to put down roots in Los Angeles. She’d never really felt at home there. So she’d insisted on leasing and finding a place that was fully furnished. She had always envisioned herself buying furniture and a house with her husband. But when everything with Liam blew up in her face, her life track had changed.