by D. C. Ruins
Heath drove them all back to Bloomfield, to the café. Connor had contacted him earlier, saying that he and Lana and John were heading home as the girls had been upset at the sight of the police, Drew's wounds, and Rocky being hurt. Drew felt horrible, even though she knew she hadn't done anything wrong. She silently vowed to make it up to the two small girls.
Nik and Toni hugged their baby sister, and then took turns hugging Heath, being careful of his own cracked ribs, before heading off with their own husbands and children.
It was almost eleven o'clock by the time Drew convinced both of her parents that she was just fine, that nothing else was going to be happening. The threat had been resolved, she had promised them. Finally, they relented and headed back to their apartment, promising to see her first thing in the morning.
Bunz had lingered throughout everything and looked utterly exhausted. She put a hand on Drew's shoulder.
"You want company tonight?" she asked. "I can stay over with you if you don't want to be alone. Or –" She glanced at Heath and her full lips twisted into a little smirk. "Or I can go home."
"Um," Drew said awkwardly. She didn't want to chase her friend off, but she also didn't want Heath to leave.
"It's cool," Bunz said, a full grin on her face. She reached out to pull Drew into a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She and Heath headed back upstairs to her apartment again. He frowned as he pulled the security chain into place.
"Have to take a look at the lock tomorrow," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I can probably fix it." He rose to his feet, stretching a little. He glanced at Drew, leaning against the wall next to the kitchen and staring moodily off into space. "You okay? You hungry?"
Drew shook her head. "No, I'm good. I'm just—tired." She glanced up at him and held her arms out. "Can we go to bed?"
Heath nodded and reached out to pull her into his side. "Yeah."
He was lying in her bed quietly, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom once she had showered and brushed her teeth. His pre-bed routine didn't seem to take half as long as hers, but he was content when she finally crawled under the covers beside him wearing a white ribbed tank top that just barely covered her bottom and nothing else. As she snuggled up to his side and his hand trailed down her body, he fought the urge to really touch her like he wanted. It had been an incredibly stressful night, and he just wanted her to be able to relax and go to sleep.
Then he felt her hand begin to stroke his bare stomach sensuously and his felt himself immediately harden at her touch. It had been less than a week since their last sexual encounter but now that he'd experienced it with her, he found himself missing it and her body immensely. He stayed still but let the hand that was around her trail down a little further, finding the expanse of smooth flesh below the hem of the long tank top. He stroked it with his fingertips and was rewarded with her little shiver. He felt her lips press into the side of his neck and he tensed his muscles to repress a little shiver of his own. He turned his head slightly toward hers and before he had fully finished the movement of his head, she was hungrily attacking his mouth with her own. He could hardly keep up with her, sliding both of his hands into her hair as if to keep her head still so he could catch up and try to slow her down.
But Drew didn't seem to want to be slowed. She maneuvered her body on top of his, careful to hold her weight up with her hands and not put pressure on his ribs. He smoothed her hair to one side and relaxed as her kisses slowed slightly and she began to suck gently at his lips and his tongue. A moment later, he felt warmth from her core as it settled directly on top his hardened length, still encased in his boxer briefs. He grunted softly at the pressure and sensation he immediately felt, and then she started moving her hips on him.
His hands slid up the sides of her thighs as she moved, rocking back and forth on him. He gripped down, tighter than he'd meant to, as she hissed in reply. But when he immediately lightened his hold, her hands fell on top of his and moved them back to where they were, encouraging him to resume his grip on her.
"Shit, Drew," he murmured, unable to look away from her hips moving on top of him. His hands moved up her thighs and around the back to grip her bottom in both hands. He wanted to be inside her in the worst way. He slipped a hand around to her front and touched her gently, already feeling her slicked with her own moisture. He stroked his thumb over her and she shivered again under his touch. Before he could repeat the action, she moved off of his hips and took the elastic waistband of his underwear in her hands and tugged down, freeing him.
He could hardly believe his eyes when she straddled his legs and hovered over his groin, her long hair trailing along his stomach. She met his eyes before the tip of her tongue passed between her lips and slid up his shaft toward his tip. His length jerked in response to the sensation. She licked around his tip again, using the flat of her tongue. He let out a sharp exhale and a soft string of whispered curses when, at once, she sucked the head of length into her mouth and gripped it tightly with her cheeks. Her mouth was warm and wet, as though she'd been salivating for him.
He couldn't look away or utter a sound when her head started moving, side to side and up and down as she worked his length with her mouth. One of her hands came up from where it rested on his thigh and gripped the base of his member, swirling slowly and tightly around his shaft as she bobbed her head to take him deeper in her mouth. He couldn't believe the sensations she was evoking, and the sight of her working on him was almost too much to bear.
When he felt his tip slide past her tonsils, he ran a hand through her hair and tugged gently, letting her know to stop. He watched as she sat up slowly, swiping the back of one hand over her lips, before reaching out and taking her by the waist, pulling her up to straddle over him again. His eyes were riveted on her hips as she hovered over him. A moment later, the sensation of his head parting her and sliding up into her hot depths, after the attention he'd received from her mouth, almost undid him but he clenched his jaw and helped her bob up and down on him slightly as she took more of his length with each downward thrust. She gasped softly at the feeling. Her hands scrambled to him as he pushed her tank top upward; she pulled it the rest of the way over her head. He lifted his hips off the bed, ignoring the burst of pain in his ribs from the effort, and she squealed as he entered her fully, buried deep inside her. Her hand unconsciously floated to her lower abdomen as though she could feel him in her stomach.
He slipped his hands up her stomach to graze her breasts, her nipples prominent from her arousal and growing harder under his touch. Drew placed her hands over his on her breasts and began to move, her eyes closed and her head tilted back slightly as she rolled her hips forward on him. He could feel every ridge of her walls sliding over him, around him, and her wetness coated his length wonderfully. He was buried inside her, their hips flush against one another as she pushed her hips forward on him.
His hands slipped back to her waist before separating; one gripped her bottom in one hand while the other slipped around to her front to stroke her again. She moaned, deep in her throat, and leaned back, bracing her hands on his thighs as she continued to move. The positioning and angle somehow made her tighten around him, and his fingers stopped moving for one brief second as his jaw clenched and he tilted his head back into his pillow.
"Don't stop," she whined softly and he quickly began to stroke her again as her hips picked up speed. He gripped a fistful of the soft flesh of her backside in one hand and slid his fingers over tiny, hardening pearl at the top of her core, slicking it in her moisture and wishing it was in his mouth instead. As he felt her walls starting to tighten around him and flutter, he felt the hard peak of her center swell up and then she was exploding around him, from the inside and the outside, and he felt more wetness and could only watch as she shivered and moaned, her nails digging into his thighs. He lay still, waiting as she slowed the movement of her hips to collect herself. When she looked down at him, he swore he saw her eyes glow in th
e darkness and then she was riding him, really riding him, hard. Her hips lifted and pounded down on him as her fingers moved to his chest. His hands moved all over her, from her hips to her bottom and up and down her back, wanting to feel all of her smooth skin under his rough hands as she thrust down on him, over and over.
She leaned forward until her breasts were in his face and he slid his hands up her torso to cup them, pulling one into his mouth as he squeezed the other. He could only focus on the taste of her flesh and feeling of her tight core squeezing around him, up and down him, over and over. He was barely aware that she was trembling around him and keening out wordlessly when he felt his length reach its maximum hardness the instant before it broke deep inside her. He growled low in his chest and squeezed her harder than he meant to as he thrust his head back into the pillow, feeling himself throb out his seed into her hot, wet depths as tidal waves of pleasure rolled over him, rippling out over his skin like a pebble in a lake.
He felt her hot, sweaty skin slide against his as she leaned forward, panting into his neck. He felt a drop of sweat on the back of her neck and used his middle finger to trail it as far down her back as he could before it dried out. He swept his fingertips up and down her skin as lightly as he could, smiling at the way her flesh twitched under his touch. He closed his eyes and kept up the motion of his hands as he waited for himself to completely drain and soften inside her.
Later, when she was cleaned up and snuggled up against him again, naked this time, he kissed her forehead and pulled her in close.
"You were really, really good tonight," he murmured sleepily.
Her low giggle carried through the darkness. "Uh, thanks," she said. "I guess you could say that you woke the beast in me."
He popped open his eyes in confusion and thought about what she was saying, then had to laugh. "That's not what I meant. Just now, yes, you were really, really good. But I was talking about your dance."
"Oh," Drew replied and hugged his chest briefly. "Thank you. I'm glad that you got to see it."
"Me too," he said. "And I'm sorry about this week, for making you think I was just blowing you off. That was not the case at all. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Drew said, and he could hear her voice getting thick with sleep. "I'm sure you were doing something really important. And, hey, you never did tell me what you were doing…"
"Tell you tomorrow," he murmured back.
"Better…not forget…I won't…"
Her voice trailed off as repose finally claimed her. She could fall asleep faster than anyone he'd ever met. As her words echoed in his mind, he allowed himself a little grin before shutting his eyes and relaxing into her embrace.
Soon enough, he thought tiredly, feeling all of his muscles relax. Find out soon enough.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The next morning, the smell of coffee woke Heath up from a deep sleep. He discovered the space that had been previously occupied by Drew was empty now. He glanced over at the clock and groaned, seeing that it wasn't quite six-thirty yet. He knew she wasn't kidding about heading back to the vet hospital to get Rocky first thing in the morning.
He perked up when she reentered the room, holding a steaming mug and wearing the tank top again. He tilted his head, admiring the way it just barely covered her bottom but left all of her long, leanly muscled legs on display. He accepted the mug from her followed by a quick kiss.
"Drink up," she commanded. "I want my cat. Ora."
"Yes, ma'am," he grumbled, sipping the hot liquid before hauling himself out of bed. They each washed up and dressed quickly, and Drew practically dragged Heath out of the apartment downstairs. Once they were seated in his car, he glanced at her, frowning at the little gash on her forehead that she'd covered up with a small butterfly bandage.
"How's the head?" he asked, fresh anger filling him at the thought of Carter attempting to put his hands—and worse—on Drew.
"My head is actually fine," she said with a shrug, then rubbed her cheeks ruefully. "The insides of my mouth, from where he grabbed my face, hurt like a bitch, though. Nothing I can do about that." She saw the anger on his face and reached over to squeeze his thigh. "Don't worry. All's well that ends well. He got and will get what he deserves." She sipped from her own mug of coffee. "Hey, he was going on about you stealing his business out from underneath him..?" Her voice raised in question. "What does that mean?"
"Oh," Heath said, feeling a new realization hit him. Things had moved so fast yesterday and he hadn't spoken to her all week to tell her about the new developments in his life. "Long story short, turns out Carter bribed the judges at Smackdown to throw the fight to the other guy. I was fine just leaving it alone. I mean I really didn't care that much in the first place, but Connor went on a warpath to right that wrong, and eventually the creator of Smackdown decided that I was the winner." He shrugged, trying to ignore the giant grin spreading on Drew's face. "So then Carter got blacklisted as a result, and I sort of got him to sign over ownership of the gym to me. Well, my lawyer did."
"How did you do that?" Drew asked, mystified.
Heath smirked at her. "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse," he said in his best hushed Don Corleone impression.
Drew groaned and clapped a hand to her face, laughing. She peeked through her fingers at him. "Did you assure him that either his brains or signature would be on the contract?"
Heath laughed out loud at that. "I wish I could say 'something like that', but no. Nothin' like that. Carter just knows he lost, fair and square. If you're goin' down regardless of what's happening…you can only fight gravity for so long." He shrugged negligently. "He just gave up before he got ahead of himself. Smart man."
"Smart man," Drew murmured. "So now what?"
"Now, Carter's Gym becomes the 17th Street Boxing Gym starting Monday. I retain sole ownership."
"And you retain Rex and Jameson?"
Heath snorted. "Of course. They're part of the package, I guess."
Drew leaned her head back on the seat and smiled at him. "I am so happy for you," she said softly. "Really. You always should have been working for yourself, nobody else."
"That's what I keep hearing," Heath murmured, keeping his eyes on the road. "And my first order of business, especially after last night, is holding that women's self-defense course. And you're gonna help me."
"Uh," Drew began doubtfully. "I don't think you want me –"
"No, listen. Shut up. You are. You kicked that man's ass. Women can learn a lot from you." He saw the look of skepticism on her face. "Look, just at least come to the class. Maybe you can help me with some behind the scenes stuff but you'll just be a pupil too. Okay?"
"I guess," she said.
"One other thing," Heath went on. "I'm going to be flying out to California in a couple weeks. I want to personally hand-deliver Aida the trust fund and college fund money for the kids." He glanced at her. "I want you to come with me. To meet them…Joaquin's family." He cleared his throat and glanced back at the road. "It's the next best thing to Joaquin gettin' to meet you himself."
"I would love that," Drew said quietly, almost shyly. "I know what Joaquin meant to you. I'd—I'd be honored to come with you, Heath."
Heath nodded once, feeling a little bit embarrassed but glad that she'd agreed to come with him. It would be huge—to finally make good on his promise to his fallen brother and see that his kids were taken care of for life. And he could make sure that Aida was comfortable too. He couldn't set her up so that she could quit her job—she'd never allow him to do that, anyway. As long as her and Joaquin's children were taken care of, Heath knew that was all she ever wanted.
He glanced up briefly at the sky. I got you, bro. He cleared his throat.
"New topic," he joked quickly. "Tell me something."
Drew was quiet for moment then shrugged. "Other than the showcase, I don't really have any good news. Not to be a Debbie Downer on the end of your awesome news, but—I saw yesterday that, uh –"
She broke off, and Heath glanced over at her. She was staring out her window and shaking her head slightly. He noticed her throat working as though she were swallowing quickly.
"Saw what?" he asked.
She sighed. "I saw that the studio—you know, the little place I wanted? It—it's been sold."
"Sold?" Heath repeated.
"Yeah. I always walk by there, you know, just to look at it and remember why I'm doing what I'm doing and what I'm working so hard for. So I thought, right before I go to dress rehearsal for my first performance in years, what better motivation than to stop by my little dream place? And I saw the sold sign in the window."
Heath felt a little guilty that her morale had potentially been damaged by seeing the sign, but she'd danced so damn amazingly anyway that he couldn't feel that bad about it.
"Shit," he replied. "Damn. I'm sorry, Drew."
She shrugged and he could tell she didn't really want his sympathy; it would only upset her more. "It happens, right? It wasn't going to stay vacant forever. It's honestly a great spot for like, a little bakery or a coffee shop or something. Which is probably what it will turn into."
"Would have been a great spot for a dance studio, too," Heath said gently. He fell silent as a thought occurred to him; it was risky as it could upset her further, but it was legitimate information he needed to know, so he pressed on. "What would you have called it, your studio?" he asked carefully. "What would it have looked like…what color would you have painted the walls…stuff like that?"
Drew smiled sadly at him. "I wanted to call it 'Inspiration Dance Academy'," she replied. "And I probably would have painted the walls lavender—that's my favorite color. With like…silver and cream accents or something. I wanted it be really comforting to come into—not like a typical dance studio. Lots of warm lights, fresh flowers. I wanted my dancers to love coming to class and learning to be pretty ballerinas in a pretty space." Her smile turned sheepish and she rolled her eyes. "Silly, I know. But…that's what I envisioned. I think they learn better that way."