by Sam Crescent
“You know, it’s dangerous to drink so much alcohol.”
Harper stared straight ahead of her. She didn’t need to turn to recognize that voice.
Licking her dry lips, she finally did turn, and sure enough, Draven was sitting beside her. He looked … different.
She noticed instantly he had a scar down the side of his face that looked fresh.
He wore an expensive-looking suit, and he nodded to the bartender, who actually came to him to serve.
“Seriously, right here,” she said. “I ordered my drink first.”
“I’ll get it,” the bartender said.
“You’re going to ignore me?”
“No. I’m going to sit here, wait for my drink and the buzz I’m hoping to get from it.”
“You’re still very beautiful,” he said.
“Don’t, Draven. Please, don’t.” She tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced behind her at Stephanie. Her boss had two men around her and was having the time of her life.
“What is it, Harper? I didn’t think you were the partying sort. You know, having girl time and all that.”
“I’m not. I’m here, so I don’t have to think about you!” Harper got up and was about to leave, but Draven stopped her. He held her arm and wouldn’t let her go.
“Where are you going?”
“To dance. To do anything but sit here and listen to you.”
He didn’t let her go and instead, followed her over to the dance floor. She didn’t go anywhere near Stephanie.
Draven wrapped his arms around her, holding her close even as she tried to keep some distance.
Just her luck, the dance number changed to that of a slow one, and she cursed every single DJ in the land for their inappropriate music changes.
“You look good,” Draven said.
Harper tried to ignore him, but she couldn’t do it. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was she.
“You don’t,” she said. “I’m afraid to ask. I mean, what happened? Why are you here? Is it safe? You kicked me out of your house, and now you’re here, talking to me. Do you see what I mean about this whole personal space thing?”
Draven smiled. “Let’s have this dance, and then I want to take you somewhere private.”
“You’re going to hurt me?”
“No.”
“Kill me?”
“No and to kill you would also hurt you, and I’ve covered that.”
“Smart ass.”
He chuckled. She liked the sound a little too much. Harper had missed him, no doubt about it.
She enjoyed his company, had missed him, and wanted him back. Still, she could do nothing about that. He’d kicked her out of her bedroom after stealing her away.
Now she had no choice but to rebuild her life. It wasn’t easy. Not even a little bit.
Her thoughts would always escape back to Draven and what he was doing. Axel as well, but she wasn’t kidding anyone about her feelings. The person she loved more than anything in the world was the one holding her. The one she had always wanted since she was eighteen years old. The one who could handle the good and the bad and would keep coming back for more.
“Come with me, Harper,” he said.
She stared into his green eyes, and she trusted him. She couldn’t explain it as she didn’t even understand it herself.
“Okay. I’ve just got to go and see Stephanie first.”
They finished their dance, and afterward she found Stephanie in the bathroom. Her friend wasn’t interested in coming out of the stall so she called through telling her she had met someone and would see her the next day at the shop. With that, she left. Draven was waiting.
He held his jacket open for her to slide on, which she found incredibly sweet.
A car was waiting for them, and even as her heart raced, she climbed right on inside beside him. They drove for a short while. She didn’t know how long before they reached an apartment building.
“This is mine.”
“I figured you’d take me to a diner or something.”
“No diner. I wanted complete privacy.”
“But not to kill me?”
“Not to kill you.”
The car was parked, and Harper climbed out, rounding the vehicle to join Draven. He held his hand out for her to take, and she accepted it as they climbed onto the elevator.
Draven gave an instruction to the driver, and in the next second, the elevator doors closed, and it was time for them to head to his floor.
She watched the light as they climbed each floor, going up and up until they finally reached his floor.
There were only a couple of doors along the corridor, and Draven went to the last one, putting in his key card and entering his apartment.
Harper followed close as he still hadn’t let go of her hand.
She wasn’t going to complain about that. She liked his touch and had missed it. Even though it was only holding hands, to Harper, it felt really important.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
“A whiskey.”
“I want you to remember this. We’re going to have something a little lighter.”
“You intend to control what I drink now?”
“Yes. I don’t care if you like that or not.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You know that just makes you look sexy as fuck.”
She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Do.”
She chuckled.
“I’ll get wine.”
He let go of her hand, and she watched him walk away.
Staring around the apartment, it didn’t give anything away about the man. Draven had always been a private person, and he never trusted anyone. Even when they were kids, she never saw anything that screamed it was his room or his space.
He returned with two glasses of wine, and she took a long drink.
“You’re nervous?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“I guess I would. Especially if I didn’t know the truth.”
“You’ve got a couple of scars you hadn’t before.”
He rubbed his face and smiled. “Yeah, I do.”
They sat in silence for a few moments. Harper drank her wine, and the nerves hit her hard.
“I’m out,” he said.
“What?”
“I’m out of the trafficking, the drug trade, the guns, all of it. It’s gone. I’m done. A clean slate. After everything, I’m all out.”
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to do that.” She frowned.
“It’s always possible. There just have to be certain sacrifices. You’ve just got to learn to sever ties where necessary, cause a shitstorm of problems, and all the while, know what you’re planning to do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I had Axel by my side. He never wanted any part of this and had hoped we’d be out of the trade forever.”
“It never happened?”
“No. When you left, I didn’t even question my father about it. I just accepted it, as if I knew deep down, you’d leave. You’d find some way to escape me, to run from all of this. I know now that you didn’t, but it set off something inside me. I became the monster I always knew was there. I have a darkness within me, Harper. I can’t get rid of it. I’ve done a lot of bad things, and I wish I could change them, but I can’t. Especially when it comes to you. You’ve now got scars on your back because of me.”
“Don’t think about it. We’ve all done a lot of bad things. I’ve done a lot I’m not proud of.”
“I’ll never forget what I did. It’ll always be my punishment.”
She licked her dry lips. Her wine no longer held any appeal to her. “What happened?”
“Tillie’s dead. So are all the people you saw around the table and their witnesses as well. They’re all gone.”
“You killed Tillie?”
“Yes. I also released those women as well. They’re b
ack home.”
“Oh.”
“I’ve also sent some information to a group of men, an MC that I know deals with women who are being trafficked or have been. I believe they’ll find the women who have already been sold and will try to locate them.”
“Really? They can do that?”
“Yes. From my understanding, they can do anything.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I can’t believe you killed Tillie.” She had wanted to. Hitting that bitch had given her immense satisfaction that had lasted for days, far longer than anything else.
“It was easy. She was my first stop. Once I took care of her, it was easier to work my way up the chain.”
“I thought Tillie was connected to someone bigger?”
“She was. Tillie was a first-class bitch, and she liked money. She loved power, and once I showed her owner what she’d actually been doing all this time, he was more than happy to have a deal. The information she had to trade with, for my life and Axel’s.”
“Information?”
“Tillie had been gathering evidence and money. She intended to either blackmail her owner, or sell it to the highest bidder for protection. With killing her, I got the details and also made sure there were no repercussions, which helped to wrap everything up quite nicely. Axel took care of the rest. He handled the negotiations, and helped get us out.”
“Is that the end of it?”
“Not quite.”
“Each fight came with risks, but I realized I wanted out completely and so, I’d take any fight that meant certain death. I no longer wanted to be the man my father had created, but my own person. I didn’t want this life. It’s not my legacy to keep on fighting for. It’s his.”
He told her how he and Axel fought each opponent, selling off information for a once in a lifetime offer of getting out. They used Alan’s information that he’d kept hidden to help set them free. It had never been done before, but he and Axel had done the impossible. There were men who had stuck by his side, and who were loyal to him and him alone. Men who were ready to see him into any venture he saw fit.
“Where is Axel?” she asked. “You keep talking about him and how you both risked your life, and I’m trying not to freak out because he’s nowhere to be seen?”
Draven smiled. “He took off about three days ago. When we finished it and we finally had our freedom, he told me he was done. That he had some things of his own to take care of, and that if we ever saw each other again, it would be a pleasure but not to hold my breath. We both made a great deal of sacrifices, and I’m not saying there won’t be backlash later on, but for now, we’re free men. I have no doubt we’re being watched though, to make sure we’re out for good. I’m not a rat though. That’s how I got out. I didn’t go to the cops. I went to the source. Information for freedom with the right people.”
She reached out, touching his cheek. “You’re sad about Axel.”
“He’s my best friend. There’s no way I can be anything else but sad about that. He’s the only one I have left.”
Seeing Draven upset cut her up inside.
Putting her glass down, she moved across his lap, straddling him. He grabbed her ass, but she only wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him.
Draven ran his hands up and down.
“I’m so sorry for all that you lost.”
He wrapped her hair around his fist and tugged on the strands, pulling her head back. “No, I’m sorry for everything I did to you. For wasting all this time. For believing him.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, Harper, it’s not fine. It’s never going to be fine.”
She traced a finger across his lips. She felt the evidence of his arousal pressing to her core. Harper stayed perfectly still as he stroked the line of her back and stared at him.
“I’ve got a question,” she said.
There was really nothing else for her to say about the other thing. She couldn’t change what happened, nor did she want to sit and think about it all the damn time.
It happened. They both made mistakes.
“Ask me.”
“How are you able to afford this?” she asked. “It’s not that I have a problem with it. I don’t. Honestly. Money has always made me uncomfortable, but if you’re no longer in the business, what about this place? What are you going to do from now on?”
“I wasn’t just in the illegal shady business practices, Harper. I had invested a lot of time already into small ventures. I own a couple of coffee shops, a vineyard out in Italy, and I also love playing with the stock market as well. I’m not as rich as I once was. I made more dirty money, but I don’t have it anymore. It’s gone. I only have what is legal.”
“A man of many talents.”
“Yes.”
His hands ran down to her ass, and Harper tensed up. Climbing off his lap, she took a seat beside him, and sipped at her drink.
“I make you uncomfortable?”
“It’s not you. I mean, it is, but not directly you, does that make sense?”
“Not at all.”
“Fine. I … you hurt me. Kicking me out of your house and after everything we’ve been through. I don’t want to rush this. If you’re planning to stay, and I don’t know, live here, then I’d like the chance for us to date each other. To actually spend time as a couple and not as friends or just as friends. To experience the right kind of stuff we should have all those years ago.”
He stroked a finger across her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’ll happily date you, Harper.”
She smiled. “I didn’t expect you to relent so quickly. We don’t have to get to know each other, but I’d like to date you. To see what it’s like.”
He laughed. “I happen to have a spare bedroom. You can sleep there tonight.”
“Thank you, Draven.” She stared at him. Her gaze dropped to his lips and she knew it was going to be hard to do this, but she would.
****
Dating wasn’t so bad.
It was like being friends, just without the sex and knowing the sex was going to come eventually. In between work, Draven took her out to meals, to movies, and they did everything couples did. He finally met Stephanie. Like Axel said, he’d helped her to break out of her conservative skin and to learn to party.
Harper always had a new story to tell.
Every time he picked her up, she always looked ready to tell him not to bother. That was one of his biggest fears. Harper telling him she’d had enough, that she no longer wanted to be with him, and they were through.
He’d only just gotten her back, and already he was fucking nervous about everything he did or said, and it was killing him.
But he kept on dating her, even when he got nervous picking her up and with each phone call.
One night, after taking her to the opera, which was new for her, they were heading to dinner, and Draven stopped.
“What is it?” Harper asked.
“Do you enjoy spending time with me?” he asked.
“Yes, why? Have I given you a reason to think I don’t?”
“You always look—forget it,” he said, taking her hand.
She wouldn’t budge.
“Harper, I don’t want to do this.”
“You can’t just start something like that, cut off, and that be the end of it. That’s not how this works.”
“It’s fine. We’ve got reservations.”
“Draven, I don’t care how many reservations you make. You clearly need to talk to me, and we can either cause a scene right now, with minimal people here, or we can scream the roof down and let a whole load of people know our business inside a restaurant.” She pulled her hand away from his and folded it beneath her breasts.
He couldn’t help but notice the curve of her tits. The dress she wore enhanced her breasts, her waist, and hips, and it made him ache to touch her. To hold her. To take her. To have her all to himself so he could just fucking enjoy
her.
“You want to do this out here?”
“I don’t see we have much of a choice.”
“Do you want to end this with me?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked.
“This. You and me. Are you building up to kick me to the curb, or what? I’m not wasting any more time.”
“What made you even think that I was considering that?” she asked. She also glared as well.
“The way you look at me.”
She laughed. “Seriously? You’re going to cause this because I happen to look at you the wrong way?”
“I’ve killed men for a lot less.”
She rolled her eyes, only this time he didn’t see it as sexy, not even a little bit.
“Look, I don’t know what is going on with you right now, Draven. I’m not wanting to end this. If I did, I wouldn’t have gone home with you. Is this about sex?”
“No.”
“Then what is it about?”
“I need to know that you’re not fucking afraid of me. That you’re not thinking of ways of getting out of this. I need to know you’re in it as long as I am. For a lifetime.”
“Draven—”
He held his hand out. “No, I need you to hear me out with this. I know you’ve got to say something, but I really need for you to hear me out first.”
“Fine. Then let’s hear it,” she said.
“I’m in love with Harper Miller. I have been for a long time. It has never changed. The time apart, it was … hard. I didn’t want to kick you out of my house, but I had to. There is no place for me at Stonewall. I burned it to the ground, along with all of our legacies. They’re gone. I’ll never see them again. I’ll never go back there either. There’s nothing for me there. You reminded me of what it was that I wanted in life. What I had hoped to achieve and the only way I can get that, is with you. I see this look in your eye, and it scares me. I don’t want you to be afraid of me, or to hate me. I can handle everything else that is thrown at me, but when it comes to you, I can’t. There’s only so much I’m willing to take, and I love you.”
“I’m not lovable, Draven. I don’t deserve it.”
“Harper?”
“No! I don’t want this to end. That’s the furthest thing from what I want.”