by Franca Storm
Chapter 6
~Sarah~
I’m wiping down one of the tables when a knock at the door startles me. Do people not read the CLOSED sign?
I spin around and I’m more than a little startled to see Runner at my door.
I find myself grinning like a fool just at the sight of him. Oh God. Stop it.
Dropping my rag on the table, I cross to the door and open it. “We’re closed. I’m sorry, Runner.”
“See that, darlin’.”
I step aside and he comes in. I lock the door behind him and turn around to see him scanning the diner at a loss. He seems…anxious. Not himself.
“Ain’t here to eat,” he tells me.
That’s a weird statement for someone standing in the middle of a diner. I’m not sure what to make of it.
“Why are you here then?”
His brow furrows as he looks at me. “Ain’t really sure,” he says quietly. Again, quiet isn’t like him either. What’s going on here?
“All right. Well…I need to clean up.”
“Sure,” he answers walking over to one of the booths. His usual booth in the far corner.
I just stare for a moment, trying to figure out what’s happening here. And then I get myself together and remember that I have a job to do. I head into the back to get some paper towel and a cleaning spray.
When I come back out to the main floor a few moments later, I catch sight of him struggling in the corner. He clearly thinks no one’s watching, because I see him panting and grunting as he fights with his cane and his body to pull himself into the booth until he’s half leaning and half laying along it with his legs up like it’s a couch. His arm is resting on the table, propping his head up.
“That wound is still giving you a lot of trouble, huh?” I say, as I walk over.
He looks up at me and flashes me a smile that I can immediately tell is fake. “Nah. All good.”
I watch him reach into his jacket pocket. And that’s when I first notice that he isn’t wearing his cut. Just a brown suede jacket that’s so worn it looks like he’s had it for years and years. He pulls out a flask and starts downing it.
Well, this isn’t happening.
I head over to the counter behind me and grab one of the display cakes and two plastic forks from the drawer beneath the cash register. I walk back to the booth and place them on the table.
He pulls his lips from the flask and eyes the cake as I slide into the opposite side of the booth.
“What’s this?”
“A cake.”
He rolls his eyes. “I know that. Thought you were closing up.”
“I am. But you need to eat something if you’re going to drink that.”
He just stares at me for a moment. And then he eyes the cake. “Chocolate.”
“Chocolate chunk.”
Grinning, he says, “Well, I can’t be passing that up now, can I?”
I lift the lid off and slide a fork across the table to him. “Dig in.”
He hesitates. “You ain’t gonna cut it?”
I laugh. “Where’s the fun in that? Take as much as you want.”
He does that intense staring thing again for a few seconds, before he puts the flask away, snatches up a fork and digs in. “Hell, this might be one of the best things I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
I swallow a mouthful and answer, “Me too.”
As soon as the words are out there, I realize the embarrassing double meaning of them.
Runner wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Yeah? That right?”
“I…no…I didn’t mean…I just....” I ramble, blushing like crazy.
His hand covers mine, startling me. “Just messing with you. Know what you meant. Weren’t nothing dirty in it. That ain’t the kinda girl you are.”
He doesn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he starts drawing soft, slow circles on the back of it with his thumb. Just that slight touch from him sets me alight and awakens things in me that’ve been on lockdown for a long time. My eyes flutter closed for a moment and before I can stop it, a moan leaves my lips. Oh my God. Embarrassing.
Mortified, I go to pull my hand away.
But he holds tight. “Nothing to be shy ‘bout. You like it, yeah?”
I make the mistake of looking into his eyes. The heat there is enough to scorch me and I quickly cast my glance down at the table.
“Sarah?”
“Yeah?” I rasp, biting my lip nervously.
“Want me to stop? Will if you tell me to.” He grunts then and his grip on my hand loosens. “Thing is, you don’t and you’re gonna have to come over here, yeah?”
I look up at him then and find him grimacing.
He growls with frustration and pulls back his hand and brings it to his side. “Fuck,” he grits out, adjusting his weight. “Sorry. Damn thing,” he mutters, getting more pissed off by the second.
I slide out of the booth and cross to his side. He looks up at me, his eyes wide with surprise, as I inch my way between the table and him lying there. My butt bumps it and I mutter to myself, “Stupid big butt.”
“Nah, you got a fine ass, darlin’.”
My gaze snaps to his, caught off guard by his blunt remark. “I…stop it.”
“Stop what?” he laughs.
“Commenting on my…stuff.”
“Stuff? You mean your sexy ass, your curves, those hot tits you got going for you?”
Oh my God! “Yes. That. Stop that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re…it’s making me blush and I…hate it.”
“I don’t. It’s cute.”
I shake my head to myself and focus on the task at hand. It’s the only way I can handle being this close to him. “Lift your shirt.”
He does as I ask and I clear my throat as I get a flash of his amazing abs. Focus. Focus.
“Uh…okay. Hold it there.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
I realize that I can’t get a proper look standing like this.
I climb onto him, straddling his legs.
“Jesus,” he groans as I shift on him, leaning down so I can get a look at the wound.
“Sorry. Am I hurting you?”
“You’re making my cock hard. That’s what you’re doing.”
“I…I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” he asks with a chuckle. “Fuck me, you’re cute.”
This is incredibly awkward. In fact, I can’t remember ever being in a situation as awkward as this one.
“Just…don’t move.”
“Christ, you keep rocking those hips of yours and I ain’t gonna have much of a choice. My cock’s gonna be in the driving seat.”
I scoff. “Very funny.”
“You think I’m kidding?”
“I think…” I say, distractedly as I finally manage to get a good look at his stab wound, “…I’m not exactly your type and you’re full of crap here.” What? Did I just say that? I really shouldn’t talk when I’m trying to concentrate on something else.
“I’m hard as steel right now, darlin’. Think that’d be possible if I were just full of crap?”
My eyes dart to his, taken aback by his words.
I don’t know what to say.
Back to the task. Stay on task. Stay on task.
He sucks in a sharp breath when I press my fingers to the wound.
I trace my fingers over it. “You ripped the stitches at some point? The ones I put in?”
“Yeah. Got outta bed too fast the next day.”
“You’re not taking care of it properly. You’re putting too much strain on it. Have you even been resting at all?”
When he doesn’t answer, I look up and find him with his head thrown back, his eyes half closed and his lips parted blissfully. Oh, hell.
I take my hand off him quickly.
“Fuck, no. Don’t stop, darlin’. Jesus fucking Christ.”
“Zeb—sorry—Runner…”
“Fuck it. Call me whatever the hell you want. Z
eb it is. Just don’t fucking stop,” he breathes, closing his eyes.
That has me freaking out. It’s too much.
I scramble off him quickly. “I…I can’t….”
He grunts and struggles to sit up. “Sarah?”
“I’m sorry…I can’t…I mean…I don’t know how to…never mind.” I turn away and walk over to the table where I left my cloth. I start scrubbing it furiously, trying to distract myself.
“Dunno how to what? Fuck?” he asks.
I can hear his cane grating on the linoleum. He’s walking over to me.
“Nothing.”
He reaches the table that I’m cleaning and stands opposite me. “You a virgin?”
I don’t answer. I just keep scrubbing the table.
“Sarah? Are you?”
Urgh. He’s not going to drop it until I say something. “Not really, no.”
“Not really? What the fuck’s that mean?”
His harshness ignites my agitation at the entire situation and I end up blurting out, “He made me, okay? He beat me, tied me up and took it from me!”
“Jesus Christ,” he gasps. “That fucker, Torvin?”
Hearing that name when I’m already in a state just drives me over the edge. I sink to the floor and cradle my face in my hands and break down crying. “It just hurts. Doing that…sex…just hurts. That’s all it is. Hurting. For the girl. And I don’t want to do it again. Ever. Ever! Ever!”
His arms wrap around me suddenly. He’s standing in front of me, holding me against his legs as I sit there, a crumpled mess on the floor. He starts stroking my hair. “Shh, sweet angel. I’m sorry. Real sorry. I’m a dick.”
After a long while, I pull away and get to my feet, hiding my face from him. “It’s not your fault. I’m messed up.” I wipe my tears away with the backs of my hands and finally dare to look at him. The concern in his eyes cuts into me. “You should go. Best to get away from the crying woman while you can,” I say with a small laugh, trying to lighten the situation any way I can. I can’t believe I just freaked out like that, out of the blue. The mention of sex just set me off. My Achilles Heel.
“Don’t wanna go, Sarah.”
I snort out a laugh. “Don’t pity me. It was a long time ago. I just freaked out. That’s all.” I point to the door. “Take the out while you can.”
He steps into me. “Rode three hours to come here tonight. Ain’t leaving after just a half hour.”
“What? Why would you—?”
He blows out a breath and runs his hand over the top of his spiky hair. “Why? Dunno, darlin’. All I know is I wanted some company and the only person I felt like being ‘round were you.”
Oh my God. “I don’t understand. What are you saying? You…like me?”
He shrugs. “Like being ‘round you. All I can wrap my head ‘round right now.”
Oh. “So, like friends then?”
“How ‘bout we keep away from all ‘em labels and overthinking bullshit? You wanna hang, or not?” he says, getting his back up a bit.
I glance around the diner. “I’m almost finished closing up. You can come back to my house if you want. Just to…hang, though.”
He grins. “Message received.”
“Okay. Then…I’ll just finish up and we can go,” I say, moving to brush past him.
His hand shoots out, grabbing my arm suddenly. Gently. Very gently. “One more thing you should know ‘bout me. Just for the record.”
“Yeah?” I ask, nervous from the intense look in his burning auburn eyes.
“When I fuck a woman, there ain’t nothing but pleasure.”
I swallow hard.
He smiles and releases me.
And then I hurry away into the back. Holy hell.
Chapter 7
~Runner~
I can’t breathe.
She’s just had me choking on my beer from the shit she’s been saying.
“Too fucking funny, darlin’,” I tell her through my laughter. “Can’t believe that’s what you thought a cock ring were for.”
When we got back here she were still real tense ‘bout what went down in the diner. She pulled out a 12-pack of beer and we put away a few. But she still weren’t loosening up. I knew why. Cuz of the elephant in the room. Sex. She’s real weird ‘bout it. So, I figured putting it out in the open and talking ‘bout it would fix all that.
And here we are now, dying with laughter. She’s hilarious. I mean, I knew she had a sense of humor, but this is something else. And her laugh…damn…it’s the sweetest sound.
“What else?” she asks me, taking a sip from her beer bottle that’s almost done now.
I look her over, sitting opposite me in the armchair. Her legs are crossed and she’s slouching back, looking real comfortable. Her long hair’s all over the place from her throwing her head back so much from laughing. Her gorgeous green eyes are sparkling. She looks so damn happy now and it’s doing things to me that I don’t understand. All I know is I like it. I like the way she makes me feel when I’m with her.
“Your turn,” I say, throwing her a challenge.
She bites her lip coyly. I doubt that’d be happening if she hadn’t put away a few beers.
“What’s your favorite…sex act?”
Sex act? So funny that she asks in such a proper sounding way. I make my fingers into a ‘V’ and wiggle my tongue between ‘em.
She gasps, getting it. “Why…why that?”
“Cuz I’m real good at it and it gets me off doing it, making a woman scream and lose her mind, cuz of me.”
I hear her draw in a sharp breath and she rubs her legs together. Dead giveaway that my words just got her all hot and bothered.
“Huh,” she says, tryin’ to play it off like it ain’t affecting her. “I thought you would’ve said something else, like…” she screws up her face, “…a blowjob. Something for you as the guy.”
The way she can’t say it without seeming real disgusted by it has me wondering what’s up with that. Don’t wanna ask for details, cuz it’s probably got something to do with that asshole hurting her. So, I just ask in a general way. “Hate that, huh? Idea of giving a guy head?”
“Having something shoved down my throat? Yeah,” she bites back.
Shoved down her throat? Yeah, that asshole must’ve forced her to deep throat or something then. Sounds like he didn’t take the time to teach her how to do it first neither. Her reaction’s too intense just to be hypothetical shit.
“Don’t gotta be like that, darlin’.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sure.”
“Seriously.”
She laughs. “Zeb! Hilarious.”
Thinks I’m messing with her? “Want me to prove it?”
That stops her laughing. Her eyes go straight to my lap where my cock’s raring to go, cuz of all this sex talk.
“What?” she shrieks. “No way!”
“Come here,” I say, holding out my hand.
She draws back. “No. I’m not going to…do that.”
“I know, darlin’. Just come over here.”
“No. I’m good here, thanks.”
“Ain’t gonna hurt you, Sarah. Ain’t gonna make you do nothing you don’t wanna do. Swear it.” I grin. “Besides, I still got this stab wound, yeah? You could kick my ass easy, right? You got all the power here, not me.”
She takes that in for a moment. And then she makes her way over to me. She stands in front of me and starts doing that nervous foot tapping thing of hers.
I pat the space on the couch next to me.
She sits.
The second she turns to face me, I slide my hand into her hair and press my lips to hers.
She tenses for a second, not expecting it. It’s why I did it so suddenly. Don’t give her time to overthink it and start freaking out. She’s too much in her own head.
I keep it real soft and slow for her.
Shocking thing is, I’m liking this a whole lot. Being slow ‘bout it. Taking my time for onc
e. I wanna enjoy it with this girl. She’s got the sweetest taste. The softest, fullest lips I’ve ever had the pleasure of kissing.
She leans into me and wraps her arms ‘round my neck. She opens for me, moaning into my mouth as my tongue glides over hers.
Something snaps in her then and the next thing I know she’s tryin’ to pull me down with her. Can’t move that way right now with my stupid wound.
I pull back and look at her. “Can’t, darlin’. Wound and all that, yeah?” Jesus, her eyes are on fire for me. She’s panting so hard, desperate. I slide my hands down her neck, along her shoulders and over her big tits. I take ‘em in my hands and groan as I finally feel ‘em. Soft and perky, just like I thought.
I grab the bottom of her white blouse that’s done up all the way to the collar, wanting to slide my hands underneath and feel her skin-to-skin.
“No!” she cries, batting my hands away.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…I need to leave it on.”
What?
“Why?”
She looks down at her hands and just shrugs.
Fuck this.
I reach for the belt of her jeans and work my magic to rip ‘em open in record time. She yelps in surprise as I tug ‘em down to her thighs real quick.
Hot damn. She’s wearing bright-pink silk panties. Way classier than the thongs I’m used to seeing. “Mmm…like these, Sarah.”
She blushes like crazy.
I try to pull her panties and jeans down further. Want ‘em off her. Wanna see her. But she stops me again, just like she did with her top.
“Sarah?”
“I…no lower.”
What’s going on? “Why not?”
She looks real uncomfortable and…upset. Don’t wanna make her feel that way.
“It’s okay. Sure, darlin’. Whatever you want.”
I can still work with this.
I grab her hips, pulling her to me. I angle her so I can get good access to her, even though ‘em jeans ‘round her thighs really ain’t helping, cuz I can’t spread her open like I want.
I tug her panties down to meet her jeans.
And then I drag my tongue through her pussy. She screams and bucks in my hands.
“This is how a man should eat your pussy, darlin’.”
She’s already dripping wet. Mmm. I clean her with my tongue, licking up every drop, before dipping inside her and then circling her clit with her juices. She shrieks as I assault it with firm, rapid-fire flicks. She tries to move, but she can’t. Her jeans ‘round her thighs are holding her in place, at my mercy.
