Running Scared (Running Hearts Book 2)

by Saffron Blu

  I looked at her wide-eyed while she ranted about people and their assumptions. Matt’s arm slipped over my shoulder, and he tugged me against his side. “Way to go, Kat. If you actually want the paps to see us together, I’d suggest you don’t scare her away before they find us.”

  I looked up at him to catch him mid-eye-roll and let out a laugh as Kat thumped his arm.

  “Shut up and hug me. I missed you.”

  Matt gave her a one-armed hug, not releasing me even though I squirmed to try to get free. “It’s been what… two weeks? If that.”

  Alberto walked over and gave Matt a high-five before offering me a shy wave. Al had kept to himself while I was in America. Possibly avoiding the crazy woman that was me, and I didn’t really blame him, since most of that time I was either biting Dom’s head off for knocking Aimee out in the first place or stressing over whether she was going to wake before our return flights to Australia—or even at all.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  WILL

  Setting my eyes upon the person who I’d once thought was the love of my life was harder than I’d imagined. But when his hazel gaze locked onto mine, I knew, at that moment, he was still the love of my life. The pang in my chest made that perfectly clear.

  Over the years since I’d walked away, we’d managed to stay apart. I connected with the others when they came in for tattoos or on nights out when Matt had other plans and wouldn’t be there. I never really imagined I’d still feel so strongly about him after all this time.

  The beautiful brunette beside him seemed to hint at knowing about our past. I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing, but there was nothing I could do to change what knowledge she may or may not have about what transpired between us, so I brushed my uneasiness aside.

  “Let’s get out of here before we garner the attention we don’t want. It’d be nice to have a few days of peace before the vultures swoop in,” Dom offered, reminding me once again that taking this step back into the band meant I was stepping into the limelight and throwing away the privacy I’d enjoyed over the last few years. If I were honest, I’d admit the thought terrified me, but the chance to see what I’d been missing all these years outweighed that terror, even if only a little.

  When we arrived at the two cars parked side by side, there was no discussion about who would jump in with who. Kat and Al just automatically gravitated toward the one that Dom was in, which wasn’t surprising when I thought about it since they were siblings, after all. So that left me to jump in the deep end and join Matt and Sam because squeezing in the back seat of the other car would’ve been uncomfortable and left everyone else with questions about why I’d avoided traveling with Matt.

  After placing my suitcase into the trunk of the car, I slid silently into the back seat. The first five minutes of the trip were tense, and I kept running over things I could say in my mind but decided not to say them out loud. Or more honestly, just not being brave enough to, but I didn’t need to worry because Samantha broke the silence.

  “Okay. I can’t take the silence anymore. You guys need to talk…” She flicked her eyes to meet mine in the mirror before going back to the road. “You can talk shit or get the important stuff off your chest while you have the privacy of this car because I’m not sure what privacy you’ll get back home, where we’ll be packed in like sardines.”

  I wasn’t sure what Matt had told her about our past, and I didn’t know how comfortable either of us would be being open and honest with her listening in.

  As if she could read my mind, she spoke again. “Matt has been open with me to a point about your past relationship.” She reached across the center console and took Matt’s hand in hers, clearly offering comfort. I couldn’t help but wish I had someone to provide me with comfort. Her gaze met mine again in the mirror. “I can put my earbuds in and crank the music if that would make you more comfortable.”

  It was Matt’s turn to offer Sam a warm, grateful smile.

  I shook my head. “That won’t be necessary. You and Matt are together, and that means you have every right to hear our conversation.” I didn’t want to come between them, and if we spoke away from Samantha, it would forever hang over their relationship. She’d wonder what was said and whether what he told her about it was the truth.

  Matt turned in his seat to be able to look at me while still wearing his belt. “I’ve had this conversation in my head a million times, and yet now we’re here, I have no idea what to say.”

  I chuckled. “I was pretty much thinking the same thing.” I felt the tension leave my body, and I released a relaxing breath. “I’m sorry I walked away like I did without giving you a chance to change things—”

  Matt cut me off with a resounding, “No.” He was shaking his head and looked at me with pleading eyes. “Don’t think like that. I was never going to be brave enough to give you what you wanted. I wish things were different. I still do. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about what could’ve been, but it is what it is, and I want you to know that I’m sorry.”

  My heart constricted in my chest at his words, knowing he still thought about us like that just as I did. He offered me a weary smile, his deep-set eyes locked on mine. I’d always thought of him as handsome, but he was even more so now, having grown into his features and losing the softness of a boy from his face and having them replaced with the harder edges of a man.

  I smiled back and let myself think of a future where we could work together. I may not have known where things were going to go or how we’d move on from here, but what I did know was that I wanted to close this vast void between us and mend both our broken hearts in the process.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  MATT

  Even though Will and I didn’t really have a deep and meaningful chat, it was enough to clear the air and break the ice all at once. The remainder of the ride home was filled with general chit-chat between the three of us.

  We’d barely made it into the Jonas’s house before the sibling rivalry started, and I wasn’t talking about Aimee’s kids.

  “I’m not sharing with him again,” Kat whined, clearly referring to her younger years. “Why can’t the guys share?”

  “Look, I’ll share. Hell, I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to. It’s not like it’ll be the first time,” Will offered. My lips turned up into a smirk remembering one of the times Will—and I—slept on the floor. I wasn’t certain Will was even referring to that night, but it was one of my favorite memories.

  Will rolled us over, demanding he be on top, but I felt nothing underneath me except air as we rolled off the bed. He twisted at the last minute and landed with a thud, his back on the floor and letting out an ‘oomph.’

  I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

  “I save your back, and you laugh. Well, that’s the last time I’ll be chivalrous.” Will’s words seemed annoyed, but his voice was full of amusement.

  I buried my face against his chest as I tried not to laugh anymore, and I said a muffled, “I’m sorry.”

  He shifted his hips, and our hard cocks rubbed against each other between us, reminding me what we had in the middle of us and causing all thoughts of laughing to disappear.

  I groaned. “Do that again.” I shifted on top of him, causing the delectable friction again.

  “It seems like you’ve got that covered yourself,” Will offered as he dug his fingers into my hips, helping me slide against him.

  That gave me an idea of what we were missing. “Hands... yes.” I slipped my hand between us and half our cocks together—my hand didn’t go fully around the two cocks, and Will released a hip and let his hand join mine between us. The extra pressure was just what I needed, and as I slid against him, I felt my orgasm getting closer. The grunts he was making told me he was close too. I upped my pace, and my climax rushed over me, making me spill my seed over both our stomachs. As if I’d caused a chain reaction, there were more warm and wet fluids joining mine as Will came too.r />
  Releasing our cocks, I pulled my hand free from between us and collapsed on top of Will, knowing Will loved it when I did that. The first time we had sex, I made an effort to collapse to the side, but Will just pulled me right back on top of him, telling me he loved the feel of my body against him, all sated and relaxed.

  He pressed his lips against my forehead. “I love you.”

  My heart skipped a beat. We’d been having sex for a few weeks now, and even though my feelings had grown for him, I’d never let myself hope he was feeling anything similar, but now he’d uttered the words, I was elated. I lifted my head enough to catch his bright blue gaze. “I love you, too.”

  He offered me a warm smile as he stroked his hand up and down my back. “I’d suggest we move back to bed, but I don’t think any of my muscles will cooperate just yet.”

  “Same,” I said as I lay my face back against his chest, soaking in the feel of his hard muscles beneath me and the beat of his heart against my ear. “Maybe we could just sleep here,” I suggested, not wanting to move and break whatever spell we were under.

  He lifted his arm and tugged the covers off the bed. “Good idea,” he agreed.

  I knew by morning we’d both regret not moving, mainly because of the sticky mess between us, but at that moment, I couldn’t make myself care about that. I was naked and wrapped in the love of my life’s arms. There was nowhere else I’d rather be.

  “Nobody will be sleeping on the floor. We have enough beds. Unfortunately, we just don’t have enough rooms for everyone to have their own,” Sarah said, her voice was laced with an apology.

  “Ma’am, I’m Will. Thank you so much for letting us into your lovely home.”

  Sarah visibly swooned at Will but took his offered hand in hers and gave him a shy, “You’re welcome.”

  “Okay. It’s decided then. Al and Will can share Dan’s room. Kat, you’ll be in the motorhome outside.” Aimee’s voice was commanding, she was clearly using her mom voice, and the three parties in question nodded along in agreement, seemingly not brave enough to disagree. I couldn’t exactly blame them.

  Dan appeared, seemingly from out of nowhere and stopped in front of Will. “Hey, I’m Dan. Want me to show you where my room is?”

  Will gave Dan an amused grin. “Sure. That’ll be great.” He flicked a look to Al, who was still standing in the entryway. “Al, come on. We have a guide showing us to his room.”

  “Awesome. I hope we have a space theme,” Al responded as he rushed forward to follow.

  “Sorry. I grew out of space stuff. I’m into dragons now.”

  “Dragons are way cooler than space. Look at this…” I heard Will offer and knew he’d be pulling his sleeve up to show Dan the dragon tattoo he has flying over his bicep and shoulder. That was his first tattoo, and I remembered it well. He’d probably gotten a lot more over the years we’d been apart which I’d be interested to see. Tattoos always told a story about a person.

  “I’m grabbing a drink. Does anyone else want a beer?” Sam offered from beside me.

  Dropping a kiss to the top of her head, I agreed. “That’s a great idea.” She gave me a warm smile as I let go of her hand and watched her walk toward the kitchen, a sexy sway to her hips making me want to drag her off to our private room.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  SAM

  The first day and night with everyone in the house went by quickly. Spencer hosted an amazing welcoming barbecue, and we all hung out listening to music and playing pool. We even had a water bomb fight with the kids in the heat of the afternoon. I’d been living in Australia for a few months now, but I still struggled with the heat. Aimee had been here for years and still complained, so I wasn’t holding any hope of ever getting accustomed to it.

  I was making my elixir of life—also known as coffee—when Sarah and Spencer joined me in the kitchen. Will stumbled out of the bedroom he was sharing with Al, rubbing a hand over his face.

  “Oh, Samantha, could I get one of those, too?” he asked, eyeing the coffee pod in my hand.

  “Of course, what intensity do you like?” I asked, knowing people could be picky about their coffee. Aimee and I both liked the lower numbers best, and her parents wouldn’t touch anything under ten, so we had a whole range of pods from five right up to thirteen.

  “I’ll take anything as long as it has caffeine in it.” He rubbed his fingertips over his eyes.

  I laughed at the movement, even though I wondered why he didn’t sleep longer if he was still so tired. It wasn’t like anyone had made big plans for today, having all suffered from jet lag after our arrival here. “Maybe you need a double shot.”

  Will grimaced and shook his head. “No, I’ll be bouncing off the walls if I do that. Y’all would have to tie me down.”

  I bit my lip as I turned toward the coffee machine and went about making his drink, all the while not being able to erase the image of him tied to a chair, naked. I knew that wasn’t what he meant, but my dirty mind had jumped straight to the gutter with his words.

  It only took a couple of minutes for the machine to do its thing, and I breathed in the scent of coffee as it filled the air.

  “Oh my god, I need one of those,” Aimee stated as she made her way to join the rest of us in the kitchen.

  “Well, you’ll have to wait your turn because there’s a queue,” Spencer stated from where he’d been leaning against the counter, his arms draped over Sarah’s shoulders, her back against his front as they watched Will’s and my exchange.

  “I’m so sorry. I should’ve waited,” Will apologized.

  Sarah shook her head and playfully elbowed her husband in the stomach. “Look what you did.” She focused back on Will. “Guests always get served first, Will. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  I handed him his mug and went about making my own, adding more milk to mine once the machine had finished doing its thing because I didn’t like it super strong. I stepped aside and let Spencer have the machine. I glanced at Will looking out the French doors that led from the house to the backyard.

  “The sun won’t be too hot right now if you want to go sit outside while you wait for the coffee to kick in. It’s like our little morning gathering place.” I opened the door and stepped out, a smile ghosting my lips as I heard him follow me.

  We both sat, and Will yawned as he took in the scenery.

  “You know, you could’ve just stayed in bed,” I suggested as I sipped at my cup. “Even if you’d heard us moving around, I have a feeling your body wouldn’t have been against you going back over.”

  “I want to avoid jet lag, so sticking to my normal sleep pattern in this time zone is my plan.”

  I nodded, figuring that made sense, and I stepped out from under the shade. Closing my eyes, I lifted my face to the sky and basked in the warmth of the sun’s rays on my skin, breathing in the clean, fresh air as I listened to the birds twittering away in the trees. Australia may have a hell of a lot of creatures that want to kill you, but nature was loud and beautiful here, and it definitely made the risk of those deadly things worth it.

  The wicker chair creaked, and I opened my eyes to see Will had taken the seat with the best view. The house was higher than the neighboring houses behind, so we could see the mountains in the distance right over their roofs. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Will nodded and flicked his eyes my way as I sat in the chair next to his. “It’s not the only thing that is.”

  My breath caught, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was talking about me. It sure felt like that, especially with the steady and certain look he was giving me.

  “Morning, guys,” Aimee called out, breaking the tense moment as she joined us. To tell the truth, I was grateful for it because I wasn’t sure how to respond to Will. She bent down and pressed her head against mine in a friendly hug before pressing a quick kiss to Will’s cheek.

  “Morning, sweetie, is your man still sleeping, too?” I asked with a chuckle. Matt and Dom w
ere both such sleepyheads, but then again, Aimee and I loved our sleep too, so maybe we had both found our perfect matches. My heart sank at the thought. I didn’t know how either of us were going to keep the guys we’d found, whether or not they were perfect for us. Our lives were worlds apart from the guys.

  “He’s in the shower. I gave him a happy wake-up call.” She threw me a wink, making me laugh. It was good to see her being so open and enjoying that intimate side of a relationship for once. We’d been friends for a long time, and I knew how bad things were with her ex-husband and the way he made her feel about sex.

  Will groaned and hung his head, rubbing a hand over his face. “I didn’t need to hear that.”

  Sarah and Spencer joined us, Alberto following close behind, all of them with cups in hand, filling up the remaining seats on the outside lounge chairs.

  Sarah looked at Aimee as she placed her coffee cup on the low table where all the chairs were placed around. “Me and your dad have been talking, and since the kids are going to their dad’s this weekend, we’re going to head out in the motorhome.” Aimee opened her mouth, but Sarah held up a hand to stop her and carried on talking, “I know Kat has just gotten settled in there, but she can have our room while we’re away. I just think it will give you young ones time to bond. That’s what that fancy manager man said the band needed, right?”

  “You don’t have to do that, Sarah. We won’t have trouble meshing together as a band. We’ve been one before, and we all grew up together, so we’ll be perfectly fine and up to Gary’s standards of bonded in no time,” Dom said as he stepped up to Aimee’s chair and hoisted her out before taking the seat himself and pulling her down into his lap. Aimee’s giggle was infectious, and I found myself smiling along with her.