Run

by Mary Wasowski

  “You scared the hell out of me. I can’t risk any distractions tonight on my date with Devan. Just hold off Mike, and I will call you both when I’m ready to do so. Are we clear? Marcy? You still on the line?”

  Then I heard her giggle, and I calmed myself down. “You know, you’re having way too much fun at my expense,” I said to her.

  “You deserve it, but it also comes from my heart. You may be my boss, but you were my friend first, and it’s high time you live a little outside of this office. So have fun tonight, and I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Marcy, am I crazy for doing this? It’s a major conflict of interest, and I feel as if I’m playing him, but...”

  “You’re not, Jake. You would never do that. And you never have. I can’t even remember the last time we ever talked like this, maybe never. Stop torturing yourself, and just see where it leads. You already said he’s not the bad guy in all of this, so before you prove what you already know, go have fun.”

  I didn’t have a lot of time like Devan to shop for new clothes and primp myself into shape, but I looked pretty good if I did say so myself. I could clean up well enough for the right person, and my date tonight was definitely worth it. I gave myself another look over and then grabbed my keys before I threw my guts up.

  WTH? I’m never nervous. I have nerves of steel. I was a fucking SEAL for crying out loud.

  “You got this, Merc!” I confidently said. The nickname your guys gave you over there in the desert speaks for itself. I can be merciless or merciful. I think I’ll be a little bit of both when I’m buried deep inside of Devan’s ass when I take him tonight.

  Yeah, you’re a sexy fucker. You’re mine, Devan Knight. Here I come.

  By the time Javi and Marcos had fun at my expense and my credit card, I was exhausted. The champagne I drank gave me just enough buzz that I didn’t want to drive so soon. I was grateful for my father being available to pick up Paxton.

  On the way to my parents’ home, I received a text from Jake. I was at a stoplight, and that’s when I read his message.

  Jake: Hey! Thank you for not canceling on me. When I saw your father in place of you, I have to admit all kinds of crazy ran through my mind.

  Devan: Hey back! Were you worried? Have I given you the impression that I would cancel?

  Jake: Maybe a little. You’re kind of shy ;)

  Devan: I’m not always shy ;)

  Jake: Thank fuck for that. See you tomorrow at seven. Be ready!

  Be ready for what? Something told me that I was definitely going to have to have my game on for this guy. He was intense but in a good way. It must have been from his military background. I was looking forward to getting to know him better.

  I swear I can’t believe this is happening. I go from living the celibate life to fantasizing daily about sucking his dick. I guess I’ve been alone longer than I thought, and maybe my family and friends are right. It’s time to start living again.

  “Hi, Mr. Knight, where’s Paxton?” I turned around at the gas pump to see my son’s friend Sebastian walking over to me.

  “Hey, Bas, it’s just me today. Paxton is with his grandparents.”

  “Hey, you! What’s up?” his mom called out.

  “Hi, Lily, all good here.”

  “Oh yeah? That’s not what I heard.”

  “This town is too small. Okay, what do you know?”

  “Our dear friend Devan has a date tomorrow night, and it’s a certain person that our sons refer to as the…hmmm, give me a second. Oh yeah…the Incredible Hulk! But your guy is not green.”

  “Alright, get it all out of your system now.”

  “I think it’s wonderful. We all do.”

  “We? All? Seriously? Am I that pathetic that you moms have to put out an alert on my social life? Or, for lack of a better word, no life?” The old insecure feels were slowly beginning to creep up, and now I wasn’t so sure about this.

  “You know I am just kidding. We love you, Devan, and believe it or not, we do care about you. Come on, talk to me. We’ve known each other for most of our boys’ lives. You can trust me. What’s wrong? You just turned from cheery pink to sickly white in all of thirty seconds.”

  She rubbed my shoulder and gave it a squeeze to pull me out from my thoughts. I let out a deep sigh to catch my breath.

  “I don’t know, Lily. Am I doing the right thing? Maybe it’s too soon to begin dating.”

  “Is that a serious question? Come on, Devan, you know that’s not true. I’ve known you a long time, and you deserve to be happy with someone that really can make that happen for you. We’ve already noticed a difference since He-Man has gotten into town.”

  “You sure do have a lot of nicknames for him. Anything else I should know?”

  “No, that’s it. For now. Pending how well your date goes.”

  “I’ve been so advised.”

  “Okay, I have to go. Have fun! You deserve it.”

  “Yeah, thanks, Lily. Talk to you soon.”

  I waved her off and then held my fucking head. This can’t be this hard. Then I thought about what she said. Do I deserve it? Or am I just being selfish and thinking with my lower head instead of the brain I should be using? In my rational mind, I agreed with all of them, but in my heart, I was sad that Carrie was not here and not living out her life with Paisley. It was just so unfair.

  Sounds of a blaring horn brought me back to the present, and I drove through the green before the light turned again.

  “Daddy! You’re late. Nonna says that if anyone is late to the dinner table, you lose your dessert.”

  My son ran into my arms, and I easily lifted him up and over my shoulders as he laughed out loud.

  “Oh yeah? How come I don’t know about that rule? Maybe I should talk to Nonna first, and then we will see who doesn’t get a dessert.”

  “Okay, okay, she didn’t really say that, but she doesn’t like it when you’re late.”

  “Yeah, son, you’re getting warmer.” I placed him down and walked over to the porch swing with him. “What’s up, Pax? Something on your mind?” He didn’t answer me at first and then looked away until I had to turn his head back to me. “Paxton, what’s wrong?”

  “You were late, and you didn’t pick me up today.”

  “I was, but I sent grandpa for you. I thought you would be happy about that.”

  “I was, but you didn’t tell me he was going to do that. And Nonna said I have to stay here this weekend.”

  “Don’t you want to stay here? You usually love it.”

  “I do, Daddy, but you’re usually with me.”

  “I see. I guess I didn’t take that into consideration. I’m sorry, son. The reason why you’re staying with Nonna and grandpa is that I’m going out with a friend, and I will be home late.”

  “Like a date?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “Do you have any questions for me?”

  “Who’s the guy?”

  Man, let me get through this conversation with my very intuitive child.

  “His name? Umm, it’s Paul.” I lied. Why did I do that?

  “Really? I was sure it was Coach Mercer.”

  I nearly bit my tongue when he mentioned his name. “Why would you guess Mr. Mercer?”

  “I heard a few of the moms talking about you the other day, saying that they wanted to fix you up with the coach because he makes goofy eyes at you when you drop me off.”

  “He does not.”

  “If you say so, Daddy.” He jumped off the swing and ran inside the house after he heard my mom calling us in for dinner.

  Since we were going dancing, I decided not to wear the suits that Javi had chosen for me and went with new black denim that I could wear with my very expensive shoes, and I topped it off with a periwinkle silk shirt, another selection thanks to Javi. Since I paid him very good money to be my personal stylist, I relinquished all my say and left every
thing in his very capable hands. Every item he selected fit perfectly and coordinated with each other. I did my last look over and smiled knowing he was 100% right. My hair was easy to style after my haircut, and I opted not to shave this morning, leaving the perfect five o’clock shadow on my face. A spritz of cologne and I was ready. Now all I needed was for Jake to arrive, which in thirty seconds it would be seven o’clock.

  “Right on time,” I said as I opened the door to find him standing on the other side of it and holding flowers.

  “You look good enough to eat. Shall we skip dinner and go right to dessert?” He leaned in closer and kissed my cheek, giving me enough room to feel him up against me. He smelled as amazing as he felt. I cleared my throat and stepped back.

  “I’m not one for skipping meals, especially when I know I’ll be working up an appetite.”

  “Really now? And just what kind of workout are we talking here? The choices are endless.”

  “Dancing. You did say that you would be taking us out to a club, and I haven’t danced at a club since the Stone Age. I have to say my curiosity has gotten the best of me, and I’m wondering if I can still move my body to the pounding bass of the music.”

  “You have a dirty mouth, Knight, and now look at what you’ve done.” His eyes traveled down to his groin, where his erection was tenting behind the zipper. It almost looked painful, which made me feel pretty awesome at that.

  I accepted the flowers from him, but not before he walked closer to me and placed another kiss on my cheek, and then he said hello again. My face was actually heated from his simple gesture of affection. I placed the flowers in a vase and then grabbed my keys before he reached for my hand. I found myself being pulled toward him.

  His lips crushed down hard on my mouth in a scorching kiss. It was almost foreign to me to be this close to another man. I almost forgot what to do.

  “Open up for me, Devan, please,” he whispered seductively against my lips. I immediately granted his request, and his tongue swirled around with mine in a delicious twist of want and need. “Like I said, you have a dirty mouth, and maybe you shouldn’t talk about anything with the word ‘pounding’ in it. Or I’m afraid we will never make it out of your house. Do you hear me, sexy?”

  I was in such a confused haze that I just simply nodded. For all I knew, I was agreeing to anything, but around this guy, I just didn’t care.

  “Shall we go?” I said when I finally came up for air and looked in his eyes that were so vividly clear I could see my reflection in them.

  “Lead the way,” he said, and then I had to readjust the matching erection I now had.

  He opened the door for me and led me into the monster truck that he called an everyday vehicle. How chivalrous of him. This guy is nothing but one surprise after another.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked as he entered the interstate.

  “You’re the one that lives here. What do you suggest?”

  “Umm, I may live here, but I am so out of the scene on what’s good.”

  “Lucky for you, I kind of figured that, so I did a little research of my own and found a place. We’re going to The Balcony Club, and I hope you’re ready to sweat.”

  Amongst other things, I silently thought to myself, Damn, I want this man. Please let me have him, even if it’s just for one night.

  “Earth to Devan! You still with me?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Good, I’ll take it from here.”

  The valet handed over a ticket to Jake, and then he linked his hand with mine and pulled me along. I swear all eyes were on us with the presence he commanded when he walked into a room. I almost felt small standing next to him even though we almost matched in height.

  The hostess led us through the busy club with techno music blaring in the background and an array of colorful lights above us. My mind was already in a haze as my heart was beating along with the music. We were seated in a roped off section strictly for VIP.

  “Gentlemen, what are we drinking tonight?” the waitress asked as we took our seats, with Jake sliding in closer to me.

  “I’ll have a gin martini with two olives, and you look like a scotch man, straight up?” I said as I watched Jake’s pouty lips quirk up with just the right amount of tease that was a direct line to my dick. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and then happily agreed with my choice.

  “Shall we move this party to the dancefloor?” he asked as he shifted his body to mine.

  “After the first round. I think I may need some liquid courage before getting my groove on out there. It’s been a while, Jake.”

  “I’m not worried, Devan, not in the least. Okay, while we wait for the drinks to arrive, why don’t you tell me some things about yourself? Inquiring minds want to know.”

  “It’s not something I usually do with anyone if you want the truth.”

  “The truth works for me. How about an even exchange? You tell me something, and then I’ll tell you something about me. Deal?”

  “I guess that depends on what you want to know,” I said.

  “I’ll take my chances. You go first.”

  “Now, how did I know you were going to say that?”

  “I guess you’re beginning to be comfortable around me because last week you were walking on eggshells. I call that progress.”

  “You know, Jake, I’m beginning to believe that every single person that knows me better than I know myself is right.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Forget it. What’s your first question?” Before he could answer, our drinks arrived, and I practically quaffed my martini before Jake lowered my hand down.

  “Pace yourself, sexy. I kind of like my dates alert and not passed out on me.”

  “I promise I won’t pass out. I guess I need to take the edge off.”

  “Don’t worry, Devan. I don’t bite on the first date.” He winked and then took a sip of his drink, while I finished off mine.

  I ordered another round while Jake hit me with questions.

  “Question number one. So, you work from home? What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m in business for myself.”

  “And? Can you elaborate?”

  “Not unless it’s in the form of a question! My turn. Confirm the rumors about your dark and scary past. At least that’s what the moms are saying on account of all the tattoos you have on your arms. Military?” I watched him shift a little in his seat. Maybe I touched a nerve, but it was Jake that wanted to begin our evening with questions. He moved to face me, and then his hand grazed over mine with his eyes piercing through me.

  “I would have guessed you were smarter than that, Devan. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear. I find that most rumors tend to not be true. I prefer truth, don’t you?”

  “Yes, absolutely. I agree with you, but you still haven’t answered my question.”

  “I will now. Yes, I do have a military background. I served in the Navy, and the last years of my career I was a SEAL. Strictly covert operations that I will never be able to tell you about, so don’t ask.”

  “Fair enough. Your turn.”

  “Where’s Paxton’s mother?”

  His question almost stopped my breathing. I know I agreed to this game, but I didn’t want to talk about Carrie. But the way Jake was looking at me told me that he wasn’t going to let up until I answered him.

  “She passed away shortly after his birth.”

  “I’m really sorry, Devan. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s fine. You couldn’t have known. Anyway, your turn.”

  “I’d rather talk about you.” He placed his hand over mine, and just out of instinct to protect my heart, I pulled away.

  “Hey, don’t do that,” he said. “Look at me, Devan. It’s just you and me here.”

  “Listen, Jake, maybe this wasn’t a good idea. How about we call it a night, and I walk out of here while I still have the courage to do so.”

  Without even looking, I just g
rabbed a couple of hundreds from my money clip and dropped them down on the table. I never walked so fast in my life, but he easily caught up to me and pulled me back just as I got through the entrance doors.

  “Dammit, Devan, wait a second.”

  I didn’t answer him and roughly tried to pull my hand back from him, resulting in Jake tightening his hold on me.

  “Let me go, Jake.”

  “Not until you talk to me. Devan, you’re acting like a crazy man. What did I do wrong? Please come back inside, and we will dance. I’m sorry if I upset you back there. It’s the last thing I wanted to do. Please come back inside. I promise no more questions.”

  My body instantly relaxed, and I practically fell back into him as he took my mouth in a thankful kiss. What the fuck was I doing with this guy? Hell if I knew, but now that I was back in his arms, there was no way I was leaving him now.

  The next three hours were spent wrapped around the other in a mix of sweat, lust, and the mind-numbing need for sex. My mind was fucking spinning in a haze of Jake. His rock-hard dick had been pressed against my stomach for the last hour when he had my body plastered against his. Every time I tried to shift, he pulled me closer as if he was afraid I was going to run again. Something I was pretty damn good at doing.

  He said, “Damn, you feel so good. I want you, Devan. Let me take you home and show you just how much.”

  I bit my bottom lip to the point of almost ripping it open. He was so bold and brave with how he talked and said exactly what was on his mind. He didn’t give a shit who was nearby. He never held back, but I did. He said the words that I’d been thinking since the first moment I met him in the smoothie shop, and now it was out there and he couldn’t take the words back, just like I couldn’t forget hearing them.

  “Yes,” I whispered against his mouth.

  “Yes, what? Come on, babe, I need to hear you say the words.” He took another kiss from me, leaving me breathless and hard.

  The strongest hands I ever felt held my face, and with determination, he made me see him. This strong force of nature literally held me in place with just one look. I knew I was standing, but I felt as if I was falling. Falling for a guy that I probably can’t have and shouldn’t want, but at least we will have tonight. Another first I haven’t experienced in a long time.