Free Fall Box Set (Loving Summer #8) Read online

  “I’m afraid not, and this dress, it’s just perfect for you.”

  “But that is unbelievable or a dress, I mean…”

  “Mr. Donovan will take care of it,” the lady said, walking away from me. “He said it adamantly.”

  “Did he know how much it would be before he agreed to it?” I asked.

  “Yes,” the woman said. “I showed him all the dresses in here earlier, and told him how much some of them run. He said it would be no problem.”

  “But…”

  The woman rang up the dress with a smile. “You wouldn’t want to argue with the man, I assure you. He was dead set on getting you a wedding dress as a gift, and from the looks of this man, as handsome as he was, you know you wouldn’t want to go up against his wishes.”

  I blinked my eyes. That didn’t sound like Drew to me. He was normally pretty easy-going.

  “Well, I’ll be sure to thank Drew for this,” I said. I squinted. “Don’t worry, I won’t get you in trouble.”

  “Smart girl,” the woman nodded. “No wonder why Nathaniel Donovan is getting you this dress.”

  “Nathaniel?” I asked.

  “That’s the name Mr. Donovan gave me,” the woman said.

  “But I thought…” I swallowed my words. Why would Nat buy me my wedding dress, and how in the world could he afford it if he was no longer a Donovan?

  Chapter 3

  Summer

  I walked to my old Lexus SUV parked outside the boutique and unlocked the doors, throwing my purse across the passenger seat as I got into the driver side. As I adjusted my mirror, I looked up and saw the giant billboard plastered up and down the entire side of one of the buildings. It was a new action film, coming out next weekend, and starring none other than Astor Fairway.

  He was still a heart throb, but his audience had matured a bit. He was bigger, with biceps the size of an average man’s thighs and a fuller chest. His face has chiseled out with sharper angles, and his blonde hair was shorter. With his good looks and hard body, he looked every bit like an action hero. I smiled as I think about Astor Fairway and his golden boy movie star looks and caring manner, and that summer I became his girlfriend, the girlfriend to a hot tv and film heartthrob, and the target of many haters for it. I did love him at one point, especially when I was at such a dark time of my life, facing Aunt Sookie’s illness and then her death. I never regret being with him and sharing part of my life with him that time. He was one of my beacons of hope that helped me through that rough patch of my life. I never regret any of my loves and the people who came into my life for that matter.

  Especially Nat.

  Tears sprang to my eyes when I thought about how much I loved him growing up, and how much I still did when I had to decide on who I wanted and should be with. It was hard, but in many ways, he helped make that choice for me. If it was anyone other than Nat, I would be angry at him for making that choice for me, but it was Nat, and I knew his heart…he wanted me to choose Drew so Drew wouldn’t be hurt, and I wouldn’t be hurt by my decision. And then he disappeared so he wouldn’t get in our way.

  I wanted to punch a wall as all the memories came rushing back at me, flooding me with the emotions I felt back then.

  Always the self-sacrificing Nat.

  He didn’t know how much it hurt us both that he left just like that without telling us.

  And now, suddenly, he was back in my life just like that…even plopping down a boatload of cash for my wedding dress for a wedding to his love rival and brother, Drew.

  I guessed it meant he was over everything that happened, and that he had moved on? Part of me was filled with relief if that was true but another part of me felt a deep sadness for that love that I know I have carried so long for him for, and will probably always have a place for. I don’t know if I could ever get over a love like that, but at the same time, I know I have to.

  I started the car, backed out of my spot and headed into the busy weekend Los Angeles traffic. What a relief to get the task of finding a wedding dress out of the way, I sighed. I love pretty dresses and fashion like other women, and when I’m out of my scrubs, I clean up pretty nicely, but for some reason, shopping for that perfect wedding dress didn’t get me as excited as you would think.

  What was wrong with me? Every girl dreamed of having the perfect dress and the perfect wedding.

  For me, I’ve been with Drew for so long and we’ve known each other and loved each other for so long, we were already together as husband and wife, in almost every sense of the word.

  Since becoming a couple, Drew and I have been almost inseparable except for my studies and his running Donovan Dynamics. We traveled the world together every chance we got, and made love in each locale.

  Now having a wedding…

  My phone started ringing. A normal phone ring tone. These days, I needed it to sound normal and loud, having spent long hours at the hospital, helping out in ER. My specialty was brain surgery, but because we were short-staffed over the holidays, I stepped in to help with surgery in ER.

  I looked at the screen on my phone, nestled in one of those phone holders so I could drive and speak at the same time.

  It was Drew.

  “Hello,” I said, feeling warm and fuzzy just thinking about him.

  “Hi Summer,” he said in his deep masculine voice that sent warm shivers up and down my spine. “I wanted to check up on my beautiful bride-to-be. How’s everything going today, baby?”

  I smiled. “Pretty good, considering I’m able to still keep my eyes open. I finally found a dress.”

  “You did?” Drew was so ecstatic, you’d think I’d won the Nobel Prize. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “You can’t. I’m saving it as a surprise for you on our wedding day.”

  I can hear Drew smiling. “I can’t wait. It’s been like forever since I proposed to you, but with all of the things we had to deal with, it kept getting delayed. I’m ready, baby, I really am. I want you to have my last name. I can’t wait to finally call you my Mrs. Donovan.”

  “That and, how does this sound…Dr. Donovan?” I said.

  “Even better,” Drew laughed. Then his voice grew an octave deeper and huskier. “You can play doctor with me anytime.”

  “What’s wrong with your throat?” I asked.

  “I think I’m coming down with something, Dr. Donovan,” Drew said, playing along.

  “Got a frog in it?” I asked.

  “More like I can’t help salivating when I think about having you spread your legs wide open in front of me on our dining table tonight, naked as the day you were born, and ready for me to dine on your pussy all night long.”

  My God. I nearly swerve into the car next to me as I felt my lower half clenched with heat. Drew still knew how to get me wet in less than zero seconds.

  “Drew!” I said, blushing. “I nearly hit a car.”

  “I have a remedy for that, Doctor,” Drew said. “It seems you got too hot to concentrate on the road. I think some time spent in bed, enjoying my wet tongue on your clit, licking you until you come, will help take out all that tension. What do you say?”

  “Drew!” I said again. “Not helping on getting me to concentrate on the road.”

  “I’m getting you too hot and bothered?” Drew asked.

  “Yes,” I admitted.

  “Good, you’ll be ready when you walk through the door to our suite on the top floor of The Blue Meridien Hotel.”

  “Really?” I said. “You got us a room?”

  “Baby, the fact that you’ve only gotten a total of 2 hours of sleep this whole week and are out driving the streets of LA in that condition, I’m doing the public some service.” Drew added. “In the meantime, I wouldn’t mind servicing you. Just the thought of putting my mouth on your wet pussy is getting me hard as a rock. I can’t wait for you to get to my place. And in this traffic, it would take an hour so, I’m just down the street from The Blue Meridien, and you’re maybe the next exit off. Meet me there
, let’s have fucking hot sex, and then eat dinner.”

  My mouth fell opened. That’s why I love Drew. Not only was he still the most gorgeous man on Earth to me, but he had the most wicked sense of humor and confidence that set him apart from so many men.

  “So…” Drew continued. “Get your warm delectable ass over to the Blue Meridien and high-tail it up to this suite. My hands are getting tired of pumping my dick and keeping it hard just waiting for you.”

  “Drew, if I haven’t known better and grew up with you, I’d say you’ve picked up some new vocabulary.”

  “Just letting my caveman out,” Drew said. “When it comes to you, Summer, I’m all alpha male.”

  “Are you there already?”

  “I made reservations, but I’m stuck in traffic. I stopped by a store down the street to pick up a few things we can have fun with tonight, so if you get there first, go to the lobby, tell them you’re checking in for Mr. Donovan, and get the key. We have the top floor suites.”

  “Ok, caveman,” I said. “I don’t know what you have planned, but I’m almost there.”

  “Your crazy holiday hospital schedule left me with a hard-on for weeks, waiting for a chance, even an hour of your time to bang into you. I’m like a starving man so get your butt over to me now so I can fuck you hard until you see stars.”

  I should scold Drew for sounding like that, for disrespecting me as a woman, but when he talks dirty and takes charge right when all I want to do is let someone else take charge of things for a change, I can feel my entire body and all my senses grow hot with desire. “I’ll be there soon,” I said, exiting off the highway and gunning it down the street towards the magnificent glass and marble building down the street in front of me.

  I arrived in record time, threw my keys to the valet and ran through the doors of the garage, to the lobby where I checked in under “Mr. Donovan.”

  “Oh, Welcome to the Blue Meridien,” the young man at the front nodded and said, “He’s already checked in, but here is a key. We gave him the nice view overlooking Hollywood Hills, and we sent champagne up to the room.”

  “Thank you,” I said, handing him a tip, and headed straight into the elevators, heading up to the top floors of the hotel, where only the executive suites would be. So Drew had beaten me to the hotel. I wondered what he had planned.

  I walked briskly through the luxurious hallway of the top floor, toward my suite, enjoying the mix of creamy satin textured walls, golden plush carpet, and mahogany woods contrast with shiny silver chrome accents. The Blue line of hotels were the highest chain of luxury hotels in the world, and it still takes getting used to how much Drew could afford now as the billionaire CEO of Donovan Dynamics. He’d come a long ways since we were toddlers spending summers at Aunt Sookie’s beach house.

  He’s become such an impressive man all around. Before, he was such a pretty boy, known for his irresistible charm and good looks, but now, he was a man everyone could be proud of.

  I waved my keycard over the lock, unbuttoning my top buttons to my blouse to showcase my cleavage and my breasts that looked like it was about to pop out, and heard the lock click, unlocking the door. I could not wait to jump his bones and have him fill me with himself tonight.

  The door opened, and I stepped in, tearing off my jacket, kicking off my high heels, eager to have them off, letting my hair down from my ponytail, and stopped.

  Standing in front of me was a sight that made my mouth dropped into an “o”.

  A man, who was not Drew, wearing only a towel wrapped loosely at his waist, looking like he had just thrown it on after stepping out of the shower, his hair still wet, and his hard tanned chest and six-packed abs glistening from the water; was staring hard at me, with an expression that was a mix of anger, surprise, and confusion.

  He was about my age, maybe even a little older. His hair was a dark brown, almost black, and his eyes were dark, maybe dark blue or green. The lighting was a little dark so I couldn’t tell for sure, but even in this light, I could tell he was very handsome. His chin and jawline had a little stubble to it, and his cheekbones were high, chiseled, giving him a rock star look.

  My body went limp, and I felt my legs grow weak.

  Standing in front of me was the man I thought about for years, worried about for years, and cried over.

  Standing in front of me was the other Mr. Donovan. Nat Donovan.

  And he had a gun in his hand, pointed straight at me.

  Chapter 4

  He looked almost the same as when we were 18 and 19, except he was larger. Filled out with rock hard muscles. And he had a tattoo covering his chest, which made him look both sexy and dangerous at the same time. His face was firmer, whatever baby fat he ever had, was gone, making his face more refined, even regal.

  If there was any man who could rival Drew on good looks and raw sex appeal, Nat Donovan was that man.

  We stared at each other for what seemed like hours, drinking each other up from head to toe. Never once did either of us turn our eyes away, devouring each other without shame or embarrassment. It was as if I could not turn away.

  Apparently, he could not too, frozen in place as though time stood still just for this moment.

  He finally broke his eye contact and looked down where his gun still stood firmly in his hand. He brought it up, placing it into the holster wrapped around the back of his shoulders. The brown leather strapped to his bare shoulders gave him an animal sexiness like a gladiator that sent desire through me like a lightning bolt. He smelled like fresh soap and muskiness, making my throat constrict, and my heart beat faster.

  Damn he smelled so good, too.

  Why did my body have to react this way to Nat? Why couldn’t it just ignore how sexy he was, standing almost naked in front of me, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel and a leather holster?

  He cleared his throat, and said, “Summer?”

  His voice was Nat’s voice. But deeper, more steady, more assured.

  I nearly melted into a puddle.

  He took a step towards me. “I thought you were someone else. Sorry if I scared you.” He pointed to his holster where not one but two guns were strapped down.

  I finally found my voice. “Nat, oh, um, you didn’t scare me. I was just surprised. I’m sorry. I must have the wrong room. I thought this was my room.”

  Nat looked surprised. “You’re staying here? Why? I thought you lived in Los Angeles. Why would you be staying at a hotel?”

  I blushed and stammered. “I’m here to meet up with…”

  “Drew,” Nat finished for me. He laughed. “Typical Drew. Wanting a change of scenery perhaps?” He looked me up and down, his eyes focused on my breasts, lingering there for a while, as though he was deep in thought, and then he smiled wide, showing perfectly white teeth, now whiter against his tanned face.

  I blushed. “Well, there was too much traffic going home from where I was so…”

  “I get it,” Nat said, chuckling. “In a way, I’m glad things like that about Drew, never change.”

  “Um, speaking of Drew,” I said, buttoning up my blouse and fixing my hair, “I better go see where he is. And which room he got us.” I went looking for my stiletto-like shoes. Red satin…what can I say, I liked shoes, and had worn the ones I wanted to wear under my wedding dress to try on the dresses. It was my homage to Aunt Sookie…that bit of rebel, devil-may-care with tradition, to wear something surprising in an event that was so traditional. Hot red satin stilettos under my wedding gown.

  “Looking for these?” Nat asked, holding both of my stilettos in his large hands. He looked at one of them, bringing it up to his mouth. “These are, uh, so fucking sexy, excuse my French.” He looked at me, his eyes darker and burning into mine. Was that desire I saw in his eyes? “You’ve really grown up, Summer,” he said.

  “You have too,” I said, swallowing hard.

  He closed his eyes for a second before opening them. “You’re so much prettier than I remember you,”
he said.

  “Nat, it’s been a long while,” I said.

  “I know,” he said, looking a little sad. “I know so much had happened when we last saw each other.”

  “I know,” I said.

  “I’m sorry for disappearing like that, Summer,” he said. “But…”

  “You’ve had your reasons,” I said.

  “I did have my reasons,” Nat acknowledged. “Thank you for realizing that.” He came towards me, handed me my shoes, and lightly patted my shoulders. “Drew’s waiting for you. And I’ll see you at the reception.”

  I reached out to touch his chest briefly before pulling back my hand. We both flinched from the touch, and I nearly jumped from the electric shock that went through both of us. “Thank you for coming out to the wedding. You being here, seeing us. It means so much to me.”

  “I know,” Nat said. “I’m glad I could make it. Now if you don’t mind, I have to finish my shower.”

  He opened the door of his suite, and gently pushed me out, closing the door swiftly behind me.

  I couldn’t move, too stunned to speak.

  I finally saw Nat after all these years, and instead of feeling nothing but brotherly love for him, I felt so turned on, I couldn’t move. He was so much more manly, more sexy, more of everything than he was before…and those guns he kept with him even close to him in the shower, it sent a thrill through me.

  This was Nat Donovan as bad boy as he could be, all grown up, with tats and bulging biceps.

  I hung my head down low, gritting my teeth. What was I going to do? I would be getting married to the man I’ve been loving and living with for the last ten years as a couple, yet I still have these feelings for his brother?

  Chapter 5

  Nat

  I was in trouble. Big trouble. I never thought I’d run into Summer by herself without Drew before the wedding. I wanted the image of those two together, as a couple, always together as inseparable as could be, burn into my mind, into my memories to erase everything I felt for and cared about Summer as a lover.