Page 10 of Vawn
I pinched him again. “Next time, just ask.”
He tilted his head and chuckled. “But then I wouldn’t have found out you caught feelings for a space racer. Sucks, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “But at least I fucked mine. The most you did with yours was hold his hand.” Though I never wanted to know if they did anything more since he had the hots for my brother, Genj.
He swatted my arm. “Shut up. It’s not my fault your brother is unbelievably clueless.”
“Yeah, but it is your fault you never confessed to him before he left. I mean, I offered to tell him so many times.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter now anyway.” He leaned back and released a heavy breath. “I’m going to Rennir to forget about him and the one who hurt me.”
I leaned on his shoulder. “And I guess I’ll go with you.” Mostly to comfort him when the next guy he slept with broke his heart. I’d let my daughter know we were going on a trip when she woke in the morning.
Chapter Six
Ojokun
With my bag over my shoulder, I climbed into the shuttle at the spaceport, ready for a much-needed break. I’d trained day and night with my team for our last couple of races, and, after winning, I needed to get away from them. Ret had made my life even worse since I’d slept with his brother, blaming me for any slip-up made by any member. Like their mistakes were somehow all my fault. If I didn’t get some distance from the oldest member of ORIXA, I’d probably end up punching him. And then I’d have the rest of them after me.
“Great zap and hook last race,” Tra, a center for team Tadi, said as I passed by her on the way to find a seat.
“Thanks.” I nodded. At least someone had appreciated the maneuver. Because my own lineup hadn’t. Ret had called me reckless, and none of the others had disagreed with him.
I found an empty seat, and, once I’d settled in, I tapped my jaw, near my ear, to activate my music. Not wanting to converse with anyone on the flight, I lay back and closed my eyes.
It wasn’t long, or it didn’t seem so, before the shuttle arrived on Rennir. I collected my bag and trekked down the aisle then down the ramp with the rest of the racers.
Hoverbuses waited outside the spaceport to transfer tourists to their various accommodations across the planet. I had booked a room at a hotel in Temik, the main city with the longest beach this side of the universe. And the best clubs. Most racers stayed there while on break.
On the bus, I learned which of my fellow racers were staying in the same hotel as me, and we made plans to go out that night. They all wanted to have a nap before going out, but not me. I’d already done that on the way here. I needed to stretch my legs, take a run before going out to pick up someone for night one of my vacation. Maybe I’d have luck on the beach and not have to go out to a packed club to compete in yet another way with my fellow racers. On the course, I rarely lost, but on the dance floor, I needed to drink a lot before I had the courage to show my moves. The night I’d gone out to dance with Vawn, I’d been motivated by revenge. And that had blown up in my face. It had been the best sex of my life, but now, every time I slept with someone else, I imagined him in their place. The disappointment came when I opened my eyes and realized it wasn’t him. And his older brothers no longer helped me clear my bed in the morning, only shook their heads as if they hadn’t just said goodbye to their own one-night stand.
I couldn’t take them anymore. I’d come to this planet to forget every single one of the Kaddim brothers and have some fun.
I found my room, and, once inside, I changed into a pair of shorts and beach runners then sprayed on sunblock. After tying up my hair, I put on a hat and started toward the beach.
The hotel was situated halfway down the beach, allowing me to run long distances in either direction. One way led to more hotels, restaurants, and the clubs. I’d be there tonight when it was busier, so I decided to go in the other direction. Rentable beach houses mixed with homes without rental signs, where the permanent residents lived. Hmm, maybe it would be nice to find a local here to spend the night with. Maybe the whole week. Someone to return to whenever I had some days off between races and training.
No!I was a space racer. I didn’t have time for that kind of a relationship. Yet, it was a thought that had invaded my mind since my night with Vawn.Stars!I wasn’t supposed to think about him anymore. I took off down the beach to clear my mind. To move on.
As I ran, I observed the homes I passed and wondered why I hadn’t thought to rent a beach house rather than staying in a hotel. They all had a small fenced yard, likely a food synthesizer to make their own food, and the beach fronting the properties was less crowded. I’m sure I could have found a few other racers to split the cost.
Many of the guests were sunbathing or playing a short distance outside their fenced yards. I saw quite a few visitors I’d love to have join me in my room later in the night, but they weren’t ever alone to approach.
Then I saw him. Or, at least, someone who looked like him. Because what were the chances the guy I couldn’t get out of my head was vacationing on the same planet and in the same city as me?
I ran faster. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about Vawn? I kept my legs moving, bypassing the tourist area, until the fine sand turned to stone. My heart raced, my legs burned, and sweat dripped down my forehead into my eyes. When I finally stopped, my breathing was labored, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about him. I needed to know if that was him I’d seen or simply my mind playing tricks on me.
So, I went back. Only much slower. I didn’t know if it would be worse to see the sexy omega who’d snuck out of my bed without waking me or to learn it was someone else entirely. And I was afraid to find out.
When I finally arrived at the beach house, I realized the person I saw really was Vawn. In a pair of form-fitting swim trunks, he relaxed on a lounge chair, looking as gorgeous as ever. Another man and a young girl were in the yard with him, playing in the sand. Both Orezian like Vawn.
I gulped, my chest heaving but not from running. I’d made a mistake coming here. He’d moved on, something I hadn’t been able to do. Moved on and found exactly what he deserved. A family. Stability I could never give him. Heck, he probably didn’t need to move on, knowing we would never be anything more than one night. Why hadn’t I been able to think of him as such, like everyone else who’d been in my bed before and after?
I backed away from the property. It was time for me to stop hanging on to something that would never be.
“Ojokun?” Right before I turned away, Vawn sat up and adjusted his sunglasses. “Is that really you?”
I froze, unable to answer. Unsure if I wanted to.
