I sat up behind him, wrapping my arms around his chest, resting my chin on his shoulder. “I don’t think you’re a cad at all. I just figured I’d be the one to face her. I’m the one who betrayed her. Not you. You’ve been nothing but honest with her.”
Drew turned around, kneeling in front of me. “You’re not telling her alone, Mickie. I’ll be there. I might not be with her anymore, but I did fall in love with you while I was with her. She deserves a clear explanation for that. I owe her that much.”
My fingers lingered over his angular jaw, tenderly tracing the length of his face. “Answer me something.”
“Anything,” he purred, bringing my wrist to his lips.
“Had I never come into your life…” I paused, uncertain how to finish my thought without sounding like a total idiot.
“Yes?” He moved his lips up my arm, and slowly over the crook of my elbow, making it almost impossible to think.
“Do you think you would’ve eventually fallen in love with Liv?” I blurted out.
Chagrin shadowed his face as he took in my words. He released my hand, letting it fall limply to the bed. The look in his eyes broke my heart.
“No,” he rasped. “I care for her, but as for loving her…” he stopped, searching for what to say to make me understand his true feelings for Olivia. I caressed his cheek in my hand, peering into the gorgeous ocean of his eyes. “No,” he repeated.
Drew kissed me ever so softly. “I regret letting things go on with her like I did. I should’ve ended them after I nearly kissed you in the parking lot that day we had lunch together.”
I gasped, surprised at his memory of that event. “Andy, it was I who almost kissed you. I was so distraught over that. I couldn’t believe how easily you forgave me for blatantly coming onto you like that.”
Drew’s head fell back in laughter. “Mickie, I nearly kissed you. I wanted to so bad. God, you have no idea how badly I wanted to.”
I couldn’t believe that he blamed himself for that as much as I did. By the time it was all said and done, we were rehashing every near miss we had.
Eventually our laughter died down, leaving us breathless. Drew brushed my hair back from my forehead, placing a light kiss in its stead. “I don’t want to hide anymore. You’re my girl,” he breathed, as his lips pressed firmly against mine.
“Does this make me your girlfriend?” I asked sheepishly against his lips.
The mere thought of him considering me his girlfriend was like Heaven to me. Drew pulled back, his smile growing wide. “I’d say this definitely makes you my girlfriend.”
I fell back on the bed squealing and flailing my limbs. Drew laughed deep and boisterous, falling back with me. “You’re mine,” I shouted, happily.
Interrupting my moment of happiness, my alarm clock started beeping in a high pitched shrill. I reached around Drew, slapping the off button.
“What the Hell?” Drew growled in frustration, staring at the abomination that blinked the time at us.
“My alarm clock, silly. It’s Monday morning, and it’s telling me to get my lazy butt out of bed.”
"Holy shit! It's Monday?"
I laughed. “Yes, Drew. Monday is typically the day that follows after Sunday.”
The weekend had come to an end. That meant Drew had to leave me. I wringed my hands together, trying not show my disappointment. "So, if you need to leave, I understand," I managed to choke out.
Drew reached for a lock of my hair, twirling it around his fingers. "I have a suit at the office. I’ll change when I get to work. I'd much rather stay here with you for awhile, if that's okay?"
With his head tilted, he sat quietly waiting for me to answer. I peered up at him from beneath my eyelashes, grinning ear to ear. “I'd like that.”
Drew exhaled in relief. “Well then, what does Miss Evans do in order to get ready for a Monday?”
I ran my fingers through my matted hair. “Well, for starters, I need a shower. Some hot fella took advantage of me last night and this morning, leaving me a mess.”
Drew wiggled his eyebrows. “Some fella, huh? I’d call him a lucky bastard.”
“As far as I know, he’s well aware as to whom his parents are, so he couldn’t be a bastard,” I retorted. Drew’s laugh grew louder.
“Smart ass,” he teased.
“Better than being a dumb one,” I quipped, evilly.
“Very true.” He spread his legs to their full length and pulled me between them, wrapping his arms around me. He then rested his head on my shoulder, breathing softly against my neck. “Would you like some company the shower?”
I turned my head just enough to see his face. His eyes danced with playful delight. “I’d love that, but I’m certain I’d be late for work if you joined me.”
Drew rolled his eyes dramatically. “You could call in sick again.”
“I can’t do that,” I protested. “I’ve already called in enough as it is.”
“You’re right. Go take your shower,” he huffed.
Feeling guilty for rejecting him, I turned around, positioning myself in front of him on my knees. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”
He wrapped his hands around my waist. Sincerity filled his eyes. “I’m anything but mad at you.”
I softly touched his cheek. “Thank you. Now, I'll only be a minute. There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet, and deodorant if you need it." I pointed toward bathroom.
“Go take your shower. I’ll be fine.”
I clamored out of bed rushing to the bathroom. In my alacrity, I stumbled over our clothes. “Careful, baby,” he called out. I waved him off, making my way into the bathroom.
In all my life I had never showered so fast. I couldn’t waste a single minute. My time with Drew was too valuable, too precious to me.
After my shower, I wrapped myself up in my favorite terry cloth robe and sauntered into the kitchen. The warm smells of fresh coffee brewing and pancakes immediately wafted in my face. I stopped mid-track to see Drew standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes.
I was stunned. All this time, I was under the assumption he couldn’t cook, and here he was flipping pancakes like a pro.
“Who are you? And what have you done with my boyfriend?” I squeaked.
Drew shrugged. “So, I might’ve understated my cooking abilities. I happen to know my way around a kitchen.”
Drew waggled his finger, motioning me to him. Unable to resist his wily charms, I wandered over to his side. He pinched a small piece of cake from the corner of one of the plated pancakes and held it for me to take.
I wrapped my lips around the fluffy goodness moaning at the decadent flavor of raspberries and blueberries exploding in my mouth.
“That’s amazing,” I mumbled against his fingers, licking them clean.
Drew pulled his hand back and leaned down to kiss me. “You’re amazing,” he breathed against my lips. I couldn’t have felt happier than I did in that moment.
He turned around to open my fridge, and that’s when I saw them. There were dark scratch marks down his back. I gasped at the sight of what I had done to him. His head popped up over the door, looking at me bewildered.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I pointed at his back, still covering my mouth. “Does it hurt? Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
“Does what hurt?” He glanced over his shoulder trying to see what I was talking about.
My hands trailed over the marks that had been left on his skin. My nails fit the indentions perfectly. “This. I didn’t even realize I had done that to you. God, you must think I’m horrible.”
Drew’s lips twitched. “On the contrary. I found that to be very hot last night. And to answer your question, it does hurt some, but well worth it.” He closed the door of the fridge with his foot, dropping a bowl of fruit on the counter, and had me in his arms before I could even respond. “Don’t you dare get upset.” His lips pressed to mine muffling any response I might have attempted.
/>
When he finally released me to breathe, I was too intoxicated to say anything but, “Okay.”
He gently patted my backside and relinquished me from his hold. Everything seemed so easy with him. Almost like we had been together for years, but were still magically in love with one another.
“Help yourself,” he instructed, handing me a plate.
I placed a couple of pancakes on my plate, before sitting down at the table. "I have to be at work in hour. My first student is at nine this morning,” I told him through a mouthful.
"I have no idea what my day looks like. It would require me to call Holly and I really don’t want to have to explain to her where I am at the moment."
“Why would you have to explain to her where you are?” I asked, as he sat down with a full plate beside me.
"She thinks it’s her responsibility to keep tabs on me at all times. I think my father has some involvement in that. She can be a little feisty when I’m late and don't get in touch with her." He crammed a huge bite into his mouth, groaning.
“That explains a lot,” I muttered into my coffee cup.
“How so?” Drew’s eyebrows lifted in curiosity.
I paused staring at him over the rim of my cup. “Well, you see, um – how do I tell you this?”
“You mean, how do you tell me that Olivia bribes Holly for information on my whereabouts?” he asked.
My shoulders slumped forward, the hot brew sloshing in my cup. “How did … how did you know?” I stammered.
“I have my ways.” His lips curled into a cocky crooked grin.
I leaned back in my seat, casting my gaze on his firm chest. “You put Holly up to some of that, didn’t you?”
Drew tapped his index finger against his temple. “You are wise, my dear. Very wise indeed.”
He laughed haughtily. “Evil little shit,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” He leaned in closer to me, expecting me to answer.
“Nothing.”
“What did you say, Mickie?”
“Nothing,” I repeated. “Now you might want to call Holly to ensure she doesn’t have a coronary over you being MIA. I’d hate for you to get in trouble with the boss on my account.”
"She might think she’s the boss, but I’m the one who signs her paycheck."
"Andy, I hate to tell you this, but she’s the woman. As women, we’ve perfected the art of making men think that they’re in charge." I shoveled a huge bite of the delectable pancakes into my mouth.
"Oh, no, you didn't!"
I nodded, giving him my best smug expression. Drew stared at me incredulously. Then my favorite smile appeared on his lips.
"Okay, fine. I'll give you that one. But admit it; you women would be lost without us."
I swallowed down my bite and laughed. "Very true, life would be no fun if we lost our ability to torture men."
"So you admit that you women do abuse us men."
"I admit no such thing. I'm only saying that men are men. They are the two-headed dragon, if you will. A creature controlled by two heads, and they only have enough blood in their bodies to control one head at a time. So, we women have to correct their course from time to time. That's all I'm saying."
Drew laughed so hard he had tears forming in his eyes. “Only you would come up with something like that.”
Our hilarious banter flew back and forth throughout breakfast. Drew could dish it out as easily as he could take it. I nearly spewed coffee all over him several times at the random things he would say.
After breakfast was over, he helped me put the dishes into the dishwasher. We developed a system between us. Everything flowed so naturally. Once the dishwasher was set, we went back into my bedroom. As I finished my morning routine, Drew busied himself with picking up my room. Putting away dirty clothes, discarding of condom wrappers, and making my bed were just a few of the things he did to occupy himself.
Satisfied with my appearance, I gathered my messenger bag, phone and keys. “You got everything?” I asked, slipping my phone into my bag.
Drew took a final look around the apartment, now fully dressed. His chest fell and a sad frown tilted his lips. “Yeah, I got everything.”
I approached him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He cupped my face, smiling down at me. “You busy tonight?” he queried.
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“Would you like to have dinner with me? It might be late, but I really want to see you.”
“Of course. Call me when you get off work.”
“Being with you makes me very happy,” he murmured, pressing his lips to mine. My heart fluttered in my chest like an angel’s wings.
“You make me happy too, handsome.”
He took my hand and led me out of my apartment. A piece of me ached to go back in and hide out for the day. I didn't want to leave him.
We reached my car where he chivalrously opened my car door for me. I slid into my seat, buckling myself in. “Call me,” I told him as he leaned in to kiss me.
"You know better than to tell me that. I'll call you as soon as I get in my car," he teased, pecking my lips.
"I'm counting on it."
The sound of Drew’s laugh was muffled by the closing of my car door. I started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot. My rearview mirror never looked so good. Seeing Drew, standing in my apartment’s parking lot, grinning like a fool, and wiggling his fingers at me in a sweet farewell caused my heart to overflow. I couldn’t imagine how it could be possible that he would want me, but somehow he did.
As I pulled out of the drive, he turned on his heels and strutted to his car. I threw my head back and laughed loud and hard. He really was a cocky son of a bitch, but that was just another part of his charm.
Everything had been so perfect. I could still feel the fire and passion deep in the pit of my belly from the night before. I couldn’t believe that we spent the night in each other’s arms. Then to wake up and make love as we did, I couldn’t imagine my day starting off any better than that.
In one night, Drew had successfully claimed me, owned me, and made me feel things I had never felt before. In the depths of my soul, I had never felt so alive. I sighed happily as Drew disappeared in my rearview mirror. The thought struck me that no matter what the future held; one thing was for certain, Drew and I were destined to be together. We may have found each other in the most unorthodox way, but it was worth it.
Chapter Twenty Five
Things couldn’t have been more perfect between Drew and me. We spent the entire week together. Every night after work he would appear at my apartment where we would either go to dinner or I would cook for us. Either way, the night always ended the same way. Us wrapped up in each other’s arms, making love.
But as perfect as things were between us, there was always something looming in the balance, threatening to ruin the joy we had found. That something was more like someone.
Olivia.
The constant shuffle around Olivia was unbearable for me. One week in and my nerves were shot. Much like Jared in the past, Drew tried to show me how blind I’d been regarding Olivia. What they said had merit, but they didn’t know her as I did. Olivia had saved me from being raped. She was there for me when I lost my baby. It wasn’t possible that she was as evil as they made her out to be.
She called me every day acting as if things between Drew and her were getting better. Countless times I had to bite my tongue to keep from calling her a liar. Drew was right. I needed to wait to confront her when we both could make our cases known to her. Just a few days with him, and I was already picking up his legalese.
With each passing day it became harder and harder for me to control my temper. Naturally, I’m a passive person, but everyone has a breaking point. And I was getting dangerously close to mine. Drew recognized my enraged disposition and devised that we would rectify the situation by the weekend. He hated hiding even more so than I did.
Drew and I determined w
e would tell Olivia everything. We discussed how to handle her and agreed that the most humane way was to take her to dinner and lay it all out on the table. I prepared myself to lose her from my life. It was what I deserved. Sure, she lied to me, but I’d lied to her too. In my opinion, I should’ve been more forthcoming with her regarding my feelings for Drew. Had I been, maybe she would’ve seen our love as true. Drew and Jared both thought otherwise.
Once the decision was made, Drew scheduled a dinner with her making sure she understood I would be joining them.
The week quickly disappeared. Saturday, the day of reckoning, finally rolled around. I lay awake staring at the ceiling while Drew slept peacefully beside me. I knew I wasn’t as prepared as I made him believe. Olivia had been an intricate part of my life for so long, and here I was about to hurt her in the most heinous of ways.
Sunlight peeked into the window, biding us a good morning. Driven on instinct, the instant Drew was awake; he suspected something wasn’t kosher with me. I befuddled my way around him, ensuring him that I was fine. He gave me a look that only one other person had given me in my life. It was a look my mother always gave when she knew I was lying, but she didn’t want to press the issue. I mentally chided myself for trying to trick a lawyer into believing a lie. He could read me like a book.
He had a golf game planned with Gavin, so he got dressed and left me with a kiss. Riddled with guilt about the bomb that we were about to drop on Olivia, my day seemed to drag on and on. I had brunch with Jared, did some shopping, and eventually found myself at home staring at the same line of my book for hours. I was relieved when the time finally arrived for me to get ready to go.
I lingered in the shower as long as I could, and even took more time than usual to get ready for the evening. I dressed in a navy blue dress that hit me below my knees and a pair of ivory pumps. I twisted my hair up on top of my head, adorning it with a silver clip encrusted with pearls. As per usual, the solitaire Drew bought me for my birthday, dangled around my neck.
Mixed with sorrow and happiness, I waited for Drew to pick me up. I paced the floor of my living room nervously. My stomach was tight with anxiety and my throat burned. I practically jumped out of my skin at the sound of my door knocker slamming against the brass of my front door. I peeked through the peephole, having learned my lesson from past experiences, to see Drew standing at my door in all his sexy glory.
The Truth in Lies (The Truth in Lies Saga) Page 30