Drew leaned toward her, close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “Ask the question. I may not answer, but I won’t lie. What is it?”
She met his gaze. “This is the kind of place you take a woman you don’t want to be seen with. Am I right?”
“You could be, but my reason for taking you someplace where no one will see us is different from what it sounds like you’re imagining. Hell, if I weren’t me, I’d proudly walk through Times Square with my arm around you!”
“I didn’t mean…” Kate began, but he cut her off.
“No, let me finish. We’re here instead of at some crowded midtown hangout because I protect the privacy of the people I care about. You’re now one of those people and believe me, it’s a very select group. I simply don’t want to drag you into the circus that’s my world, at least not yet.” He smiled and ruffled her hair. “Now lighten up, woman. I’m with you because I want to be with you.”
She rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head and lowered her lashes, suddenly shy. “We just met. We hardly know each other, so how can you say you care about me?”
He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Care about you, want you, fucked if I know. You confuse the hell out of me, Kate Porter. You have since the moment you fell into my arms.” He drained his beer and without being asked, Lou placed another round on their table then quickly disappeared.
She straightened her back and shook herself out of the fantasy his words began to create. “We came here to talk about your book. How did wanting and caring become part of the conversation?”
His gaze never left her face as he ran one finger down her cheek. “Because that’s how you make me feel.”
Kate shivered at the intensity of his words, but as much as she might want the same things that he obviously did, they couldn’t casually hook up and continue to work together. Her job was too important to screw up just because she was hot for a man, even if that man was the Andrew O’Connor. “If you go ahead with the book you’ll definitely get to know me better.”
His eyes blazed and he raised his voice, although not quite to a shout. “Damn it, Kate, that’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. At this moment, I don’t give a flying fuck about the book.” He took a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Kate,” he said, his tone much gentler than a moment earlier. “I want you. And I don’t just want your body, although I’d be lying if I denied that. I also want to know you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” He leaned back, getting comfortable. “For example, what’s the story behind your name?”
“My name?” The idea of Drew wanting her left her so shaken that all she could focus on was that question.
“Yeah. The name on your business card is Ekaterina Porter, but to me you’re Kate. Is your family Russian?”
“Far from it. My mom named me for Ekaterina Gordeeva. She skated pairs in the Olympics with her husband, Sergei Grinkov, and they won two gold medals. They were amazing skaters, gorgeous and so in love. Anyway, Sergei had a massive heart attack during a practice session and died. It was tragic and my mom, who’s a romantic through and through and a huge figure skating fan, decided that day that if she ever had a daughter she’d name her Ekaterina.” Kate was unaware of the sigh she released, but Drew heard it.
“And do you believe in romantic fairy tales too?”
“Well, that hasn’t been my experience, but why not? I don’t think it’s just a female thing either. Wouldn’t you want a happy ending to your story?”
Drew frowned as he considered the question. “I never really gave it much thought, but who wouldn’t want to be happy?” He reached for her hand. “It’s cool that your name has a story. Do you have a brother named Sergei?”
Kate laughed. “My brother’s name is Scott. My mom would never admit it, but I think he’s named for Scott Hamilton, the gold medal figure skater. She loves the athleticism and grace of skating and we can’t tear her away from the television when the winter Olympics are on.”
Drew leaned back and crossed his long legs at the ankle, a smug grin on his face. “Your mom sounds so normal. I like her already since I guess she’d approve of you being with me. I’m not a skater, but I do have a gold medal or two, you know.” His grin widened. “I’d even let her touch one.”
“Drew…” She swirled her finger through the moisture on the table, her head lowered as if not looking at him could make her forget how she wished she were impulsive enough to act on what they both seemed to be feeling. “I’m not with you, not like you mean. We’re working together, or we might be.” She wondered if she could pass him to a colleague — a male obviously — but this was her project, one that could make her career. She clasped her hands in her lap so she wouldn’t be tempted to touch him.
“This was a mistake.” She waved one arm to indicate both him and the bar. “From now on we need to met either in my office or at your agent’s. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am and I’m not going to jeopardize that. Not even for you.” Her chair scraped as she pushed it back, picked up her purse, and started to stand.
Drew was beside her in an instant. “Wait. I’m sorry, Kate.” He sighed and gestured toward her chair. “Damn it, I keep screwing up and then apologizing. Please. Stay. Let me explain and if you want to leave after that, fine.”
“All right, but you sit over there.” She pointed to the opposite side of the table, then folded her arms across her chest.
A smile tickled his lips, but he did as she asked. “That day, the day we met, you didn’t recognize me so you treated me just like any other guy you stumbled into. We flirted a little and then you sent me on my way. Women don’t behave like that around me. I’m a trophy, someone they want to fuck so they can brag about how they slept with Drew O’Connor. ” He shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of meaningless sex.” All humor was gone from his voice. “I don’t have to chase women; they chase me. But you? You know who I am now, but you still treat me like I’m just some guy and maybe I’ve forgotten how to deal with that.”
“So let me see if I’ve got this straight. I didn’t throw myself at you, so now you have to figure out how to seduce me?”
He looked embarrassed. “It sounds pathetic when you say it that way, but I guess the answer’s yes. I also want to know you better, which is a first for me. I think I’ve wanted you since the minute I wrapped my arms around you in the church.” He slowly shook his head from side to side as if unsure of how to continue. “A man and a woman either have a connection or they don’t and we do. We both feel it, but if that makes you uncomfortable and complicates your life, I’ll take a cold shower and leave you alone.” He reached across the table and played with her fingers, his eyes searching hers for an answer. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” His thumb gently moving back and forth over the top of her hand woke up parts of her that had been asleep for a long time. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would it be like to have his hands on her body. Her face flushed and her eyes flew open. She would not allow her mind to go there. She released a frustrated breath. “We need to talk about the book before we even consider anything else, okay?”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
“So?”
Drew lifted his hand from hers and leaned back. It was impossible for him to think when he was touching her. “I’m not doing it.”
She cocked her head to the side and frowned. “Why not? I thought you were excited about this. It could be a best seller.”
Drew shifted his chair until his face was inches from hers. “You’re asking me why after what I said to you, what I told you? Jesus Christ, woman, isn’t it obvious? If we work together, there’s zero chance to explore what we’re feeling for each other, to see where it will go. You said so yourself and for me, that’s a deal breaker.”
“What makes you think I’d have sex with you even if you don’t do the book?
“You said you wanted me.”
�
��I want to be able to eat a lot of chocolate and not gain weight. I want to have toned muscles without working out. I want a million dollars so I can fly to a tropical island any time snow is predicted here. I do want you, Drew, but I can deal with not having you in the same way I manage not getting any one of the things I mentioned. It’s something called reality.”
“It sounds more like defeatism,” he grumbled and then his lips twitched as he thought of something.
“What?” She was confused. Drew was either the most complicated man she’d ever met or the most determined to get what he wanted. Of course he was determined. To have achieved all he had, he would have to be.
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Do you realize that I’m the one thing on your list of wants that you can actually have right now?” His lips began to form a smile, then his expression changed and he was once again serious. “Look, I wish you would stop making something natural so complicated and just go with your feelings.”
Clearly exasperated, he stood and started to pace. “Shit, it’s hot in here,” he muttered, then pulled his cashmere sweater over his head and tossed it on top of his jacket. A snug white t-shirt clung to his shoulders and outlined his broad chest and flat abs. Kate watched his biceps flex when he tucked his hands into the front pockets of his tight jeans. “Maybe we should just call it a night.”
“That might be best,” Kate conceded and pushed her chair away from the table. “I’m sorry for sending mixed signals. Damn it, Drew, I’m as fucking confused as you are, but I don’t jump into bed just because I want someone. I may regret it, but that’s who I am.”
He squatted in front of her, grasped her hands and brought them to his lips. “Never apologize for who you are. I don’t want you to do something that you’ll feel bad about, but if you actually think we can work together and keep things platonic, you’re wrong.”
“I didn’t say that.” Kate’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I want to find a way to make this work so that you can do the book and we can…well, I guess so we can do what we both want. I’m not the only editor in our company after all.”
“Make up your mind, Kate. You’ve spent the past half hour fucking with my head and that’s the last thing I need.” He picked up his half finished beer and drained it. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home,” he said and began to put his discarded clothes back on before heading out into the winter night.
CHAPTER 9
Drew held the town car’s door open for Kate and she slid across the seat to put as much distance between them as the car allowed. With nothing more to say, they rode in silence until the driver announced that they were just a few streets away from Drew’s apartment. He wanted to know if Drew wanted to be dropped off first. Before Drew could answer, Kate said that would be fine with her.
“I’ll trust you to make sure the lady is safely inside her building before you leave,” Drew instructed the driver. “All right?”
“Of course, Mr. O’Connor,” the man answered.
Minutes later, the car stopped outside a high rise. When the building’s uniformed doorman approached the car, Drew waved him away and turned toward Kate. “I can be an ass sometimes and I suspect tonight was one of those times, so I’ll apologize again. My only excuse is that you make me crazy.”
“You don’t do such a bad job of that yourself.” When she saw the confusion on his face she added, “You make me crazy too.” She released a sigh when she realized that there was only one way to regain her sanity. Her seat belt clicked loudly when she released it and slid closer to him. She waited until his eyes met hers. “Kiss me,” she murmured.
“What?” He stared at her, stunned that she would ask him to do that after everything that had been said at the bar.
“Kiss me. Either it’s going to be the kind of kiss that scorches the earth or it’ll be one we can walk away from. Maybe we’ve been building this whole attraction thing up out of proportion. One kiss will answer that question.”
Drew looked at her as if she were a puzzle he had no chance of ever solving.
She moved closer until her lips were almost on his and whispered, “Kiss me, Drew.”
He gently cupped her face and tentatively settled his mouth on hers. Kate stroked his lips with her tongue then caught his bottom lip between her teeth and sucked on it. Drew groaned low in his throat and pulled her against his body as the kiss deepened, going on and on until they were each breathless. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were glazed with desire, her lips still parted. “Did that answer your question?” he whispered.
“What was the question again? I can’t remember.”
Drew nuzzled her neck, inhaling the same cinnamon scent he’d noticed when he’d first held her. “Now what?”
Kate glanced from him to the driver, then back to him and, finally, toward his apartment building. Drew watched, uncertain about what was going on in her head. “We’ve kept Charles’ driver out late enough. The decent thing would be to let him go home, don’t you think?”
Drew wanted to be sure he understood what she was saying. “So you don’t want him to take you home? You want to stay here? With me?”
“I should have asked if you’re okay with that.”
He leaned his forehead against hers. “More than okay, but are you sure?” They’d been on an emotional seesaw all night so he held his breath waiting for her answer.
She pressed her lips to his again. “More than I have been about anything in a very long time.”
He raised her hand to his lips. “Thank God.”
After passing Charles’ grinning driver a hefty tip before sending him home, they walked hand in hand through the building’s white marble lobby and into a waiting elevator. Once inside, Drew kept his heated gaze on her while he unzipped his jacket before moving closer to unbutton her coat. With one layer of clothing eliminated, he pulled her against his body and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Drew,” she whispered on an exhale just before his mouth crashed into hers in an out of control, bruising kiss.
Their lust-filled trance was interrupted when the elevator’s computerized voice announced their floor. “Come on,” Drew said. She grasped his hand and they sprinted down the long hallway to his corner apartment. Once inside, he turned the lock and pressed Kate’s back against the door. She’d left the top two buttons on her silk blouse undone when she’d dressed that morning, and that glimpse of creamy skin had taunted him since the moment he saw it hours ago at her office. Now, his trembling fingertips traced a trail from the base of her neck down her chest to where the blouse closed. He raised his eyes to hers, watching her face as he slowly undid the rest of the buttons one by one. The slippery fabric slid off her shoulders and she shivered when his hot mouth met her skin and left a wet path to the swell of her breasts where they rose above pink lace cups. “Drew,” she moaned, releasing her hold on his waist to unhook her bra.
“No. Let me,” he said, covering her hands with his. “It’s like Christmas morning and I want to unwrap the gift I’ve been wishing for.” Kate’s blouse slithered to her waist, anchored only by her skirt. One flick of Drew’s expert fingers released her breasts from their lacy cage and he took a step back to admire the present he’d unwrapped.
Kate’s hands instinctively moved to cover her body, but, trembling inside, she lowered them to her sides. “So beautiful,” Drew murmured as he cupped her breasts and rubbed his thumbs over her hardened, rosy nipples until she couldn’t stand the intense tingle his touch created.
“Take me to bed now, Drew. Please,” she said, breathlessly. His blue eyes darkened and he scooped her into his arms, never moving his mouth from hers as he carried her to his room and laid her on the bed. She looked at him through half-closed eyes. “You’re wearing too many clothes. Now I get to open my present.”
“Anything you want, baby, anything.” He stood beside the bed, his eyes following her movements. He drew in a breath when she rose to her knees, her breasts within reach, but he managed to remain still while
she undressed him.
Her hands skimmed his body as she slid his t-shirt and sweater over his head, her eyes feasting on the beauty of his muscular chest covered by just the right amount of silky dark hair. She used a fingernail to trace the small green shamrock tattoo at the side of his ribs, then pressed her lips to it and inhaled his intoxicating scent. Drew closed his eyes and threw his head back, muscles quivering, when she dragged her tongue and teeth over one nipple, then the other. “Kate,” he moaned and brought her against his body, unable to tolerate the space between them.
Their mouths met and stayed fused together while he quickly undid his jeans and kicked them off along with his boots before tugging down Kate’s skirt until all she wore were ribbon-trimmed, pink lace panties.
“Wow,” he exclaimed as he grasped her ass and pulled her body under his. “You’re so warm, so soft…like heaven.”
Kate’s eyes flew open. “Soft? As in fat?”
“Oh God, no,” he said, planting feather light kisses all over her face before lifting his so that she would have no doubts about his sincerity. “You’re perfect, not like the bony models or hard as rocks athletes I’ve been with. I love your body. Can’t you tell?”
Drew rolled his hips against her stomach and hard evidence backed up his words, quieting Kate’s fear that she somehow wouldn’t measure up to his more experienced lovers. When he slid down her body and took a nipple into his mouth, his tongue and teeth emptied her mind of any thoughts besides pleasure.
She tangled her fingers in his hair and tried to tug him back to her mouth, but Drew had other ideas. He snagged the top of her panties with one hand and quickly slid them off, then settled between her legs and ran a finger through her slickness. “So pretty. So wet,” he murmured before plunging his tongue between her folds to lick, nip and suck her to an orgasm so intense that he had to grip her thighs so that he could maintain a much softer, gentler touch to help bring her down.
Falling Into Drew Page 5