Falling Into Drew

by Harriet Schultz

  “No. I’m on the pill, but should I be worried about you?”

  “I’m clean. I’ve only been with you since my last test.”

  “Then stop talking and get inside me.”

  Drew rested his weight on his elbows, cradled her face between his hands and gazed into her eyes. He had good reason not to leave birth control to his partner, but this was Kate. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d slap him with a paternity suit until a DNA test proved the claim to be bogus. She trusted him to be honest about being disease-free, so he owed her the same kind of trust. “You’re sure? If not, there are ways we can take care of each other…”

  She shifted her hips to guide his cock to her entrance. “Does that answer your question?”

  Her eyes mirrored the desire in his, but he willed himself to go slowly and rubbed his length back and forth through her heat until she panted, “Now, damn you!”

  Without hesitation he plunged his thickness into her warmth and then almost withdrew before thrusting again, teasing her with the same movement over and over. When a bead of sweat dripped off his forehead and blended with hers, he licked the salty liquid off. The urge to taste her was overpowering, but to do that his cock would have to leave her snug sex, and his body was well past the point where that was even an option. The pressure grew and before he lost his mind and exploded, he positioned himself so that the friction between their bodies increased with each thrust. She grasped his ass and dug her nails into its muscular firmness to hold him there while his mouth continued to devour hers until breathlessly, they spiraled into the void.

  “Wow. I thought the first time was good, but this, wow,” Kate mumbled almost to herself. Drew’s body rested atop hers, his face buried against her neck. He was breathing hard and his sweat soaked body was fused to hers, but she could never remember feeling so content. He slowly raised his head and planted a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose. “Wow, indeed.”

  “You heard me?”

  “I wasn’t unconscious, just semi-conscious. My ears worked.” He smiled at her and wound a strand of her hair around his finger, then wrapped his arms around her and rolled them onto their sides. “I was squashing you, but you feel so good that I don’t want to let go,” he said and yawned. “Sorry. You tired me out and now the jet lag has kicked in.” His eyes fluttered closed and a moment later he was asleep.

  Kate stroked his face, still finding it hard to believe that this man was in her bed and acted as if there was more between them than amazing sex. She sighed and slowly disentangled herself, then edged toward the side of the bed intending to visit the bathroom. A strong arm reached for her. “Don’t leave me,” Drew mumbled, almost as a whimper. Alarmed, Kate turned to tell him she’d be back in a minute, but he was asleep, a frown on his face. Had he been dreaming? Was “Don’t leave me” even meant for her? He’d reached for her, hadn’t he, so of course it was. And where did he think she’d go? It was her apartment. She shook her head and made a quick visit to the bathroom. When she crawled into bed he instinctively wrapped his body around hers, his warmth and regular breathing the best sleeping pill ever, and she joined him in slumber.

  The smell of coffee dragged Kate out of a sound sleep and she followed its aroma to the kitchen where she found Drew leaning against the counter spooning cereal into his mouth with one hand while the other scrolled through something on his phone. All he wore were jeans unbuttoned to reveal the beginnings of his happy trail. She’d always laughed at the overused description, but with Drew it definitely pointed the way to paradise. His hair stuck out in various directions, his scruff was heavier, and the well-defined muscles on his arms and chest shifted each time he raised the spoon or his mug of coffee. The picture he presented was almost too much. He was too handsome, too masculine, too overpowering, too tempting, too dangerous. She could continue the list, but if she did she’d scare herself enough to never see him again and that was unacceptable.

  He raised his eyes and smiled as she poured her own coffee. “Good morning. I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself,” he said. “Cheerios are my favorite, have been since I was a kid. I was famished for some reason this morning, so I’m already on my second bowl.” He leaned toward her and gave her a milky kiss. “Good morning,” he whispered against her mouth.

  “You said that already,” Kate replied before pressing her lips against his again.

  “Yes, but I didn’t say it right the first time.” He leaned back and grinned. “That’s the way to say good morning to the woman you woke up with.”

  Kate downed her coffee quickly. “I have to get ready for work, but you’re welcome to hang out here.”

  “I should head home, change clothes. Since you have to leave soon, I’ll shower at my place.” He finished his cereal and washed the bowl.

  “I see your mom trained you well,” Kate commented and watched his posture stiffen. He didn’t answer right away and kept his back to her.

  “She did.”

  Kate felt the chill in his voice and dropped the subject. Drew’s reaction to a casual mention of his mother and the “don’t leave me” he’d mumbled in his sleep were further indicators that there were parts of his life that troubled him. Would he ever be willing to make those things public or trust her enough to share them? Writing a book with him would be a challenge, but she didn’t have time to get into a discussion now. It was late and she still had a job to get to.

  She hurried toward the bedroom to dress, but before she was halfway there Drew came up behind her and curved his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck and whispered an apology. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but you’re going to discover that I have a sore spot about certain things…certain people that are off limits. My mother is one of those. I’m sorry.”

  He was smart enough to understand that his family would be fair game in a book about his life, so instead of pursuing it, she told him, “Don’t worry about it. We all have things that we prefer not to talk about.”

  “You, Kate? It sounds like you’ve got a great family and to me it looks like you’ve got it pretty much together.”

  “Yeah, well…looks can be deceiving.”

  He turned her around to face him. His brows lowered and a crease appeared between them as he studied her until she shifted her eyes away. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I guess we have a lot to learn about each other.”

  “I guess,” she said, “but that’s not going to happen unless I get to the office and set up a time for Charles and me to meet with my boss to discuss your proposal.” She pulled tailored black pants and a white sweater from the closet and dressed quickly while they talked. Drew leaned against the wall, arms folded across his bare chest watching her as she applied mascara, blush and a pale pink lip gloss, then pulled her hair into a ponytail. She slid gold hoop earrings through her pierced ears, checked that everything she needed was in her large handbag, grabbed her coat, and headed for the door. “Stay as long as you want, just close the door behind you when you leave. It locks automatically.”

  Her hand was on the doorknob when Drew said, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Kate looked at herself. Her coat was buttoned, she was wearing shoes and her bag and gloves were in her hand. She seemed to have everything she needed. “What did I forget?”

  She turned her head to look at him and immediately realized she shouldn’t have. He stood with one broad shoulder leaning against the wall. The low slung, unbuttoned jeans he’d worn at breakfast were all that covered his body. His feet were bare and it was obvious that there was no underwear beneath the denim. Her eyes traveled up his body to his face and he tapped one finger against his lips. “You forgot this.”

  “I thought you don’t like to kiss women who wear lipstick. You just watched me put on lip gloss.”

  He was across the room in an instant, his hands on each side of her face. “I’ll make an exception in your case,” he murmured as his lips met hers in the kind of kiss guaranteed to keep him on her mind all day
.

  Chapter 13

  “We’re actually on our way to Ireland! I can’t believe it,” Kate said with wonder after she and Drew were dropped off at Kennedy Airport’s bustling international terminal. As their limo pulled away, Drew easily lifted his worn leather duffel with one hand and slung it over his shoulder, then grabbed Kate’s bag.

  He looked at her and asked, “Happy?” although her smile and the way her eyes sparkled made the answer obvious.

  “I am, very. This is work, but it definitely doesn’t feel like it,” she said as they walked toward the first class check in line. “I wasn’t sure that Charles could convince the editorial board that I was the right person to be your co-author. I’m still shocked that they authorized this trip.”

  “He’s a master negotiator. They would have been idiots to turn down the only demand I made. It always comes down to money.”

  They checked their bags and breezed through security with only a slight delay when the person checking tickets and passports spotted Drew’s name and spent a few minutes telling him he was a fan and what an honor it was to meet him.

  Once they’d retrieved their carry-ons and were headed to the first class passenger lounge near their gate, Kate said, “You’re a good man, Drew O’Connor. You made that man’s day.”

  He shrugged. “There’s no reason not to be polite. I only get pissed off when someone grabs me or shoves a camera in my face or talks to me when I’m in a public restroom. That’s when I’m tempted to tell them to fuck off.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said, laughing. “People actually talk to you while you pee?”

  “It happens,” he said. “They think that they know me because they’ve seen me on TV or in a magazine and then they’re surprised that I don’t act like I know them, that I don’t treat them like a friend. It’s weird, but it comes with the job.”

  “You thought of skiing as a job?”

  “I worked hard at it, I was expected to perform and I was paid. Isn’t that the definition of a job?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I fucking love to ski, but there were times…well, even when something’s a passion, there are days when your body aches or you’re exhausted and you’d rather kick back. But I’m a competitor, so I always went to work and I always did my best.”

  She looked at Drew as if seeing him for the first time. “I never thought of it that way. I guess when you hear that someone travels all over the world to ski in fabulous places, it sounds like play.”

  He raised her chin with one finger and gazed down at her, his eyes warm. “It can be, but not if you’re serious about the sport, although there’s no denying that I also had my share of good times, maybe more than I should have. I’m very aware that if I hadn’t achieved all of that no one would give a shit about reading about my life and I wouldn’t be here with you.”

  She leaned her head into his hand and he caressed her cheek. “Drew,” she whispered. “As nice as this is, this isn’t a vacation. It’s work, and you need to bring the same focus that you brought to skiing to this project.”

  “You know I will, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun doing it.” His arm came around her waist and when she raised her face and rolled her eyes at him, he kissed her.

  “I’m trying to be serious, but you’re making it hard for me,” she said.

  His eyes filled with heat. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s you that makes it hard — anytime, anywhere.”

  “Drew!” Kate laughed. She tried to shove him away, but trying to move a conditioned athlete was like pushing against a block of concrete. Instead, he took one step closer.

  “I want to fuck you right now,” he growled near her ear.

  Kate tried to ignore the way her body responded to his words, but the tingle between her legs told her she felt the same. “I don’t think you want to find your naked backside on the pages of some tabloid, O’Connor, but maybe once we’re on the plane…” She glanced in the direction of his obvious hard on and added, “Maybe I can do something about that.”

  His brows rose in surprise and his eyes twinkled with delight. “Promise?”

  Before she could answer they were interrupted by the boarding announcement for their flight.

  His palm rested on her lower back as they walked onto the plane. The flight attendant did a double take when she spotted Drew, a reaction Kate didn’t think she’d ever get used to. “Mr. O’Connor, welcome aboard. If there’s anything at all you need during the flight, or anything I can do to make you comfortable, please let me know.”

  The young woman ogled Drew and completely ignored Kate until he brought her body against his side and kissed her temple. The woman’s eyes slid from Drew to Kate and then back again.

  “My girlfriend and I will need a couple of blankets, but other than that we should be okay.” His words made the relationship clear and the woman’s hopeful expression vanished.

  “Your girlfriend?” Kate hissed once they were seated. His use of that word thrilled her, although she already recognized that being this man’s girlfriend would require heaps of trust, not to mention a firm grip on her insecurities.

  “Do you mind that I called you that? It got her to back off,” he said.

  “It did.”

  “But something’s wrong. Tell me.” He rested his hand on hers and began to play with her fingers.

  “You surprised me. We only met a couple of weeks ago.”

  “And yet that’s how I think of you.” He turned toward her so that their eyes met and then he slowly brought his mouth closer to hers. Before their lips met, however, the flight attendant offered them a pre-take off glass of Champagne. An impersonal professional mask had replaced the predatory look that she’d aimed at Drew earlier.

  Kate picked up the delicate crystal flute and brought it to her mouth, but before she could take a sip Drew said, “Wait. Since we’re on our way to Ireland, we need a fitting toast.” He closed his eyes and scrunched up his face, thinking. “All the Gaelic ones that I know are either dirty or religious, so I’ll stick with old reliable Sláinte, but add go dté tu slán.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “Health, of course, and safe journey. We’re starting a journey, aren’t we?”

  “I suppose,” she said slowly and tilted her head to study him. “I get the feeling that you’re talking about more than this trip.”

  “I am. It’s also a journey of discovery for both of us.”

  “Hmm,” Kate murmured, nodding. “Is fluency in Gaelic one of the discoveries I’m making about you?”

  Drew laughed. “I can speak a little and know how to pronounce most words, but fluent? Nah. Don’t forget that I spent my first eight years in Ireland and then summers until my eighteenth birthday. I have dual citizenship. Gran often spoke in the old tongue, so I picked up the language, but when you don’t use it…well, you know how that goes.”

  They’d been so oblivious to anything around them that Kate was surprised to see sky outside the window beside her seat when she finally tore her eyes away from Drew.

  A couple of hours later, he glanced at Kate. She recognized the hungry look on his face although they’d just finished eating dinner. The cabin lights had been dimmed so that passengers could get some sleep, so she slowly reclined her seat and spread the blankets over them. He leaned closer, but instead of kissing her, he ran a finger over her lips. “Mmm, bare, my favorite.”

  “What’s your problem with lipstick?” Kate asked, softly.

  He shrugged his shoulders and continued to run one finger around her lips until she sucked it into her mouth. When she swirled her tongue around it, he shivered. “I guess lipstick is like a spotlight. It draws attention to a woman’s mouth. Besides eating, that mouth is used for kissing, for sex, for what you’re doing now, which is torturing me. I don’t want other men to notice your lips because they’ll imagine them against various body parts. It’s selfish, but I want your lips all to myself.”

  “I
never thought of it that way, from a man’s perspective I mean.” She released his finger, but continued to watch his face as she slid her hand under the blanket to unbutton his jeans and slowly slide the zipper down. He was fully aroused when she grasped his erection and ran her thumb around the already-moist tip. Drew stifled a groan and shifted his hips so that he faced her, his back toward the aisle. Their heated gazes never wavered as Kate continued to stroke him until Drew’s breathing changed.

  “I’m so close,” he panted.

  She palmed the linen napkin she’d kept from the dinner service and held it in one hand while the other sped up. Drew squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced in an effort to stay silent as he came, his semen captured in the cloth napkin.

  “Were you a Girl Scout?” he asked when his breathing returned to normal.

  “No,” she said, smiling innocently. “I didn’t want to mess up their blanket or your clothes. The airsick bag was a possibility, but it would have crackled and just seemed...wrong.”

  He shook his head. “You’re amazing.” He ran his tongue down her neck and his teeth tugged her ear lobe before he expelled a hot breath. “I want to bury myself in you, but I can’t, not here.”

  Instead, he loosened the waist of her jeans and slid his hand inside until it met its target. She moaned quietly as his fingers began a magic dance. It didn’t take long for her hips to begin to move. She grabbed the front of his shirt to pull him closer as her orgasm left her trembling. “Nice, so nice,” she whispered.

  Drew kissed her tenderly, and some emotion neither was ready to acknowledge passed between them. He smoothed a few stray hairs off her face and smiled. “Sleep baby, we have a lot to do when we land.”

  CHAPTER 14

  “It’s good that we don’t have to rely on me to do that,” Kate commented, impressed by how skillfully Drew worked their Mini-Cooper’s stick shift with his left hand as they made their way out of Shannon Airport. “I’ve driven on the wrong side of the road in England, but I never got used to the steering wheel on what should be the passenger’s side of the car. And a stick shift in the wrong hand? I wouldn’t dare! My brain doesn’t work that way.”