by Pamela Ann
“Now this is what I call perfection.” He grinned as he pulled me closer, hugging me close then kissing the top of my forehead.
He never steered away from me the entire weekend. When I showered, he came with me, and we ate together. We basically did everything together.
Much of our time was spent right next to the fire as he told me how things had come about with his father and ultimately admitted what I had guessed—that he was still acclimating to this new life.
Whenever he could, he would kiss my forehead and tell me how much he missed me. It was the closest thing to perfection, but I just couldn’t shake being incredulous.
We made use of the pantry instead of going to the main house for meals. And Drew gave strict orders that no one was to bother us, not even his father.
The entire weekend was probably the most romantic thing he had ever done for me. Regardless, I didn’t comment on that, either, fearful of giving too much away.
We didn’t come out of the bungalow until around noon on Sunday. By then, the blizzard had pretty much cleared out.
Before we left his father’s estate, we joined Conrad and Caroline for lunch in the main house, only the four of us. At one point, I thought Caroline seemed to have warmed up to me, but when it was time for us to depart back to the city, she showed me her true colors.
“Thank you for having me even though it was last minute.” My intentions were well as I thanked her for their generosity.
Caroline gave a knowing, conniving, falsely sweet smile that she wore well. “Don’t get too comfortable. His father has huge plans for him that don’t include you. Cherish these moment, love, because they won’t last long,” she said in a hushed tone, low enough so the others wouldn’t hear.
It took me a great deal to recover from her barbed innuendos.
Staring straight into her wretched eyes without batting an eyelash, I said, “I don’t plan to.”
She huffed with bravado before raising her chin. “Good, that saves me time from dispensing of you.”
Wow, what the hell was wrong with her? Drew wasn’t hers, nor was he anyone’s property. Nevertheless, she had made it seem as though they controlled him. I doubted the man I knew would condone it. He was as stubborn as they came, and no familial ties would ever change that.
“You’re a raving bitch, but you already know that. You won’t ever have him. I can tell you that much. Keep wishing, though.” After sending her the same sweet, nauseating smile, I continued toward Conrad, giving him a genuine hug, knowing well enough that Caroline was watching and hating the thought of another man’s attention landing on anyone but her.
Since she already saw me as competition and a threat, I wanted to push the knife deeper by going over to Drew and holding his hand before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. “Ready to leave, babe?”
Drew gave me a sheepish smile before squeezing my hand. “Whenever you are.”
Without a backward glance at the bitchy Caroline, Drew and I took our exit, heading to where Everson patiently waited for us next to the black SUV.
“To the Mandarin, sir?” he immediately asked when we were securely fastened and set to go.
“No,” I adamantly interjected before glancing over at Drew with a pleading look on my face. “Can you give him directions to the apartment? I have them in my phone, but it died.”
Something crossed his face before he gave me a shrewd look. “You want to go home?” He sounded perplexed. “I thought we could spend a few more days at my place. You won’t have to worry about groceries or any of that. It’d make more sense if you stayed with me.”
My mind was working overtime, trying to read between the lines. Everything seemed so familiar, because I had been here before. Not particularly in the same fashion, but rather a similar one, and it had gotten me nowhere.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind grocery shopping,” I insisted, hoping he would understand that I needed to put some distance between us.
Drew had a deep frown as he glanced at the rearview mirror, catching his driver’s attention. “Do you mind giving us a moment, Everson?”
“Of course, Mr. Cavendish.”
“I appreciate it, thanks,” he murmured then waited for Everson to exit the car.
The moment the door was shut, Drew shifted to face me with a determined look in his eyes. “What do I have to do to make you come home with me?”
Dammit, he could be persistent, but hopefully, I could dissuade him.
“Drew, we’ve been here before. Let’s not do this again. Please …”
His tongue curled over his bottom lip, and then he looked away, staring through the window for a few seconds before facing me again. “I’m not ready to let you go. These past few days have been amazing, but it’s not enough. I need more of you.”
Shit. This was heading where I didn’t want it to go. He only wanted me a few days more, and then what? It was sex he wanted; that much was obvious. He had stressed that need at all hours, so much so that I would always wake up with him between my legs.
“Drew, don’t do this. It’s been great—I’m not going to lie—but I can’t. If it’s sex you’re after, we both know you have a long list readily available to you.” The last part hurt to say out loud.
“That’s not true, Chlo. We do have fun without sex involved.” He looked aghast that I had even suggested such a thing. “Fine. Okay, I promise we won’t have sex. I won’t even touch you. As long as you stay with me, you can have the other room if you like.”
“What?” I blurted out. Who was this man, and why was he spitting gibberish? He wasn’t a man capable of abstinence, and I doubted he would be able to fulfill such a high promise. “You’re crazy.”
“I am,” he whispered a little somberly. “I’m crazy for you, Chlo.”
Fuck, he was gunning for my emotions. Damn him.
“I don’t know …” I was torn, my mind and heart telling me two different things.
“No sex, I promise,” he stated once again. “So, will you stay with me?”
After one look at him with those pleading eyes, I was done for.
“All right … I’ll stay until Tuesday, but you’ve got to kiss me for the last time.”
He let out a hearty laugh before bringing his lips to mine, kissing me tenderly as he cupped my face.
With our newly cemented deal, we held hands the entire ride back to the city. Who could have imagined him being so romantic? I thought him callous—which he was, and he did it seamlessly—but this side of him was rare. I couldn’t help basking in his affection on me. It seemed like he really cherished me this time. However, it could also be a direct result of him believing I was still with Cori.
Once we arrived at the hotel, he showed me to the other bedroom, just as he had stated, and so far, he had kept his hands to himself. I wondered how long it would be until his distance started unfolding. It would be amusing to see him fight off the sexual chemistry.
That evening, he surprised me by bringing two masseuses to our suite. They set the massage tables in his bedroom and littered the room with candles while we relaxed with Central Park and the city’s skyline as our view. The candles gave that enchanting affect about the room. As much as I liked getting physical with Drew, the massage was much needed.
“That was sublime. I didn’t realize I needed one so badly. Now I feel like I’m floating. Feels so good,” I moaned, stretching my arms and feeling beyond refreshed.
“You’re so beautiful right now. I’m fighting off the urge to kiss you … everywhere.” His eyes devoured me in every way imaginable, but none he could act upon. I knew that look well enough to know he was aroused.
If I had the guts to slip my hand inside his robe, I knew his cock would be rock hard.
“Keep fighting it off …” I said huskily before throwing him a challenging look.
Feeling empowered, I began unknotting my robe without taking my eyes off him. I could hear his sharp intake of breath, and raw lust leapt into his eyes as he
began licking his bottom lip while he watched me drop the robe, baring myself confidently.
“Don’t do this to me, baby.” he groaned, tortured at the sight of my body.
My body felt charged, and my blood zinged as I took in the torment on his face, the yearning to touch my breasts and the warmth between my thighs.
Without hesitation, I continued, exhilarated to be causing him some form of anguish as I began to lick my thumb before bringing it to my breast and rubbing it against my pebbled rose bud.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking hot,” he muttered as I caught him sliding his hand inside his robe and beginning to stroke himself.
“I’ll stop if you keep doing that,” I reprimanded him, unwilling to compromise.
His reaction was priceless. “That’s harsh. Evil, even.”
Oh, yeah, I got him good, really good.
He sounded so wounded it was almost laughable.
“Don’t distract yourself. I want you to remember this when you jackoff in the shower later.”
“Chloe,” he hissed in pure hell as he watched me slip a finger between my legs while I threw him a cat-like smile.
“Is this pussy tight enough for you, Drew?” My eyes were half-closed as I catered to my arousal, imagining his fat cock sliding in and out of me.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” he bellowed. “Let me touch you. God, I’ll do anything you want, just let me in.”
Biting my bottom lip, I halted my ministrations then strolled over to him. “Taste me,” I softly commanded, parting his lips with my middle finger.
His tongue greedily licked up all of my essence as his protruding cock brushed against my belly.
Raising a brow at him, I pushed him back until the backs of his knees hit the bed, tipping him over on the mattress.
“Place your hands behind your head.”
He looked dubious. “I don’t like not being in control.”
“Too bad. You’ll just have to take your chances with me tonight if you want any action. If not, I could go to my room and wouldn’t have any trouble sleeping, while you, on the other hand, won’t be able to until you fix this big, fat problem of yours.”
“Are you going to help me?” He roamed my body with his eyes, in dire need of release.
“Maybe,” I contemplated. “If you behave … maybe I just will.”
“Fine. All right. You can do whatever you want with me.” He held up his hands in surrender before doing what I directed by entwining his hands behind his head.
While he did so, his robe inevitably unfurled, displaying his honed physique and a massive boner, appearing proud and intimidating.
Joining him on the mattress, I didn’t waste time. I devoured his cock— well, as much as I could manage before abandoning it to explore his chest, kissing my way around it. Then I slightly tugged on his nipple, repaying the kind gesture he had granted me.
He sounded as though he was about to lose it any second now, and I was proud of him for not rolling me over, pinning me on my back, and having his way with me.
As each second passed, it became more difficult to contain myself, but I wanted to stick to our deal that we wouldn’t have sex.
“Will you kiss me?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he grunted out before pulling me toward him.
The moment my lips connected with his, I began to straddle him without penetration. My clit sat against his cock, and it wasn’t long until I began rocking my hips, grounding hard as the sensation took over me.
“Don’t stop. Squeeze my balls, baby,” he begged as he cupped my breasts.
Out of my mind, I massaged his sac as my hips rolled with fervid purpose against his hardened length. As I threw my head back, he found a nipple to nip and gently torture with his teeth. We came a minute apart, and I had never felt so drained in my life. I pretty much collapsed against him.
Multiple orgasms could do that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The following night, just after we shared a shower, I went back to my room to begin packing. Not that I had a lot to pack since we had been in our robes for the last twenty-four hours, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything left behind. Before heading for class, I had to drop my things back at the apartment, and that could take some time with traffic.
While in the shower, we had agreed he would take me to my place then drop me off at school. His route was the opposite of mine, but he had insisted, and who was I to resist a free ride?
“I know you don’t trust me, but give me a trial,” Drew said out of the blue as I held my hairdryer.
Confused by his statement, I frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
He didn’t blink as he strode to me, stopping just a few steps away. “For you … to be with me.”
Dropping the dryer on the carpeted floor, I shivered as I tried to grasp what he was saying. “I’m not going to let you trample on me like that. We’ve been here before.”
“I know I’ve done a lot of wrong, and I don’t deserve you after hurting you, but I can’t risk losing you again.”
“Drew …” This was horrifying. When I’d loved him, I had loved him with everything I had, while he had thrown me away like garbage. He had lost my trust, and it would be nearly impossible to reclaim it.
“This has been amazing. Hell, you’ve been amazing, and I never thought that was possible before … But as much fun as we had together, I just can’t do it. I’m sorry, but I’m terrified of what you’re capable of.”
He dropped to his knees, crestfallen as he gripped my hands. “I haven’t slept well since we parted. I’m stubborn and prideful, and I told myself that I’d eventually get over it, even it killed me to know you’re with him. But it’s been impossible, and God knows I’ve tried to forget you. But you wouldn’t leave me alone, you are in all my thoughts, hounding my dreams until I wake up, reaching out for you, only to have to remind myself that you’re gone.
“On the nights that were really tough to get through, I came back to the condo sometimes at three or four in the morning just to check if you were home and not at his place. It comforted me that you would fall asleep in my bed, wearing my shirt, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to you, because after I pushed you away like that, you wouldn’t give me the time of day. It became a bad habit of mine, watching you sleep just to reassure myself that you were okay.
But that one Saturday when your family came to visit and you went out with him, I came to find your bed empty, and I really lost it. So I tracked you down to his building. I waited until people began waking up, but you never came out. I came the next day, wanting to make your life a living hell, but when I found you baking cupcakes with dried icing on your cheeks, I knew I had lost the fight. It hit me then … that I really lost you.
“I’ve been sick, thinking about you and how I pushed you back in his arms. I’d rather suffer what you put me through than lose you again. So please choose me, give me a chance to prove to you that I’m going to do everything to make you happy. I’m only at peace when I’m with you. There’s no way I can live without you after this, Chloe. I won’t be able to bear it. I don’t have the strength to survive it constantly, living in agony every single day without you.”
When I didn’t immediately respond, Drew became even more desperate.
“If you can’t choose, I don’t mind having half of you. I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me as long as it doesn’t result in losing you completely. I’m at your mercy if you’re willing to have me.”
He was in a whole different field. Did he really think I would be capable of juggling men like that?
“I’m not with Cori. And after we fought and I dated him for some time, I didn’t go through with it. I couldn’t. Not with him, not after what happened between us.” My heart ached at the thought of making a decision that would greatly affect us. Had he told me what he was going through, we might have not suffered for so long.
“I’m overjoyed to hear that, but where does
that leave me, Chloe?”
Gazing down at him, I felt bereft at the thought of handing him my heart like I had before. “I’m scared.”
“I am, too, but I’d rather be scared with you. My future is with you by my side as my partner, as my best friend, my family … and hopefully, someday … as my wife. It’s insane to think so far ahead when we’re still so young, but I just wanted to let you know where my thoughts rested. If you’re going to decline me, go ahead, but I’m not giving up on you, not now, not ever. Letting you walk away was the biggest mistake of my life. Never again.”
He was referencing the future as though he had already pondered it. And when he said wife … We were far too young to even let our thoughts stray that far, yet it seemed like he already had, seeing me as the only woman for him.
“You really want to be with me?” I found myself asking.
“More than anything in this world,” he stated without hesitation.
“What about the models? Poppy?”
“You’re the one I want, Chloe. It’s always been you, though it took me too long to accept it. Now that I have, I don’t want anyone else but you, day in and day out. You, just you, welcoming me home.”
“What if you change your mind later on, what then?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
“But … What if I’m not enough?”
“Chloe, you’ve seen how much I couldn’t get enough of you. I want you like I want no other woman. All I have to do is take one look at you, and I’m all yours, over and over again. I’m yours.”
“Are you sure this is what you really want, Drew?” I needed to make sure for the umpteenth time.
He groaned before tackling me back in bed, holding me down as he stared into my eyes. “Yes, woman, you’re all I’ve ever wanted. I’ve been trying to win you back for days, but you seem to only want one thing from me.”