by Regina Cole
7.
A faint hissing sound floated down the hallway, indicating that Drake was in the shower. Naked. Water pouring down those beautiful, sculpted abs. His hair sticking to the back of his neck as water sluiced down to his tapered waist, over his round, muscular ass…
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Everly said the words aloud as she launched herself out of his overstuffed recliner and paced through his living room. Distraction. She had to start thinking about something else, anything else. She wasn’t normally such a horn dog, but damn if the idea of Drake Hammerfell naked and dripping didn’t make her want to charge down the hall, flinging clothes in every direction.
She stopped by the small table at the end of his couch, where a buzzing sound was coming from his phone. A thin, blonde woman was smiling up at her from the phone’s screen. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect makeup. Belinda, according to the flashing contact info at the top of the phone screen.
Her stomach flipped over. It was that woman from the auction, the one who’d tried to outbid her.
“Calm down,” she told herself as she turned his phone facedown so she wouldn’t have to see Belinda’s stupid perfection anymore. There was probably a perfectly simple explanation. Like, maybe that was his sister, or his cousin, or maybe she was married to his dad or something.
But the anger in her eyes when Everly had upped her bid suggested that it wasn’t anything near as simple as that.
Silence floated down the hall, and Everly collapsed on the couch. She couldn’t stop the sinking feeling that Belinda was someone much more suited to Drake than she was. Belinda probably wasn’t socially awkward and emotionally stunted. Presented with a date with someone like Drake, Belinda probably would have insisted on a five-star restaurant and worn matching lingerie underneath her stunning little black dress.
Everly looked down. Her polo was wrinkled, there was a smudge of dirt on her khaki shorts, and she was wearing her beat-up Keds. Biting her lip, she sat up straighter and redid her ponytail. There wasn’t anything she could do about her clothes right now, but she could at least try to tame her hair.
“Sorry about that,” said a deep voice at the end of the hallway.
With her ponytail elastic between her teeth, both hands in her hair, Everly looked up. Drake was walking toward her, basketball shorts slung low on his slim hips. He was pulling on a tee shirt, each movement showcasing the beautiful muscles she’d been wanting to touch all damn day. For a moment, she couldn’t move at all.
“I had planned on taking my date to that swanky new Japanese restaurant on Treemont Avenue, but what do you say to some takeout sushi instead?”
Everly blinked and realized she hadn’t budged in much too long. She hastily finished off her ponytail.
“That sounds good,” she said.
“There’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to go, so I’ll grab a few things and call in our order. Any requests?” He reached for his cell phone and glanced at the screen. His brows knitted together, and that sick feeling punched Everly in the stomach again.
Damn it. She closed her eyes.
“Your phone rang while you were in the shower, but I didn’t think I should answer it.”
“It’s nobody,” he said shortly, his features stony. “Sorry about that.”
She certainly hadn’t looked like nobody to Everly, but it was none of her business. This was just a date, and she didn’t have any right to pry into Drake’s personal life.
“I’ll call it in. Back in just a second.”
He stepped through the doorway to the kitchen, and Everly closed her eyes, threading her fingers together.
Damn it. She hated this. Should she just go? Maybe he really needed to talk to Belinda. Maybe she was his girlfriend and they’d gone through a rough patch but Belinda was forgiving him, and Everly was in the way. Maybe—
“Yes, I’d like to place an order please. Can I get a spicy tuna roll, California roll…”
At some point, she had to stop inventing endings to stories she knew nothing about. Maybe she’d try that tonight.
A buzz in her pocket brought her attention down to her phone.
Good luck tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
It was from Charlie. The laughing emojis she loaded up at the end of her text were clear indicators that she expected Everly to chicken out tonight. Gritting her teeth, Everly tapped out a reply.
I’m already in his apartment. Don’t worry about me, I got this.
The response was lightning-quick.
Really? Proud of you! Go get him!
Looking down at the phone, Everly didn’t see him until he was right there at her elbow.
“I just ordered an assortment of stuff. Hopefully there’s something in there that you like.”
“I love sushi, so no need to worry there.” Everly smiled up at him, feeling suddenly brighter and braver than she had since seeing him at the shelter what seemed like years ago. “Would you mind if I used your bathroom? I want to clean up a little bit.”
Drake smiled back, and the expression lifted her mood even higher. Damn, he was hot. And he wanted to go out with her. Why was she worrying about shit she had no control over? She needed to just focus on this moment, and make everything she could out of it.
“Of course. Second door on the right. There are washcloths and towels in the closet there, if you need any.” He brushed her shoulder casually, letting his fingers trail down her arm.
With a deep breath, Everly let her fingers tangle with his for a quick squeeze before she stood and headed down the hallway. Well, would you look at that? She was getting bolder already.
In the bathroom, which was still warm with steam from Drake’s shower, she scrubbed at her face with a washcloth. There. A little bit of the sweat of the day gone and she felt better. Looking in the mirror, she straightened her clothes and looked this way and that.
Not great, but honestly, it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it might be. And since Drake had been nice enough to dress in comfortable clothes, she felt less out of place in her working getup. Everything would be okay tonight. It might be a date, but it was a casual one, and Drake was funny, kind, and sexy as hell.
“You can do this,” Everly whispered to the pink-cheeked girl in the mirror, and gave a nod.
When she got back to the living room, the sight of Drake packing a duffel bag gave her pause.
“What’s all this?”
“You can’t have a picnic without a blanket,” Drake said matter-of-factly as he stuffed it into the bag and zipped it up. “I already got the wine and glasses. White okay?”
Wow, he’d really thought of everything. “Yes,” Everly said, trying to keep her smile from beaming. Really? What had she done to deserve all this?
“Are you ready?” He had shouldered the duffel bag and was holding his arm out to her. She laced her fingers around his elbow, and smiled up at him.
“Ready,” she agreed, and the two of them left his apartment arm-in-arm.
Everly tried her best to keep her breathing even on the way to his truck, but it was hard. Who would have thought that her night would end this way? Certainly not her.
It took until after he picked up their sushi at the restaurant before Drake could fully relax.
He’d listened to the voicemail that Belinda had left him after placing their food order, and it had definitely soured his mood.
Drake, sweetie, it’s Belinda. Listen, I need to talk to you. You can’t go out with that other girl. I know, you’re such a good guy, and you think this is for charity, but believe me, you’ve more than done your part. I know you’ve got this idea that we were wrong for each other, but don’t throw away our future like this. This is really getting out of hand. I came all the way out here to see you, and you’re out with some other girl? That’s wrong, and you know it. You need to come home. I miss you, your parents miss you, even Daddy misses you. You’re really blowing that whole promotion thing out of proportion anyway. There’s plenty
of stuff to do at your family’s company. You don’t need the fireman job. Daddy says he’s not going to keep giving me enough for our apartment on my own, so I’m going to have to move if you don’t come back soon. Nothing is right at home without you, and everyone is wondering where you are and what’s going on. We need to get things straight now, I’m flying home in the morning. Call me and let’s meet up tonight.
Drake couldn’t delete that voicemail fast enough. Belinda didn’t give a rancid fuck about his career goals. All she cared about was her apartment and her way of life being threatened by his absence. Mentioning his parents was a low blow even for her, though. They didn’t understand why he wanted to do something else, other than work in their investment firm, but they’d never given him the level of shit about it that Belinda had. They didn’t understand, but they sure as hell loved and supported him through it.
Even though Drake hadn’t lived with her in months, Belinda had managed to convince her father that Drake was coming back somehow and they should keep up with the apartment lease. But now that he wasn’t even in the state, even her overly-coddling Daddy wasn’t putting up with her shit.
That, he had to admit, was surprising. Hunter used to joke that Chief Pearce would commit murder if it’d keep baby girl Belinda happy.
Drake climbed back into the truck, shutting the door a bit too firmly behind him.
“Everything okay?”
Everly had settled the paper bag full of sushi on the seat beside her and was looking over at him with luminous blue eyes. Damn. This girl. This guileless, beautiful, hesitant girl. She made his stomach tighten, his heart pound, his palms itch to touch her. But why? She was pretty, but not beautiful. Her body was fit, but not voluptuous. She didn’t flirt, or flutter, or sashay around him. But for some reason she called to him like a siren called a sailor.
Maybe it was her sweetness, her honesty. Maybe it was the way her soft fingers curled over his forearm when he hesitated to answer. Maybe it was the way she sat silently, waiting for him to find the answer, never pressing, never cajoling, simply listening.
Damn it. He was falling to pieces and he hadn’t even slept with her yet.
“It’s nothing to ruin our night with,” Drake said, the tension draining away from him at her touch. “I was just thinking about something that’s not worth my time. I’d much rather talk about the beautiful woman sitting beside me.”
He cranked the engine, noting with pleasure at the pink that brightened Everly’s cheeks at the compliment. “Well—that’s—I—I…”
She couldn’t form a coherent sentence, so Drake put her out of her misery.
“I hope this is okay. I’ve wanted to try this place since I moved in. Sushi’s one of my favorites.”
“Me too,” she said, the relief plain in her voice. “There’s a tiny little takeout place near my house, and I grab food from there all the time. Their rainbow roll is to die for.”
“You’ll have to take me there sometime.”
“Okay,” she said brightly. “There are only four tables in the place, and a bar where the chef works. He’s really nice. I went there last week and sat at the bar, and while I was there…”
Drake couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at her repeatedly as she launched into a story about a belligerent customer and the patient sushi chef. When Everly relaxed, she talked with her hands, becoming much brighter and more animated than he’d ever seen her. The warmth in his chest was growing larger with every word she uttered.
Even the ugly memory of Belinda’s sudden appearance in his new town couldn’t dampen the pleasure of being in Everly’s company.
They laughed together, conversation flowing freely during the short drive to their destination. And when Drake cut his pickup’s engine, Everly finally realized where they were.
“Oh, I love this place!” They climbed out of the truck together at White Rock Lake Park, Everly holding their bag of food while Drake managed the duffel with the blanket, wine, and other supplies he’d brought. “I bring my dogs out here to walk all the time.”
“My buddy Kyle told me about this place, and I thought it would be perfect for a picnic.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked to the edge of the water, a patch of bright-green grass inviting them closer. Drake spread the blanket out while Everly began to unpack the food.
“This looks amazing,” Everly said as she removed the lid from a plastic container of tuna sashimi.
“Sure does,” Drake said, leaning over and snagging the top piece. He popped it in his mouth with an approving noise.
“Care to use chopsticks?” Everly said drily, offering him a pair.
“Thanks,” he grinned, taking them and another piece of sashimi in one smooth move.
“You’re terrible,” she said with no venom, smiling as she pulled her chopsticks apart.
He agreed, but used his chopsticks to select his next victim, a spicy tuna roll.
They ate in companionable conversation, sipping wine as the sun set over the lake, red-orange fingers of light stretching toward them over the calm waters. When they were full, and the empty takeout containers were stacked neatly in the paper bag that had brought them, Drake reached over and stroked Everly’s cheek.
“I hope you’re having a good time,” he said, looking straight into her beautiful eyes.
“I am,” she said, her voice a little breathless as she stared straight back at him. “I’ve never been on a picnic like this before.”
“Neither have I,” he admitted as he leaned closer. Her tongue darted out to wet her pink lips. He liked that. Her skin was clear and beautiful, with no makeup at all. Her natural beauty lacked artifice, and as gorgeous as she was now, he couldn’t wait to see how she dolled herself up for their next date.
Because there would be one. He couldn’t face the idea of not seeing her again.
Closing the gap between them, he pressed his lips to hers.
She tasted of the sweet wine she’d been sipping, clean, crisp, and beautiful. His fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of her neck, the curls that had fallen from her ponytail kissed the sweet skin of her throat. She responded eagerly, as if she wanted the contact as badly as he did.
Stretched out on the blanket, with the end of twilight surrounding them, Drake let his hands wander the planes of her body. Her back was warm and smooth, her hips soft, and as he squeezed the slight curve of her ass, a sudden boom above them startled them apart.
“Look,” Everly said, snuggling against his chest.
Fireworks sparkled above the lake. As Drake held Everly close, and together they watched gunpowder and metallic sparkles light up the night, he was so grateful to be here. In this moment. With this woman.
The whole night stretched out between them, and as Drake kissed her deeply again, he couldn’t help but think that the fireworks between them would rival the ones they’d just seen for intensity.
He wanted her. And she wanted him.
It would be the first time, but certainly not the last.
8.
Everly wasn’t sure if the booming in her ears was the sound of fireworks or the beating of her own heart.
The sensation was encompassing her senses, the taste, smell, and feel of Drake surrounding her like a sensual fog. His mouth possessed her, his hands explored her, and she could only hang on for the ride.
Arching her back, she pressed her body closer to him as he kissed her deeply. His tongue forayed into her mouth, swirling against her teeth and tongue, leaving no place unexplored.
He pressed her against the softness of the blanket beneath her, the starry night sky a backdrop she could never have imagined for this moment.
“Everly,” he whispered against her throat, pressing sweet kisses down the column. She swallowed, fisting her hands in the blanket beneath her. “You are so beautiful.”
“No, I’m not,” she protested breathlessly.
“Don’t argue with me when I know I’m right.” The words brushed across her
collarbone as he unbuttoned her polo. Just that extra inch of space made her feel bared to his gaze, and she shivered slightly as his sharp white teeth nipped at her tender skin.
“I wish I could see all of you,” he said, his hand running down her hip, to her thigh, hitching her leg high up against him. She gasped when their position showed her exactly how much he wanted her.
Damn.
His erection was pressed against the throbbing heat of her lower belly.
Everly shook—she couldn’t help it. The thought of Drake stripping her bare, exploring her body as thoroughly as he had her mouth, was doing delicious, terrible things to her. Moisture was gathering between her thighs as she thought of that delicious hardness pressing into her body, entering her, stretching her with a delicious burning ache.
Her nipples were as hard as diamonds inside her bra, and her mouth was watering as she stared into his eyes.
“Everly,” he said again, his head descending to kiss her once again. She had just barely opened her mouth to him when nearby laughter startled them from the haze of passion surrounding them.
Drake lifted his head and Everly followed his gaze as she sat upright. A group of teenagers was walking down the path, and their formerly secluded spot was no longer the haven it had been.
“It’s getting late,” Everly said as she began gathering the glasses to cover her embarrassment. Shit. Had she really just been caught necking like a teenager out by the lake? “We should get going before they close the park.”
“I wish I could say no,” Drake said as he reluctantly helped her gather their belongings.
The group of teenagers stood on the shoreline not far away, skipping stones across the lake as Drake and Everly began making their way back toward the truck. With every step Everly took, her body burned, reminding her of just how much she wanted Drake.
Damn it, this wasn’t fair. She’d never been on a date as magical as this. And now things were weird and awkward and she didn’t know what to do.