Something More

by Jenna Tyler

  He looks at me with his smoldering blue eyes, which always melts my heart and moistens my panties. My thoughts automatically go to the naughty side. Now that Charlie is in the clear, a little romp in the hospital somewhere might not be such a bad idea. Oh, Jesus. What is wrong with me? But it could be nice... He snaps me away from my dirty thoughts with a quick kiss on the lips.

  “Drew, I don't care that you hit Marcus. He deserved it and I am glad you didn't beat him to a pulp. I just wish it was me that had done it. I have wanted to do that for a very long time.” He smiles and gives me another kiss, my reward for not being mad.

  Twenty-One

  “Rebecca, there's something else I want to tell you.” He's still hovering in my face, close enough for me to lick that beautiful dent in his chin. I don't do it, but I want to. I can feel his breath every time he exhales or talks and it just makes me want to drop my pants right here.

  “What is it?” I say, a little breathy with want from his close proximity and the lack of sex in the past... Shit. It hasn't even been 24 hours yet. How can I be this hard up for him ALL THE TIME?

  I look at his lips while licking mine, then I bite my bottom lip and my eyes wander back up to his eyes.

  He smirks at the lust that must be written all over my face. “Don't look at me like that, Rebecca. Don't think I won't take you right here and now for all to see and hear.” My arms wind around his waist and pull him in closer to me. I'm not surprised when I feel his erection pressed up against my belly. I snake one of my hands back around to the middle of his abdomen, finding my prize just after my hand starts its trek downward.

  “Rebecca, I mean it. We will be arrested and all over the news.” His fair warning finally makes me stop and think about it. It would not be a good thing to be plastered all over the news, probably nationwide, not to mention embarrass Charlie and be very bad for Drew and his company.

  “Okay, fine. I'll wait,” I say, pouting like a spoiled child. Drew smiles and kisses me again. Another reward.

  “Good. Now, back to what I was going to tell you before you tried to seduce me out in public.” I roll my eyes at him and he chuckles.

  “You liked it.” I stick my tongue out at him. He snickers again.

  “I did and always will. I was going to tell you that when I heard Marcus actually say those words to you, I have never had such an intense reaction to someone calling a woman a bitch. I mean, I don't like hearing any woman disrespected, but when it happened to you...” Anger starts showing in Drew's eyes.

  Starting to rub his back to relax him, I lean up and give him a kiss. His reward. “I get it, Drew. You don't have to explain it.”

  “I think I do, Rebecca.” This strange look crosses his features. One I have never seen before. He pulls his head away a little and looks down at his feet. Is he nervous? Uh oh. Drew doesn't get nervous. This is going to be big. He looks back up to me and I'm a little scared now. I know he's not going to break up with me. I'm confident in that. Shit. What can it be?

  “Rebecca, I just wanted to say...” He pauses, just looking into my dull brown eyes with his radiant blue ones. “I just wanted to say that...I love you.” Yes! I visibly see him exhale. I can't believe he was nervous to tell me he loves me. I'm seriously not going to have a heart left with this man treating me how he does and saying the things he says.

  I reach my hands up to cradle his face and hold his gaze to mine, my eyes welling up with tears. “I've been dying to tell you that I love you, too!” I crush my lips to his, excited to finally be able to tell him I love him anytime I want. He drops his hands from the tree and picks me up and spins me around. You'd think he won the lottery, not like he needs the money. Oh, that reminds me...

  I break our kiss and pull back to where I can fully see his face. I want to see his reaction when I tell him. “Drew, there is something else I've been meaning to tell you, but I've always been interrupted and then Charlie...”

  His look grows very concerned. I move one hand and use my thumb to smooth over the crease between his eyebrows. “Don't worry. It's good news.” He relaxes and looks eager.

  “Well, spit it out already,” he says impatiently. I almost want to prolong it some more out of spite for that outburst, but I might get interrupted at any moment.

  “I've been trying to tell you that I want to live with you.” My smile is so big when I see his mouth drop open. Thinking it's only fitting that I close it for him as he usually does for me, I drop one hand from his face and move the other one to lift his chin up.

  After a minute or so, he finds his voice, “Are you serious?”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely. I'm ready to spend every minute I can with you. I'm done trying to take it slow. Life is too short to miss out on something so wonderful. I love you and can't wait to see what life has in store for us.”

  He bends down, wraps his arms around my thighs just under my butt, picks me up in his excitement, and nearly bangs my head into the tree branch above. “Oh, shit!” I yell out. He looks up, not realizing what he's almost done, and lets me slide down his body until I'm right where I want to be…legs wrapped around his waist, arms around his neck, and certain body parts lined up.

  “Sorry about that, baby. I was just so excited. I can't believe you've agreed to live with me. Finally coming around to see things my way, are you?” We both can't help but giggle.

  “Yes, Mr. Chambers. I believe I've seen the light.” Planting a kiss on his lips, he moves us back over against the tree. It's not as comfortable as a wall…not that a wall is comfortable, but at least it's smooth and not jagged like the tree bark.

  “It's not so bad in the light,” he says with a wink. “Not to rush you, but I'm very curious now. Does this mean the next step might also be in order?” Running my fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck, I ponder his question. I don't really see why I would hold off on that. I just told him that life was too short and that I basically didn't want to waste any time without him. Does that really hold true?

  Looking at Drew so happy and excited makes me happy and excited. “Yes, I believe it does. But...”

  He rolls his eyes at me this time. “Of course there's a ‘but’ with you.”

  “Rude! I was just going to say that I don't have a ring or anything so this doesn't count as an official ‘yes’.”

  “Oh. Well, that's a good ‘but’. I can handle that and will take care of that situation when we get home, as well as find us a place to live and hire a new decorator. Unless you want to do the decorating?”

  “Nope. I don't decorate, but I would like to have some say in the choices.”

  “Perfect. All approval goes through you for everything.” Jesus! He moves fast and thinks even faster.

  “I don't think all that is necessary.”

  “Nonsense. I want you to be happy in our home. You get final approval on everything.”

  “Um, okay. Can we go back to the excitement of it all and forget the technicalities right now? I want to celebrate.” We look at our surroundings. Hospitals are not great places for celebrations. “Alright. I guess we will have to wait to celebrate, but let's go tell Charlie.”

  “Good idea. She will be okay with it, won't she?”

  “She'll be great with it.” I hope.

  Charlie is awake when we return and Marcus isn't in her room, thank goodness. She takes the news as expected, but requests to talk to him alone. While they talk, I go out to the new nurse's station to ask for an update on her.

  The staff on her new floor aren’t too familiar with her chart. “Can you please page the doctor she's seen the most and have him come and talk to me before I leave for the night?” I don't want to leave here without knowing that she will be alright.

  Drew comes out to get me moments later with a silly smirk on his face. Walking up to him and wrapping my arms around his waist, I say, “What did she say to you?” I'm very curious.

  “I'll tell you later. You should go in there and spend some quality time with her before we he
ad to the hotel.” Mmmm, Drew and me in the hotel.

  “I just asked a nurse to send the doctor to talk to me before we go. I want to make sure all is still well and that she will be fine.”

  “Okay. I will keep an eye out for him. You go in and be with Charlie.”

  “You don't have to stay out here, Drew. The nurse will get the doctor to me.”

  “I know, baby. I think you should have some alone time with her. I will have my time with you very soon,” he says with a wink, rubbing my back.

  Stretching up on my tiptoes, I give him a kiss. “Thank you,” I whisper.

  Twenty-Two

  Charlie and I talk, laugh, and reminisce about old times. I bring up things she used to do when she was little, and she talks about my clumsiness, which is always good for a laugh. It seems like hours have passed when the doctor and Drew finally walk in.

  The doctor reaffirms that Charlie will be completely fine and that all her tests came back good. There's no internal bleeding or punctures, brain scan looks normal, and the bruising and pain from the broken ribs will just take a little time to heal. Her sore throat from the tube should be better in a day or two. From everything the doctor has said, it sounds like she's good to go home tomorrow.

  Charlie mentioned that a cop came in to talk to her while Drew and I were outside. She told them her story and they informed her that the car was unsalvageable. Charlie, Marcus, and I worked hard to get her that car, but it's totaled. I guess we will need to call the insurance company to find out how much they will cover. Marcus and I will have to discuss how to go about getting her a new one. I'm not exactly looking forward to talking to him again.

  Of course, he walks in just as I'm thinking about having to talk to him about Charlie's car. He shoots Drew a nasty look, which he returns. Pissing contest. I try to avoid Marcus and avert my eyes to Charlie. I see her eyes widen as Marcus gets closer, giving her a good look at his shiner. As he takes his usual spot next to Charlie on the opposite side of her bed, Drew leans down and whispers, “I’m going to step out and make a couple calls.” He then places a kiss on my temple and leaves the room.

  “Dad! What happened?” Charlie exclaims as loud as she is allowed to.

  “It's nothing. Don't worry about me,” Marcus grumbles and throws an evil glare in my direction. Charlie looks to me for answers and I briefly close my eyes and slightly nod.

  Charlie turns back to her dad. “You just couldn't be nice for a day, Dad? Why did you have to go and start shit with Mom’s boyfriend? Just because you think you still have some feelings for her and that she's going to come back to you doesn't give you the right to act like an ass. After all these years, Dad? I mean, give it up already.” My eyebrows shoot up and my eyes widen in surprise. Charlie never says anything to Marcus about this kind of stuff. She usually just rolls her eyes, like I do, and moves on to another subject. It's just easier to ignore him.

  I peek over at Marcus who looks just as shocked at his daughter's words as I am. His eyes flit to me and then back to Charlie. “It's over, Dad. It's been over. Time to move on. Mom certainly has,” she says. Uh oh. I don't want to beat a man when he's down, but Charlie just put it out there.

  Before any of us think about opening our mouths to respond to that particular topic, Drew walks back in and Marcus shoots me a nasty look again. He watches Marcus like a hawk as he approaches, then focuses on Charlie. “It's all set. When you are ready and able, you can go to this dealership and pick out a car that your mother and...” Drew gives a quick glance at Marcus, then he hands Charlie a little slip of paper with the name of a local car dealership, salesperson, and their address and phone number on it, “father approve of. On me. I've already told them that whatever you choose is to have tinted windows, as dark as you want…that the law will allow, of course.” He’s done it again. He's waving his money around and Marcus is going to blow a fucking gasket.

  Looking up at Drew in amazement, my mouth drops open. He smiles down at me, takes his finger, and gently nudges my chin up to close my mouth. I then look over at Charlie, her mouth hanging open. I burst into laughter because she looks just like me. A not-so-great trait passed down a generation. Reaching over to close Charlie's mouth, just as Drew does to me, I kiss her on the forehead for being so cute.

  “Drew, I can't accept this. It's too much. First this room, and now a car?” She shakes her head. “I just can't.”

  “Yes, you can. And you will. I'm happy to do this for you. Consider it a late graduation present.” Drew gives her a wink, which is now becoming a thing between the two of them. It warms my heart to see that Charlie likes Drew and he likes her, but his generosity is overwhelming

  “Drew, she's right. You don't have to do this. The insurance should cover most of the cost of a new car.” I try to talk him out of it, but the look he is giving me is telling me not to argue.

  Marcus clears his throat and the rest of us turn to look at him. “If the man wants to waste money buying Charlotte a car, let him. It's his money.” What. The. Fuck?

  Talk about being shocked. This just made Drew's mouth drop open. None of us were prepared for that to come out of his mouth.

  After we’ve all agreed that Drew would buy Charlie's car, we make sure she is settled in for the night and then we disperse. Who knows where Marcus is going, but Drew had our bags sent over to our hotel earlier.

  Drew uses the key card to unlock the hotel room door, but has me open the door to walk in ahead of him. When I swing the door open, I immediately see pink rose petals scattered on the floor in the entryway. He remembered that pink is one of my favorite colors.

  Turning around to look at him, I feel a tear fall down my cheek and his hand moves quickly to catch it. The love I feel for him right now, at this moment, is pouring out of me. He brings his thumb that wiped away my tear up to his lips and kisses it, sending my heart soaring. How does a man, who hasn't really ever dated before, know just what to say and do to make my heart stop beating? It no longer beats for me; it beats for him. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that there was someone out there made specifically for me. But it seems he's here, standing before me, kissing my tears off of his thumb.

  “Drew, this is so...”

  He puts a finger over my lips and shushes me. “You aren't done looking yet, Rebecca,” he says softly with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He turns me back around and I feel his hand gently at the small of my back, where I've gotten quite used to it being. Closing my eyes for just a moment, I let out a sigh of contentment, relishing in the feelings I'm experiencing. Drew leans in over my shoulder from behind and whispers, “Breathe, baby.” My eyes slowly open and I take in a deep breath and then exhale.

  My feet move me forward following the path of the petals into the main room, where there are candles lining every surface. The petals lead me around the spacious living area and past a dining room. This hotel didn't have a penthouse, I'm guessing, but it might as well be one. It's bigger than my apartment, that's for sure. Making my way through the room, the path leads me to a closed door that the petals disappear underneath. I turn to look at Drew, who is right beside me with his hand still at my back.

  “Open it, but don't walk in just yet,” he says. I do as he says and stand there looking into the gorgeous bedroom. I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the hotel room on my way in, but the bedroom is absolutely breathtaking. The bed is a dark, four-poster canopy draped in white linen from top to bottom, which is tied off at each post. The bedding looks like white silk that I wouldn't want to touch on a daily basis. More candles are set around on the nightstands and dressers, and a trail of rose petals leads to the bed and are scattered on top of and all around it. There is another path of petals that branches off and leads to the bathroom.

  When Drew gives me a little nudge, I step in a little further and I see that it leads straight to a palatial bathtub, which looks to be filled and also sprinkled with rose petals. I can't believe my eyes. No one has ever done anything romantic for me
in all of my forty years.

  Candles are placed around the bathroom, just enough to be able to see and give off a warm, romantic glow. The bath looks so inviting I think that will be our first stop; however, I might fall asleep in there. It occurs to me that I haven't showered in almost 24 hours, much less changed my clothes. Airplanes, private or not, make you feel dirty for some reason.

  Drew steps up close behind me, wraps his arms around me, and speaks softly, “Pick your pleasure, baby. Bed...,” he trails his tongue down my neck, “or bath?” I think he is the only person who would be able to keep me awake right now. There is nothing I want more, in this moment, than to have him in my arms and buried deep inside of me, making me forget all about Charlie's accident and Marcus' stupidity. I've missed being connected with him.

  “Bath,” I breathe out and turn to circle my arms around his waist. Leaning my head against his chest, I hear his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly. As I look up at him and he looks down at me, I can see that he feels the same way I do. There is no place we'd rather be than in each other's arms. He stretches his arms down a little further and squeezes my ass, bringing me in closer. I can feel his eagerness pressed against my stomach and I wish it was deep inside.

  Drew slides his hands up my back and grabs the bottom of my shirt on his way up, pulling it over my head. After he tosses it aside, I start to unbutton his dress shirt, trying not to rip another one off of him. Still looking at him, the heat I see in his eyes makes my core clench and my panties melt. To hell with his shirt. Yanking it open the rest of the way, the buttons fly in every direction. Drew moans and shrugs out of his shirt, then quickly starts unbuckling his belt.

  He is just as anxious as I am and I start undressing myself the rest of the way. Seconds later, we are in each other's arms. Naked. Ready. He swoops me up into his arms and carries me to the bathtub, setting me down in the water. He steps in after me and immediately sinks down and sprawls out to leave room for me between his legs. This is not what I was expecting to happen, but I will go with it. For now.