by Harper Sloan
“Nothing much, Dad. Just someone I met through Jackson. He’s one of his frat brothers,” I replied.
Dad looked at me quizzically. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “Seemed like there was more to it than that when I walked in.”
“Nah, he just mistook me for a flight attendant and got my back up a bit. Nothing to worry about, Dad.” I eased his concerns as we went through the pre-flight checklist.
“That’s not usually enough to light your fuse. But if that’s the story you’re sticking with, I’ll let it be for now. We’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment. Let’s hit the air, sweetie.” Dad winked at me and then focused on our takeoff.
Everything went well with the flight, and we landed in Greenwich right ahead of schedule. I let my dad take care of our passenger, in the hope that I could avoid seeing him again until we left for home tomorrow. There was just something about Drake that pulled me in, even as he pushed me away.
When I deplaned, I expected him to already be gone. I was surprised to hear his husky voice from behind me as I hefted my bag onto my shoulder. “Alexa, I’m glad I was able to catch you before I had to leave.”
I turned to look at him as he was speaking. His dark eyes gleamed as he gazed at me. “You are?” I asked.
Drake nodded his head at my question. “Yeah. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I know I acted like a jerk. Jackson’s my frat brother, and he would be pissed if he knew how I treated you before.” He grinned at me as he was explaining, his lips turned up on one side in a sexy little smirk.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure that Jackson would find you thinking that I am a flight attendant pretty hilarious, actually.” I wanted to reach out and smooth a lock of his black hair as it flopped over his forehead when he shook his head.
“You really think so? ‘Cause I haven’t seen him find very much of anything that funny when it comes to his girls,” Drake replied.
“Jackson can be protective, but he also has a good sense of humor. Trust me. He takes great enjoyment in teasing me all the time.” I smiled at Drake, thinking that it was nice to be able to talk to him without sounding like a complete idiot.
Drake’s deep chuckle in response sent shivers down my spine. “Are you and your dad set for somewhere to stay while you’re here? If not, you guys can head to my parents’ house with me for the night.”
“Aren’t your parents hosting a party this weekend and that’s why you had to fly out?” I asked, confused as to why he was being so nice all of the sudden. His mood swings were bound to give me whiplash.
He nodded, his eyes twinkling with humor. “Yes, but there’s plenty of room at their place. I’m sure you and your dad could bunk down in the pool house. It might be easier since I’m not sure what time I will be ready to leave tomorrow, and I’d feel better if I could tell Jackson that you were covered for the night. Your dad’s here to chaperone, so it’s not like he’ll think anything is going on between us.”
“Why would Jackson think that we’d need a chaperone to stay at your parents’ house for one night? He’s protective, but he’s not that bad,” I answered.
“Hey, I just don’t want there to be any confusion on his part. He’s my frat brother, and I feel like we’re becoming good friends. I don’t want to step on his toes at all here.” Drake crossed his arms over his chest, and it felt like he was putting up a wall between us even as we were talking.
“Well, I am sure he would appreciate it, but he knows I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. It’s not like he keeps me on a leash or anything.”
Drake snorted in response, his smirk turning into a full-out smile. God, he was even more gorgeous when he smiled at me. “You’d know better than I would about that, wouldn’t you? From what I’ve heard, a leash doesn’t sound too far-fetched. A shame he found you first.”
What the hell had he just said? Something about me, a leash, and Jackson? I must have lost track of this conversation somewhere. I could feel the blush burning its way up my neck and into my cheeks as I started to get royally pissed off. “Whoa, hold up a second there. What in the hell type of relationship do you think I have with Jackson anyway? ‘Cause I gotta tell you, the closest he and I have gotten to a leash would be walking his mom’s dog.”
“He takes you to his mom’s house?” Drake asked. Apparently, he couldn’t feel the laser beams my eyes were shooting at him. He didn’t seem to be quaking in fear since his damn lips were still smirking at me. Even angry, I wanted to lean over and bite his bottom lip. Damn it!
“Yeah, why wouldn’t he? It’s not like I even need an invitation from him since I’ve known his mom even longer than I’ve known him. And asking me a dumb-ass question isn’t answering mine!”
“Language,” Drake growled at me. Now he was correcting my language? In the middle of an argument? When he doesn’t even really know me? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!
“Stop right there! I get that you’re hot. I am sure lots of girls will put up with your crap because they want to be with you. But that’s not me. First of all, you have no right to tell me how I can and cannot speak. Second of all, the only reason I am swearing in the first place is because you are being an A-S-S. There. Is it better for you that I spelled it instead of just saying it?” I held my hand up as he started to answer me. “No, I am not done yet. I don’t know what you think you know about me, but the only thing you do need to know is that I will not put up with you judging me. You got that?”
Drake’s head went back as he howled with laughter. I started to storm off to look for my dad so we could head out, but Drake’s hand gripped mine as I swung away from him. He held on tight as he pulled me toward him.
“Alexa, babe. Didn’t mean to set you off. I jumped to a conclusion when we met. One that was clearly as wrong as thinking you were the flight attendant when I got on the plane today. I don’t often find myself in this position, but will you please accept my apology? Again?” His finger rubbed the skin on my palm as he looked into my eyes. “I’d really like it if you would come with me to my parents’ house. I want the chance to explain.”
“That’s not necessary. I’m sure my dad booked a hotel for us.” I shook my head and tried to pull my hand away.
“Alexa, don’t be hasty,” my dad said from behind me. His eyes were glued to Drake’s hand over mine. “I thought I taught you better than that. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, it will give me a chance to get to know Drake here.”
“Yeah, Alexa. Don’t you want your dad to get to know me?” Drake asked. He didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, he pulled me towards the limousine waiting outside the hangar. A guest house, a charter flight for the weekend, and a limousine. Who was this guy?
My dad followed behind with our bags. Crap. I just couldn’t see any easy way out of this. And now I could expect a million questions from my dad about Drake, too.
Luckily, the car ride from the airport to Drake’s parents’ house was only supposed to be twenty minutes. He and my dad seemed to get along very well. They mostly talked about sports, and I learned that Drake was attending Blythe College mainly due to the rugby team. Drake explained that most colleges offered rugby as a club sport, but he’d transferred this year when his dad learned that Blythe had decided to go the varsity sport route. He’d thought it would improve Drake’s odds for making the Eagles, the US national rugby union sevens team. The Eagles were going to represent the US in the Summer Olympics in 2016, and his dad had high hopes that he would have the chance at a gold medal.
He kept possession of my hand all the way there as he argued the merits of adding new Olympic sports. My dad was old-school and didn’t think that activities like trampoline should be recognized as a sport. The conversation didn’t get too heated since he supported the idea of rugby as an Olympic sport, saying it was a real sport unlike badminton. But my body was burning up as Drake continued to rub his thumb across my palm and entwine my fingers with his. Every once in a while
, his thumb would stroke between my fingers. Goose bumps pebbled across my skin each time his thumb moved. I struggled not to visibly shiver in reaction as I didn’t want him to know how much his touch affected me.
I stared out the window the whole time, wondering what was happening. Why the sudden interest in me after being so cold earlier? Was he bipolar or something? Our chemistry might have been through the roof, but I wasn’t sure it was worth the bother. I couldn’t really trust a guy who didn’t seem to know what he wanted, especially when girls must chase after him all the time. The last thing I needed was a repeat experience of the cheating boyfriend scenario, not that I thought we’d end up as boyfriend and girlfriend or anything. My mind just kept going around and around in circles.
I could feel Drake’s gaze on me, practically burning a hole in the back of my head. My dad was accustomed to my occasional brain-dead moments when I would daydream and left me to my thoughts without thinking twice. Drake’s hand squeezed mine as he tried to get my attention. We had turned onto a winding drive, lined by tall trees.
“Alexa, we’re here,” Drake said as we pulled up to a palatial farmhouse. This wasn’t a house—it was a country estate. And I hadn’t packed to see anything other than the inside of a hotel room, a couple local eateries with my dad, and the hotel swimming pool. Great. Another chance for me to look as unappealing as possible in front of Drake.
“Yeah, I kinda figured that one out myself when we pulled up to the house. Anything you forgot to mention about your parents, Drake?” I asked. Even though he could make me melt with the mere stroke of a finger against my skin, I was still pissed about what he had said earlier and wasn’t looking forward to meeting his parents while feeling woefully unprepared.
“We didn’t really have time to discuss much of anything. Did we, Alexa? I promise, you will love them. My mom will be excited to meet someone from school, and my sister will be thrilled to have another girl around the place for the day. You’ll be like a surprise present for them.”
My dad cleared his throat from behind us, reminding me that I kept forgetting he was here whenever Drake looked at me. Not a good sign at all. “Well, then I hope they think my dad’s a present, too.”
“Alexa, don’t be so worried. Drake’s father had offered to let me stay here when he booked the flight. I told him it would depend upon if I flew Drake up by myself or not. So we’ve both been invited to stay.”
“Dad! You never said anything about staying here when you asked me to come with you on the trip.” I glared at my dad since I probably would have packed a little differently if I had known that we would be around people while we waited for the return flight home. Not that my dad would understand—his packing would be the same no matter where we went or what we did.
“Sorry, honey. Didn’t think I’d take him up on the offer if you were with me. Figured you’d want to stay closer to town and explore a bit. But since you and Drake know each other, this makes more sense. Don’t you think?” His tone of voice let me know that I shouldn’t argue and reminded me that my dad was going to have lots of questions for me when we were alone.
“See. Nothing to worry about, babe. My dad already invited you, and you didn’t even know it! I’m sure my mom has prepped the pool house just in case it was needed.” Drake started walking around to the back of the house. “Let me get you settled in, and then I’ll go find my parents to let them know you are here.”
I gawked a bit at the Olympic-sized pool that was surrounded by slate tiles. The pool house was a two-story white structure that was a good three to four times bigger than the size of my suite at school.
“There are two bedrooms upstairs, so you’ll have plenty of space. There’s one bathroom upstairs and a bathroom with a walk-in shower downstairs.” Drake opened the door to the pool house. We walked inside, straight into a living area with a big-screen television and a small kitchen off to the side. The decor was very masculine, and the place smelled like Drake, a woodsy scent with a hint of leather.
“Does anyone usually stay here?” I asked.
“Me. I like a little bit of privacy if I’m going to be here for any length of time, but I’ll just use my rooms in the main house while we’re here tonight.”
“Sorry to displace you,” my dad responded.
“No problem, sir. I’m glad you decided to stay with us instead of at a hotel in town. It will give me a chance to hang out with Alexa.”
“Yes, I’m clear on the fact that you’d like to spend some time with my daughter. But how about you let go of her hand for now, son. I’m sure your parents are excited to see you. You should probably head on up and let them know you’re here. We’ll get ourselves settled.” My dad glanced at Drake’s hand, making it clear that he hadn’t missed anything that had happened over the last half hour.
“Right. I’ll try to come back before the party starts. I’m sure my mom will want both of you to join us tonight if you’d like,” Drake offered.
“I think I’ll be fine down here. I brought my book with me, and I can probably catch some college football on the big-screen down here. Alexa, you want to hang out with your good ol’ dad?”
“Yes, yes I do! Thank you very much for the invitation, Drake, but I wouldn’t feel right crashing your mom’s birthday party. Besides, I didn’t pack anything that would be appropriate anyway. Go spend some time with your family, and you can find me in the morning so we can finish that conversation from earlier.”
Drake leaned over and lightly kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear. “We’ll just see about that.”
As Drake left us alone, my dad turned to me. “I thought you said Drake was just one of Jackson’s frat brothers. Looked to me like he’s something more than that.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Dad. I met him last night while I was at a party with Jackson. Saw him again this morning at the grocery store, too. I barely know the guy.”
“It certainly seems like he wants to get to know you. He seems nice enough, but be careful, sweetie. I’d hate to have to hurt him and lose his dad’s business if he breaks your heart. But a dad’s gotta do what a dad’s gotta do, right?”
“Geesh, Dad! You’re already threatening to beat him up if he hurts me?” I walked over to my dad to give him a big hug. “You really are the best dad ever, so you don’t need to run around threatening guys who seem the least bit interested in your daughter just to prove yourself to me.”
“You’re fooling yourself if you think that boy is only a little bit interested, Alexa Marie.”
“If you say so. Now I’m gonna head upstairs to get settled in and maybe get some studying done.”
I was able to get one of my papers done before I heard a knock on the door downstairs. I hadn’t heard a peep out of my dad in hours. Odds were that he’d fallen asleep watching football. I ran down the steps so I could answer the door before he woke up.
“Hello,” said the gorgeous brunette at the door in greeting. Her baby face led me to believe that she was a couple years younger than I was, but her clothing made me reconsider her age. Her outfit consisted of skintight, dark blue jeans that looked like they had been custom made for her tucked into knee-high brown leather boots and an oversized, dark green cable-knit sweater that slipped slightly off her shoulder. She was carrying a dry cleaner’s bag in one hand and a Louboutin shoe box in the other. “You must be Alexa. I’m Drake’s sister, Drea. But you can call me your fairy godmother!”
“Would that make me Cinderella? If so, I’m missing the wicked stepmother and sisters.”
“Ah, yes, but wouldn’t my brother make a perfect Prince Charming?” Drea giggled, and her eyes twinkled with laughter. I could definitely see the resemblance with her brother. Her parents had passed along very good genes to their children.
“I’m not sure that I’d use the word charming to describe your brother. He hasn’t lived up to the title with me yet.”
“Darn! Maybe you’ll change your mind when I tell you that he let me know that yo
u didn’t know about the party when you flew up here with him. He’s so bad like that, never remembers to tell me anything. Anyway, he asked if I could find you a few things so you would feel more comfortable joining us tonight.”
“There wasn’t any reason for me to know about the party, so Drake didn’t forget to tell me.” I spoke quickly, trying to get a word in edgewise while Drea took a breath.
“No reason? You don’t need a reason to come to my mom’s party. You’re Drake’s friend from school. That’s enough. I’d be absolutely crushed thinking of you stuck in the pool house while we’re all having fun. Besides, I’d love to show you off to everyone. Nobody will believe me for a second if I say that Drake has a girlfriend here with him from school.”
“I am not his girlfriend! I hardly even know your brother. We just met last night,” I disagreed.
“Really? Interesting. My brother isn’t exactly known for going out of his way for girls. He met you last night and brought you here today? And he had me find you an outfit for mom’s party. Lucky for him he thought we were about the same size. And one of my friends is your shoe size, so I didn’t have to work too hard on the outfit. Anyway, big bro is smitten! I cannot wait to get to know you better.”
Drake strolled up the sidewalk and rested his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Don’t give away all of my secrets at once, Drea. Alexa is bound to keep me on my toes without any help from you.” He reached around her to take the garment bag and shoes away from her. “I thought I asked you to bring these to me? How did you end up with Alexa instead?”
Drea let her brother take the items from her hands. “Like you didn’t know that I would try to deliver them myself? You know me better than that. Now you’d better talk Alexa into coming to the party—or else. I will be very disappointed if you can’t work your legendary charm on her.” Drea grinned and waved at me and headed back towards the house.
“I thought we agreed that you and I would catch up with each other tomorrow, Drake.”