Trusting Drew: Burlap and Barbed Wire

by Shirley Penick

“No gutter, just thinking of the best game plan for the evening. There were lots of things you wanted to try, as I recall.”

  This time her face flamed with heat and she squirmed. Drew took the pizza in one hand and grabbed her hand with the other and began pulling her quickly out the door. They caught up with everyone in an instant. He would have kept dragging her right past them, but she pulled back and made him stay in the rear, she didn’t want anyone getting any ideas why the two of them were blasting past the rest of the crowd.

  When they got to the hotel the woman at the desk and the concierge both noted their appearance and asked them to wait for just a moment. There was a small lounge area to the right and the whole group of them were asked to wait. Drew sighed dramatically, and Lily laughed.

  They milled around for only a minute or two before Mr. Clark came in with two other men. One had been part of the pageant officials and the other they had seen occasionally.

  Mr. Clark cleared his throat, to get everyone’s attention. “I’ve got the hotel owner Mr. Abramson and the head of the pageant Mr. Kline with me, they would like to say a few words.”

  Before the others spoke, Mr. Clark introduced the different family members to the two men.

  Mr. Kline said, “We wish to thank you for saving the pageant. If it hadn’t been for all of you working together the pageant would have been ruined by one man, for his own personal gain. Just so you know, now that the pageant is over, Ms. Colorado was released. She’s back home, upset naturally, with a few minor injuries, and a little dehydrated, but she will be fine.”

  Lily sighed with relief.

  Mr. Abramson took his turn next. “Our hotel chain and this hotel, in particular, would like to thank you for working hard to keep our guests safe. Your report of the snake helped to ensure the safety of our guests. And the apprehension of the man on the catwalks, saved us a lot of cleanup and damage. The hotel chain would like to give each one of you a lifetime card entitling you to stay for half price at any one of our hotels worldwide, at any time, for the rest of your lives. I am sweetening that a bit more, by giving each of you a lifetime free pass at this particular hotel. Anytime you want to come to New York, your stay will be on the house.”

  Lily was surprised when he handed out what looked like gold-plated cards to each person in their group. She didn’t think she’d done anything to deserve such treatment, she’d been more victim than anything else.

  Mr. Kline spoke one last time. “Lily, thank you so much for being in our pageant and thank you for bringing this group with you. We’d like to set up a scholarship in your name.”

  Lily gasped. It was such an honor, but she wanted the honor to go where it belonged. “Would you mind changing that to the Olivia Johnson scholarship. That was my best friend, who passed away, before she could fulfill her dream of participating in a pageant, and begged me to go in her place. Without that deathbed promise, I wouldn’t have been here at all.”

  Mr. Kline looked a little taken aback and then slowly nodded. “That is certainly doable and a lovely story to go along with it. Thank you, my dear.”

  Mr. Abramson said as almost an afterthought. “Lily we’ve given you and the other contestant that lost her clothes a prepaid Visa to replace what you lost. We are still investigating how our security or staff may have been in on that, deliberate or not. Everyone’s stay at this hotel for the pageant has been taken care of. But we didn’t find a couple of the rooms in our system.”

  Drew said, “I had them book across the street in that hotel that connects. Just to keep suspicion down while we were trying to figure out what was going on.”

  Mr. Abramson frowned, then nodded, “That was probably wise. We’ll get those rooms taken care of also. Were they under the Kipling name?”

  Adam shook his head. “One is, Beau Kipling, but the other is under Rachel’s name, Rachel Reardon.”

  Mr. Clark and Mr. Abramson both snapped their gaze to Rachel, who was standing next to Adam.

  Mr. Abramson said, “The photographer?”

  Rachel nodded shyly. Mr. Abramson nearly clapped his hands with excitement. Lily almost laughed out loud. The man had been nice, but very stoic, until that exact moment. “I love your photography. I would like to replace some of the old, tired, artwork in the hotel with some of yours. Do you have an agent?”

  Rachel reached into her purse and drew out a card. “Thank you, please feel free to contact her.”

  Mr. Abramson grinned and took the card. “You’ll have to come back when we get them installed.”

  Rachel didn’t look too excited by that, but she nodded graciously.

  They all shook hands and the three men walked off with Mr. Abramson gushing, on and on, over Rachel’s photography.

  Howard said, “I don’t know if we’ll ever use these cards, but it was mighty nice of them to hand them out.”

  Elaine looked at her husband. “Oh, I think we can find ways to use them on occasion. There is one of their hotels in Billings, and several in Hawaii.”

  Rachel looked at the card in her hand and then back at Adam. “Is this hotel chain the one we have booked in January?”

  Adam looked at the card and then pulled out his phone. “It is indeed. Well, that is a mighty nice coincidence. If they actually honor it.”

  Drew punched his brother on the arm. “They’ll honor it. Don’t be so pessimistic.”

  Adam grinned. “That will save us a shit ton of money.”

  Drew nodded. “Yep and if they really buy some of Rachel’s pictures for this hotel, you’re going to have more money than you’ll need. You can become a kept man.”

  “Yeah, right up until dad kicks me in the ass, and tells me to get to work.”

  They all laughed and went their separate ways.

  Chapter 29

  Lily and Drew walked hand in hand up to their room. The twins and their ladies had decided to go into the bar and have a drink before heading up to their room. With their weddings coming up in December they wanted to talk about possible honeymoon locations, now that they had half price stays at one of the largest hotel chains in the world.

  Lily was glad to finally be alone with Drew. She’d enjoyed the celebration, but the time to be with him was slipping through her fingers, and she couldn’t stop it. She refused to be sad about it though, she was determined to wring every last drop of enjoyment out of being with him, before they parted ways and went back to their real lives.

  When they got to his room they both looked around for a moment as if trying to decide what the next step was.

  Lily said, “So maybe I’m going out on a limb here, but you did promise to help me out of my dress, many hours ago.”

  Drew pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I did. But a lot has happened since then. You did a good thing asking to have that scholarship put into Olivia’s name.”

  She drew in a ragged breath. “I had to; it was her dream. I hope she’ll look down from heaven and smile when some lucky girl is given that scholarship.”

  Drew ran one hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. “I’m sure she will. She might be a little horrified by what you went through to fulfill your promise to her, however.”

  Lily chuckled, “For sure, but it all worked out in the end and now we have lifetime discounts. I know my mom is going to be dragging daddy around a lot more than she’s ever done in the past. She’s always wanted to travel and not just to horse shows.”

  “Yeah, I did get that idea, do you suppose she’s in their room looking at where all they have hotels?”

  “It’s entirely possible. But let’s move on to the main course here, cowboy. You made some promises earlier, I plan to hold you to.”

  “It would be my pleasure, lovely lady.” He pulled the zipper on her dress down slowly, oh so slowly, one click at a time. The sound echoed in the silent room. With each click the tension in both of them built, until she was ready to go up in flames from the mere thought of what was about to happen between them.

>   When he finally had it completely unzipped, the dress fell to the floor in a silky heap, the fabric sliding over her body causing nerve endings to stand up and take notice. He looked down at the sexy lace bra she had on and the fire lit in his eyes.

  “You are so gorgeous, Lily. It’s almost more than a man can take.”

  She thrilled at his words but was impatient for more action, so she reached behind her and unsnapped the bra and let it fall to the floor. His hands slowly eased up from her waist, to her breasts and he took them in his hands weighing them and gently squeezing them. Her nipples furled and begged for his touch. He didn’t hesitate to answer their call, first with his fingers and then with his mouth.

  When she was squirming from the pleasure of his hands and mouth on her, he went down on his knees and slowly rolled her panty hose down her body, caressing her as he did so. She stepped out of them and the sky-high heels she’d worn. He caressed, then kissed, each foot as it was freed, and her knees wobbled.

  Drew steadied her. And from his kneeling position looked up into her eyes. As their gaze met she saw a look of satisfaction form. Slowly he looked down her body, his gaze making her skin heat and tingle in anticipation. He gently pulled her panties down and then he licked her, and her legs turned to jelly.

  He deftly turned her, so she was sitting on the bed and then he pulled her legs apart to look at the very core of her. The man hummed in appreciation, and then put her legs over his shoulders and feasted.

  She was still quivering from all the attention he’d given her most secret place, when he turned her on the bed and started dropping his clothes. Lily didn’t even have the energy to watch as the gorgeous man stripped at lightning speed. She heard him tear open a packet, and did manage to rouse herself enough to watch him roll a condom on his engorged cock.

  Drew saw her watching and smiled. “Mind if I join you?”

  Lily patted the bed and opened her legs in invitation. “That would be most welcome.”

  He crawled on the bed and made himself at home between her legs. Drew pleasured her with long smooth strokes. She wrapped her legs around his waist, so he would slide in deeper. Lily would be happy to stay this way forever, but she knew their time was coming to an end, so she tried to imprint the feelings he was giving her into her DNA, so she could recall them in the long lonely months after they parted company.

  She knew for a fact it was going to take her a long time to get over the cowboy cop currently loving her, he was going to be a hard act to follow, for any other man that wanted to come into her life. There was no way she would have been gullible enough for Ronald to prey upon if she’d met Drew first. He’d just set the bar too high for anyone else to meet.

  Wordlessly urging him to pick up the speed, she squeezed his ass, and raised up to meet each stroke. He complied with her non-verbal request and the two of them raced up to the pinnacle and kept flying as the joy broke over them. So, in tune with each other that it was almost a spiritual connection.

  Lily rolled her eyes at the melodrama of her thoughts, but couldn’t exactly deny them completely either. She held him tight as he pressed her into the mattress, not letting him roll off of her too quickly. She loved the feel of him, the weight, the strength, the warmth. When she loosened her hold, he rolled them both to their sides and gently kissed her lips.

  “God, Lily, you are amazing. I don’t want this night to ever end.”

  “I don’t either. We’ve only known each other a couple of weeks, but you’ve ruined me for any other man.”

  “Not to be possessive or anything, but I hate the thought of you being with another man.”

  “No more than I hate the idea of you with another woman. But…” She let the sentence trail off not wanting to talk about all the reasons this would never work.

  He sighed. “Yeah, but.”

  “Let’s not think about tomorrow. We still have tonight.”

  “I know. I just wish…”

  Lily put her hand over his mouth. “Shh don’t say it. Just love me.”

  “I do, Lily. I really do.”

  “I love you too, Drew. And that’s all we need for tonight.”

  They stayed face to face for a long time, talking, laughing, sharing secrets, essentially trying to cram a lifetime into a few short hours. Both of them determined that it would be enough, and both of them were certain they were only fooling themselves.

  They made love one last time before falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, their legs tangled together, her head on his chest where she could hear his heart beat. And if there was a tear or two shed, neither one of them acknowledged it.

  Drew woke the next morning, his heart heavy. Lily was wrapped around him like cling wrap, her hair in his face, the covers completely wrapped around her to the point he was sure to catch frostbite. He had maybe three square-inches of the pillow for his head, they were so far over on his side of the bed. Drew knew he would be happy to wake up with her exactly like this every night for the rest of their lives. But it wasn’t meant to be.

  Their lives were miles apart. She had a good job she loved, and her family all lived close to their Montana ranch. Lily loved her sister’s kids and he loved his nephew, and knew he would feel the same about the baby Alyssa and Beau would have soon. His big family was firmly ensconced in Colorado and he had his job where he was slowly climbing the ladder. Drake had mentioned retiring in a few years, and had mentioned that Drew would have a shot at the next rung of the ladder when that happened.

  They were close enough to get together on occasion, but would that really be fair to either of them? No, it would not, which is why he was determined to smile, and let the love of his life board a plane headed away from him. Hell would freeze over before he made it more difficult for Lily. Drew held her tight as she slept on, they had some time this morning before they had to get moving. He thought about waking her up to take her to breakfast, but he would much rather just hold her close.

  She woke slowly a little while later and looked up at him. He smiled down at her. She kissed his chest. “What are you thinking about?”

  He couldn’t tell her the truth about the sadness he was feeling, so he said, “You, and what a bed and blanket hog you are.”

  She snuggled into the blankets more. “That’s the price of sleeping with me. I steal the blankets because you’re naturally warm, so you don’t need them.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “And the bed hog?”

  He could see her trying to come up with a reason. “My blankets take up a lot of room. You still have plenty of space.”

  “I have one inch on the other side of me and maybe three inches of pillow.”

  She looked up at where his head was. “I think you have at least four and a half.”

  He laughed and tickled her. “You are a scamp.”

  “I know, but a fun one.”

  “Indeed. Now do you want to order room service, or do you want cold pizza?”

  “Oh, room service, pancakes with syrup and bacon and lots of coffee with cream and sugar. I’ll eat the pizza… later.”

  Drew wondered if the hesitation had been to avoid mentioning the airplane that would separate them. He sure as hell was planning to avoid the mention of it. Their last few hours together was not going to be spent sad, if he had anything to say about it. He hoped Lily felt the same way.

  “All right. I’ll order us room service. I could brew a pot of coffee in the tiny machine.”

  “I think it’s more of a shot than a pot, but I’ll take what I can get.”

  He laughed and slid off his side of the bed, trying not to land on the floor in a heap. It was touch and go for a moment. Drew could feel Lily’s gaze on him as he ordered food and filled the miniscule coffee pot. He pulled a pair of jeans out of his bag and dragged them on, commando. Guessing they might fool around a little more after they ate.

  Lily whined, “That’s no fun, you got dressed.”

  “I don’t want to scare the room service person.”
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  “But you put my eye candy away,” she said with a pouty face.

  “Only for a few minutes, silly girl.”

  “Promise?”

  “You want me to promise to walk around and have breakfast in the nude?”

  The crazy woman nodded happily. “Yes.”

  “You’re a little on the crazy side, you know that don’t you?”

  Lily shook her head. “Just enjoying the view, while I still can.” She looked stricken for a moment, so he preened for her, making his muscles stand out and striking poses until she laughed at his antics.

  She shooed him toward the door when someone knocked. “All right Adonis, answer the door.” Then she scampered into the bathroom.

  They didn’t eat in the nude and for that he was grateful, he wasn’t sure he could keep his hands off of her if they’d tried it. She’d come out of the bathroom after he’d signed the ticket, and had on the hotel robe, she’d left in his bathroom the previous day. She’d pulled her hair into a pony tail and had washed her face.

  While they ate they carefully avoided the elephant in the room of their departure in a few hours. Once they’d slaked that hunger, they made love for the last time with an intensity that shocked him.

  Wrung out from the pleasure they laid on the bed as their bodies cooled and their hearts slowed. Drew wanted to howl in frustration but kept his feelings on a tight rein. When he got home this evening he was going to take his horse on a furious run. He hoped it would blow some of the pain away. He knew his horse would love it.

  When he and Lily could finally move, they had a slippery fun shower, which got more water on the floor than down the drain. And he wasn’t sure if either one of them were clean, but they were both smiling, when they got out to dry off.

  Without acknowledging what they were doing, they parted company to get dressed and pack. It didn’t take either of them long. Lily’s suitcase was essentially empty, with all her pageant clothes destroyed, all she had was her regular clothes, and the one dress she’d bought for the last night. She’d already returned the outfits borrowed from his family. Before they left the room, they kissed long and slow, holding each other tight.