Possibilities

by Michelle Grotewohl

  Dinner the night before had been excellent, Evie thought when she dressed the next morning. She’d rarely had better, even at expensive steakhouses. Drake definitely knew his way around a grill.

  And around a girl, she mused with a grin, if that kiss yesterday had been any indication. She was certain it was.

  She moved to the mirror for her hair.

  By unspoken agreement, neither had mentioned it. She didn’t know if he was ignoring it for her benefit, or if he just wanted to forget it had happened. More than likely it was the latter; she’d given him no indication that she was unhappy about it. While that was a little disappointing, she understood she wasn’t his type, and it had been the moment itself that had caused the kiss.

  She walked out of her room into the kitchen, and was surprised to see Drake at the stove, barefoot and bare-chested, frying bacon, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast.

  He gave her a warm smile. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

  “Dinner last night and breakfast this morning? Did my doctor call? Am I dying?”

  He grinned. “No. I wanted this, and figured you could use a real breakfast for once, rather than that yogurt you eat nearly every day.”

  She walked closer, letting the smell of bacon frying and the sight of half-naked sexy male lure her. “Hey, I like yogurt and granola.”

  “Me, too. For a snack, not a meal.”

  She leaned against the counter, facing him. “I’m not as big as you. Yogurt and granola is plenty for me.”

  His eyes flitted briefly over her before going back to the food he was preparing. “No, you’re not as big as me. Which is good, cuz you’d look really weird considering how short you are.”

  He turned off the burners and began transferring food to plates while she gaped at him. “I am not short!” She planted her hands on her hips.

  “Compared to me you are,” he said with a smirk.

  “Well… Yeah, but you’re a guy. And a huge one at that.” She saw the prideful grin but ignored it. “But 5’5” is not short.”

  He stopped what he was doing and moved closer, until he was just inches in front of her. “5’5” is short, when I’m 6’2”.”

  Despite her insistent words, she felt tiny when he was so close. She couldn’t help the way her heart pounded at his nearness, or the way her breath became quick and shallow, or the coiling need in her belly. “I’m average height, for a woman,” she murmured, looking up at him.

  His eyes crinkled at the corners when his lips curved. “What you are is adorable,” he said slowly, and bent to kiss the tip of her nose.

  Her eyes closed automatically at the contact. After a moment, when nothing more happened, she lifted her lids and saw him turning away. Disappointment flowed through her, and she took a deep breath to ease it.

  At least he thought she was adorable, she thought. But quickly on the heels of that was the thought that he’d probably think a puppy or a baby was adorable. Not exactly the sexy image she wanted to convey.

  That thought brought on a whole new set of questions as she followed him to the table with her plate. Did she want to be sexy to him? To this man whom she considered a playboy of the worst kind? And if she did, was she brave enough to entice and pursue a womanizer who could very easily see through her ruse? Did she have it in her to be a seductress of his caliber? Could she-?

  “What has you so deep in thought?” he asked, pulling her out of her head.

  “Um… Just thinking.”

  He grinned. “I’d surmised that much. About what?”

  Since she couldn’t tell him the truth, and didn’t want to outright lie, she said nothing, just stared at him doubtfully.

  He lifted a brow. “Must have been important to have put such an intense look on your face.”

  She nodded faintly. “I guess it was.” And she still didn’t have an answer.

  They stayed near the house all day, though they were usually outside. They fished off the dock for a while, catching dozens of the pan fish that filled the lake. When the sun was at its peak, they waded in the water.

  Just for something to do, Evie started looking for shells in the sand at the bottom, collecting them in a plastic cup.

  “Hey, look how pretty this is!” she exclaimed, lifting a pink shell with purple stripes just barely out of the water.

  “It certainly is,” Drake said from behind her where he’d been skipping rocks.

  She turned her head to smile at him, but gasped softly when she saw he was looking at her butt, presented so innocently for his perusal in her search.

  She quickly stood upright, drawing his gaze slowly to hers. “What are you doing?”

  “What?” he asked, as if he’d done nothing even remotely alarming. “Don’t tell me men don’t look at you.”

  She was flustered. “Well, I don’t know! If they do, they’re not so blatant about it as to get caught.”

  “Pity. An ass that perfect deserves to be admired, and you, as well, for all the work you do to keep it that way.”

  Her eyes widened hugely. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way, or given her such a wonderful compliment. She didn’t know how to respond, other than the obvious, “Thanks.”

  He laughed at her vacant tone. “Okay. I get it. You’re not used to compliments. I’ll back off.” To prove it, he took a step back, and then gave a short yell when he went crashing back as his foot slipped on a slimy rock.

  Water splashed all over Evie, making her gasp in surprise. Concerned, she started toward him just as his head came sputtering out of the waist-deep water.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, unable to keep the smile from her face.

  “I’m fine.” His eyes narrowed when a giggle escaped her lips.

  She covered her mouth and offered him her free hand so she could help him to his feet. He gripped her fingers, but before she could anchor her feet and pull, he jerked her forward so she slammed down on top of him, drowning them both.

  She coughed as she surfaced, planting her hands on his chest to push herself up. He didn’t let her go. “You look good wet, Evelyn,” he said gratingly.

  She couldn’t say why, but when he said her whole first name, it made her all warm inside. “I do not,” she pouted. “I look like a drowned cat.”

  He chuckled, running his hands over her back. “A sexy drowned cat.” He pulled her close and ran his nose up her neck to her ear, nuzzling and breathing hot air against her.

  Her breath caught. “What are you doing?” she sighed, angling her head to the side.

  He groaned against her, giving her chills, then laid his lips over and over against her pulse. “Kissing you.”

  “Why?” A whimper escaped her throat when he nipped at it.

  “Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about doing it since yesterday.” He spoke with his mouth pressed to her skin, making her shiver.

  “You haven’t?”

  His lips cruised up to brush across hers. “No. Have you?”

  Admit it, or retreat?, she asked herself. She heard her sister’s voice again, only this time Vicki was screaming, “Go for it!” Or maybe that was her own voice… She pulled back, looked into his bright blue eyes. “No. Not for a second.”

  Breathing heavily, he held her gaze for a long minute, and then said with feeling, “Thank god!”

  His mouth came to hers, hard and needy. She had no choice but to respond in kind, and she was more than happy to do so. Their tongues met like fury, and his hands moved over her, adjusting the way she was sitting until she straddled him.

  The contact made them both groan, and Evie felt the sweetest madness settle over her. She wanted him inside her like she wanted her next breath. If the pressure against her center was a sign, he wanted the same thing.

  She ground down on him, driving them both crazy. She gasped in pleasure when his hips lifted-

  Suddenly, there was a bang, and they both jumped and turned toward the sound. One of the neighbors had come outside, their screen door s
lamming behind them.

  Evie’s cheeks flared bright red as she moved off of Drake’s lap. As far as she could tell, the neighbor hadn’t seen anything, but he could have. Anybody could have, she realized, looking at the dozens of houses she could see from where she sat.

  “No one saw,” Drake growled beside her.

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t,” he shrugged. “Does it matter?”

  Did it? “Well, kinda. We were practically having sex outside, in broad daylight.”

  “Practically isn’t the same as actually, and most of us was under water. If anyone did see anything, it was just us making out.”

  She noticed as her lusty haze cleared that Drake sounded a little petulant. Likely because he hadn’t gotten to finish what he’d started, but she’d committed to this when she’d admitted to thinking about him since yesterday, and felt compelled to ask, “What’s wrong, Drake?”

  “Nothing,” he sighed. “Just those insecurities again.” He stood, then grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet, releasing her immediately. “Guess we’d better go get dry.”

  She decided then that if she was going to do this, she was going all the way with it. Holding his gaze, she grabbed his hand. “I hope we can get rid of them soon.”

  He frowned, not in doubt or confusion, but in surprise. “Me, too.”

  Chapter Four

  She’d held his hand, Drake thought ten minutes later. Somehow, she’d known exactly what to do to help him. And she hadn’t let go until she’d risen to her toes and kissed him at the bottom of the stairs, temporarily saying goodbye so they could each shower and dress.

  As he washed away the grains of sand and bits of algae, he decided that if he wanted to keep her around for a while- or longer- he would have to show her. He already felt like an ass for not pursuing her sooner. And she clearly wasn’t used to men hitting on her.

  Well, that would change. She wouldn’t be able to deny that he was after her by the time they left for home. And then they’d keep seeing each other, and who knew? Maybe they’d end up married one day.

  But he was getting ahead of himself. A lot. Dating first, with an option for more. And while some would consider him a dating expert, he knew some of his dating ‘expertise’ would never win over a woman like Evie. He’d have to do this by the book, not the Player’s Guide, and keep things simple.

  He got out of the shower, wiped the mirror down, and looked at himself. “Okay, Drake,” he said quietly, “Be sure about this. Evie isn’t the girl you wine, dine, and bed. She’s long-term, maybe even long-haul. Add to that the fact that your siblings are married, and things could get sticky. You have to go into this one-hundred-percent sure it’s what you want, and one-hundred-and-ten-percent sure you’re willing to put forth the effort if she’s willing. Either that, or leave her alone. Can you do this?”

  He took a deep breath and stared into his own eyes, really thinking, deeply searching. Then it hit him: Didn’t knowing these things, and asking himself these questions, mean he was already willing, and as sure as he needed to be? He felt secure that his answer was yes, and it was the right one.

  He wanted to do this, with her, and he wanted to do it right. With a final deep breath, he said, “Let’s do this.”

  When he got upstairs, she was rooting around in the fridge for something to make for dinner. “Don’t bother,” he said. “We’re going out.”

  “Out?” she asked, standing.

  He stuck his hands in his pockets, feigning nonchalance, hiding nerves. “Yeah. Dinner, movie, date.”

  “A date?” She sounded dazed, and he tried really hard not to take it personally. She likely had no idea he was truly interested in her.

  “Yeah. We’ve made out twice now. I think the least we should do is go on a date so I deserve it.”

  She looked at him like he was crazy, and he likely was for just springing this on her. But he was out of his element here, and winging it. “But… We have food here we could make. And there’s a theater downstairs.”

  She hadn’t exactly said no, but in his head he heard, “I don’t want to be seen with you in public.”

  He shrugged, both at her and himself. “It’s not the same.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to see inside his head. “Not the same?”

  “No. Part of it’s the experience, the atmosphere.”

  “And the other part?” she asked, obviously humoring him.

  He grinned, glad she’d asked. “Showing off the hot chick I’m with.”

  Her cheeks brightened and she blinked. He could almost see her trying to figure out what to say to something she didn’t really believe. After a minute, she said, “Okay. Let me go change.”

  “No!” He hurried over to grab her arm, stopping her from going into her room.

  “But we’re going out. I need appropriate attire.”

  “You look perfect,” he said honestly, looking down at her form-fitting blue jeans and black fitted tee. “Half the problem with date night anymore is over-dressing. It’s dinner and a movie, not a wedding or a funeral.”

  Doubt entered her gaze. “Okay… If you’re sure?”

  “Look at me.” He lifted his arms at his sides, showing her his similar outfit of black jeans and a shirt the same color blue as his eyes. “I’m not changing.”

  “Oh, please don’t,” she said quietly, sincerely.

  Now he was speechless. Lots of women found him attractive, but none of them made him feel more so than Evie when she looked at him just that way. It was a big balm on his nerves.

  Without a word, he stepped close to her and touched his lips to hers, so softly. He didn’t want to start something that would prevent them from leaving the house, just show her he appreciated her. She seemed to understand that, keeping her hands at her sides.

  “Okay. Let’s go- Wait!” When her eyes widened at his shout, he kissed her again, a little harder, a little longer. “Okay. Now we can go- Wait!” This time she was smiling when she lifted her face to his, and he was glad his plan had worked. One quick peck, and they left the house.

  At the theater, they got in line for tickets, and were quickly followed by two couples a few years younger than them. When the line moved, Evie followed, but Drake stayed where he was. Since the gap between them was only one-person wide, she didn’t think anything of it, until it moved again, and again, and he still hadn’t moved.

  “Drake, what are you doing?” she asked from several feet away.

  “I need my space,” he said, hands calmly in his pockets, telling her he did this all the time.

  Challenging him, she walked closer, closing the distance between them until only a foot was left. “This space?”

  “I don’t usually mind if it’s the woman I’m with,” he mumbled, eyes blue fire.

  “Really?” she asked with a raised brow, and moved close enough that their toes were touching.

  He leaned down and kissed her. “Really.”

  With a shake of her head, she turned her back to him, then reached behind her and grabbed his hands. Placing them on her hips, she took a few steps forward, forcing him to go with her, until the space in front of them was a normal distance. Then she looked up at him over her shoulder. “You like your space, I like your space. So you keep me close, and I’ll worry about being near the person in front of me. Okay?”

  Despite himself, he smiled. “Whatever you say.”

  “I say,” she said, then turned to face forward.

  When they got up to the window, though he didn’t think she’d go for it, he bought two tickets for the horror that was playing. She only smiled at him, almost knowingly, and he was glad. Nothing, to his mind, was more fun than when a woman cuddled against you in fear. Because of that, Halloween was his favorite time of year to be single. Or, it used to be. They’d see this year.

  She didn’t disappoint. She jumped thirty seconds in, and stayed buried against his side for the next two hours, barely peeking out of the sides
of her eyes. He doubted she could have given even a partial rundown of the flick if asked.

  As they walked out, she shivered and made a loud ‘Blech!’ sound. “I hate scary movies.”

  Hoping that didn’t mean she hated the date so far, he said, “Then why did you agree to see it?”

  She gave him a patronizing look. “Please. I may not date as much as you, but I know the ‘Scary-movie-on-a-first-date’ ploy, and how important it is to guys.”

  He nearly denied it, but changed his mind. “If you’re aware of it, and it bothers you, why let me get away with it?”

  “I didn’t say it bothered me,” she said with a secret smile. “I said I hate scary movies. How can I be bothered when I get to be held and pressed against you in a dark theater?”

  Surprise lit his eyes. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Why do you think girls let guys get away with it, over and over? For most of us, it’s a turn-on that you want to protect us. Not that we need you to, mind, just that you want to.”

  How is it he didn’t already know of this female trickery? “Wow. You know, that’s damn clever of you, as a species. Take what we love and make it something you love so we’re all happy.”

  She chuckled. “Well, while I’m sure there are women out there who would like to take the credit, I’m sure it goes farther back. Like, all the way back, to cavemen. It’s instinctive.”

  He figured she was probably right, but still… “Still, damn clever.”

  She smiled and let him lead her the long way through the lot to his car.

  “What would you like to eat?”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Aren’t you supposed to take me somewhere expensive or flashy so I’ll know you have money, even if you don’t?”

  He slapped a hand to his chest. “Ouch! You really do pay attention.”

  She chuckled. “Vicki dated a lot of guys like you in college. I caught on.”

  Her words stung. “Guys like me?”

  She didn’t catch the ice under the words. “Yeah. Extremely good-looking, serial dater, won’t commit.” She lifted her eyes to his, saw him frowning darkly as he stared ahead. She paused at the back of his car. “Hey, don’t take offense. It’s just who you are. It’s okay. I won’t hold it against you.”