“Well…” I hedged. “Maybe a little. But you’re a smart and sexy and oh, so very cool and controlled dork. The fact that you get a little clumsy when you’re nervous is a serious turn-on.”
“Really?”
“Yup. It makes you seem more real.”
“I didn’t seem real until I tripped over my skis?”
“Maybe ‘approachable’ is a better word. I’m the king of dorky jock moves, Drew. You’re out of my league, and we both know it.”
“That’s not true,” he protested.
“It is, but since you made me dinner and staged a butt plug scene, I’m feeling kinda hopeful.”
Drew guffawed. “You’re ridiculous. For the record, I didn’t stage anything. I just misjudged the sensation. There was no way I could have sat next to you with that thing in my ass.”
I glanced over at said thing on the coffee table. “It was hot, but…why wear it in the first place?”
He bit his bottom lip and sucked in a deep breath. “You want the truth?”
“Is it embarrassing? ’Cause you know I live for that shit,” I deadpanned.
“Then you’ll love this,” Drew chuckled. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
“Tell me more.” I tugged at his collar to beckon him close.
“Well, I don’t know what you told your friends about meeting me tonight. And I wasn’t sure how long you’d be able to stay, so I thought I’d speed things along.” He winced. “Now that I’ve said that aloud, I hear how lame that sounds.”
I smiled. “I think it’s sweet.”
Drew groaned. “Right. What did you tell your friends?”
“I told them I was having dinner with you.”
“That’s it?”
“No, I lied about…everything else.” I shook my head ruefully as I filled him in on my “dinner with a chef” story. “You said you wanted to keep this quiet, and…I kinda panicked.”
“Oh.”
I sat up and ran my fingers through his hair. “It turned out fine. There are a dozen people at the cabin tonight. They won’t notice that I’m not there.”
“Jade will.”
I inched back to gauge his expression before admitting, “I think she knows something.”
“About us? How?”
“Intuition? I don’t know. We’re friends. Even if she suspects something, she’ll keep it to herself.”
Drew set his thumb over my bottom lip. “It’s okay. We have a couple of hours tonight. We can even have tomorrow if you want. But that’s all. When we get home, we can’t…do this.”
I stared into his eyes for a long moment. I was tempted to state my case and stake a claim, but I sensed it was more important to show Drew how I felt rather than tell him. He wouldn’t believe me if I told him I’d had a crush on him for months or that being with him felt so…right and real. He’d think I was talking with my dick. I had to proceed cautiously if I wanted more.
“Tonight and tomorrow,” I repeated, kissing his neck.
“Can you spend the night?”
“Yeah. I bought an extra toothbrush at the market just in case you invited me.” I waggled my brows to make him laugh. “But you have to make it official. Ask me.”
Drew grinned. “Will you stay the night?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
We ate dinner in the living area in front of the fireplace. The flickering light from the embers cast a warm glow while the crackle of wood and soft jazz provided ambience. It was more romantic than any restaurant could have conjured. Lounging on either end of the sofa with our legs entwined after consuming a giant plate of pasta was preferable to being in a crowd. And nothing cracked the ice quite like unplanned pre-dinner sexy time.
Conversation flowed easily. We talked about our families, our friends, our jobs, people we admired, and places we wanted to see. And when we ran out of words, we spoke with our bodies, losing our clothes layer by layer. We came together with purpose and less frenzy, giving ourselves a chance to explore with soft kisses and roving hands. Then we banked the fire and retired to his room, bringing our supply of condoms and the bottle of lube with us.
And when I climbed between his thighs, I entered him slowly and with a reverence I’d never felt for anyone else. I held his gaze as I moved, caressing his face and licking his neck before capturing his mouth and rolling over him like thunder until we both fell apart, clutching each other close and gasping for air.
I fell asleep with Drew’s head on my chest and woke up with his legs tangled with mine. All I could think was that it felt…right. Like I’d found that elusive someone who made the fuzzy edges in life appear clear again. He was my clarity. I had a strong feeling he was supposed to be much more than that. But if we only had twenty-four hours, I was going to make the most of it.