Drake's eyes washed over me, eating me up as if he was looking at me for the very first time. He moved forward, taking my head in his hands and kissing me before I realized what he was doing. His tongue pushed past my lips and into my mouth, and I tasted the liquor on him. His lips were warm and soft against mine, and I didn't pull back right away. I savored his lips for a moment before finally pushing him off me.
“Wait, no, I’ve never—” I trailed off.
“Fuck,” Drake said, his eyes growing wide at my near admission. He walked to the other side of the trailer giving me some space. He paced as best he could, running a hand through his hair. “I shouldn't have done that, Delia.”
“You're right, you shouldn't have,” I said. I stood tall and defiant, with my hands on my hips. I was not about to acknowledge that I kissed him back, even for a second. At least for now, it took the focus off what else had happened, my little awkward moment. My cheeks were still warm and red, but I managed to act composed somehow. Kudos to me. Maybe he was so drunk that he didn’t even realize that I’d done.
“I’m ready to go if you’re still driving. If not, I get it. I’ll catch a ride with Hank,” he said.
I nodded as I picked up my purse, making my way through the bus as he followed me. We walked back to my truck and got in, neither of us saying a word as I drove us back to his place. The car ride was completely silent, but this time it was awkward. It wasn’t angry like this morning, and it wasn’t tense like yesterday.
It was simply uncomfortable.
I pulled up into the driveway of his home, prepared to tell him I was leaving. I wasn’t planning on staying for the rest of the day.
“Umm. I think it’s best to call it a day.” I said.
“Not a problem. I’ll have Hank email you my itinerary,” Drake said. “You’re fine to go. I’ve only got a few more days before I’m back on the road, so spend your time packing.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. The man had just caught me pleasing myself at the thought of him, and he was acting as though nothing even happened. Maybe he really was too drunk to know what I’d done, although he seemed quite sober now in this very moment.
“I’ll keep an eye out for Hank’s email. In the meantime, if you need me, you can contact me through Hank.”
“I’ve got all your contact information,” he said.
“Then use it if you need it. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few days.”
I watched as Drake slid from my truck. He picked up his guitar and made his way to the house as I watched his ass flex in his jeans. I drew a deep breath and shook my head, trying to get the feeling of his lips off my own.
My mother always told me a woman’s first kiss was her most memorable.
As I stared at Drake’s ass one last time before he disappeared into his home, I knew she was right.
CHAPTER 9
Drake
Fuck me. I couldn’t hold myself back from kissing her. Not after what I’d just witnessed.
That was so fucking hot. I couldn’t hold back. She was just standing there, and she smelled so fucking good, her lips were practically begging to be kissed. I knew she was into me, crying out my name while she touched herself told me that. At least that's what the liquor had made me think.
I'd have taken her right then and there, but she was a virgin. She thought I didn’t hear her admit it but I did. Load and clear. The idea of taking her virginity, of being her first, scared the shit out of me. Sure, Shannon and I were both virgins when we got together, but that was different. We were each other's firsts.
It should be special, and me being wasted and coming onto her, knowing she was thinking about fucking me? Nah, that wouldn't have been special. Besides, people get attached to their first, and that's the last fucking thing I needed. I'd been in love once, and only once. All the other women came and went in my life. I'd fuck them, but only as a means to an end. It was purely physical, no emotions or feelings involved.
Being someone's first now was way too much for me.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Not one bit. The thought of her consumed me all damn weekend. I no longer trusted myself around her. Knowing how good her lips had tasted was going to make it rough. Thinking that she might be a virgin – hell that thought alone was making me hard. Damn. Delia was starting to consume more and more of my thoughts, and that wasn't a good thing.
I worked on the ranch, breaking sweats like never before just to keep my mind off her. Most communication was via phone calls and emails, but I redirected her to Hank as much as I could so I could get her voice out of my ear.
I couldn't fall for her. Nope. I needed to keep my distance. For her sake and mine. A guy like me would fucking destroy a sweet girl like that. She deserved better. She was different than all the groupies. They threw themselves at me. Delia was smart and fiery, sassy and strong. In many ways, she reminded me of Shannon, and that's what scared me the most.
I tossed around bales of hay like I was throwing sacks of feathers. I chased calves for the hell of it to try and erase her from my mind. I worked on the tractor with
Paul and even got started working on some of the other broken-down equipment I’d told him I would repair over the years.
I even rode every horse around over the course of the weekend.