"I'm not hungry."
"It's almost eight. Don't make me drag you."
"You can't drag me. I'm too heavy."
He laughs. "You want to bet?"
My cheeks flush. Thank God he can't see them. I clear my throat. "No."
"You asked for this, Kendrick."
That flutter in my belly goes turbo. I'm melting over him calling me by my last name. I'm hopeless.
He leans over. His arms slide around my back. One slides all the way under my ass. It hooks around my thigh. I can feel the heat of his touch, even through my jeans.
His hand is so, so close.
Too close.
He lifts me from the chair with barely a grunt. He holds me against his chest like I'm a damsel in distress. There's no sign of tension on his face. He's not even strained.
Drew's lips curl into a smile and he tosses me on the bed. I land with the tiniest impact. He flops next to me. Right next to me.
"I bet you're still ticklish," he says.
Okay. Blush in full effect. Drew is trying to kill me. There is no other possible explanation.
I shake my head.
His smile widens. "You have two choices: tell me or suffer."
I shake my head again.
His eyes pass over my body. His hands hover over my stomach. Closer. Closer. Closer.
He tickles me. Oh God. Laughter rises from my belly to my throat. I kick my legs to contain the sensation. He was right. I am still ticklish. I'm unbearably ticklish.
Drew slides his hand under the edge of my top so it's on the skin of my stomach. I can't do anything to contain the sensation. I kick and thrash and laugh until I can't take it anymore.
"Okay, okay. Mercy."
He doesn't relent. "Not until you admit you were upset."
"Okay, okay. I was upset."
He only tickles me harder. "And you admit why."
"Oh, God, stop."
I'm laughing so hard my stomach is aching and my cheeks are sore. I kick at his legs. I claw at his arms. He grabs one of my hands and pushes it over my head.
"Okay!" I scream. "It's Nadeen." A laugh escapes my throat. "She asked me to move out."
Everything in Drew's mood shifts. The happiness drains from his face. He's not having fun anymore. "Asked?"
I swallow hard. "I'll be okay. I'll find another place to live. It's not like Nadeen is a particularly good roommate." I shift toward the other edge of the bed. "I just have to find the time between class and my internship."
"Fuck that." He grabs my shoulder and turns me so we're face to face. "You're moving in with me."