Page 18 of An Uphill Battle

“Yes,” I tell him, pulling his shirt over my head. “Yes.” And that’s all the confirmation he needs because in no time flat, his clothes are on the floor and I’m on myback.

Nestling himself between my thighs, Drake kisses his way from one collarbone to the other, and then up my neck, finally landing his mouth on mine. “You always feel so damn good,” he groans, rocking intome.

I swear to God, everything with him is better—heightened. Being with him feels like heaven and home and everything else good in this world. “Mmm, yes, always good with you,” I mewl as he works my body in the way only he knowshow.

“Feels good ’cause it’s us. ’Cause we’re meant to be—” I cut him off with a hard press of my lips, not wanting to hear whatever he has to saynext.

Drake’s a sweet-talker between the sheets, always full of proclamations of love and fate and then some, but once our clothes are back on, he never pushes formore.

He dives into my kiss, picking up our rhythm so that it matches the cadence of our hearts until I’m all but hanging by a thread, which snaps when I feel him release intome.

I feel Drake move off me, but I’m far too blissed out to do much about it. Nope, I just snuggle down and replay our romp in my mind, savoring all the best moments. Which is all of it. Because, like always, sex with Drake Collins is a damn-near religious experience. That man can just about make me hear the angelssing.

Once I hear the shower click on, I sit up and scan the room for my clothing. It’s my time to go, not that I have a way home. But before I can even leave the bed, Drake is there, pulling me up and to him. “C’mon, Bit, let’s get ourselves cleaned up,” he murmurs, guiding me toward thebathroom.

He pulls back the curtain, allowing me to enter first, and while the feeling of the warm water washing over me is glorious, it’s nothing compared to the feeling of Drake’s hot body crowding me frombehind.

Reaching past me, he grabs a bottle that looks an awful lot like my usual shampoo and squirts a quarter-sized amount into his hand. “Is thatmy—”

“Shh, just relax,” he says, lathering the shampoo into my hair, working his strong fingers into my scalp like apro.

“We should hire you to give shampoos at the salon,” I breatheout.

“This treatment is only for you, no one else.” I swoon at his flowery words, but I don’t buy into them. As easy as it’d be to melt into a puddle every time he sweet-talked me, I always let the words roll off my back. After all, this’ll never go further than what it is. It’ll never be more, and while it might be enough for now, it’s certainly not enough forforever.

“Just for me,huh?”

“Only you,” he tells me in a soft voice as he tips my head back under the spray of water to rinse the suds from my hair. He follows up with my favorite conditioner and scrubs me down with my favorite body wash, lingering in all the rightplaces.

I try to return the favor, but Drake stops me. “This was for you, Azalea, notme.”

“How’s that fair?” I counter, watching as he twists his bar of Irish Spring in his hands before running the green suds all over hisbody.

“Trust me, anytime my hands are on you—hell, anytime I’m with you—I’m content. Don’t you worry about what’s fair.” Drake guides me out from under the water to rinse himself before shutting off the tap. He steps out before me and wraps me in a fluffy, charcoal-colored towel. “Put my shirt back on and get in bed,” he tells me, his voice dipping to that yummy growl hedoes.

“You want me tostay?”

“Bit, I don’t ever want you to leave.” His tone sounds serious, but I laugh him off, because who wouldn’t want a live-in fuckbuddy?

After he straightens the rumpled covers, I climb into his bed, burrowing down into the soft sheets that smell like him. Drake switches off the light, and I feel the bed dip beside me. “Come closer,” he tells me, wrapping an arm around my middle, pulling me intohim.

We both drift off to sleep, his earlier words echoing through my head.I don’t ever want you to leave. If only he meant them the way I longedfor.

9

Drake

Azalea doesn’t always staythe night, but holy hell, I love it when she does. Waking up with her wrapped around me... there’s nothing better. It’s a glimpse into the future I’m desperately trying to make into areality.

“Mmm—what time is it?” she asks, her voice thick withsleep.

“Early, not even six.” Gently, I brush her hair off her face and out of her eyes. “Do you work today?” She shakes her head, burying it into my chest. “Good, then go back to sleep. I need to help my dad for a bit, and then we can spend the daytogether?”

As much as I want to tell, I ask, knowing that it needs to be her decision. Not to mention, every time she comes to me, it’s that muchsweeter.

“Sounds good,” she mumbles, already falling backasleep.

I linger in bed, knowing it’ll put me behind, but the feel of her pressed up against me, with her guard down and the peace of sleep softening her features... yeah, it’s worthit.

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