Page 23 of An Uphill Battle

Shockingly,Drake let me have free rein of the remote all afternoon, and snuggling up to him while forcing him throughClueless, Bring It On,&Mean Girlswas pretty much amazing. Like, it’ll probably go down as one of my top ten memories with him. He didn’t complain, not even when I cheered along with all the cheers inBring ItOn.

“So, whatcha wanna do now?” I ask, peering up at Drake from beneath mylashes.

“I’m thinkin’ food. Man’s gotta eat, youknow?”

And right on cue, my stomach releases a loud rumble. “Yup, food it is. Wanna order apizza?”

“Nah, not for real. Let’s goout?”

“Out, like out-out? Liketogether?”

“Yes, Azalea,” he says with a pacifying smile. “Out to dinner, as intogether.”

“Oh. Umm...” I’m not even sure why I’m hesitating. It isn’t like we haven’t ever been out together, but somehow, this just seems more...intimate.“I don’t have anything towear!”

“I’ll take you to your car, and you can run home and get dressed. That’ll give me time to get ready too,” he tells me, but I remain seated next to him, unmoving. Drake unwraps himself from around me and stands, offering me a hand. “C’mon, Little Bit, let’s go. I’ll head over to pick you up in about anhour.”

“Like right now?” I ask, my brow quirked inchallenge.

“Yeah, right now.” His words are delivered with a devilish smirk and a hard smack to my ass, but just as he planned, it has me moving out thedoor.

After he drops me at my car, I rush home and make it there with forty minutes to spare. Just enough time for some dry shampoo and a touch of makeup before figuring out what to wear. “Woulda been easier if he’d said where we were going!” I grumble as I riffle through mycloset.

Settling on a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans tucked into chestnut riding boots and a chunky, oatmeal-colored fisherman’s sweater, I feel casual enough for a dive bar but nice enough for a sit-down restaurant. Plus, my ass looks killer in thesejeans.

Exactly an hour from the time Drake dropped me off, I hear the sound of my door knocker hitting against its plate. That man is nothing if not punctual. Which I guess is a goodthing.

Grabbing my purse, I race down the stairs and open the door, only to freeze at the sight of him. He’s standing tall in a burgundy-and-navy buffalo check plaid button-down and a pair of well-worn jeans that hug his thighs just right. He’s sporting a five-o’clock shadow, and sweet baby Jesus, my mouth iswatering.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen Drake dressed up plenty of times over the years, and at Myla Rose’s wedding, even nicer than this. But tonight, he’s dressed up for me.Only for me.I’m trying not to read into it, but a guy wouldn’t bother looking nice for his good-time girl, wouldhe?

Shaking my head, I shoulder past him without a word because this is the effect he has on me. A button-down shirt has me thinking he wants more than no-strings fun.Puh-lease.

“Hello there, Azalea,” he says, falling into step besideme.

“Mmm. Hi,” I reply, staring down at myfeet.

“Something wrong?” he asks, and even though I’m not looking at him, I can hear hissmile.

“Nope, not a thing.” He opens the passenger side door to this truck and helps me in. “Where’re you takin’me?”

He shuts the door without answering me, and swear to God, he somehow takes five minutes rounding the truck before opening his door and sliding behind the wheel. Still silent, he throws the gearshift into reverse and backs out of his parking spot in front of myapartment.

“Drake, hello? Did you hearme?”

“Yup, heard ya justfine.”

“Okay, then where are wegoing?”

“Calm your tits, Little Bit. It’s asurprise.”

“I hate surprises,Drake.”

He moves his hand from the gear shifter to my thigh, squeezing it gently. “Not thisone.”

With a resigned huff, I settle back into the cracked leather passenger seat. “Fine, whatever. But if you’re wrong, I won’t hesitate to say, ‘I told youso.’”

“Okay, Bit, if I’m wrong and you hate it, you go right on ahead. Don’t hold back,” he tells me, his hand briefly leaving my thigh to switch on the radio. We both sit quietly for the remainder of the drive, with me obsessing over our destination and him humming along with the songs filtering through thespeakers.

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