Page 48 of An Uphill Battle

Once the conditioner is rinsed from my hair, I wrap myself in a fluffy white towel and set to work lotioning every inch of my skin with my peach brûlée lotion—the one I know drives Drakecrazy.

Two carefully crafted smoky eyes and one set of red lips later, my hair is next on the list. Dousing it with some texture foam, I flip my head and blow it out before taming my blonde strands into sleek waves with my curlbar.

Taking in my appearance in the bathroom mirror, I can’t help but smile. I look like pure sex, and damn if Drake Collins isn’t going to fall at myfeet.

I glance at my phone to check the time and notice I have two new texts, one from Myla Rose and one from Seraphine. Tapping in my passcode, I swipe up my message screen and read theirtexts.

Myla Rose:Az, please rethinkthis.

Not liking hers, I back out of it and pull upSeraphine’s.

Seraphine:You got this,girl!

I smile at her message before locking my phone and heading to my bedroom to get dressed. After all, my outfit may just be the most important part of the plan. Carefully, I slide on the red lace, side-tie panties before slipping into the matching front-snap bra. I cover my lingerie with a black trench coat and lower myself to the bed to put on my sky-high ruby-red heels. The ones Drake said my legs look a mile longin.

Feeling confident and bold, I secure my phone inside my clutch, grab my keys, and as I head down the stairs, I’m once again hit with a strong sense of déjà vu, but this time when I say, “Ready or not, Drake Collins, I’m coming for you!” I mean it in a way I didn’t before. This isn’t some adolescent crushanymore.

This is me, taking back myfuture.

26

Drake

“Jesus, it’s been a long day,”I mutter to myself as I wait for the leftovers Mama D sent me home to heat. It feels like everything that could’ve gone wrong on the farm todaydid.

Broken down tractor...check.

Two bags of fertilizer ripped open and spilled...check.

The fence we just built last month started showing signs of moisture rot in a post...check.

To say I’m over this day would be an understatement. Thank God tomorrow’s Christmas Eve—a day I know will be well spent with my parents. We have a longstanding tradition of cheesy Christmas flicks, a huge dinner, and then I stay the night. Might sound weird, what with me knocking on the door of twenty-five years old, but it’s something that makes my stepmom happy, and I’ll do what I can to keep a smile on her face as long as I’malive.

Someone knocks on my door just as the microwave dings. “Who in the hell?” Hitting thestopbutton on the micro, I make my way to the front door, shocked as shit to find Azalea on the otherside.

“Wh–what’re you doin’ here?” Iask.

“I was hopin’ we could talk.” Her voice is a seductive whisper, full of promises of sex and sin. And when she snakes her arms around my neck, that confirmsit.

Stuck in her web, I stare down at her, mesmerized by her cherry-red lips, missing the way they taste. As if she can read my mind, she bites down on her full, ripe lower lip before running the tip of her tongue along it, my eyesfollowing.

Without warning, she pulls back from me and places her hand on my chest, gently pushing me back from the door. “Aren’t you gonna invite mein?”

Struck dumb, I simply pivot to make room for her and nod. As she crosses the threshold, she begins untying the sash to her long coat, slowly unwrapping it from herself. I watch with rapt attention as it falls to the floor, leaving her in nothing more than a see-through red lace bra and matchingpanties.

I almost come undone right there—fully clothed, no less—when I realize her panties tie on the side.Lord, havemercy.

Boldly, she moves in on me, yet again wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her lithe body to mine, soft to all of my hard. My very,veryhard. “Drake,” she murmurs against my jaw, dragging her lips up it all the way to my ear where she whispers, “I know you feel the same way I do. We’re so good together, D.” My sluggish, lust-crazed brain struggles to catch up to everything happening. My body, especially the lower half, is screamingGo, go, go!but something isn’tright.

“I know you want this, Drake.” She nips at my earlobe before slowly trailing her tongue along the shell of my ear. “I know you wantme.”

It’s like a light bulb sparks in my brain. There it is. That’s what’s wrong. She still doesn’t fucking get it. Gently, I take hold of her wrists and remove her arms from around my neck and take a stepback.

“What’re you doing?” she asks, confusion marring hertone.

Silently, I bend to retrieve her coat. “Arms out,” I bark, my hard tone compelling her to comply immediately. I all but shove her arms into the sleeves before re-cinching the tie. “Get out of here, Azalea. Justgo.”

“What?” she asksincredulously.

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