Page 26 of The Stolen Dagger
“Where do you think you’re goin’?” Drew asked, his voice a little raspy.
Succumbing to the sinful combination of his touch mixed with his gravelly voice, I laid back beside him.
Drew hummed, causing my body to heat and tingle all over at the sound. “I’ve missed having you in my arms, darlin’.”
I missed him, too, but I couldn’t admit that to him now, could I?
Even though I had trusted Drew enough to tell him about Adrian, there was still a part of me that wanted to keep him away from it all. I still wanted to protect him as much as I could. That was why I hesitated in admitting my feelings.
But lying here next to him, in his bed, I wasn’t sure how long I could hold on to those feelings before they spilled out of me.
We continued to stare at one another as we laid on our sides. I was desperate to know what he was thinking when he smiled again. I didn’t have to wait long as he reached a hand up to brush my hair behind my ear.
“You’re so beautiful,” Drew whispered.
His gaze flickered from my eyes to my lips as I slowly leaned closer. My mouth parted in anticipation. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him right now.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked against my lips. It was the softest, barely there brush of his lips against mine, but it ignited something desperate in me.
“Please.” I couldn’t help the word from slipping out.
I wanted to kiss him more than was rational. I couldn’tstop myself. I couldn’t deny this frantic need to have him closer.
Drew closed the distance and pressed his lips to mine in a gentle caress. It was slow and sensual, and I was eager for more.
His hand ghosted up my arm and settled on my cheek as he kissed me. My heart practically skipped a beat when he tilted my jaw and deepened the kiss.
But as soon as his tongue brushed against mine, a blaring alarm sounded and forced us apart.
Drew sighed and reached behind him. The alarm stopped.
When he looked back at me, the moment had passed.
“I should probably get ready for class,” I whispered.
He nodded and ran a hand through his messy hair. “As much as I’d rather stay in bed with you and ignore the world, I should get ready for work, too.”
As soon as Drew got up and walked out of sight, the elation I’d felt moments ago vanished, and all of those dark thoughts of my reality came rushing back in.
Adrian found me. He was coming for me. He wanted something from me. Something I didn’t have. Something he had killed for.
I could practically feel the muscles in my back, shoulders, and neck tighten as I shifted and stood from Drew’s bed. I took a deep breath and calmed my racing heart. Its beat had only increased with every bad thought.
Stop,I told myself.
Drew said to pretend everything was normal, and that was exactly what I would do.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t also find some answers of my own about that night.
After I changedinto the pair of jeans and top I had packed the night before, I stepped out of the bedroom and into the open-concept living room to the kitchen where Drew stood with his back to me making coffee.
He was in his dark blue uniform, and his hair was a little messy, but it somehow looked better that way. Drew must have heard me approach because he turned right then with a smile that lit up his entire face.
Cue the swoon.
“Good mornin’,” Drew said all too cheery. “You’re just in time.”
I mumbled a reply before he set a plate down on the white-marbled counter between us.
