Page 20 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
My new life.
A sting accompanied the thought, but as she’d learned to do years ago with her mother, she buried the sadness that came with her leaving and told herself that whatever Drake did or didn’t do tonight should have no impact on her. She had a car and could drive herself to the darn bar. She just wouldn’t drink much.
She went inside and walked directly past the sealed boxes, into her bedroom. She showered, taking her time to meticulously apply Nair everywherejust in caseshe found someone worthy of distracting her from Drake. She dried her hair, then took extra care applying her makeup. If Drake wanted to shun her because it was too hard to face what they shouldn’t have, that was his business. She was going to celebrate her fantastic friendships and the start of something new.
She’d packed most of her nice clothes, but tonight she wasn’t looking fornice. She dressed in the white eyelet crop top she’d bought right after college, when she’d moved back to the Cape. She hated strapless bras, so decided to go without one, which turned out to be a good thing because, as she laced up the top, she noticed it was a little tighter now. She pulled on the matching miniskirt with a lace hem, leaving her midriff bare, and slipped her feet into a pair of cute strappy sandals. Then she checked her phone for messages, reading one from each of the girls telling her how excited they were to see her tonight—and tried to ignore the sting at not finding one from Drake.
Forget it.
She put on a pair of gold dangling earrings, a matching necklace, and a handful of bangles. Then she grabbed her keys and headed out to her car.
Chapter Six
DRAKE CLIMBED THE porch steps as the front door flew open and Serena barreled out. He stopped midstride. Her eyes were heavily lined, making the greens and browns stand out even more, and her hair had a just-been-taken look, a little wild andverysexy. It cascaded over her shoulders in natural waves. And holy cow, what was she wearing? Her shoulders were bare, and her top—if he could call it that—was only a few inches from top to bottom. It laced up the center, revealing not only a path of exquisite cleavage, but also her enticingly sexy belly, from hips to ribs. Her skirt stopped just above midthigh, with a tiny row of lace at the edge. His fingers curled with the itch to touch her.
“Drake?” she said with more than a hint of surprise. “I didn’t think you’d show up.”
He blinked several times to clear the lust from his brain, and when that didn’t work, he forced himself to step onto the porch. “Did you think I’d leave you hanging?”
She lowered her gaze and said, “You left early. I wasn’t sure…” The hurt in her voice was inescapable.
“Look at me, Serena.” He waited until he had her full attention, and then he said, “You were on the phone, and I had to run to P-town to get something, but at no time did I consider standing you up for tonight.” He pulled the jeweler’s bag from his pocket, hiding it in his hand, and said, “I missed out on bringing you to your prom, and I was going to bring you a corsage, but at our ages it seemed…” This sounded much better in his head. “That’s not true, Supergirl. Flowers die. That’s why I didn’t bring you a corsage. I wanted you to have a going-away present that would always be with you, something that would make you smile when things got tough.” He opened the little velvet bag and withdrew the wrap bracelet he’d had made just for her.
Her eyes bloomed wide. “Drake…?”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a little messed up lately.” He wound the long, braided gold and brown leather bracelet, which was accented with dozens of tiny diamond stars, around her wrist several times. As he hooked the clasp he said, “My partner in crime is leaving and I’m not really sure which way is up anymore.”
“This is…” Her eyes dampened as she gazed at the bracelet and then up at him. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“A beautiful woman deserves beautiful things.” He repositioned the bracelet so a circular gold charm rested in the center of her wrist. Then he withdrew the accessory chain from the bag and hooked it to the charm. “Spread your fingers, palm down.”
She did, her eyes darting up to his, and he imagined giving her all sorts of commands.
Holding her gaze, he tried to push away those thoughts as he pulled the chain down the center of the back of her hand and wound the end around her middle finger and then connected it just above her knuckle to the tiny heart-shaped clasp.
“Oh, Drake,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t understand. Why…?”
“I had it made for you so you always remember that everything is better under the stars. Is it comfortable? Too binding?”
Her eyes darkened, and she inhaled a sharp breath. “What? Um…No. Not at all.”
“Good. Then shall we go celebrate?” He offered her his arm, and she wrapped her hand around it, holding her other hand out to admire the bracelet.
Serena fidgeted with the bracelet the whole way to the bar. Her skimpy skirt rode distractingly high on her thighs, making it difficult for Drake to rein in his desires as he turned on to the main drag in Truro, a neighboring town to Wellfleet, and caught her stealing a glance at him. She turned away so quickly, he didn’t get a clear view of her face. He’d been fighting himself since he told her how he felt yesterday. He knew he was doing the right thing, but confessing his feelings for her and knowing she was leaving tomorrow had lit a wick that he felt burning down too fast. Every stolen glance, every breath she took in that barely there top felt like it came from his own lungs—and man, he wanted it to.
By the time they reached Undercover, she was nibbling on her lower lip, and that sexy innocence nearly made him detonate.
The lot was packed. He parked at the far end, beneath an umbrella of trees, and turned toward Serena. She was still staring straight ahead, her face a mask of apprehension, which tore at his gut. Was it him, or was it her leaving that was causing her distress?
He took her small hand in his and brushed his thumb over her warm skin, memorizing it to hold him over when she was gone. The gold chain sparkled against her sun-kissed skin. “Talk to me, Serena.”
She turned to face him with worry in her eyes. He gently pulled her across the seat, close enough that he could almost feel her racing pulse between them.
“Aw, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you nervous about leaving?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “And aboutthis.” Her gaze fell to the bracelet. “It’s gorgeous and sweet, but it’s alsoconfusing. What does it mean, Drake? On one hand I feel like you’re sending mixed messages by avoiding me all day and then giving me this…” She ran her finger over the chain on her hand. “But on the other hand, you don’t owe me an explanation about what you’re up to at work, and you’ve given me presents before. This should be no different. But knowing how you feel about me makes it different.”
He touched his forehead to hers and slid his hand to the nape of her neck, holding her there as he said, “I’m sorry. I told you I was messed up right now. I did avoid you today, but only because I can’t stop thinking about”—making you mine, kissing you, and loving you until you can’t remember why you wanted to leave in the first place—“things I shouldn’t.”
