Page 19 of Not My Little Drummer Boy
“You get one and I’ll get the other,” Teddy says, seeing me dithering. My muddled feelings towards him seem to have also zapped my ability to be decisive. “We can share.”
He snatches up the red, and I go for the green. I sip at mine. It’s delicious, with a refreshing yet subtly sweet fruitiness. Teddy offers his, and I slurp it up through the straw. It’s like Christmas in a glass, the spicy whisky flooding my mouth with warmth.
Within an hour, with two of each cocktail under our belts, we’re both a little silly. Well, that’s my excuse for following Teddy when, halfway through a game of Christmas charades, he stands and tips his head at the door. No one else seems to notice. They’re all so engrossed in Ollie’s ridiculous attempts to mime a movie title. I’m sure it’sBad Santa,but I’m not going to say because the rule is if you guess, you have to take the next turn. Thanks to my competitive streak, I’ve already had to get up and perform three times. Not being in the room might be the only way to squash my need to beat the others.
Haley, who would usually act as my conscience, is literally rolling on the floor with laughter at her brother’s antics. Sam, the normally wary one, the voice of caution when it comes to men, is so enthralled with Ollie’s performance, she doesn’t even turn a disapproving scowl my way.
Teddy leads me down the hallway to the library room where we met this morning. Mere hours ago, I was all business going into that room. Now my mind is definitely on pleasure. A large key sits in the lock; Teddy jiggles it free and palms it. Once in the library, he closes the door behind us and turns the lock with a quiet clunk. I have a feeling his mind is on pleasure too. Cheeky, locking the door like he’s certain we’ll want privacy. Presumptuous, yes, but the smirk on his face as he pockets it sends heat skimming through me. My treacherous body thrills at the possibilities and forgives him on the spot.
He flops down onto a wide couch, the leather cushions exhaling softly under his weight. He pats the space beside him with an open palm.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m over charades.”
“Absolutely,” I sigh, wobbling on one leg as I attempt to fling off my shoes. One heel catches on the carpet, and I steady myself against a bookshelf. “Besides, I’m feeling a little dizzy. Those cocktails were strong.”
“Is that your excuse for joining a stranger in a locked room?” he teases. Teddy leans forward, elbows on his knees, eyes tracking my movements with an intensity that makes my skin warm.
“Stranger? I think I know you pretty well,” I grin, finally freeing my second shoe and kicking it aside. “And why we’re here.”
“You do, do you?” He extends his hand and pulls me onto the couch beside him. The cushion dips, sliding me closer to him than I’d anticipated. His fingers linger on my wrist for an extra beat before releasing.
“I think so.” I tuck one leg beneath me, turning to face him. Our knees touch. I like it way too much.
“I’m curious whatyouthink is happening here,” he says, voice dropping lower. He reaches up to brush a strand of hair from my face, his touch deliberate and unhurried, so unlike the restless Teddy I’ve already come to expect.
“You tell me.” I meet his gaze, pulse quickening beneath my skin.
He shifts back slightly. “I know you probably expect I lured you here to tear your clothes off—and I won’t lie—that thought is definitely on my mind.” His mouth slants up at one corner, in a crooked half-smile. “But before anything else happens, I’d still like to get to know you better.”
I resist the urge to scoff. Teddy’s reputation suggests remembering a woman’s name in the morning is enough to consider her a girlfriend. Fuck, if he actually knew her coffee order, he’d probably call it love. But there’s an earnestness in those liquid chocolate eyes.Despite my better judgment, I sweep aside all the evidence to the contrary—I think I might actually believe him.
Strangely, I want to believe him. My cynical heart still holds out hope there’s a man out there who wants to know all about me, and knowing me, chooses me above everyone else. That’s what my mother has. That’s what I thought I had—a man who respected my strengths and knew all my faults, yet still singled me out as his. That’s the sort of man I want.
I want someone who looks past the smart-mouthed girl who likes to dominate every conversation and the lawyer who never misses a beat. Someone who understands that the sight of a fox lying motionless on the roadside has me blinking back tears. Someone who knows that a daft scrap of Scots, at the right moment, will always make me laugh. Someone who knows me, who sees me, and who loves me for it.
This beautiful man looking at me now isn’t it—I doubt he has the capacity—but it can’t hurt to pretend for a while, can it?
“Okay,” I say, over a hiccup. “Counsel may now cross-examine the witness.”
The freckles dusted across his nose dance, and dimples pop in his velvety cheeks. I’d love to trail a finger along them, feel the smoothness of his skin, watch my touch ignite the heat that surely lies beneath that playful expression. His hair glows burnished copper in the lamplight. The untidy waves curling around his collar add to his boyishness.
“So businesslike, counsellor.” He leans into me, his nose almost brushing mine, the smell of cinnamon and whisky spicy sweet on his breath. “But this isn’t business, and that’s not how we’re going to do this. We’ll do a question each. Right?”
“You’re very bossy, drummer boy. Is that how you like it?”
His eyes darken, and it’s all I can do not to move that inch further and press my lips to his. The memory of their earlier warmth lingers, the feel of his mouth meeting my own, compliant and a little needy. We both enjoyed that kiss way too much. It’s why we’re here now.
“Oh no, you’re the bossy one. And I like that very much.”
“I’ll boss you all you, want, Teddy. Just say the word.” He ignores the invitation in my question and with voice low tosses out his own.
“I want to know about this guy who hurt you, Rachel?”
I jerk back, startled.
“What do you mean? ”
“Sam told me you’d been through a bad breakup. Just before she implied she’d use her bloody martial arts moves on me if I so much as looked at you the wrong way.”
