Falling Into Drew (9 page)

That piqued Kate’s curiosity, but she’d save those questions for another time.

“There’s only one thing I want to do, something I’ve thought about for the past week.” He kissed her gently, tenderly until she sighed his name and he was lost, demanding entrance to her mouth as the kiss deepened. His lips moved to her neck, intoxicated by the scent of cinnamon and something uniquely Kate that he couldn’t identify. Finally, he leaned his forehead against hers. “You drive me crazy, Kate Porter. What are we going to do about this?”

Before she could respond, Liz and Charles cleared their throats loudly to announce their presence as they carried platters of steaming food to the table. Liz couldn’t resist teasing them. “Can you two keep your clothes on long enough to join us for dinner?”

Charles piled linguine coated with garlic and olive oil mixed with colorful vegetables onto his plate. “Anyone else want some of this primavera or is it all for me?” Liz gave him a playful swat and sat next to him. He twirled pasta onto his fork and fed it to her. “Mmmm,” she moaned. “I love a man who can cook.”

“Just one of my many talents, ma’am,” he said, in a way that made it very clear what talents he was talking about. He shifted in his seat trying to adjust his suddenly tight jeans without being observed.

“I shouldn’t have worried about how you and Charles would get along,” Kate said once they began to eat. “Look at what good friends you’ve become in only an hour.”

The two women exchanged a look. “A stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet, Big Daddy always said.”

Drew smirked, trying not to laugh and Charles sputtered, “Big Daddy? Isn’t he a character in a Tennessee Williams play?”

Liz nodded. “You know your literature, Mr. Morrison. Yes, Big Daddy is a character in
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
, but that’s also what we call my granddaddy. And grandma was Big Mama.” She squeezed his hand. “Don’t make fun of my Southern ways.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Charles said. “In fact, it’s charming.”

“Oh, man, you’ve got it bad,” teased Drew, surprised when his old friend didn’t deny it.

Charles smoothly changed the subject. “Although this dinner and the company is wonderful,” his glance went to Liz who lowered her lashes, “I think Kate expected this to be a working dinner. Am I right?”

Kate waved her hand as if shooing something unpleasant away. “That’s right, but this is so much better. Business should be confined to the office anyway.” She ate a final forkful of pasta and leaned back, her hand over her stomach. “I’m stuffed. Liz brought dessert, but maybe we should wait a while.”

Drew topped off everyone’s wine glasses and stood. “I have an announcement. Maybe it’s more of a proposal.”

Liz gasped. “Already? My heavens!”

“It’s not
that
kind of proposal,” Drew said with a sly grin, but his eyes went to Kate. “This has to do with the book she and Charles want me to write.”

“You don’t have to…” Kate began.

“Yes, I do. I’ve dragged this out too long and I appreciate your patience. I’m still not convinced that my life is interesting enough to fill a book, and I have no idea why you think I can write tens of thousands of words in a way that would make anyone want to read it.” He held his hand up to stop his agent and potential editor from speaking. “The only way I can do this, the only way I’ll agree to it, is if Kate writes it with me, not as my editor, but as co-author. You’re the only person who I trust to help me figure out what to say and how to say it. I’m not a writer and I’ve turned down enough deals for Charles to know I won’t be associated with something that will embarrass me.” He took a deep, settling breath, looked around the table and sat.

Four people drained the rest of their wine and it became quiet enough to hear the clock ticking on the wall. Charles was the first to recover. “Your idea is brilliant.” He turned to Kate with raised brows.

“I don’t know. It might work, but we’d need to figure out the logistics and — and this is a major
and
— I don’t know if my bosses will go along with it. I’d have to pass all my projects to someone else and take a leave of absence. That’s asking for a lot, Drew.”

“I don’t think so and if they want me, they’ll do it. Other celebrity memoirs have gone to auction and sold for millions. I want to be paid, but I don’t need that kind of money. They’re going to make a ton of cash off me, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t agree to my terms. Charles is one of the world’s best negotiators and I’m sure he can make the deal happen. Right, buddy?”

“Consider it done,” Charles said, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

Drew leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “We’ll have to do some traveling so that you can see the places that have meaning in my life. We might start in Ireland.”

“Ireland?” Kate and Liz said together.

“Yeah, Ireland. It’s where I spent the first eight years of my life and then almost every summer until I was eighteen. It’s also the country that let me represent it in the Olympics. That’s where I want to start.”

“I’ve been to England and Scotland, but never to Ireland,” Kate said with a far away look in her eyes and a dreamy look on her face.

“It’s beautiful, but you’ll see that for yourself,” Drew said and covered her hand with his.

The conversation continued through coffee and dessert until Liz announced, “I hate to break this party up, but I have an early call at the studio tomorrow so I’m off.” Before she could stand, Charles was on his feet sliding her chair back. “Why thank you, kind sir,” she said, but refrained from batting her eyelashes at him.

Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Charles. “My friend is an actress and when she’s channeling Scarlett O’Hara, it’s as if the Civil War hasn’t started yet.”

“Well then, Charles can be Rhett,” Liz replied and they all laughed.

“My car’s downstairs so I’ll see you home,” Charles said, helping her into her coat. It was a statement of fact, not a question.

“I’d like that,” Liz said, all traces of her Southern accent gone. When she hugged Kate, she whispered, “I like him.”

Charles turned to Drew. “Can I give you a lift?”

“Thanks, but I’ll stay to help Kate clean up. I’m a pretty good dishwasher.”

As soon as the door closed behind their friends, Drew leaned against it. “Come here,” he said, holding his arms toward Kate. A moment later there wasn’t an inch of space between their bodies, but before Drew allowed himself to kiss her he whispered, “I’m a thoughtless bastard for not calling, but I swear I wasn’t with anyone else. I don’t want anyone else. I only want you.”

There was nothing tentative in his kiss. It demanded entry to her mouth. Without hesitating, Kate parted her lips and their tongues met. He had one arm around her waist while his hand swept through her hair to cup the back of her head. His hold was intimate and fueled his desire.

Heat radiated throughout her body and she ground her hips into his, craving a deeper connection. He slid his hands down her back and pulled her against his throbbing erection while their mouths continued to consume each other. Breathless, he broke the kiss to growl one word — “bedroom.”

Their need had an urgency that was nothing like the slow seduction of their first night together. His eyes never left hers as they stripped in record time before tumbling to the bed, their legs entwined. She reached for his cock and he groaned. As her hand began to move, he hissed, “Stop or this will be over before we start.” She released him and ran her palms up and down his back enjoying how his muscles shifted every time he moved. He gently stroked her breast before drawing the nipple deep into his mouth and doing something with his teeth and the hot wetness of his tongue that made her squirm when the electric sensation zoomed to her sex. Kate writhed and moaned his name as he released the rigid tip and ran his fingers through her slick folds, zeroing in on one spot.

“So wet,” he whispered, the words fueling her arousal. She parted her legs to give him better access and he used her moisture to help his finger slide in lazy circles over the delicate bundle of nerves, gradually increasing the pace and pressure until she panted, “Yes, there, don’t stop.” Her hips arched, moving rhythmically until she shuddered and shouted his name.

The look of pleasure on her flushed face removed what little control he had left. Forgetting he wasn’t in his own bed, Drew reached toward the nightstand for his stash of condoms. “Fuck!” he shouted before looking at Kate and almost pleading, “Baby, do you have condoms?”

“No. I’m on the pill, but should I be worried about you?”

“I’m clean. I’ve only been with you since my last test.”

“Then stop talking and get inside me.”

Drew rested his weight on his elbows, cradled her face between his hands and gazed into her eyes. He had good reason not to leave birth control to his partner, but this was Kate. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d slap him with a paternity suit until a DNA test proved the claim to be bogus. She trusted him to be honest about being disease-free, so he owed her the same kind of trust. “You’re sure? If not, there are ways we can take care of each other…”

She shifted her hips to guide his cock to her entrance. “Does that answer your question?”

Her eyes mirrored the desire in his, but he willed himself to go slowly and rubbed his length back and forth through her heat until she panted, “Now, damn you!”

Without hesitation he plunged his thickness into her warmth and then almost withdrew before thrusting again, teasing her with the same movement over and over. When a bead of sweat dripped off his forehead and blended with hers, he licked the salty liquid off. The urge to taste her was overpowering, but to do that his cock would have to leave her snug sex, and his body was well past the point where that was even an option. The pressure grew and before he lost his mind and exploded, he positioned himself so that the friction between their bodies increased with each thrust. She grasped his ass and dug her nails into its muscular firmness to hold him there while his mouth continued to devour hers until breathlessly, they spiraled into the void.

“Wow. I thought the first time was good, but this, wow,” Kate mumbled almost to herself. Drew’s body rested atop hers, his face buried against her neck. He was breathing hard and his sweat soaked body was fused to hers, but she could never remember feeling so content. He slowly raised his head and planted a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose. “Wow, indeed.”

“You heard me?”

“I wasn’t unconscious, just semi-conscious. My ears worked.” He smiled at her and wound a strand of her hair around his finger, then wrapped his arms around her and rolled them onto their sides. “I was squashing you, but you feel so good that I don’t want to let go,” he said and yawned. “Sorry. You tired me out and now the jet lag has kicked in.” His eyes fluttered closed and a moment later he was asleep.

Kate stroked his face, still finding it hard to believe that this man was in her bed and acted as if there was more between them than amazing sex. She sighed and slowly disentangled herself, then edged toward the side of the bed intending to visit the bathroom. A strong arm reached for her. “Don’t leave me,” Drew mumbled, almost as a whimper. Alarmed, Kate turned to tell him she’d be back in a minute, but he was asleep, a frown on his face. Had he been dreaming? Was “Don’t leave me” even meant for her? He’d reached for her, hadn’t he, so of course it was. And where did he think she’d go? It was her apartment. She shook her head and made a quick visit to the bathroom. When she crawled into bed he instinctively wrapped his body around hers, his warmth and regular breathing the best sleeping pill ever, and she joined him in slumber.

The smell of coffee dragged Kate out of a sound sleep and she followed its aroma to the kitchen where she found Drew leaning against the counter spooning cereal into his mouth with one hand while the other scrolled through something on his phone.  All he wore were jeans unbuttoned to reveal the beginnings of his happy trail. She’d always laughed at the overused description, but with Drew it definitely pointed the way to paradise. His hair stuck out in various directions, his scruff was heavier, and the well-defined muscles on his arms and chest shifted each time he raised the spoon or his mug of coffee. The picture he presented was almost too much. He was too handsome, too masculine, too overpowering, too tempting, too dangerous. She could continue the list, but if she did she’d scare herself enough to never see him again and that was unacceptable.

He raised his eyes and smiled as she poured her own coffee. “Good morning. I hope you don’t mind that I helped myself,” he said. “Cheerios are my favorite, have been since I was a kid. I was famished for some reason this morning, so I’m already on my second bowl.” He leaned toward her and gave her a milky kiss. “Good morning,” he whispered against her mouth.

“You said that already,” Kate replied before pressing her lips against his again.

“Yes, but I didn’t say it right the first time.” He leaned back and grinned. “That’s the way to say good morning to the woman you woke up with.”

Kate downed her coffee quickly. “I have to get ready for work, but you’re welcome to hang out here.”

“I should head home, change clothes. Since you have to leave soon, I’ll shower at my place.” He finished his cereal and washed the bowl.

“I see your mom trained you well,” Kate commented and watched his posture stiffen. He didn’t answer right away and kept his back to her.