I'm Holding On (14 page)

Drew

I’m trying to psych myself into a better mood as I drive to Bryn’s. After hours of thinking last night, I decided that I have to keep it together if I want to be with her. I’m going to show her today that I can still enjoy our time together. I’ll lose her as a friend, too, if I don’t.

Damn, she’s wearing the tiniest, denim shorts with a white tank top. Summertime is brutal around Brynlee, seeing more of her skin. I’ll never forget that first summer when she’d show up at the bakery in little shorts and tops.

With h
er apron on, it would appear there was nothing behind it. I’d imagine pulling the strings and taking it off her naked body.

“Hi,” she says with a kiss on the cheek.

I slide my hand behind her neck and pull her to me before I give her a hard kiss. She gives it back with the same intensity, and I feel her hand slide over my thigh. It’s going to be an awesome day.

“Wow,” she says when I let her lips go.

I lean my forehead against hers and run my thumb across her bottom lip. “I’m sorry about yesterday, and I’ve missed you,” I say.

“I missed you, too.”

I sit back up and pull out onto the street. When I peer over, she’s blushing, and I can’t help but smile with satisfaction. Bryn talks about work until we get to the nursing home.

“Hi, Gram.
What’s wrong?” Bryn asks since her grandmother is in bed.

“Hi, dear. I’m not feeling
well today.”

“I see that. You’re usually up and dressed. Did you eat lunch?”

“No, precious. I don’t feel like eating today.”

I sit in a chair and let them have thei
r space. I hate when Gram is feeling bad. It weighs on Bryn.

“I’m going to go talk to the nurse,” she says before leaving the room.

“I’m glad to see you here with my little girl.” Her voice is weak, and her eyes are not as bright today.

“
I don’t miss a chance to see you.”

“She’s going to need you even more once I’m gone.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Gram. Where do you think Bryn gets her toughness from?”

She gives me a faint smile. “Don’t get old. It stinks, an
d I mean it. Please take care of her, Drew.” She looks at me very serious.

“I’ll be there for B
rynlee as long as she lets me.”

She smiles again as Bryn comes back into the room.

“Gram, they’re going to bring you some fluids and something light to eat. Please drink a lot for me, OK?”

“Yes, dear.” Bryn pulls her grandmot
her’s hand up and places Gram’s palm against her cheek. Shit, something’s wrong. I know that look, and Bryn’s holding back tears. After twenty minutes or so of visiting, she glances my way and then back to her grandmother.

“We’re going to go
so you can rest. The nurse says you need it. I love you, Gram.”

“I love you, dear. You’ll always be my precious. You take care of that man over there. He needs you as much as you need him.”

That did it. Tears start running down Bryn’s cheeks. She lays Gram’s hand on the bed and signals at me for us to leave.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Bryn rests her elbow on the window seal of the car door and bites on one of her fingernails from that hand. She stares out the side window. If she looks at me, she’ll cry. I know all her little habits as much as she knows mine.

“
Gram has a severe urinary tract infection. She hasn’t been responding to the antibiotics. They said it’s serious at her age.”

I take her hand and lace our fingers
.

“I’m sorry.”

“Let’s go. I’m going to cry if we talk about it, and I feel as if that’s all I do anymore.” She drops her elbow from the door and turns to me. “I want us to have a fun day together.”

I get a lot of my strength from the support of m
y family. I don’t know where Bryn pulls hers from. I like to think I help a little.

“Sugar, what do you want to do today?”

She grins at me. “You’re not old enough to be my sugar daddy.”

“Good thing. I’d like
my dick to work if I ever get to use it on you.”

“Drew! I can’t believe you just said that.”
I begin laughing loudly as she gawks at me with huge eyes. “What do you mean ‘use it on me’? What’s your plan … to slap me with it?”

Now she’s giggling. We both laugh
until our eyes are watery. I finally get it together enough to speak. “Do you want to go to Multnomah Falls? I want to remedy the unspeakable fact that you haven’t been there. We can hike to the top.”

“
I’d like that,” she says enthusiastically. “I’ve hardly had time to run lately, so a hike would be good.”

She looks in deep thought
on the way.

“Are you OK over there?” I ask.

“I want to talk to you about a couple of things. First, I’ve decided that we need to have restraint on the affection we show each other. I’m telling Ian the same thing.”

I sigh loudly. That’s disappointing
, except for the Ian part.

“
The guilt of dating both of you at the same time is bad enough, but seeing the hurt on your face yesterday, when you knew I’d stayed over at Ian’s, broke my heart and made me feel even worse. So, besides holding hands, hugging and kissing, we need to hold off.”

“OK. I understand. What else?”

“I want to ask you something since you said I could talk to you about Ian, but I don’t want to mess up our day.”

I take in a long
breath. The last thing I want to do is talk about him, but I’m her friend first.

“I told you it was OK. What is it?”

“He wants me to meet his family.”

“Already?”

“That’s what I thought, but then he made a good point. I know your parents. He feels I should see what I think of his before I make a decision.”

“I guess that makes sense. He really cares about
you. As far as I know, he’s never taken a girl home.”

“What are they like?”

“They’re not like us, Bryn, but as long as they give you a chance, then they’ll fall in love with you like everyone else.”

“Not everyone feels that way about me, Drew. I’m not perfect, and I know I’m nothing like them.”

“Look, just know that if for some reason they make you feel inadequate, it has nothing to do with you. None of them have had to struggle. They work hard, but they can’t relate to those who don’t have their kind of wealth.

“I haven’t seen them in a long time, so maybe things have changed. You’ll be fine, Brynlee. What matters is how Ian treats you. He’s obviously proud of who you are if he’s taking you there.”

“I’m nervous to go.”

I don’t say anything else. I’m pretty confident of how s
he’s going to feel, and I don’t want her getting hurt, but I can’t interfere. She’s quiet but holds my hand until we get to the falls, which are located in the Columbia River Gorge about forty minutes from Portland.

You can take a small hike and view the falls from a bridge, and you can also take about a mile
hike to the top. The highest fall plummets 542 feet and the lowest, 69 feet. I’ll hike as many miles as Bryn wants if I can continue to stay behind her. I get to gape at her shapely ass and legs.

We stand on the
forty-five foot long, arched footbridge and watch the falls and a smaller one that runs below us. I wrap my arms around her from behind and pull her close.

“It’s so beautiful, Drew.”

“It is, but I see something more beautiful every day.” I kiss her neck.

“Thank you, but this is really amazing.”

“You must think so,” I say, chuckling. “The hair on your arms is standing up.”

“That’s from you touching me, Drew.”

I hug her tighter, loving her a little more.

Brynlee

This moment feels perfect.
Drew’s holding me, and I’m staring at this natural beauty, feeling the mist of the falls against my cheeks. The terrain that surrounds us pops with different shades of green as thick moss feeds from the falls, gracing the landscape.

Then there’s the grey and tans from the rocky hillside along with the white from the falls that stands out even
more from the green that neighbors it.

“
It’s the loveliest sound.” I lean back against Drew and close my eyes. I know there are a ton of people around, but it’s as if no one’s here but us. His heart is beating hard against my back. “Are you OK?” I ask.

“I’m perfect, Bryn, like every other time I’m this close to you.”
I turn around in his arms and hug him, feeling his rumbling heart against me. When I lift up, he frames my face and gives me a soft kiss, causing the butterflies to stir.

After we hike to the top of the trail an
d admire the view from there, we decide to leave and get lunch, but first Drew pulls me by the hand to the gift shop in the lodge.

“It’s endearing
how you want to buy a souvenir everywhere we go.” He doesn’t respond as we make our way inside. He grabs a brochure and a postcard.

“I would like a postcard,” I say.

His eyes light up. “You would?”

“Yes.
It’ll be nice to look at it on the fridge and reminisce about today.” He gives me a broad grin before we pay and make our way outside. “Drew, it’s pouring.” We’re standing under a covered awning.

“The car is parked pretty far away
. I’ll go get it and pick you up here.” He shoves the small bag from the gift shop under the front of his shirt and into his shorts a little.

“
We’re already kind of wet from the falls. I haven’t played in the rain in a long time.” I grin up at him.

“You realize it will be more like you swam in the falls by the time we get to the car.”

“Then why don’t I go get it and pick you up? I’d hate for you to get that stylish head of hair wet,” I say.

“A
re you making fun of me?”

I hav
e to giggle. A dozen or so people are now gathered around us and appear to have no intentions of braving the rain.

“D
on’t say I didn’t warn you, sugar.”

“Oh no,” I say quietly.

“What?”

“E
very time you call me that, I’m going to think about what you said earlier in the car. You know, about your
thing
still working.”

He gives me a devilish grin.

“What thing is that, Bryn?”

“That thin
g I asked if you’d slap me with.” I pinch his nipple and twist it before he grabs my hand and drags me into the rain, running and pulling me behind him.

I’ll show him. I beg
in slowing down, our arms stretching farther out from each other. When Drew’s forced to stop, he turns and looks at me. Shaking his head, he shows a serious expression like I’m soon going to be in a lot of trouble.

That’s hot.
I give him a mischievous grin. We walk the rest of the way to the car that’s parked at the very back of the lot. No one is around due to the rain. He opens the door and backs away, so I can get in, and that’s when I see his eyes flash to my top.

I had forgot
ten about the white tank I’m wearing. It has a thin, built in bra, so when I glance down, I see my nipples at full attention as my shirt clings to my skin. I slowly raise my eyes to his.

He pushes the do
or closed and shoves me against the side of the car. His mouth is on mine, plundering while his hands are raiding my tank top. He’s already breaching my new rule, and I’m struggling to care.

I feel his erection against m
e as his tongue ravishes mine. The dismal clouds have opened wide, saturating us, but no amount of rain can extinguish the passion inundating us.

I pull my lips away. “Drew.”

“No, Bryn. Don’t say it.” His forehead rests against mine, rubbing back and forth. “Don’t tell me I have to stop.” His voice is pleading, his breathing choppy.

His desperation tugs at my heart, so I grab his face and plunge my tongue back into his mouth.
Cool water pelts my skin hard, every drop like the stings of pleasure I feel ricocheting throughout my needy body as his fingers work over my nipples.

A
chunk of my soaked hair is grabbed and my mouth is probed harder, our tongues on a collision course until I can’t breathe. I pull away, panting for air.

H
e’s looking at me with an urgent craving I’ve never seen from Drew, but he finally lets me go. Once we’re both inside the car, I turn to him.

“I for
got all about the seats. I’m sorry,” I say.

“
It was worth it, but I can’t take you to lunch like this and you’re cold.” Water is running down our faces, and I’m beginning to freeze. I stick my hands between my legs to warm them.

Desire is returning in his gaze, so
I turn away. I feel bashful when we share heated moments. I’m used to being around kind and considerate Drew, not “give me the green light, and I’ll rip off all of your clothes and slap you with my dick” Drew.

I bus
t out laughing. I laugh so hard, and I can’t stop. He’s driving and keeps glancing at me. No matter how hard I try to quell the giggling, it’s impossible.

“Are you going to tell me what’s so funny?”

“No, I can’t. I could never say it aloud.” I wipe the tears that might be rain water still dripping down my face.

“You’re a sight, you know that?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“You look sexy as hell with your soaked,
long hair and clothes, legs slick from the rain, but then you’re so damn cute over there giggling. I bet you’re laughing at me though.”

“It’s nothing bad. I was just
thinking of what we joked about earlier.” I stare out the window. My stomach is doing flip flops from how turned on I am.

“I guess I have to take you home, so you can get a warm shower and change.”

I can’t bring myself to look at him.

“Or
I could throw my clothes in the dryer at your house and shower there.”

“Or
you could throw your clothes in the dryer at my house and shower there.”

H
e’s giving me that devilish grin once again. By the time we get to the house, I’m shivering.

“Your lips are blue,” he says with concern as he shuts his apartment door behind me.

We both slip off our tennis shoes and socks, and the second I raise back up, I’m being pushed against the door. His tongue thrusts into my mouth and his hands go right to my chest. He kneads my breasts as he kisses on my neck, and I’m losing control all over again. What’s gotten into him?

“Drew.”

“Brynlee.”

“
We talked about this earlier today. I don’t think we should do this.”

“You don’t think, or you don’t want to?” he asks
as he kisses down my neck and along my collar bone.

“I don’t think.”

“Then we’re doing this. I can finally touch you, Bryn, so I’m going to do it every chance I get.” His tongue circles my ear. “Let me make you feel good,” he whispers. Taking hold of my tank top, he pulls it over my head. These men are relentless. I take his t-shirt and do the same.

After unhooking
my bra, he slides it off of me and tosses it to the floor. I unbutton my shorts and start to pull them off, but they’re stuck to me. Drew reaches over and yanks them until they’re down, my panties going with them.

He hurries and finishes undressing before he takes all our clothes to the dryer.

My hands are clasped in front of me as I shiver, standing bare ass naked at his door. He comes stalking toward me, all of his glorious, fit body on display, and even though he’s cold, his erection is not.

I still can’t believe I’m seeing Drew naked. It’s something I’ve fantasized about a thousand times.

“Take a shower with me, Brynlee.” He moves some wet strands of hair out of my face. I can’t say no to him as his lust filled, sapphire eyes speak to me.

“
You’re trampling my new rule.”

“You want me to, and you know it.”

“OK.”

He gets the water ready before we both get in. We’re soaked again, but this time I’m warm. I’ve entered the lion’s den yet again.