No Bunny But You (Holiday Romance Series) (7 page)

Her six months of dating Drake, though, things had
gotten pretty steamy.

She knew now that it had freaked her little sixteen
year-old heart out. Dating the high school quarterback had been a
way of not dealing with everything between her and Drake. In some
ways, she wished she could slip out of these feelings as easily
now. Why had she fallen for the one guy who’d already moved on?

That kiss just now wasn’t because he loved her—well,
he had been trying to comfort her, she supposed. But what should
have been a tender salute had shifted to a hungry, horny
interchange. But he didn’t love her.

He’d just picked up her longing and run with it, like
any guy would.

Only she didn’t just want his
any guy
action.
She wanted all of Drake, heart and loins. Or she wanted none.

* * *

“Drake!”

Sitting at his desk, he shifted the phone in his
hand. “Levi?”

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you doing, buddy?”

Before leaning back in his desk chair, Drake moused
over to save the file he’d been working on. “I’m okay, I suppose.
How are you and that new wife doing?”

His friend laughed. “Holly and I are terrific. She’s
doing documentaries to save the world and I’m still focusing on
making filthy lucre. I hear you’re writing some sort of home repair
blog?”

“Home improvement. You know, how to rehab your
kitchen, fix up your garage so your Porsche isn’t unhappy in it and
things you need to know about fixing your roof. Things like that.
Why? Your Porsche unhappy?”

“Ferrari,” Levi corrected. “And last time I checked
it was very content.”

“Glad to hear that.” Drake laughed. He wouldn’t want
Levi’s life, but it had some great perks. “You always were a lucky
son-of-a-bitch.”

“Hey,” Levi protested. “Luck didn’t get me that car.
Hard work did. Of course, that resume you wrote for me after
graduation helped. Landed me an internship at a law firm and
pointed me toward law school.”

“I know, I know. You went from there to law school to
the big time. And now you have a lovely wife who soothes your
fevered brow.”

“She does that and a bunch of other things. Finding a
partner has some definite advantages.” his college friend said,
satisfaction in his voice. “Holly’s great. I’m a lucky man.”

“Yeah, I hear having a life partner can be a good
thing,” Drake admitted, thinking of Molly. “Listen, is there any
way an employer can make a writer do a television show?”

“No.” There was a tremor of human in his friend’s
voice. “But I can think of quite a few writers who would kill for
the chance. Why? Has your boss asked you to be a television
star?”

Drake looked out his office window. “Something like
that. I mean, he’s insisting I shoot some test spots.”

“Well, if you don’t want to be on television, just
screw them up. Not too obviously, though. Be wooden. Not your
charming self.”

“Funny,” he told his college friend. “I’ll probably
be pretty bad at this, anyway. Particularly since I’m not handy and
I’ve never done home repairs.”

Levi laughed. “Then you have nothing to worry about,
unless the producers think the rest of us might see ourselves in
your ineptitude. It could make you a big star.”

* * *

Later that day, Drake’s hand hovered over his phone.
He picked it up and scrolled through the Contacts until he reached
Molly’s name.

He’d sat there writing the blog—which had to be
turned in by midnight tonight—and the feel of Molly’s lips under
his kept coming back to him.

Kissing her had left him aching and he couldn’t stop
wondering how good it could have gotten if they hadn’t stopped.
Hell, maybe he should have tried harder to date her after she broke
up with him for the high school quarterback.

When she picked up the phone now, he said without
preamble, “I need another blog lesson. Got a project I can help you
with?”

Molly took a moment to respond. “What do you
mean?”

“The blog posts. I need material and you said you’d
give me some educational tips.” God, she could give him tips
anytime. He wondered if he could come up with a project that had to
be done in swimsuits? Naked was too much to hope for.

Besides, he just wanted to mess with her, tease her.
He’d been working at his desk all afternoon and he wanted to relax.
Somehow that was when his thoughts always turned to Molly.

“I’m kind of busy now, getting ready for the Easter
Picnic.” She didn’t sound like herself and seemed anything, but
eager.

He should probably just back off, but that kiss had
been really good. Drake wasn’t too proud to play the pity-card.
“Okay, but you did say you’d help me get to where I can handle the
blog projects by myself.”

Again, she let several beats pass before responding.
“I don’t have any home improvement projects going now, what with
being focused on this picnic.”

“Well, you have anything there that I could help
build or fix…or anything?”

“Sure, I guess,” she relented. “Let me think, umm, I
wanted to build a gazebo in the city park where the picnic will
take place. You know, for the kids to use for an Easter basket
building station.”

“Great. Sounds terrific. When should I be there? With
my work clothes on,” he assured her, not worrying that he sounded
too eager. With most women, dating called for a certain amount of
coolness, but playing games with Molly made no sense.

“This may be too big a project for a five minute
spot.”

Drake thought fast. “From what Mike said, I can do
bigger projects. They’ll film all stages of it and then edit it
down to fit the time slot.”

He added, “I’ll even bring my shiny new hammer? Need
any nails?”

There was a hint of laughter in her voice. “Actually,
no. We’ll use the screw gun mostly and a nail gun for the bigger
pieces.”

“Sounds good. I’m tired of plumbing,” even if the
faucet in his kitchen still dripped, “and don’t even talk to me
about urethane.”

She laughed out-right then, which he’d hoped for.

“By the way, I know we still need to fix your bedroom
floor. I’m assuming you got my pants up?”

“Yes, I did.” She still sounded amused. “Although I
had several friends who really like the
man’s-trousers-glued-to-the-floor-next-to-the-bed thing and
actually suggested I do the same for them.”

“No need to thank me,” he said modestly. “Just glad
my embarrassment had good repercussions for you. Brought you some
business, too, if you install a few pair of men’s pants on their
floors.”

“Yeah. I’m too busy for that right now. Have you
thought about what you’re going to submit to the television
program?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” He leaned back in his
desk chair, realizing he liked processing things with Molly. Even
about boring work stuff. What had seemed so natural for years, now
felt wonky. First she’d blackmailed/threatened him about not
helping with the blog and then the kiss….

Damn that was some kiss.

Drake cleared his throat, saying, “Despite the fact
that the floor had a sad ending, I think I might use that as a
potential segment. Also the toilet thing. I mean, everyone has
toilet issues now and again. Might be a simple project for some,
but it could be good.”

“I agree. What else are you going to suggest? They
wanted three, didn’t they?”

“Yeah. Hey, maybe I could use the gazebo thing?
That’s kind of showy. Nice change from the toilet piece.” He stared
into the space above his screen. Maybe he shouldn’t chase after
Molly this way. Sex complicated friendships…. But hell, he wanted
to have sex with her.

Still, she’d been his best friend for years. He
didn’t want to lose that either.

“Be at Comstock Park at ten, if you want to help.”
Her words were crisp.

“Okay, boss. I can be your bitch.” Drake couldn’t
help teasing her a little.

“Excuse me?”

“Just tell me where to do it, how to do it and how
hard.” He let some innuendo leak into his words.

“I’m going to slap you, if you don’t start acting
normal,” she said tartly. “I was upset the other day after the
Spider Man thing. It’s not something that happens often.”

“If that’s what it takes, I hope you get upset
more.”

“Do you want to help with the gazebo or not?” She
said flatly.

“Yes, please.”

“Then be there at ten o’clock.”

* * *

“Hand me that post.” Molly shifted on the ladder,
turning toward Drake.

They’d started so early the sun was just rising over
the tops of the trees, rustling with birds despite the crisp
morning air. She could see why the Austin Women’s League liked
keeping the private garden. Secluded off from the road, it was
perfect for parties like the Easter Picnic and the League members
could bring their families.

“This one?”

“Yes. That one.” She couldn’t help it. Every time she
looked at him, she remembered his brand of comfort and felt itchy
and unsettled. This gazebo-building had turned from a simple
project to something much more involved. It didn’t help that he’d
showed up this morning, cheerful and offering Starbucks.

“Here.” He stepped up on the ladder behind her,
balancing the heavy post.

Molly closed her eyes, trying not to absorb his
warmth, acutely aware of the length of his toned body pressed up
against her backside. “Umm. I’ve got it now.”

For a moment, Molly wrestled with herself. The garden
was private and only the sounds of nature intruded. She and Drake
could do bad things here and no one would know.

Sanity returned and she turned her head to glance
back at him. If he didn’t step back, she might just whip around and
grab him right here on the damned ladder.

Not the best place for a raunchy tryst…particularly
here in a semi-public garden.

Stepping back, he stared up with an expression of
doubt at the two posts they’d already installed. “Are you sure this
is going to be a gazebo?”

“Yes, I’m sure. After we install a floor this
afternoon, get the roof supports in and start adding the lattice
pieces on the sides, it’ll be great. We’ll let this set in a
fast-setting concrete while we build the other pieces so we can put
it together like a puzzle.”

Looking down at the ground, Molly thumped the post
into the hole again. Who’d have thought Drake Compton would look so
hot in workman attire? Since she’d first noticed him in high
school, she’d known he was good looking, of course, but seeing him
now in casual jeans and a work shirt left her swallowing hard. Damn
him.

He kept smiling meaningfully at her, too. Probably
that and the moments he was finding to get some full body contact
were the results of that kiss they’d shared. Around them, the air
warmed with the brisk day and she could hear squirrels scampering
at the tops of the trees.

Molly felt her teeth clench and forced herself to
take a deep breath. If she thought offering him sex would
significantly further her chance of a relationship with Drake,
she’d have eagerly done so. Shown up at his apartment, naked under
a trench coat, as Abby suggested. Heck, she’d dreamed too damn
often of their sharing intimate moments. But she’d been around him
for the last ten years. Like most men, the sex thing didn’t equal a
relationship thing for Drake.

“Here.” Still on the ladder, she handed him a level.
“Level it, please.”

“Ummm.” He frowned at the level.

“There’s a bubble.” She pointed at the small window.
“See? You want it between these two marks. That means the thing
you’re pressing the level to is actually level.”

He glanced at her with a grin. “I think I can handle
that.”

“I hope so.” She slipped into the sarcastic mode she
often used with him. Self-protection, she knew, but she didn’t feel
she had much else to keep her from jumping him.

“Okay. Yes, the bubble is between those two lines and
the post appears straight to me.” He closed one eye, sizing it up
with the other one.

“Now turn the water on and stick the hose into the
hole.”

“Bet the hole will like that,” he said
suggestively.

She rolled her eyes. “Really? This seems sexual to
you?”

Drake just laughed, walking over to the faucet.

“That’s how we get the cement mixed? Put it into the
hole dry and add water?” He said from the faucet in the flower bed.
“Not mix it and then pour it in?”

“Nope. No need.” Keeping the pole balanced, she
carefully descended the ladder. “Three more to go and we can start
putting together some of the other pieces.”

Drake came over with the hose, already spewing water,
and stuck it into the hole in the ground.

To her relief, he didn’t make a silly remark about
them
screwing
together.

“The lag bolts are those things in the paper bag over
there, right?” He gestured toward the pile of tools. “With the nuts
on the end.”

“Yes.” She didn’t smile at his words, also aware of
not descending to a middle school level, despite the fact that
tension now hung between them. “Here, you hold this post upright
while the cement hardens. I want to look at the plans again. We
need to measure the position for the middle post.”

“The short one that will support the floor?” He came
over, taking her spot.

“Uh huh. You’re getting it.” Molly smiled
encouragingly at him. “While this sets, we’ll construct the sides,
cut the boards for the flooring and the roof and get everything
ready to put it all together.”

They worked together in the warming morning air,
slowing constructing the gazebo. Molly had always known he was
smart and that he would learn home repair skills quickly, if he
applied himself. He’d just never had the chance to pick it up when
he was younger.

Spring was dawning here in the heartland and birds
could be heard singing their hearts out from the surrounding
shrubs.