Unsurpassed (5 page)

“Where am I headed?”

The sound of his voice caused her to glance away guiltily as
she realized she’d been staring. She rattled off her address. With his eyes on
the road, Drew nodded. “I know the area.”

Aubree spent the ride staring out the window and doing her
best to block out everything. The level of deception was more than she could
fathom. When her tan and brick condo came into view, she experienced a mixture
of dread and relief at the sight of it. Her public degradation was at an end
while the time alone with her thoughts was only beginning.

With the car in park, Aubree made no move to leave. Drew ran
his hand around the steering wheel as if searching for the right words.
Finally, he said, “So, Ryan and Max, huh?”

Humiliation sat heavy in her gut, but she refused to let it
show. “Yep. Wow, I feel like a tramp admitting such a thing aloud.”

Drew held his hands up in surrender. “No judgments here,
seriously,” he added when she cut her eyes at him skeptically. “Women come
easily to me. I don’t say that to sound conceited. It’s part of the whole
champion package. They don’t really want me for me. It’s usually only women who
want to say they’ve shared my bed. But the point is, I’ve done some wild shit
in the past, and I’m not opposed to doing so again in the future.”

Aubree snorted out a laugh at his confession before making
one of her own. “I feel like an idiot. ‘Control me.’ He said those exact words.
I want to go back and punch him in the throat.”

“Understandable, but you know you could always get your
revenge by having your way with me.”

She shook her head in disbelief as she muttered, “Men.”

Drew shrugged. “Hey, we’re doers.”

In spite of the weight sitting on Aubree’s chest making it
hard for her to breathe, she couldn’t help but giggle over his antics.

“You laugh, but I’m serious. I’m more than willing to fall
on the grenade here and let you use my body.”

Aubree covered her face to hide the blush creeping into her
cheeks. A masculine chuckle sounded from the seat beside her and she dropped
her hands. “I’m sorry,” she told him with her heart in her eyes. “I realize
this day has been crazy for you too, and my shit is petty drama in the shadow
of you learning you might have a brother.”

Drew leaned his head against the headrest behind him and a
serious expression settled on his face. “I’ve always known there was a
possibility of a family out there. As a kid, I had this fantasy where my dad
was some superstar who would show up one day and give my mom the life she
deserved. Of course, I grew up and reality set in. I realized whoever he is,
he’s a douche.”

“Yes he is,” Aubree agreed without hesitation. “How could he
be anything else if he left someone as amazing as you?” Feeling as if she’d
said too much, Aubree glanced around uncomfortably. “Well, thanks for the ride
home, and I hope everything works out.” She reached for the door handle in
hopes of making her exit before she made things any more awkward.

Drew called out stopping her. “Hold on a second.” Fishing
around in the console between the seats, he came out with a pen and a scrap of
paper. He scribbled a few numbers on it before handing it over. “Here’s the
number to my cell. Call me if you need anything or even if you don’t,” he added
with a hopeful smile.

Taking out her phone, Aubree dialed the number he handed her
and waited until she heard his cell ring before disconnecting the call. “There,
now you have my number too.” With a teasing smile, she added, “I would’ve
written it down, but I’d hate for it to get lost in the pile of phone numbers
you already have squirreled away.” Throwing open the door, she called over her
shoulder. “Don’t forget to save it to your contacts so you can call me if you
need anything…or even if you don’t.”

Without waiting for a response, Aubree darted for the house.
She realized too late her keys were back at the hotel, but luckily, she kept a
spare under a potted plant outside. Her front door barely closed behind her
when her cell phone chirped alerting her of an incoming text. Glancing down at
it, she read Drew’s message. “Max wasn’t wrong about one thing. No other woman
would’ve held my attention the way you did, and it had nothing to do with your
father.”

* * * * *

Aubree thanked her lucky stars she’d already asked for
Monday off as she lounged around the house wearing nothing but an old pair of
boxers and ribbed tank top. Along with her house keys, the keys to her car were
wherever her things currently sat. She flipped through the channels cursing the
name of whoever chose what aired on daytime television before finally giving it
up as a bad job. With the silence closing in on her, Aubree stared at the phone
wondering whom she should call to get her bags. Every name that came to mind,
she immediately dismissed. With her concentration fully engaged, she jumped in
surprise when a solid knock landed on the front door. Glancing down at her
grungy clothes, she automatically felt the messy bun at the crown of her head
and let out a loud groan.

When the tap came again, she sighed, and moved to answer.
Going up on her toes, she checked the peephole, which caused her to groan
louder. With no other options, Aubree threw the door open. At ten in the
morning, the air outside was chillier than she would have liked, and her
nipples hardened against it, reminding her of her braless state.

Thankfully, Drew kept his gaze eye level. “Good morning,
beautiful. I thought you might need these.” He held out her bag and purse.

“Thank you,” she said automatically as she relieved him of
his burden and stepped back enough for him to enter.

As she closed the door behind him and set her bags aside,
she watched his expression, wondering what he was thinking. She knew he’d been
raised by a single mother and most likely didn’t live in the height of luxury
back then, but nowadays he was accustomed to a much higher lifestyle than what
he was currently standing in. Without waiting for an invitation, he plopped
down on her tan sofa, settling in as if he intended to be there for a while.
His masculine form seemed almost out of place in the center of her feminine
home. The light yellow walls, delicately made wooden side tables, and small
sofa appeared miniscule with his large presence filling the room. He gave the
empty spot next to him a pat, leaving her with no other choice than to join
him.

“I appreciate you bringing my things by. I didn’t realize
until I got home I didn’t have anything in my pockets other than my phone and
the keycard to the room. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to get to
work tomorrow.” Even though she knew everything she was saying was reasonable,
for some reason she couldn’t explain, she felt as if she were rambling. His
long, denim-encased legs took up too much space forcing her thigh to press
against his.

“I could’ve had someone bring your bags by last night, but I
made a few calls, rushing things along. I took the DNA test this morning, and I
wanted to be the one who delivered your stuff to you.”

Turning her head and bringing him into her line of sight,
she realized he was watching her closely as if gauging her reaction to his
words. “Why?”

The gray of his irises seemed to sharpen and she found
herself fascinated. “Well, as I recall, you were there. Max went to an extreme
to get that test.”

“No,” she said interrupting him. “Why did you want to come
here?”

“I needed to see you again.” At his admission, she dropped
her gaze. Unfortunately, it landed on his stomach. His white cotton t-shirt
clung to skin, outlining his well-defined abs. Lifting her eyes to his chest,
she regretted it immediately as the dip between the flat pads of his chest held
her in thrall. He said he “needed” to see her, not wanted. She hadn’t missed
the difference.

“Oh,” she said for lack of anything more intelligent. Drew
reached over and touched her chin forcing her to meet his stare.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m glad you came,” she said instead of answering. He
dropped his hand and glanced around the room.

“So,” he drawled sounding uncomfortable for the first time. “What
do you do for fun?”

The change in topic caught her unaware and she searched her
mind for something to say. For the life of her, Aubree couldn’t think of a
single thing. “Well, I was taking private kickboxing lessons with Max and Ryan,
but I guess those are over now,” she finally said, since she had nothing else
going on.

“I meant something you enjoy doing. That’s not fun, but I
can take over your lessons, so don’t worry.”

“I seriously doubt it,” she said feeling moved to be honest.
“I don’t think I have the required balance. I haven’t learned much in the past
six months.”

“As I said, don’t worry over it. I’m better than they are,
so you’ll have it licked in no time.”

Aubree shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t decide if
you’re over-the-top conceited or if you’re extremely honest.”

Drew seemed to think it over. “Honest,” he said after a moment
with a decisive nod. “There’re plenty of things I suck at, but you’re changing
the subject. What do you do for fun? How do you cut loose?” She shrugged, and
he released a heavy sigh. “Come on. Your life can’t be all work and paying your
car note on time. There has to be some sort of hobby. When was the last time
you did something completely ridiculous?”

With a self-deprecating smile, Aubree admitted, “Apparently
when I go to a casino with my friends for the weekend, I lose my mind.”

For the first time since he arrived at her door, a bright
smile touched his lips, and it was as if she’d been given a gift. “I’m better
at that as well. In case you were wondering.” She huffed at his outrageous
remark, but her heart wasn’t really in it. In truth, she knew Drew was being
his usual self. She also didn’t doubt every word he said was true. Slinging his
arm across the back of the couch, he managed to move even closer. “I’m going to
take you somewhere.” He paused and his expression turned wicked. “Of course,
you’ll have to put a bra on first, though I’m not complaining,” he quickly
added. “I don’t want everyone staring at what’s mine.”

“Yours?” She asked gearing up for a rant. “What is it with
you men? You all want to claim ownership as if you were buying a car. Well, I
don’t care to be someone’s possession to use as they please.”

Instead of arguing, Drew smiled at her obvious outrage.
“Don’t worry. I have no problem with you using me in any way that brings you
pleasure. Now go get dressed.”

Drew held his breath, half expecting Aubree to tell him to
leave. Fortunately, after a moment of assessing him with her eyes, she stood to
do as he bade. He waited until she closed the bedroom door behind her before
giving in to the triumphant smile growing inside him. Honestly, he wanted the
opposite of dressed. The outline of her nipples showing through her shirt had tested
him. However, persistence and patience were two qualities he possessed in
abundance. She reminded him a lot of himself. Aubree was a tad naughty behind
her distant façade. He was going to enjoy forcing her to expose it.

When the door leading into her bedroom opened again, Aubree
reemerged wearing jeans and a long sleeved, form-fitting shirt. “I hope this is
okay since you didn’t say where we’re going.”

He let his gaze slip over her body making sure she felt its
heat. “Perfect,” he growled causing her to blush.

“Gosh. You’re really on at all times.”

He smirked at her grumbled remark. “How is it my fault you
have a dirty mind? All I said was ‘perfect’. You’re the one who took it to mean
you have an awesome body and I want to lick every inch of it, which I totally
do by the way, but I didn’t say as much.”

The look on her face was priceless. It was a mixture of
flattered and exasperated. She raised her hands and dropped them back to her
sides as if she had no idea what she should say. “You make me want to scream.”

He nodded his understanding. “Don’t worry. You will. I can hear
my name on your lips and reverberating off these walls already.”

She tilted her head back and eyed the ceiling. He wondered
if she was praying for patience, but when he heard a slight gurgle, he realized
she was doing her best to hold back her laughter. When she finally dropped her
chin, her eyes were shining, but her face was clear. “Come on. Let’s go before
I change my mind.”

Even though he was sure she was joking, only the hint she
might not leave with him got his feet moving. He was rushing her out the door
as soon as her shoes were on. He didn’t draw another easy breath until he had
her in the car. It was a dangerous and unexplainable need driving him to be
near Aubree.

It took ten minutes for Drew to make it across town, and
when he pulled into the empty parking lot, he glanced over to see Aubree’s
confused expression. “Why are we at the park?”

“Because, whereas most people need to grow up, you, Aubree
Holiday, need to learn how to play.” He was almost certain she rolled her eyes,
but she turned away before he could catch the gesture. With a snicker, he threw
open his car door and jogged to the passenger side before she could open it on
her own. She looked resigned as he helped her out of the car.

Walking backward toward the playground, he held onto her
hands. “It’ll be fun. I promise. Is this the face of a man who would lie to
you?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

Drew’s feet froze. Aubree walked into his chest. “Yes,” he
said, sounding serious even to him, but her answer was important. She studied
his face giving him the impression she was carefully considering everything she
knew about him before making her final decision.

Just when he thought he might snap, she finally shook her
head. “You’re not a liar. If anything, you’re too honest.”

The knot in his chest loosened, setting him free. A burst of
happiness ran through his veins. “Good,” he told her and without warning, he
snatched her off her feet. Tucking her under one arm, he carried her like a
football toward the swings.