She spins around to restock glasses, her blonde hair swinging behind her, and I mimic her movement, turning back to him. I watch as he brings his thumb to the chain around his neck and drags his fingertip across it, his eyes now piercing through me as usual.
"I missed you," he whispers, his voice low enough that even I can barely hear him. My chest swells as I kick my toe against the bottom rung of the stool, punishing it for inserting itself in the first place.
I go to reply with whatever words I'm able to muster considering the shock I still have of seeing him here, when a group of twenty-somethings walk in and immediately scan the idol in front of me. "Don't you think this is a little suspicious?" I ask, my eyes flitting back and forth between them and him.
"Let's get out of here then."
There's a pulse between my thighs from his words alone, plus the fact that it's been a few days since I've gotten to have him. It's wild that I went ten months before because now I think I might be addicted.
I shift on the stool, and Drew's gaze drops to my legs. He runs his tongue along his bottom lip as if he knows exactly the effect he has on me. Trailing his movement does nothing to help my situation.
"Hey, Tess," I call over my shoulder, my eyes locking with his, telling him my answer.
I hear her bracelets lean over the counter behind me, and I spin back around. "I'm gonna head out. We have a uh, a thing to do for the Flames."
She looks up at Drew, then back down at me with a knowing expression written all over her face. "Oh, okay," she says just a bit too cheerfully. "Youdoyourthing, girl."
I don't have to look to know Drew is not helping with whatever reaction he's having, but the fact that Tess acts unfazed otherwise only adds to the list of things I love about her.
"Thanks again," I say, squeezing her wrist. She winks at me, and I take the easy out before she suddenly finds questions.
With one last deep breath, I pop off the stool and step up to Drew. A silence sits heavily between us, but I know better than to have any conversations here. Instead, I hold his stare as I step toward the exit, only for my eyes to land on one grouchy looking Trisha when I get to the door. I offer her a half-smile, watching as her face only scrunches harder when she spots Drew behind me. She may be the only one unaffected by his presence, and honestly, that tracks.
Pushing through the familiar wooden door of The Pub, the cold air washes over me like a much-needed cold shower. I freeze on the sidewalk when I see Drew's Ducati, that sudden breeze instantly gone.Shit, why is that thing so hot?
As if on cue, Drew steps up behind me, our bodies not quite touching, but my every nerve is on end just waiting for contact. His head dips forward, his hair brushing past mine, his warm breath on my ear traveling south instantly. I brace myself for his next few words, the unexpectedness from his visit still throwing me off my game.
He makes me wait just another second as I hold my breath before he finally speaks.
"That hostess scares me," he whispers honestly. I snort out a laugh, my hand flying up to cover my sound as he walks out from behind me. "I'm serious, man. I face some of the toughest guys in the world—toothless maniacs, massive defensemen, guys put on the ice to just throw people around. But that girl?" He blows a breath through his lips and switches his helmet to his other hand. "Somethin' else."
I nod in agreement, my entire body relaxed again. "Right? And she always pops up out of nowhere."
"I could see that." Drew flashes me a smile, and we both look at each other grinning until he steps a few inches closer. "I missed you," he repeats.
"You said that."
"And yet I still haven't heard you reciprocate." He peers down at me, his expression a cross between amused and punishing, and my body reacts all over again.
"I missed you, too," I say, my voice thick.
His jaw grows tight, almost as if he's controlling the reaction he really wants to make, and he tilts his head toward his bike. "Get on."
"But I have my c—"
"Get on, Brooke."
My face falls into one of anticipation as I nibble my lip, considering his words for maybe two seconds before obliging.
When I get to the bike, I turn around, only to bump right into the helmet Drew is holding out for me. I take it, slipping it over my head, watching through the shield as he slings his leg over the seat. I climb on after him, hugging him tightly right before he wraps his arms under my thighs and yanks me closer. I gasp when he starts the bike, my legs so widely set around him that it's no longer even my ass that's touching the pad of the seat.
Drew keeps one hand on the throttle, trailing the other up my inner thigh as he revs the engine beneath us. The vibration hits me in all the right places, the mixture of that and his touch sending goosebumps to every inch of my skin. He backs out of the spot slowly, navigating the bike between a car and an SUV. As soon as he's cleared all possible obstacles, he rolls toward the exit, then peels out of the lot at triple the speed.
I tighten my grip around his waist, his abs flexing from the position—or maybe he's as on edge as I am. Drew stops at a red light and drops his arm, massaging the outside of my thigh. I attempt to shift even closer to him, squeezing my legs around his. I'm desperate for more. Needy for him.
I can't help myself. This man knows exactly how to light me on fire, and I might combust if I don't have all of him. Slipping my hands between the flaps of his jacket and underneath the hem of his shirt, I run my fingers over his muscles. Drew sucks in, which because of the rumble of the engine, I only know based on the way his whole torso lifts. I drag my fingertips over the rises and falls of each peak and valley, andhe presses harder into the flesh of my leg, turning his head, cracking his neck to one side.
For a second, I contemplate telling him to pull over. Suggesting that he just turn the ignition off altogether and set up traffic cones so other drivers know to go around us while we get to what I really want. But before I'm too tempted to offer an idea, the light turns green, and Drew floors it down the road. The vibration continues, a dull trembling encouraging my need. I can't resist continuing my exploration, walking my fingertips lower and lower until I reach the waistband of his jeans.
