“I’d love to. I’m just not sure when I could fit a date in. My shop has been getting a lot of foot traffic lately.”
She watched as Robin’s face fell and Drew felt bad in spite of herself.
“Don’t be ridiculous Drew. Surely you can fit in one date,” Brooke chimed in happily. Too happily. Drew had never heardthe woman sound that upbeat about anything. Drew watched as Robin’s face lifted with the possibility. Dammit, she could feel herself caving in.
“Sure. I guess one date couldn’t hurt,” Drew answered.
Robin flung her arms around Drew’s neck. All Drew could do was hurl imaginary darts at Brooke behind Robin’s back. If Drew’s scowl bothered her, Brooke didn’t show it. Brooke simply offered Drew a coy smile and lifted her drink in the air. Drew had never genuinely disliked someone with quite the fervor that she disliked Brooke. She shot back an answeringjust wait until we get back to the car look.Her look must have landed because Brooke had the good sense to wipe the grin off her face.
Now that Drew had officially agreed to a date Robin amped up the possessiveness. She didn’t leave Drew’s side for the rest of the night. When Drew was all paraded out she practically had to drag Brooke from the bar back to her car. She slammed the car door shut and gunned the engine on the way out of the parking lot.
“Well, you’re certainly in a mood,” Brooke quipped.
Drew didn’t answer. There was no telling what might come out of Drew’s mouth if she allowed herself to respond to Brooke’s goading. It was clear that Brooke sensed the shift in Drew. She reached over and placed a warm hand on Drew’s arm. Why did that gesture have to feel so good? Why did Brooke touching her feel so natural? Drew tugged her arm away.
“Wait, are you actually mad at me?” Brooke asked, there was a note of genuine surprise in her tone that threatened to bring down Drew’s walls. Still Drew remained silent.
“Are you just messing with me right now?”
Drew kept quiet, though she did enjoy Brooke’s rising concern.
“Drew, come on,” Brooke demanded. Drew suppressed a grin.
By the time they pulled into the parking lot of their apartments Drew was no longer angry. Brooke was fuming but Drew couldn’t help but find it adorable. She pulled into a parking spot and undid her seatbelt. She’d release the woman from her anguish soon, but for the moment, she was having too much fun.
“Drew, you can’t just stop talking to me.”
Drew’s smile broke through her carefully maintained facade.
“Seriously, were you fucking with me this whole time?” Brooke demanded.
Drew chuckled, she couldn’t help it. The expression of anger mixed with relief on Brooke’s face was too good not to chuckle. Brooke gave Drew a couple firm pinches on the sides, causing Drew to yelp and grab her hands. Brooke’s hands weresoft and warm, and they fit perfectly inside Drew’s hands. Drew lifted her eyes and met Brooke’s gaze. She could see the truth behind the woman’s deep blue eyes. There was a yearning there, a want. A need that somehow only Drew could fill. Brooke turned as though she might exit the car, but Drew gripped her hands a little tighter and pulled the woman back. Back towards the car and Drew. Brooke turned, the need in her eyes transforming into a deeper hunger. Drew wasn’t ready when Brooke surged forward and planted her lips on Drew’s own mouth. The kiss was intoxicating; it threatened to bring Drew down into the depths. Eight thousand leagues under the sea wasn’t as deep as this kiss was. Teeth scraped her own, then lightly latched onto Drew’s lower lip. Drew bit back a moan as Brooke sucked her lower lip between her teeth. She couldn’t help but marvel at how well their mouths fit together. Two puzzle pieces sliding together at last.
Then Brooke pulled away, the kiss ending as quickly as it had begun. There was an unmistakable expression of regret on Brooke’s face. Drew felt her own disappointment rush to the surface and turned her head away from Brooke. She wasn’t sure that the woman deserved to see her honest response in real time. No, Brooke didn’t get to see how disappointed she was for the kiss to be there and gone so quickly.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry,” Brooke said in a low whisper.
“Why not?” Drew asked. It was too simple for the moment in front of them. But Drew was tired and bedraggled. She didn’t have the energy to ask for something more profound.
“Excuse me,” Brooke answered.
“Why should you not have kissed me? We’re both adults and single. So why shouldn’t we kiss?”
“Drew, it’s complicated,” Brooke chided. Something brittle snapped inside of Drew.
“No Brooke, it’s simple. You and I are attracted to each other. Clearly, we have good chemistry. We’re adults. Sometimes single adults with good chemistry kiss each other and it doesn’t have to be weird.”
“Kissing blurs too many lines. It opens too many doors that I’m not ready to go through,” Brooke admitted.
Drew felt her own ego welling to the surface, pain mixed in.
“Then why open the door|?” Drew folded her arms across her chest.
“Drew, that’s not fair,”
“Oh, it’s fair. You don’t like being called out, but that doesn’t make it unfair. You say kissing me opens too many doors that you aren’t ready for, but you kissed me.”
“What’s your point?” Brooke asked, clearly wanting to move onto any other topic.
