Chapter 3
What the hell was he thinking? He had never invited a female to his apartment unless he planned to fuck her all night long. Drake liked his privacy. He just couldn’t let her stay at that shithole. All his protective instincts had taken control, and now he had an unexpected roommate. It was just for one night. A sudden worry crossed his mind. Had he picked up his dirty clothes off the floor before he left earlier?
Glancing over at her while he was driving, Jinx looked so tiny and delicate. She was biting her bottom lip, a very plump lip he noted. His body hardened wondering what her lips would taste like if he kissed her. What the hell was he thinking?
“Mr. Miller—”
“Drake.”
“Drake. I don’t want to impose on you and your...girlfriend or wife.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her, digging for information on him. “You won’t be imposing and I’m single.”Single and ready to give you whatever you like.Get your head on straight Drake!
“Oh.” Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. It only made her more adorable.
Tearing his eyes away from her, he concentrated on pulling into his apartment complex. His usual parking space was occupied, which made him growl a little. He had to park further down, closer to where the construction was happening next door. Another apartment complex was going up next to his. Drake had been relieved to find out that he would only have to deal with all the construction noise for another month.
Drake parked and turned the hover truck off. After he got out, he walked around the back and unloaded her suitcase. Jinx went to take it from him, but he shook his head. “I’ve got it. Come on inside.” He led her through the front lobby entrance, waving at the security guard at the front desk.
“Mr. Miller, glad to see you’re back.”
“Glad to be back, Harry.”
The elevator door opened, and his neighbor Veronica with the long legs got out. He smiled at her. “Evening Veronica. Going clubbing tonight?”
She threw her long straight blonde hair over her shoulders smiling at him. “Yes, Cole’s club is having a ‘til dawn’ special. You should come and spend time with me. It’s beenforever.”
“I wish I could. I just got back into town and I’m ready to hit the sack.”
Veronica gave his body a once over lingering here and there. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
She gave a wanton smile then walked away. Drake always thought Veronica was beautiful, but he’d had her once a few years ago when she had come over and they got drunk. She was great in bed, but there was a coldness to her that made it easy for him to walk away. The older he got, the less time he wanted to spend with women like that.
He punched in the numbers top level and glanced down at Jinx. He had almost forgotten that she was there. She glared at him before turning away from him. Women, he couldn’t figure them out.
*****
Jinx couldn’t believe he was flirting with that tall blonde right there in front of her. She wasn’t surewhythat bothered her. Oh yeah, the look the blonde gave her made Jinx feel like she was two feet tall and ugly. She shouldn’t let what that woman thought bother her, but it did. It really bothered her that Drake seemed to forget she was even there. Jinx felt jealous and couldn’t understand why.
She barely knew this guy, he was just picking her up for Vic. Besides, she may have to work with him from time to time; she shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. That was a bad idea. She wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship right now. Her mind was completely focused on starting this lifelong dream of hers.
Knowing all this, it still hurt a little that he looked at her as a teenager. It was something that she had dealt with all her life. It wasn’t like she could suddenly grow five to six inches and develop a model’s body. Over the years, she had come to accept herself, finding things she liked about herself and building confidence in those things. If a guy couldn’t see what she had to offer, then he wasn’t the right guy for her.
“Here we are,” Drake said, opening the door to his apartment.
Jinx stepped into the dark room, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Then the lights flashed on as the technology automatically recognized movement in the room. It was so sudden and so bright it almost blinded her.
Her first impression of Drake’s apartment was...a major bachelor pad. She stood still, turning her head left to right to take it all in. White walls and black leather couches, the empty pizza boxes on the coffee table, empty beer cans, and she wasn’t even sure what the dark spot on the carpet was. She would just have to keep her shoes on in this room.
“Sorry, I haven’t had a chance to clean. I’ve been off world tracking a perp. This is the first time I’ve been home in days.”
Jinx was being ungrateful. She had to find something nice to say. “It’s a big apartment, and we’re on the top floor. I bet you have a great view from the window.” She walked over to the window and pulled up the blinds. He didn’t have curtains. Of course it was too dark to really see anything.
“On a good day you can see all the way down to the local park,” Drake commented, bending over to grab the pizza boxes and beer cans. He walked over to the kitchen and dumped everything in the trash. He went to the refrigerator and opened it up. “Are you hungry or thirsty? I’ve got...beer and water, and I can order you a pizza?”
She wasn’t that hungry, “I had something on the shuttle flight. A glass of water would be good though.” Turning around she watched him as he searched for glasses, which he didn’t have.
