“Naked men.” I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. “Gay porn!”
I was such a bad liar. I needed to stop, but porn was less embarrassing than the truth.
He faltered, stopping at the end of the bed and scowling as he stared into my eyes. “What the fuck? You need to look at other naked men when I’m right here, ready and willing to strip for you at any given hour?” Drew narrowed his eyes, no doubt watching the flaming heat grow in my cheeks. “Show me,” he demanded quietly.
I purposefully ignored his request, smashed my elbow on the magazine and propped my head up with my hand as I grinned up at him. “You should totally be flattered. Not one of these dicks is anywhere near the perfection of yours. It’s a compliment really.”
“Ayda…”
“And now I’m all hot and ready for you.” I reached toward the waistband of his jeans with the arm that wasn’t grinding a bridal magazine into the mattress. “How about that striptease?”
Drew glanced down at my hand and then looked up through hooded eyes. “Now?”
“Yes, please.”
“Your wish is my command, darlin’.” He grabbed my wrist and began to tug me forward. “Come sit at the end of the bed first, though, yeah?” The bastard smirked.
I pressed my lips together in my own smirk and met those eyes that had the first spark of fire in them. How the hell wasalways able to do this to me? One look. That was all it took.
“I’m at the right eye level here.” I winked.
“Right.” He nodded sarcastically, tugging on my arm even harder and dragging my unwilling body forward. “But I want youhere.Don’t make me come to you. Otherwise, I might get a closer look at that midget porn you’re trying to hide.”
My laughter came in a short burst as I grabbed the blanket and magazine so it traveled with me. “Dammit, I knew the gay porn was the wrong direction to take.”
I tried my best to wriggle away even though the laughter was still coming on odd hysterical bursts.
Drew being Drew was unrelenting, and no one, not even me, could stop him as he bent to grab me, pick me up and throw me away from the bed playfully. It took him all of three seconds to remove me from the situation, grab the blanket and the magazine and hold it above his head.
“Last chance. Tell me the truth or pay the price.” He grinned.
In an act of impeccable immaturity, I lifted the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head with a giggle that made me feel lighter than I had in weeks. I could still see him through the thin material, just a little fuzzier than he normally was. “Just look. You know how shit I am with lies.”
“Damn,” he muttered. “This must be solid gold midget porn.” With a huff of laughter, he sank onto the bed and unwrapped the magazine, letting the blanket drop to the floor. For a few seconds, he just stared at the cover, not moving or saying a word as a woman in white stared back at him like she was the happiest chick alive.
“See,” I mumbled with a quiet snort. “You should have let it go at porn.”
I pulled my shirt back down and approached him with a small skip, one hand landing on his shoulder as I slipped between his legs.
“I don’t know why I bought it.”
He flicked through a few pages, lingering on some longer than others before he closed it and rang his thumbs over the cover and looked up at me. “Why the hell would you be embarrassed by this?”
I gave a half-laugh, shrugging as I looked down at him. “It’s such a chick thing to do.”
“Last time I checked, you had all the chick components.” He raised his brows in waiting.
I took a deep breath and straddled his lap, my forearms resting on his shoulders as I met his gaze again with a warm smile. “I know, but it’s not the right time for this. I was buying milk at the gas station, and there it was, all white Chantilly lace and tulle, and it called my name. No matter how much the other part of my brain screamed ‘inappropriate’.”
The magazine slipped from his grip as he wrapped his arms around my lower back and pulled me closer. The humor had gone. His eyes, however, were full of heat and heart.
“I’ve let you down. You’re wearing my bright yellow sunshine ring on your wedding finger, yet you’re so focused on me, on this club and Harry, Eric, and all the other shit we’ve got going on, you’re feeling guilty about drifting off into a daydream. When did we stop talking? When did you stop telling me your every fantasy, whether it’s tulle or lace or bright lights in dark Babylon skies, Ayda?” he whispered.
I smiled at him, one hand moving to the nape of his neck and squeezing as I let my lips brush against his.
“Drew, you don’t know how to let me down. It’s not thatI’ve stopped telling you anything. I’m just saving it all up to talk your ear off when things have become a little easier. This ring is my sunshine, it keeps me going and focused on the future, but you need to deal with today and yesterday before tomorrow is in your line of sight. This isn’t me hiding things. This isn’t you letting me down. This is us handling what we can so tomorrowwillcome.”
“Fuck off,” he pushed out through a cheeky, seductive grin. “This is you putting everyone before yourself, and you know it.”
