Chapter 34
THIRTY-FOUR
I woke slowly, savoring the delicious weight of Drew’s arm draped possessively over my waist. Two realizations hit me at once—I’d just spent the night with my sworn enemy, and I’d never slept better in my entire life.
I had no idea what time it was, but I couldn’t bring myself to check because that would require moving, which was the last thing I wanted to do. Instead, I wanted to soak in the feeling of him wrapped around me like this.
Heat bloomed in my chest as fragments of last night flashed through my mind.
His hands.
His mouth.
The way he’d looked at me like I was the only thing in the universe that mattered.
I bit my lip, fighting the urge to wake him just to see if it could happen again. As if sensing my thoughts, Drew stirred, his arm tightening around my waist. He nuzzled his face against my neck before placing a tender kiss against my shoulder.
“Morning, Freckles,” he murmured, voice rough with sleep.
I wrinkled my nose at the nickname but couldn’t summon any real annoyance. Not when he was looking at me like that.
Although I could think of one way to get back at him. “Morning, Andy.”
He groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling me with him until I was sprawled across his chest. “Really? You’re still going with Andy?”
“You called me Freckles.”
“Yeah, but I love your freckles.”
My heart started racing. “Since when?”
He kissed my nose. “Since always. Which is why I got annoyed about them and tried to turn them into a taunt.”
I let out a sigh as if I was totally burdened. “Fine, you can call me Freckles,” I conceded, “but then I still get to call you Andy.”
“After everything that happened last night, you’re still going to—”
I propped my chin on his sternum, not bothering to hide my smile. “Especially after what we did last night.”
His face broke into a grin as he shook his head at me. “You’re impossible.”
“Part of my charm.”
“Debatable.”
His fingers threaded through my hair like he was mesmerized by my crazy morning curls, which were no doubt wilder than usual given all our activities last night and the fact I hadn’t put my sleep bonnet on. I was sure they were a frizzy mess.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, intending just a quick good morning kiss, but his hand cupped the back of my neck, holding me there as he deepened it.
My body melted against his, morning breath be damned.
Nothing seemed as important as the heat of his skin against mine, the slide of his tongue, the—
A staticky cry broke through the moment, making us both freeze.
“Shit,” Drew muttered against my lips. “Rory.”
He was up and out of bed instantly, grabbing his shirt and sweats even as he spoke. “I need to go.”
I glanced at the baby monitor and saw Rory moving around in her crib. She wasn’t full-on crying yet, but no doubt she would once she realized Drew wasn’t in the room.
“Yeah, go.” I sat up, clutching the sheet to my chest despite the intimacy we’d already shared. Something about the daylight made me feel suddenly exposed in a way darkness hadn’t. “We’ll talk later.”
I knew his daughter was his priority—as she should be—but suddenly I was having doubts about what we’d done and the lines we’d absolutely torched last night.
Drew hesitated, then leaned in and kissed me—softer than I expected, and lingering like he didn’t want to leave. “Tonight? Why don’t you come over for dinner?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
There was another cry from the monitor and Drew grimaced. “I really have to—”
“Go,” I said. “It’s okay.”
With one last look, he was gone, slipping out of my bedroom. A moment later, I heard the faint sound of the front door closing.
I fell back against my pillows, staring at the ceiling.
What the hell had I done?
When I walked down the stairs, I found all three of my roommates sitting at our small kitchen table with knowing grins on their faces.
“So,” Rachel said, breaking the silence. “Was that Drew Dumontier who did the walk of shame out of our house this morning?”
I pinched my lips between my teeth. “Um, maybe.”
“As in, archnemesis, we-hate-him-with-a-burning-passion Drew Dumontier?” Talia clarified.
“Uh…”
“As in hockey hottie whose existence you’ve been bitching to us about since you moved in?” Ayanna added.
Clearly I needed new friends. Wasn’t it supposed to be girl code not to point out when I was a giant fucking hypocrite and had the best sex of my life with the guy I was supposed to hate for all eternity?
Rachel leaned forward with a wicked grin. “So, did Mr. Hockey God live up to his reputation?”
I groaned and dropped my head to the counter. “Kill me now.”
“Nope,” Rachel said cheerfully. “Not until you give us details.”
I lifted my head to glare at them. “There are no details.”
“Your neck says otherwise,” Ayanna pointed out, gesturing to what I was sure was a constellation of hickeys I’d forgotten to check for but remembered every second of receiving.
My hand flew to my neck. “Shit.”
“So…” Talia leaned forward, chin propped on her hands. “When did this happen? The transition from mortal enemies to whatever that was last night?”
I sighed, realizing they weren’t going to let this go. “It’s complicated.”
“We’ve got time,” Rachel said, pushing a mug of coffee toward me. “And soundproof headphones if he comes back tonight.”
“He’s not—” I started, then stopped. I had no idea if he was coming back. We hadn’t exactly gotten that far in our morning conversation before Rory interrupted.
“Oh my God, look at her face,” Ayanna whispered loudly. “She’s got it bad.”
“I do not,” I protested automatically.
“You know, this actually explains a lot,” Talia mused. “All that tension between you two. The way you couldn’t stop talking about him.”
“I was complaining about him.”
“Same difference.” Rachel shrugged. “The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference.”
“Nobody said anything about love,” I said, a little too quickly.
All three of them exchanged looks.
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” Ayanna said innocently. “So, are you two a thing now, or was this a one-time hate-sex situation?”
I nearly choked on my coffee. “Can we not call it that?”
“What would you call it?” Rachel pressed.
I stared into my mug, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know yet. We’re going to talk tonight.”
“Talk. Sure.” Talia wiggled her eyebrows.
“Yes, talk,” I insisted. “There’s a lot to figure out.” That was the understatement of the century.
“Well, for what it’s worth,” Talia said, “I think it’s great. You’ve been happier these past few weeks, even with all the complaining.”
“Just be careful, okay?” Rachel said, her voice gentler now. “This is complicated, and we don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I know.” I nodded. “Trust me, I know exactly how complicated it is.”
“But worth it?” Talia asked.
I thought about Drew’s smile this morning, the way he’d kissed me goodbye, how he’d made me feel like I was everything he’d ever wanted last night, and how he supported my dreams.
But even with all the wonderful things, I couldn’t ignore that our families would likely lose their shit when they found out.
“I guess we’ll see.”
“Well, we’re here for you,” Rachel said, “whatever happens.”
“And we promise not to say ‘I told you so’ when we were clearly right about all that antagonism being foreplay,” Ayanna added.
I threw a dish towel at her, but I was laughing. “I hate all of you.”
“No, you don’t,” Talia sang. “You looove us.”
“And apparently Drew Dumontier,” Rachel added.
I grabbed my coffee and headed for the door. “I’m going to the practice rooms. You all are too insane to spend any more time with. That shit might be contagious.”
Their laughter followed me out the door.