Chapter 2
Dru
How are her lips so soft? Even softer than I remembered. She’s kissing me back, and fuck, my body is on fire.
I raise my hand to hold her cheek—I can’t seem to help myself—and she opens her lips under mine and leans into me. I don’t even know how long the kiss goes on before I realize I’m in my place of business and all of my staff and donors are probably in this room right now.
When I pull back, Evie’s face is flushed. I’m certain mine is, too. But God damn, the chemistry is off the charts. Just like it was six years ago. Only now I don’t have a recent ex living in her apartment to get in the way.
She blinks up at me, her long lashes coming down over her big gray eyes, and I notice she still has that little sprinkling of freckles I’ve always found so fucking adorable.
Which is why I’d felt so guilty after that holiday kiss.
I wasn’t supposed to be lusting after my ex-girlfriend’s roommate—even though Marcy and I had broken up two months earlier—but the attraction had been instant.
Undeniable. I’d thought about her way too much when I was dating Marcy, and even more after we’d kissed.
And it was no different now, except now there was no reason not to take it further.
Unless…
“Evie, I—I’m sorry. I should have asked, or…”
“No, it’s okay,” she says, a small smile on her lips. Lips I want to kiss again.
“Please tell me you’re single and I didn’t overstep anyone’s boundaries,” I say with a groan.
She laughs. “Yes. Very much single.”
“That’s great.”
“Is it?” she asks, and I swear she’s flirting a little now as she bats those long lashes at me.
“Yeah.” I have to pause, licking my lips in anticipation. “Because I would really like to kiss you again.”
Her smile widens and it makes the blood run hot in my veins. God, I’d forgotten how pretty she was. I’d made myself forget. But now here she is, right in front of me, and she doesn’t seem to be opposed to me kissing her. I can’t help but grin before I lean in to press my lips to hers once more.
It hits me like an ocean wave this time, the desire pounding through my system, threatening to pull me under, and I know this little kiss under the mistletoe is not going to satisfy even the leading edge of that wave.
And…we’re in the middle of a party, in my place of business, when all I want is to take her upstairs to my apartment and rip her clothes off.
But it’s more than that. I want to be with her. I always have. To say she’s my long-time crush is a massive understatement.
I force myself to pull back again, and I feel a small puff of breath from her, warm against my skin. This woman is going to undo me if I don’t stop right now.
“Shit,” I say quietly.
She nods, smiles again. “I was really not expecting this.”
“Neither was I. I wasn’t expecting you to show up here. I wasn’t expecting it to be even better than the last time.”
“The last time?” she asks with a tilt of her head. Fucking adorable. “You mean at that party?”
“Yeah. I’ve never forgotten about that kiss.”
“Neither have I,” she says, her voice breathless.
“So, what are we going to do about it?”
She grins up at me, batting her lashes again, and there’s no denying the flirtation in her tone when she says, “You tell me.”
“If I weren’t hosting a party, I’d have all kinds of ideas.”
“Hmm, like what?” she asks.
I let out another small groan. “Evie, darlin’, what are you doing to me?”
She laughs, and it’s like fucking music. I read that line somewhere at some point, and it seemed absurdly poetic to me. But I finally get it.
Fucking music.
We stand there staring at each other like idiots while I run half a dozen ideas through my mind.
Could I just say fuck the party and take her upstairs?
Do I get her number and connect another day?
No. Neither of those options feels workable.
Maybe I can convince her to stay until the party is over? Worth a try.
“Shit,” she says quietly.
“What is it?”
“Sue. Gretchen’s girlfriend—or, her ex who just broke up with her a few days ago. She just walked in.”
I look to where she’s gestured with her chin and see Gretchen talking with a blonde woman wearing a red plaid flannel. Gretchen glances down, then back up, her lips pressed tightly together.
“It doesn’t look it’s going well. Do you need to go rescue her?”
Evie bites her lip. Makes me want to bite it. To hold that plump, pink flesh between my teeth and taste her.
“Um, I think they probably need to talk things out. Ah, they’re walking out toward the kennels. That’s good… I think.”
“So what now?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I guess I get to enjoy your party until Gretchen comes back in.”
“Okay. Well, we’re about to do the raffles. Want to help me hand out the baskets? Oh, wait. Sorry. I remember you overload easily in crowds.”
She looks up at me. “You remembered that?”
“Yeah. I kinda remember everything about you, Evie. But look, you’re welcome to go sit in the foyer if you need some quiet time. And I can send Olive out there to keep you company. She’s a great therapy dog.”
“That’s really sweet. But is it okay if I just…hang out in here?”
“Sure. Of course. I’ll be about half an hour, I think. Uh, let me know if Gretchen comes back and you guys decide to take off, though, okay?”
“Yes, sure,” she says with a nod and the sweetest smile.
Shit, this girl is under my skin after five minutes with her, just the way she was after that holiday kiss six years ago.
Hell, if I’m being honest with myself, she was a little under my skin the whole time I was dating her roommate, which made me feel like a creep.
But I’m damn glad she showed up here tonight.
I plan to get this raffle over with as quickly as possible.
I go to the DJ booth and grab the microphone. One of my vet techs brings me the ceramic dog bowl full of raffle tickets, and I pull the first one out and read the number.
I get through all the raffle items, and a glance at my Apple watch tells me it’s been almost exactly thirty minutes. When I hand the DJ the mic back and he starts the music, I gaze around the room, but I don’t see her.
Shit.
Then I spot Olive’s wagging tail by the doorway to the foyer, and I head over. Evie’s there, along with Gretchen, their heads close together.
“No, it’s totally fine, Gretch,” Evie says as I step closer.
“Sorry, you two. Uh, am I interrupting?”
“Nope, boss,” Gretchen answers, a smile on her face. “I was just telling Evie that I’m gonna take off. I just wanted to be sure she was cool with that.”
“I am,” Evie says. “You and Sue have a lot to talk about. I’m fine. I’m enjoying myself.”
Gretchen arches an eyebrow and Evie gives her a small smack on the shoulder. “Really, I’m fine. Go do what you need to do.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
Evie pulls her friend in for a quick hug, then Gretchen turns to me, still smiling.
“Thanks for a great evening, boss.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome. Have a good night.”
She walks out and Evie steps closer. “Looks like she and Sue are getting back together.”
“Ah, great! I mean, is it great?”
There’s that laugh again. Music. “I think so. They have a few things to work through, but Gretchen is a big girl; she’ll figure it out.”
“Well, the party is winding up. Do you need to take off, or can you hang out a little longer?”
“I can stay,” she says. “Anyway, I may have had one glass of champagne too many, and I don’t think I’m ready to drive just yet.”
I put my hand up. “Stay right there. Seriously. Stay.”
Her lips part, but she doesn’t argue, and I head over to the bar and grab a bottle of water and bring it back to her.
“Drink up.”
“Oh, I…” she begins to argue, then stops when she sees my face.
“Drink it, darlin’. Champagne gives you a wicked hangover, and I don’t want to be responsible for you feeling like crap tomorrow.”
She shakes her head, but takes the bottle, twists the cap off, and sips.
“Good girl.”
I hadn’t meant to say it; it just came out.
But she doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, her cheeks go pink and her long lashes come down on her high cheekbones, and the move seems so submissive to me, I can barely take it.
Which starts my brain going again, inventing little scenarios.
Most of them include her naked and over my lap while I smack her perfectly rounded ass.
Stop it.
“Okay. I’ll come find you as soon as I can, Evie.”
She smiles and nods, and I track down some of my staff to help me get things wound down. People are already leaving of their own accord, and pretty soon everyone is gone except for three of my vet and kennel techs, and the DJ, who’s packing his gear. And Evie is sitting in a chair petting Olive.
Olive’s owner, my kennel tech Angie, calls the dog and tells us goodnight, then we really have the place to ourselves as everyone else exits.
“How you doing?” I ask Evie.
“Good. I’m good,” she says, gazing up at me.
“Excellent. Because I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I saw you, and those mistletoe kisses were not enough.”
I pull her gently to her feet, wrap her up in my arms, and kiss her again. This time it starts out sweet and gentle, but then her hands slide behind my neck, and her body leans into mine until I can feel every gorgeous curve of her against me, and I slip my tongue between her willing lips.
Her mouth is so damn sweet—as sweet as I’d always imagined it would be. And soon she’s panting against my lips, and I’m pretty damn sure I’m panting, too.
I pull back and murmur, “I really want you to stay with me tonight. Feel free to say no. You absolutely don’t have to. But god, Evie, I want you so bad.”
“I want to stay with you, Dru. Please.”
I look into her eyes, really searching as I ask her, “Are you saying this because you’ve had too much to drink?”
She shakes her head. “No. I promise. Most of my buzz has worn off, and… fuck, Dru. I’ve wanted this for years. I’ve thought of you. Remembered that one kiss. And I feel like an idiot for saying this out loud—”
“No,” I interrupt her. “I’ve never stopped thinking of you, either.”
“Really?” she asks, and I can see she needs reassurance.
I brush a lock of her pale blue hair behind her ear. “Evie. It’s why I broke up with Marcy. I couldn’t be with her when what I really wanted was to be with you. It wasn’t fair to her. Or to me.”
“But you never said anything.”
“No. It didn’t feel right. Not while Marcy was still living with you. Then I heard you’d moved away, and… all I was left with was the memory of that single kiss.”
“Me, too,” she says in almost a whisper, looking into my eyes.
I bend down to brush a kiss across her lips, then take her hand. “Come with me, Evie.”
Evie
I cannot believe this is happening. Dru has been the fodder for my fantasies for years, and now I’m here with them, and I’m pretty sure they’re taking me to bed, and I’m shaking a little all over.
I felt bad at the time, like she’d shared something too personal that should have been kept secret, but Marcy once mentioned that Dru liked to spank her, and when I think of it, I’m instantly wet.
God, please be kinky.
Her hand is big and warm and wrapped around mine as she leads me up a wide staircase. She opens a heavy door at the top and we step into her apartment.
It’s a huge loft with exposed brick walls and heavy wood beams in the vaulted, plaster ceiling overhead.
Rugs are placed here and there on the old, broad plank wood floors, warming up the space.
There’s a living area, what looks like a fully-equipped, modern kitchen, and at one end, a bedroom area.
The furnishings are a little rustic, heavy woods and brown leather, other than the framed punk and Riot Grrrl band art on the walls, along with what I recognize as the spare, contemporary art prints I remember she’d always loved. It fits her perfectly.
“Come sit with me,” she says.
Tells me.
There’s definitely something of command in her tone. And I like it.
She takes me over to the big brown leather sofa, and I sit down beside her. She turns to me and brushes my hair from my face.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” she says, her tone low. Sexy.
My cheeks heat and I don’t know what to say.
She leans closer, her hand slipping around the back of my neck.
“Did I embarrass you? I don’t mean to. Or…
no, that’s not true. Maybe I did, a little, because I love to see you blush.
It’s charming as hell. But you are beautiful.
I’ve always thought so. And you look better than ever. More… delectable.”
Fuck. This woman is going to make me come just sitting here, telling me these things in that deep voice of hers, with just an edge of gravel in it.
I’m shaking again when she draws me closer and kisses me. And this time there’s no hesitance at all. It’s as if she’s diving into my mouth, claiming it somehow—my lips, and me. My body is burning with need—for her to touch me, to kiss me harder, to take my clothes off and fuck me.
But she pulls back, and keeping her gaze on mine, she draws a fingertip down my throat, then pauses to play with the silver pendant that hangs into the v-neck of my sweater.
Then she leans in and takes the pendant into her mouth, and I swear it almost feels as if it’s my nipple she’s sucking on, and I’m shaking again.
She lets it go, then moves her mouth along the neckline of my sweater before asking me, “Can I take this off?”
I nod, but she glances up at me. “I need to hear you say it, Evie.”
My throat goes dry, but I manage to tell her, “Yes. Please, Dru.”
They’re asking for consent. Consent even as they command my body.
I think all of my wettest dreams are about to come true.