Chapter 14 Drake
DRAKE
There was nothing improper about her appearance—hell, there was more skin on display when you went to the beach—yet I was fucking hard for her.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I'm going to go and shower in a minute."
"Okay. The hair dryer is portable, so I'm going to take it out of the bathroom. Did you make reservations?"
"Yeah. I asked for a space with minimal Valentine's Day decorations."
Her face lit up. "I'm looking forward to this. Thank God Reese made me pack my knockout dress."
"What's that?"
She smiled sheepishly. She'd never given me one of those smiles before. It was almost coy. "Never mind. Reese insisted that I pack a dress, and I'm glad I did. When's the reservation?"
"At seven o'clock."
"It's my superpower to get ready fast."
"Fast? That's almost an hour and a half away."
"Yeah. Trust me, it's fast. Now, shoo, go take a shower. I need to change, and I can't do it knowing you’ll pass through my bedroom."
I headed to the bathroom and nearly did a double take when I saw the amount of clothes she'd thrown on her bed. Then I fixated on something that was in the corner but was visible enough for me to get rock-hard—sexy lingerie. Even from a few steps away, I could tell it had lace.
Damn! Knowing she was going to wear that tonight would drive me insane.
I had to get a grip on myself. I needed a cold shower, but even that wasn't enough for me to cool down and forget how much I wanted her.
Even though I didn't need long in the bathroom, by the time I came out all dressed, so was Kimberly. I was going to owe Reese for life for convincing her to bring the dress with her, because she looked delicious. Her hair was still not completely dry, but she was blow-drying it with a huge brush.
I looked at her without saying anything for a few moments, enjoying this side of her. She was relaxed and happy.
The second she saw me, her demeanor changed. She turned off the hair dryer, straightening up. I didn't want her to be tense around me, so I'd have to work harder to put her at ease.
"I'm ready," I said.
"Wow, that was fast. When did you even have time to button up your—never mind. I'm going to need some more time."
"Sure."
She pressed her lips together, then said, "I have a favor to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Can you zip me up? I tried, and I managed to get it halfway up my back, but if I don't zip it all the way up, it's going to fall off at some point."
I swallowed hard. "Sure. All right. Now?"
"Yes, please. I've been holding it to my sides with my elbows, but it's a bit difficult to style my hair like that. I would have blow-dried it before putting my dress on, but I prefer to style it once I’m dressed."
"Sure." Taking huge steps toward her, I pulled all her hair to one side. The skin on her back was so damn soft and perfect. I tugged the zipper up slowly, drawing the tips of my fingers up her back and shoulders.
I needed this contact. All I wanted to do was lean in and kiss the back of her neck.
How would she react? Would she moan? Would she beg for more?
I'd then kiss down those exposed shoulder blades, from one to the other.
I put my left hand on the lower part of the zipper, pulling it down a bit while I slowly closed it.
"Thanks," she muttered. She was avoiding my gaze.
I admired her in the mirror. Kimberly was a beautiful woman.
"I'm going to need about half an hour. Okay?" she said.
"Sure. I'll wait for you downstairs in the lobby. I saw a bar there. I'll get a drink."
"Okay." She seemed relieved.
"You do have a jacket, right, besides your coat? You're going to get sick otherwise."
"Don't worry about me, Drake. I have everything I need."
"Just come down when you're ready."
I needed some distance and a drink to clear my head. Two versions of myself seemed to be warring inside my brain. It was the first time this had happened to me, and it was frankly disconcerting. The truth was, I couldn't be around this woman and not want her.
On the way to the bar, I stopped by the reception desk to check on the reservation. “Hi. We spoke earlier about booking a table.”
She gave me an apologetic smile. “We ran into a problem.”
I frowned, reading her name tag. “Amanda, I’m getting that table tonight. Now, let’s go through the options.”