6. Drew
DREW
“For someonewho says she doesn’t like the outdoors, you’ve sure taken to these woods like a champ,” I say, stepping over a fallen log.
Eliza turns to look back at me, her honey eyes sparkling. “What can I say? I have a very reliable guide. And he’s taken me on an amazing trip.”
“Amazing, huh?” I hike up the mountain trail behind Eliza and lean down to give her a quick kiss. But just as my lips brush hers, she jumps at the sight of a squirrel scampering across our path.
“You do know that squirrels don’t bite, right?” I tease.
She shoots me a playful glare. “Even still. They’re unpredictable creatures. You never know what they might do next.”
I turn and press a kiss to her temple. “We should take more hiking trips together. I love spending time with you.”
She arches a brow, lips quirking. “Even with my irrational fear of squirrels?”
“Especially with your irrational fear of squirrels,” I say with a grin. “It’s one of your more endearing qualities.”
Eliza’s cheeks flush pink as she ducks her head to hide her smile. But I reach out and tip her chin up.
“You’re really something else, Ms. Parker. You know that?” I murmur.
“So are you, Mr. Donovan,” she returns softly.
These past few days with Eliza have been the highlight of my year. No meetings, no emails, no stress - just the two of us tucked away in our own little world.
When we arrive at the cabin, I get to work whisking eggs for our Friday breakfast. Beside me, Eliza chops vegetables, and our movements flow in tandem as we prepare the meal.
When we sit down to eat, the table is laden with fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and toasted English muffins. I glance at Eliza, struck by a rush of affection as she enthusiastically digs into her food. She catches me looking and pauses midbite, cheeks coloring.
“What?” she asks. “Do I have egg on my face or something?”
I shake my head slightly, the hint of a grin playing on my lips. “I was just thinking... I want more days like this, even when we get back to Cooper Hills.”
Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Without breaking eye contact, I reach into my pocket and slide a key across the table toward her. The glint of metal catches her eye, and she looks down at it in surprise.
“I mean,” I begin, holding her gaze, “I want you to move in with me.”
Her eyes widen and she looks taken aback, but there’s something else too—an interest that tells me she’s seriously considering it.
“We can take it slow,” I assure her quickly, seeing the hesitation flicker across her face. “You can start by moving in a few things. But I want you in my bed every night from now on.”
For a moment, she’s silent, staring back at me. Then she slowly reaches out to pick up the key, a shy smile growing on her lips as she tucks the key into her pocket.
“Okay,” she whispers softly, sealing our new arrangement with that single word.
As Eliza washes the dishes, humming softly under her breath, I finish clearing the table. Her obvious contentment makes me smile, glad to provide a reprieve from her usual worries. But I notice a flicker of uncertainty in her gaze when she thinks I’m not looking, a hint of shadows dimming her bright eyes.
Drying my hands on a towel, I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. She jumps, startled, then relaxes into my embrace with a sigh.
“What’s bothering you?” I ask, lips brushing the curve of her neck.
“Nothing,” she says too quickly. I tighten my hold in silent encouragement, waiting for her to continue. It’s a tactic that never fails.
Finally, she admits, “I was just thinking about what happens next. After this weekend, I mean. We have to go back to Fit Mountain, back to real life. And with our families...” She trails off, eyebrows drawing together.
I turn her around to face me, cupping her cheeks in my hands. “You’re mine, Eliza Parker, and I’m not letting anything come between us. Not our families, not some silly feud that should have ended years ago. We’ll figure it out together.”
“But my family?—”
“Can say whatever they want,” I interrupt firmly. “It won’t change how I feel about you. We’ll handle them, just like we’re going to handle everything else. Together.”
Eliza searches my face, looking for any hint of doubt or insincerity. Finding none, her expression softens into a smile that makes my heart stutter. “Together,” she echoes, covering my hands with her own.
I pull Eliza onto my lap, hands sliding under her dress to grip her hips. She gasps as I grind into her, already hard and aching for another taste.
“One more before we go?” I ask, nipping at her earlobe. “I want to feel you come around me again.”
“Drew,” she protests weakly, though her body is already responding. I can feel the slickness between her thighs, proof that she wants this as much as I do.
“Please,” I coax, dragging my fingers over the damp cotton of her panties. “I need you, baby.”
With a soft moan, Eliza nods and captures my mouth in a hungry kiss. That’s all the permission I need.
I bend her over the breakfast bar, hiking up her dress to bare her ass. Her panties are soaked through, clinging to her slit, and I rip them off in my haste to be inside her.
She’s so wet that I slide right in, groaning at the feel of her tight heat. I fuck her hard and fast, needing to mark her as mine one more time before we return to the real world. Her cries echo through the cabin, spurring me on as I plunge deeper into her warmth.
When Eliza comes, I follow soon after, filling her with my release in hot, thick spurts until there’s nothing left.
Breathless, we collapse onto the floor in a tangle of limbs. Eliza turns to face me, cheeks flushed and lips swollen from our kisses. Her soft and sated smile fills me with a fierce possessiveness.
Mine. She’s mine, and I’m never letting her go.
I step backinto the Donovan Enterprises building right after lunch. As I stride into the conference room, Heath is the first to greet me with a smirk.
“Hey, bro,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. “Didn’t think you were coming in today.”
“Had a few things to get done before the weekend,” I grunt back.
“How was your vacation?”
For a second, my mind flashes back to earlier that morning with Eliza. Then I clear my throat. “It was fine.”
Heath smirks. “I bet it was. So, where’s your hot new secretary? I was sure you’d have promoted her to an in-office position by now.”
The mere mention of Eliza has my mind spinning back to this morning when I decided to give her the day off. Part of me wanted to give her a chance to relax after our marathon sex sessions, but another part was selfishly hoping she would consider my offer and move in with me.
I shoot Heath a glare. “I gave her the day off.” With a smirk, I add, “She needed the rest.”
Right as the words leave my mouth, Blake strides into the room with a groan.
“Jesus Christ. So it’s true, then? You’re really screwing your secretary?” He drops a stack of legal documents onto the conference room table. “I hope your little fling is worth it. You’re exposing us to a shit ton of liability.”
A growl rumbles deep in my chest as I snap back, “Of course she’s worth it! She’s my future fucking wife.”
The intensity of my reaction wipes the smirks off their faces, and they exchange surprised glances.
Heath raises his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Let’s just change the subject.”
Blake flips open the folder with a focused expression. “Look, we need to get our heads in the game for this Alley Street project. It’s been dragging on for months, and it’s eating into our resources.”
I sit down, my mind still partially with Eliza, but I know I need to concentrate. “What’s happened now?” I ask with a groan.
Heath jumps in, rifling through his own papers. “It’s the zoning permissions again. Everything was fine until earlier this week. Now the city council is dragging their feet to approve the modifications we proposed. Without those approvals, we’re stuck.”
I run a hand over my face, feeling the frustration build.
The Alley Street project has been a thorn in our sides for multiple reasons. It’s a multiuse development aimed at revitalizing one of the older neighborhoods in downtown Fit Mountain, blending residential units, retail spaces, and offices. The vision is grand—something that could really put Donovan Enterprises on the map in terms of urban development. But it’s been anything but simple.
Finally, I say, “And they’re not giving us a clear reason why?”
Blake and Heath exchange a glance before Heath proceeds.
“My sources within the city have shed some light on things,” he says. “Turns out Parker Sons have been leaning pretty hard on the commissioner to block our project. And since old man Parker and the commissioner go way back, they’re putting up roadblocks for us.”
I lean back in my chair, considering this new piece of information.
Eliza’s family, our secret—it’s a ticking time bomb threatening to wreck our budding connection. I rake a hand through my hair, grappling with this dilemma. Donovan Enterprises is synonymous with risk-taking and boundary-pushing. But then there’s Eliza—pure, naive Eliza, who shouldn’t be trapped in the crosshairs of age-old feuds and corporate battles.
Heath eyes me curiously. He’s seen me under stress before, but not like this—not split between personal wants and professional obligations.
“So,” he cuts through the heavy silence. “Should I put pressure on the commissioner?”
A plan forms in my mind—one that could potentially solve both problems at once.
“No,” I say finally, holding up a hand to stop Heath from interrupting. “I think I have a better idea.”