“No,” she whispered, her breath tickling my throat. “Thank you. I’ll leave that to you.”

I pulled back and grasped her elbows, gazing into her eyes.

“I want to date you, Lucy. I mean, actually date you.” I slid my fingers down until they were linked with hers. “What do you think?”

When she didn’t reply right away, my stomach clenched with worry I’d pushed her too far. But then her eyes lit up and she gave me a wide, genuine smile.

“I think I’d like that.”

That was all I needed to hear. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her, enjoying the feel of her palms pressed against the center of my back.

“Let’s say our good-byes and finish this date elsewhere,” I suggested.

When Lucy pushed back, her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed, I quickly said, “I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I thought we’d go for ice cream.”

She squinted at me. “Ice cream?”

“Yes, you know the frozen confection that’s typically served in a cone?” I smirked, and she shook her head. “Come on, let’s go. I may even splurge for sprinkles.”

Chapter 7

~ Lucy ~

Rather than going to an ice cream stand, we ended up buying a couple of gallons and some toppings at the grocery store, and headed to my place. Drake made what he called his famous “you’re going to love it” sundae that consisted of a scoop of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream smothered in hot fudge, caramel sauce, sliced banana, a swirl of whipped cream, and a cherry to top it off.

Overwhelmed, all I could do was stare at it. “If I eat all of this, I’m not going to be able to move.”

He handed me a spoon, and held up another in his hand. “That’s why we’re going to share, if that’s okay.”

“It’s more than okay.” Frowning at him, I asked, “You look like you just walked off the cover of a fitness magazine. Do you always eat like this?”

He chuckled, but not before taking a heaping spoonful of ice cream. Immediately, his face scrunched up, and he squeezed his eyes closed.

“Brain freeze?” I giggled and placed a small taste in my mouth. “Mmm, this is delicious.”

Drake nodded and squeezed his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Man, that smarts. I should learn to take smaller bites.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at him.

After we finished our dessert, Drake grabbed the remote. “Do you mind if I check some scores?”

When I shook my head, he flicked on the TV and tuned it to ESPN. He sat on the couch and pulled me to his side as he listened, and I was mesmerized by the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen. Even though I wasn’t sure what each acronym stood for, it caught my eye.

As I tried to decipher the code, my lids began to close.

• • •

The thud of the newspaper hitting the front door woke me. I went to stretch, but my hand hit a hard surface covered in what felt like soft cotton. When I slowly opened my eyes, still completely disoriented, I did my best to focus on where my hand had landed.

Drake’s handsome face was so peaceful in sleep. Early morning sunlight barely illuminated the room, just enough that I could see his chiseled jaw, which was now covered in morning scruff a little longer than I’d seen on him before.

I was leaning against the sofa cushions with my head rested on his bicep, when even in the relaxed position was prominent and hard. As if my hand had a mind of its own, it traveled from his chest down his tight stomach, feeling each ripple of his abs one by one, and stopped just above the waistband of his jeans.

My gaze was fixed on my fingers as they continued to move across the waistband of his pants and then north, but this time I grazed his strong arm until I rested my hand on his shoulder. When I looked back at his dark hair swept over his forehead, his eyelids flickered and his lips twitched.

Shit. He’s awake. I quickly jerked my hand back and rested it at my side, never losing sight of his face.

One eye opened and then the other. “Don’t stop on my account.” His dimple appeared, and my entire body heated from the inside out.

Swallowing hard with embarrassment, I choked out, “I’m sorry.”

He shifted and pulled me closer until my breasts pressed against the same hard chest my hand had just explored. His morning excitement pushed against my hip, and I did everything in my power not to grind against it.

“That was the best alarm clock I’ve ever had.” Our eyes met, and he lifted a hand to stroke my hair before resting on my neck. “Do you know how badly I want you right now?” His deep sensual voice rendered me speechless. “Do you, Lucy?”

“I have a bit of an idea.” I moved slightly, pushing my hip against his erection, and a deep growl came from him.

“If you keep doing that, my grand plan of dating and slowly seducing you are going to fly out the window.”

“So, you have a grand plan of seducing me?”

“You forgot the dating part,” he said wryly.

I snickered. “Yes, that too.”

“I did have a plan,” he said softly, “but as in politics, sometimes you need to go with the flow and adjust your agenda.” His lips found the pulse on my neck as he nibbled, licked, and gently sucked. “Your skin tastes sweet.” As I leaned my head back to give him more access, he added, “Someday, I’m going to taste all of you.”

Every pore in my body ignited, which made it difficult for me to speak, but I finally managed to breathe out one word. “Drake.” It sounded like a prayer to my own ears, and I hoped it didn’t sound desperate, but I wanted him to touch me.

Cool air hit my lower back as he lifted the hem of my shirt. I didn’t stop him; I couldn’t. His eyes begged for permission, and the slowness of his stroke on my skin confirmed he was waiting for the green light.

All I could do was kiss him. That was my answer. A simple kiss.

He raised my top over my head, exposing my red lace bra. “You’re beautiful, Lucy.”

His fingertips slowly grazed the swell of my breasts, as if in adoration. Goose bumps sprang to the surface of my oversensitive skin as he continued to explore, from my pebbled nipples to the center of my abdomen and back up again.

The way he perused me not only with his touch, but with his eyes—normally a pale blue-green, but now the deeper color of the Caribbean sea—made me want to throw all caution to the wind.

I was his if he wanted me to be.

Chapter 8

~ Drake ~

How was I going to take this slow? The need to taste her, touch her, and be inside her consumed me. Could it be I’d finally found the woman for me? Was Lucy the one? Would she want me to be hers?

Her skin felt like silk under the pads of my fingers. The urge to explore her entire body raged through me, but I wanted her to understand that wasn’t all I wanted from her.

No. With her, I wanted more. I needed to know what made her happy or sad, what her favorite food was, and her favorite color. Did she prefer movies or television? What sports did she like to watch, or didn’t she? What were her best childhood memories, what were her parents like, and when did she lose them?

These were the kind of things I wanted to know. Granted, Ben could find all of this out and more—and I was sure he was itching to do it—but that wasn’t an option.

“Drake,” she said, drawing me out of my thoughts, “I need to get up and ready for work.”

My head dropped between her neck and her shoulder. “If I wasn’t concerned about the education of our youth, I’d ask you to play hooky.” Reluctantly, I moved to let her sit up.

She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on. “I need to get the paper.”

“Did I ever tell you how great it is that you still read the newspaper? Most of the people I know love having the online version, but I prefer holding it in my hands. There’s something about the way the ink smells that speaks to me.”