CHAPTER TWELVE

 

The next morning after showering and changing, I head down the hall to Drake’s room. It takes a couple of deep breaths and a few minutes to get my bearings before I can work up the courage to knock on the door.

He opens it, looking tempting as hell, still rumpled from sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he meets my gaze, suddenly fully awake when he sees it’s me. “Pagan, hi. Are you okay?”

I blush, my gaze shifting to his lips as I remember the kiss we shared last night. It’s all I’ve been able to think about. Clearing my throat, I hesitantly meet his gaze. “I’m fine. I came to talk to you. Can I come in?”

“Yeah, yeah. Come in.” He moves out of the way just enough so I have to brush against him as I pass, sending shivers racing up my spine. “So….”

Knowing I need to just say it and get it over with, I straighten my back, turning to face him. “I’m sorry about rushing off last night. When it comes to men, I have a bad track record. Not that there’s been loads of them,” I rush out, my face burning.

This seriously isn’t going how I panned.

He grins, sitting on the edge of his bed. “So I’m a part of this bad record now?”

What? “What? No! But I work for your parents. I’ve never, you know, kissed a client’s son before.”

“Glad to be your first.” He winks.

Well at least someone can make light of the situation. “Shut up.” I laugh lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Knowing I’m doing this wrong, and that there’s no easier way to say what I need to say, I decide to just be blunt. I can’t possibly make a bigger fool out of myself than I have already. “I just don’t want to get hurt.”

His smile drops as his expression softens. “Why don’t we start over, be friends.”

I smile teasingly. “I thought we already were.”

“Well, after sharing itching powder, we’ve reached bestie level.”

I laugh harder at him using the word ‘bestie’. “I’m glad we’re okay. Now I best go downstairs and face the music. Your parents should be back within the hour, and I need to go over some last-minute plans for the engagement party with them.”

Meaning the press, who I didn’t count on being there, but I don’t mention it. It’s my job to be prepared for anything. I just wish they could’ve given me some kind of heads-up.

“I’ll walk down with you. Let me just throw on some clothes.”

I nod. “I’ll just go see if Alison is ready.”

He winks at me over his shoulder and I nearly trip over my own feet.

Damn him and his gorgeous wink.

I shake my head and walk out, bumping into a stormy-faced Alison.

“Your ex is a fucking jerk. What the hell did you ever see in him?”

“Woah, hold up. What happened?”

She scoffs, looking back in the direction she came from. “What happened? He tried it on with me and pinched my arse. The jerk spoke to my tits instead of my face. It’s insulting.”

“Who spoke to your boobs?” Drake asks, walking out of his room.

Alison blushes, looking between us.

“Aaron,” I tell him.

He gives me a knowing look. “Looks like that shoebox is going to get a workout.”

I grin. “It sure does.”

“Well, whatever you do, make sure it hurts. I think I have a bruise on my arse,” Alison sneers.

“Don’t worry, it will. I’m sure Ada will be up for helping us out.”

She smiles, then looks between the two of us again, her lips twitching into a knowing grin. “So what are you two up to?”

Blushing, I give my best friend the best ‘shut up’ glare I can muster. “Nothing.”

“Talking about our life together,” Drake answers, somehow straight-faced.

My glare turns his way. “What?”

Alison claps her hands together. “Goody. Now come on. I’ve gone two nights without proper food. I need to eat.”

Without missing a step, Drake places his hand at my lower back, leading me down the hallway behind Alison.

We’re quiet as we make our way to the dining room. The minute we walk in, all eyes land on us.

“Hey, Pagan, where did you go last night? You won the game,” Jesse says, giving me one of his boyish grins.

I force a smile as I try to come up with a reasonable lie as to why I bailed. “I―”

“I told you she felt sick after I found her last night,” Drake jumps in.

I relax, thankful he didn’t give them the real reason. I think I would die if he did. I don’t want to be fired, not when I’m enjoying my job for the first time in a while. And yes, Drake is mostly to thank for that, and so is his family. They’ve been welcoming, and a hoot to work with.

“I bet she cheated, really,” Aaron grumbles from the end of the table.

I glare his way. “And why would I do that?”

“Ignore him. He’s a sour puss because he lost and had to drink that drink.” Amelia giggles as she ducks her head from Aaron’s glare.

“I think I’m still drunk.” He seems irritated, not looking at anyone as he takes a gulp of his water, sweat forming across his forehead as he moves his arms under the table.

Looks like someone still doesn’t handle losing very well.

We all sit down at the table, everyone chatting about the fun events of last night, filling Alison in on everything she missed.

“Um, Aaron, what are you doing under the table?” Hannah says, looking nauseated.

He curses, shaking his head as his arm continues to shake. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“I didn’t ask if you were okay,” she murmurs, resuming eating her food.

Drake and I look at each other, sharing a knowing smile.

“Will you stop moving,” Gabriella hisses.

I look up to find her glaring at Angela. “I can’t. I’m fucking itchy.” She glares down the table to Aaron, and Drake starts to choke on his orange juice.

Aaron’s head shoots up, shooting daggers at Angela. “You! This is because of you. I was fine until I fucked you last night.”

“You slept with Angela?” Jesse asks, his voice high-pitched as he stares at Aaron with disgust.

“You slept with Aaron?” That comes from Amelia, who looks just as repulsed as the rest of us. The table quietens down, everyone’s attention on the two culprits still glaring at each other.

“What do you mean until you slept with me? I was fine until this morning.” Angela’s face is stormy and pinched in anger.

He stands up, no longer hiding the fact that he’s scratching his balls. “You’ve given me crabs or something. I can’t stop fucking itching.”

Angela stands, her face red. “Me? You’re the male slut.”

“Didn’t stop you from dropping your knickers.”

“Hey, bro,” Jesse starts, standing between the two.

“I was drunk and clearly not thinking straight,” she bites back, her face getting redder by the second.

“I was the one who was drunk. You took advantage of me, probably wanting to spread whatever the hell you’ve given me,” Aaron retorts.

All I see is orange before I realise she just threw a glass of orange juice at him, her high-pitched scream hurting my ears. “You bastard!”

“Why don’t we calm down. You probably just had an allergic reaction to something,” Amelia says calmly.

“How did she get itchy down there? Did he change into those boxers beforehand or something?” Drake whispers to me as they continue to glare at one another.

“Yeah, to him!” Angela shrieks, pointing accusingly at Aaron as she tries to discreetly scratch her privates.

“More like you,” Aaron growls before storming out.

“No idea,” I whisper back, watching the two with intrigue.

“I’m going to get myself checked out. God only knows what he’s given me,” Angela says. She walks a little too close to Harmony as she turns to leave, and when Harmony leans away, Angela screams again in annoyance before storming out of the room behind Aaron.

Everyone pauses, making sure she’s gone before we all burst out laughing.

“Oh my God.” I lean into Drake, trying to catch my breath.

“I wonder what happened,” Jesse says.

“Ada isn’t here, so it wasn’t her,” Amelia adds.

At that, Jesse turns my way with a knowing look and grins. I blush, ducking my head as I try to control my laughter.

 

*** *** ***

 

Holding a cocktail, Ada walks out onto the back patio where Alison and I are going over some of the plans for the engagement party.

“How was your night, Ada?” I ask politely.

“Boring, but I heard yours was a hoot. Angela just came back from the doctor. They said she seems to have had an allergic reaction to something. Apparently the only thing she did different, apart from sleep with that tool, was wear his boxers.”

She eyes me like she knows what I’ve done, so I smile, humouring her. “That explains how she got itchy down there. I put it in his boxers and on his pillows.”

She cackles, sitting down beside us. Alison moves her chair closer to me, eyeing Ada warily. “Those pillows didn’t get much use. I went snooping as soon as I got back and found them on the floor.”

“Should’ve smothered him with one,” Alison grumbles.

Ada eyes her before asking, “What’d he do to you?”

“Besides be a jerk? Pinched my arse and stared at my tits,” Alison answers with attitude. I chuckle at my best friend, not bothering to hide my amusement.

“What are you going to do next?”

“First, why did you go snooping?” I ask.

Ada looks around the garden before slipping a piece of paper towards me. I lift it, ready to open it, when she slaps my hand. “Lower it. Don’t let anyone see.”

My eyes widen as I lower the paper, slipping it open slowly. On it is a password and information on a message app. “What’s this?” My eyebrows scrunch together before I look over to Ada, giving her a questioning look.

“It’s his phone’s password. Download that app and hide it in one of his folders after you’ve signed him up. He should get facts about dildos and penises for the next six months.” She grins, looking around the garden once again.

I don’t even bother to ask how she found out his password. All I can do is grin and try to think of a way to get to his phone. I can’t wait to see his face when he opens the messages.

“Do they send pictures?” Alison asks.

“Why, you thinking of signing up?”

Alison smirks. “No, but I heard from Amelia this morning that Aaron’s a homophobe. Really hates the thought of two men together.”

What a fucking dick.

Ada glares, seeming to be thinking something over. “Why my grandson is friends with him, I’ll never know.”

An idea springs to mind and I chuckle. “I have the perfect idea to go along with the app. I just need to get his phone.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to mention that. He’s sleeping at the moment. It’s the perfect time to get it.”

“He’s sleeping at this time?” Alison asks warily, looking at her phone.

“He needed some help, but yes, he’s sleeping,” Ada says, glaring at Alison.

I chuckle, then jump when Drake steps out, startling me.

“Hello, ladies, Grams.” He eyes each of us. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. It’s girl time, so go away,” Ada orders, sipping her cocktail.

“Now I need to know.” He smiles, sitting down next to me.

I can feel the heat from his body and I blush, shifting in my seat. Ada stares at me for a long moment before grinning ear to ear.

“You don’t need to know anything.”

“He helped me with the stink bombs and itching powder,” I tell her.

She shakes her head, looking disappointed in me. It makes me feel like a child as I sink down in my seat. “Never get a man to do a woman’s job.”

“Hey! It was me who talked her into it,” Drake jumps in.

Her gaze whips my way. “Is that true?”

“Um.” She’s staring at me with a pissed-off expression. It’s kind of scary how intimidating a tiny old lady can be.

Drake laughs, pinching my thigh. “She just needed a little push. So, tell me what you have planned.”

I quickly go over Ada’s idea and my own. He laughs, nearly falling from his chair. “And he’s asleep now? I thought he got up a couple of hours ago, feeling refreshed.”

Ada looks guilty now, moving her chair back. “I need to go powder my nose. See you later.”

“What did she do?” he asks, watching her waddle inside with a resigned sigh.

“I dread to think,” Alison mutters before grabbing the stack of papers. “I’m going to pick up our dresses from Jessica. I’ll speak to you later.”

Don’t you dare leave me with Drake alone!

“Wait, I’ll come with you.” I rush to stand up, but Drake pulls me back down.

Jerk!

I can’t be alone with him. Not after last night. I might kiss him. Again!

“You have other matters to deal with. I’ve got this.” She grins, winking at me before her eyes flicker to Drake knowingly.

She ignores my narrowed gaze and skips off, whistling the wedding march as she does.

“What dresses?”

I jump at the sound of his deep voice, shivers running down my neck at how close he is. “For the casino night. We weren’t informed we needed to attend the events. We presumed we would only be needed here when the parties were going on.”

He chuckles. “Ahh. Mum wants you to feel like you’re one of the family, not that you’re here to work. I’ve not seen her this happy in ages. She really does hate that we’ve all moved away.”

“Where do you live?”

“Not far.” He looks up at the house. “I’ve actually been thinking about moving. I want to start my own practice. But with so many private practices open here in London, it’s tough.”

I’m actually shocked. The other night when we spoke about his job, he was undecided. “I thought you didn’t know what you wanted to do.”

He grins, looking at me. “I fibbed a little. I was going to head to South Africa again to volunteer, but I’m thirty-five. I need to start thinking about putting down roots, settling down.”

My heart rate picks up, a part of me wishing I could be involved in his settling down. Something about him draws me to him, like he has an invisible rope wrapped around my waist.

“You didn’t mention South Africa the other night.” I speak softly after seeing the pain that flashed behind his eyes when he mentioned it.

“It’s not something I like to bring up. I love my job. Helping kids, people, it’s in my blood. It’s who I am. I live for it.” He scrubs a hand down his face.

“I understand that. I feel the same about event planning.” I feel lame for saying it and wince when I do. His job saves lives; he has a purpose, a meaning, and makes a difference in the world. I just plan parties.

He turns, giving me a glimpse of those sexy dimples. “Yeah, you are passionate about your job.”

Feeling shy all of a sudden, I duck my head. “I feel like there was a ‘but’ coming before.”

“But it was hard. There’s only so much you can do for them. The funding and supplies are low. All I wanted to do was save them, make it right, and I couldn’t.”

“It made you feel powerless,” I mutter.

He gazes at me intensely, like he’s surprised I get it, and nods. “Yeah.”

“It only takes one person to make a difference, Drake. Just going over there changed their lives for the better. You made a difference being there, never forget that.”

My breath hitches when he reaches out to cup my jaw, his body turned fully towards me. “Pagan,” he whispers, his eyes closing.

“You two, those sleeping tablets won’t work all day,” Ada shouts.

We jump apart, looking around for her. When I don’t see her, I turn to Drake with wide eyes. “Your nan is a freaking ninja.”

“I can hear you. And thank you.” This time I even look under the table, making Drake chuckle. “Up here.” She sounds annoyed.

When I look up, I find her hanging out of the window, waving at us. “She’s a nut,” I whisper.

“I can read lips too,” she shouts.

“Oh my God.”

Drake chuckles. “We’re coming, Grams.”

“Hurry up, then. The only plan I have next is to whack him around the head with something heavy.”

She leaves, closing the window behind her. Drake and I move towards the house in a sprint, hoping like hell she doesn’t kill him.

One thing I’ve learnt in my four days here is that Ada doesn’t say something she doesn’t mean.

Let’s hope we make it to him before she gets any more bright ideas.