Chapter Seven
Drew limped into the kitchen where I was cleaning up some dishes. His shoulder was much better now, and he was able to walk short distances using a cane. His hair was still damp from a shower. I giggled as he drew near.
When he saw the direction of my gaze, he glanced down and saw what I saw. "Think that's funny, do you? You try dressing with only one good hand." He tried to unbutton his shirt, but I waved his hands away and realigned them, so his shirt hung straight. My fingers felt like thumbs as I felt his heated gaze on me.
"There," I said, smoothing his shirt. He didn't move, and it was then that I realized I was between him and the counter. Given his increased breathing, he noticed it, too. His eyes darkened, and his head moved just a little closer. I debated staying there, knowing what would happen if I did. I wanted it. I wanted him. But there would be no turning back, and I wasn’t sure I was ready.
I smiled weakly and ducked around him. “So, there are some leftovers in the fridge. Help yourself. I’ve got a little work to finish up.”
As I left the kitchen, I hesitated and looked over my shoulder. His hands were braced on the counter, his head dropped. I wondered if he was feeling relief or disappointment.
A half-hour later, Drew joined me in the living room. "I thought we could watch a movie together," he said.
"Oh, I was just going to work on a few photos and then grab a shower and go to bed. I’ve been staying up much later than I’m used to." I faked a yawn. "I'm kind of worn out.” Liar. I was too on edge to sleep.
"What are you doing?"
"Picking out what I think are the best images to send off to the editor for a travel magazine."
He came to stand behind me. "They all look good. How do you choose?"
"Most people who look at this will just see the lake and the think 'oh, how pretty,' and hopefully they'll think they want to go and see it for themselves. But it's my job to find the picture that I think will be most enticing". I pointed to two pictures I had up on my large computer screen. "Look at these. Which do you think looks better?"
He peered at them over my shoulder, holding the back of my chair for support. I couldn't help but notice how good he smelled after his recent shower. I could feel his warmth, which beckoned to me.
"They look pretty much the same to me."
"Look closely at the lake,” I answered hoarsely.
He leaned over me. I wanted to run my lips across the column of his neck, feel the scruff of his beard against my lips. I sucked in a breath and leaned slightly away. He glanced back at me, a knowing look in his eyes. "I still don't see it."
I cleared my throat and forced my attention back to the computer screen. "A cloud moved in as I took this one. It wasn't much of one, but enough to cover the sun's glimmer on the water, right here. When you're trying to sell the destination, you're also trying to sell an illusion, so to speak. This one shows a lake with a beautiful background, but this one," I pointed to the one on the right, "makes the lake itself glisten, attracting people to the water, not just the scene. It's lighter. Warmer. More inviting. Now this one," I scrolled to another, "I think there's too much glare. It detracts too much from the scene. Those are the kinds of things I look for. It's not science, except in knowing how the brain unconsciously reacts to certain things."
Drew didn't back away as he looked at me. "It's kind of like choosing just the right note in a song. Do I go up or down a note? Slow down or speed up? It just depends on the emotion I'm trying to convey. You see things whereas I hear them."
I nodded. "Exactly. It's our art."
He finally straightened up, only to turn and sit on the edge of my desk. "Well, maybe you can take a break? I thought we could watch a movie or something."
I pulled my computer that was now partially hidden by his ass - his nice tight ass. “Not all of us have free time," I muttered.
"Hey, I didn't ask for this situation."
"Well, neither did I!"
I glanced up at him in time to see pain flash across his features. For a change, I didn't think it had anything to do with his leg. Part of me felt guilty. Part felt a familiar anger. None of me wanted to engage this conversation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way that came out."
He crossed his arms. "No, I think you did. I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't realize being here would be such an infringement. I thought it would be time we could spend together, making new memories to make up for the lost ones. But other than spending time in the car to and from therapy and other necessary moments, you seem determined to avoid me.”
The angry side won. I stood up from my chair and faced him, able to look him in the eye as he remained perched on my desk. "Oh, tell me this argument is familiar to you, this trying to make me feel guilty.” I poked my finger at his chest. “You always wanted me to put you first. Well, guess what, Drew? The world doesn't revolve around you. I have a life. I've had a life in the past several months that didn’t revolve around you. And I don't have the benefit of some giant eraser to make everything that happened just go away. Even if you can't remember it, I can."
His eyes glittered as he also stood. "I'll make it easy for you then. I'll find somewhere else to stay, and it'll be like I was never here. You can do whatever the hell you want without me in your way."
"Fine!"
"Fine!" His volume matched my own as we glared at each other.
Then suddenly his arms were around my waist, and my fingers were pulling his head to meet mine. Our lips met and clung for seconds before his tongue delved into my mouth. The world fell away to a place where there was no past, no future, just the present. With a groan, Drew turned us so he could sit in the chair I had just vacated, pulling me to straddle his good leg. Shamelessly, I arched my neck to make it easier for him as his lips nipped their way across my skin leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.
As his lips swept across my collarbone, his fingers slid under my shirt, sliding upward to cup my breasts. "Oh!" I gasped as he caught my nipple between his fingers. He pulled my shirt over my head and immediately lowered his head to my chest. He sucked the tip to a hard peak, then bit it. I cried out again and arched my back over his arm, offering myself to him. He laved the spot with his tongue over my lacy bra to soothe the sting, the material only adding to the amazing sensation he was creating.
"So sweet," Drew rasped against my skin. "So beautiful." He let his fingers take over teasing my sensitive curves while his mouth returned to mine. He nibbled at the sides of my mouth, teasing until I turned my head into his, hungry for more. I clung to his forearms, where toned muscles flexed beneath my palms.
He slowed the kiss, leaving sweet, gentle kisses on my nose, cheeks, and my forehead before he leaned his head against mine. "I've wanted to do that for weeks."
I took several deep breaths to calm my ragged breathing. "You have?"
"Emma, I don't know what happened to make you doubt me. I'm sorry for whatever it was. But I can only tell you what I feel right now, which is no different than what I've always known I feel for you. I love you. I can't begin to fathom how that could change."
I lifted my head to look into his eyes, which reflected everything he just said. "I..."
His finger covered my lips. "I know something happened, something that caused a wedge between us. I swear, I’m not asking you to put me first over everything. I never want to take your dreams away. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance to remind you how it used to be, how it still feels to me. I don't remember the past couple of years, but I do know I'm different than I used to be. Something happened to me, too, in that time, Emma. Please, can we use this time to recharge? I know we're not on the same page anymore, and I admit, that hurts. But I want to try. Will you remember with me what it used to be like, what it can be again?"
I struggled off his leg. I chewed on my thumb, knowing what I wanted to say, yet terrified to commit to it. "I'm scared."
Drew looked like I'd struck him. "Of me?"
"Not exactly, but of being hurt by you."
He grimaced and leaned back in my chair. "So, I did do something."
I recalled the events that took place. Drew’s words made me see things through a lens not clouded with pride or pain. I shook my head. "We both did. We were both hurt." I reached for his hand. "Are you sure you don't want me to tell you? I'd rather get it out in the open then for you to remember later, be angry with me again, and all this time and effort will be for nothing."
He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. "I won't let this time be for nothing. And no, I don't want to know. It'll be kind of like your guarantee. You'll know any reactions I have are genuine, not faked trying to impress you and win you back."
My heart surged at the sincerity in his words and expression. "Okay. I'll try. I'm sorry I argued with you earlier."
His body relaxed with my words. "It's to be expected. We're both passionate people, not just physically, but it's what drives our art. Of course, it's going to overlap into our regular lives. But that’s what makes us so great together. We fight hard, we play hard, but we love harder."
"Wise words."
Grinning, he said, "How wise of you to recognize it." He tapped my nose. "Now, how about we compromise? You finish up your work, and then we’ll watch a movie?”
“Perfect.”
Staying up late for a movie turned out not to be my thing. However, falling asleep in Drew’s arms was. It was, indeed, perfect.