had taken him by surprise instead of the other way around. However, it didn’t matter how cool, calm, and collected he appeared on the outside, my effect on him wasn’t quite as easy to hide in his voice when he said, “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
His breathless words surrounded me in a cocoon and warmed me to the core. They released a swarm of butterflies in the pit of my stomach, drowned me in a wave of unbridled desire, and had me so turned around I could very well have been trapped in a tornado. I was shaken and tongue-tied to the point I couldn’t say anything without giving away his effect on me, so rather than speak, I slowly shook my head and prayed that he understood the gesture.
“I know it’s kind of late…” he muttered as he checked his watch. There was no telling how long I’d pretended to read, so I had no clue what time it was. “But I was hoping you might want to hang out. I would’ve come sooner, except I was stuck at The Feeder.”
I glanced down at my well-worn tank top and tried my best to ignore the oily spot just above my left boob where a drop of tartar sauce had fallen off a fry. “Yeah, sure. Absolutely.” I paused to take a breath, hoping that would calm my nerves and slow my excitement. For all I knew, he needed a partner for beer pong, and I was the only available person he could ask. “Just let me change my clothes real quick.”
He carefully assessed my outfit, taking a bit longer to observe the cotton house shorts that only barely covered what they needed to. When he met my stare again and spoke, his voice dipped even lower, grittier, raspier. “You don’t have to.”
Coherent thoughts refused to form. I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth, roll my tongue, mold my lips, and repeat any of the countless words I’d learned in my lifetime. Instead, I dropped my chin and headed for the comfort of my cabin. Without meeting his eyes, I opened the door and invited him in. And much like last night, I pointed to the couch in a silent command to sit while I scurried off to the bedroom to change.
Less than two minutes later, I returned in a pair of jean shorts and a clean shirt. Drew seemed to appreciate my change of clothes—if the grin playing at the corners of his mouth meant anything. Then again, it only lasted a split second. As if realizing his reaction, he quickly stoned it and averted his gaze, keeping his attention set on the floor between us. “That was fast.”
“Well, I mean…I don’t know what we’re doing or where we’re even going—if anywhere—so I just grabbed the first thing I found.” With his refusal to look at me, everything became awkward.
Drew ran his hand over the dusting of dark hair along his jaw and chin before finally finding my eyes. And once he did, the heat from his stare melted away whatever discomfort had been between us. “The weather’s nice, so I thought we could watch a movie on my dock.”
That definitely caught my attention. I wasn’t sure how feasible it was, but I certainly wanted to find out. He was right about the weather; it was nice, but it paled in comparison to the company. “Yeah, that sounds like fun. What movie?”
“I figured I’d let you choose. I have an arsenal of titles, so you shouldn’t have trouble picking one.”
Not wanting to give myself time to chicken out, I slid my feet into a pair of sandals by the door and followed Drew to the golf cart.
Unlike our earlier drive to his house, this one was spent without a word shared between us. The silence seemed to stretch on and on, and I wanted it to end, so I uttered the first thought that came to me. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to give all this up?”
We must’ve been closer to his place than I realized, because before he could answer, he brought the cart to a complete stop and turned off the ignition. Subtle moonlight peeked through the branches and used the trees surrounding us to cast shadows on his face, hiding his expression from me. “It’s meaningless at this point.”
I prayed for some way to see him, to see his eyes, for the tiniest chance to read his thoughts. I