exhaustion on his face is replaced with excitement.
He practically runs to me. He looks good in a tight t-shirt and skinny jeans, his backpack slung over his shoulder.
He stops next to me. In one swift movement, he drops the backpack and wraps his arms around me.
I bury my face in his chest. It's better than I thought it would be.
Drew is in my arms.
Fuck. I missed him.
"You look gorgeous," he mumbles.
I squeeze him tighter then release the hug enough I can look into his eyes. "How was the flight?"
"Which one?" He runs a hand through his hair. "Tom and Willow were making out the whole flight to LA."
"Really?"
He nods.
I laugh. "You must feel emasculated, baby, him making out with your sister in front of you."
"They are married." Drew shakes his head with disbelief. "She's happy. That's what matters."
"Proud of you for standing down." I rub his bicep. My fingers can't help but trace the lines of his tattoos. It's wrong how sexy his ink-covered arms are.
It's more wrong that he ever wears a shirt. Even now, the way his chest-piece tattoo peeks out from the low v of his v-neck...
My knees go weak. My heart thuds against my chest.
"How do you look so fuckable after fourteen hours in transit?" I ask.
He raises an eyebrow, staring at me like I'm crazy. "I look like shit."
"No." I rise to my tiptoes so I can run my fingers through his short black hair. It's oily, in need of a wash. And his under-eye circles are darker than mine. Okay, I can admit it. "You look a little tired. And a little greasy. But all that means is that you need to be in the shower with me."
"Aren't we staying with your mom?"
"She went to bed before I left."
His eyes light up.
It's going to be difficult working around my mom's schedule for the two weeks we're spending in her townhouse. The place is a palace by San Francisco standards, but it's tiny by I want my mom far enough away from my bedroom that she won't hear me fucking my fiancé standards.
Drew can more than afford a hotel room, even a suite at a fancy hotel in SoMa, but it means the world to Mom that he's staying with us.
He leans down to kiss me. It's hungry and needy.
Somehow, I'm hungrier and needier than he is. At least it feels that way. It feels like I'll never get enough of kissing him.
I have to make up for every kiss we missed the last two weeks.
I need every inch of Drew. I need every bit of love, affection, and warmth.
I slide my tongue into his mouth and bring my hands to his waist. The fabric of his cotton t-shirt is thin enough I can feel the heat of his skin.
Fuck.
Why didn't we stay at a hotel?
***
The drive lasts a million hours. Thankfully, there's an open space on our street.
Drew grabs his suitcase from the trunk. For a moment, his eyes go to the place next door. It's the house where he grew up. His mom still lives there.
I see her from time to time. She always acts like he doesn't exist.
That must hurt. It hurts me just thinking about it.
I squeeze his hand.
He shakes his head, his attention coming back. "Fuck, I'm jet lagged."
"Thinking about your mom?"
He presses his lips together. Okay. He doesn't want to talk about it. Hard to blame him. Drew's not really the type to talk about his feelings. It's still hard for him to admit anything has ever hurt him.
I open the door for him and lead him to my room.
Drew sets his suitcase on the bed and unzips it. "Still can't believe how fast things with my mother went to shit." He opens each drawer in my dresser, one at a time. "You have any place for my stuff?"
"Shit. I forget to clear a drawer. Let me." I grab everything from my top drawer and shove it into the second.
"Quite the organizational skills."
I nod. Usually, I like keeping things neat. But right now, I'm itching to get Drew naked in that shower. "You want to talk about it?"
"Fuck no." His eyes pass over me. "What the fuck am I doing putting this shit away?"
I smile. "I was about to ask you that."
"God damn, Kendrick, your tits look divine in that blouse. How the fuck is it staying buttoned?"
"I'm going to be an English teacher, not a physics teacher," I tease.
"Better test it." He slides his arms around my hips.