Page 68 of Meant to be Mine

I didn’t know what we were. I knew what it felt like to have his hand in my hair and how good it felt to be in his arms. I knew what he tasted like.

And I knew I didn’t want to stop.

“There it is,” Drew said quietly when the sky turned a brilliant gold.

We watched the sun sink toward the horizon. Neither of us said anything. It was basically a religious experience. Talking would have ruined it.

When the last of the sun disappeared, he looked at me. I saw it. I saw the desire. He leaned down and I met him halfway.

The kiss was unhurried. Nothing like the urgency in his office. His hand cupped the side of my face. I reached up and curled my fingers around his wrist, not pulling him closer, just holding on.

When we broke apart, the stats were shining brightly above us.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

I didn’t ask which home he meant. I already knew.

He held my hand on the drive back to his place. I placed my other hand on top of his. We had a lot to work out, but for now, I was happy to live in the moment. The end of summer would come whether I stressed about it now or in thirty days.

He parked in his garage.

“Hungry?” he asked as we walked into the house.

“Not for food.”

He laughed. “That a line from one of your books?”

“I can’t repeat what’s in those books.”

Drew’s eyes bored into mine. “How about you just show me then?”

“I think I could be persuaded to try out a few things I’ve read about.”

23

DREW

The sound pulled me out of a deep sleep. I lay still for a moment, trying to place it. Not the ocean. Not rain.

The shower.

It took a few seconds for it to register. Kensey was in my shower. It made me smile. Like soul deep. I didn’t do sleepovers. Having a woman in my shower was a new one. And it wasn’t just any woman—it was Kensey. And I decided that was exactly right. She belonged in my shower.

I rolled onto my back and laughed at myself a little. My best friend. The person who stole my fries and made fun of my reading habits. The woman who cried watching Christmas commercials and read books I’m pretty sure would make me blush.

Outside of my brothers, she was the most consistent presence in my life. My brothers and I were close. I could tell them anything, but sometimes the things that were on my mind were about them. And it was never a good idea to talk about one brother with another. That shit got messy. And I couldn’t tell them I was feeling pressure from the family to be something I wasn’t.

Kensey was always there for me. My rock. My confidante. The one that made me laugh when shit was going sideways. She always knew what to say to help settle me. Point me in the right direction. I counted on her, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with her. Maybe I’d always been in love with her.

I couldn’t remember why I’d waited so long.

I stared at the ceiling. I’d been running on a kind of autopilot I hadn’t noticed because it was easy. Work was good. The store was good. The family was in good shape. I had a beautiful house. Everything was fine. I had a good life.

There was a naked woman in my shower. Why in the hell was I lying in bed? I got up and decided I also needed a rinse.

The shower cut off.

“Dammit.”