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“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Perfect.” I tighten my fingers around his and lean into him as the crisp night air whips around us. Drake doesn’t let me go until he’s forced to.
“Your chariot awaits,” he says, holding open the door.
I curtsey before climbing into his SUV. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Drake jogs around the front of his Tahoe and hops in. Resting my head against the headrest, I close my eyes and savor the few moments I have alone with him. Our fingers find each other’s on the center console, and I hold on, desperate for the night to continue. Because right now we may be Bethany and Tom, but we’re also Drake and Abby.
The ride is quiet, and I’d like to think Drake is soaking up the moment the way I am.
“We’re here.”
When he announces our arrival at my place, my stomach plummets.
He releases my hand and puts the car in park, and I peel my eyes open. My apartment building is dark except for a small yellow light over the back door, barely giving off enough light to illuminate the parking spots. I’m not ready to go inside, but I know Drake has to work again tomorrow, and he needs to get some rest.
“Thank you for dinner and dessert.”
“You’re welcome.”
Drake slides out of his vehicle at the same time I do and walks me to my door. For several seconds, I stand frozen, hoping he’ll say fuck it and take me in his arms.
I imagine wrapping my legs around his waist as he pushes me against the door. He’ll hoist me up, rip my panties off, and claim me the same way he did after Hannah’s wedding reception.
The world would fall away as he filled me up, body and soul. I would get lost in him—lost in his touch and the steady beat of his heart against mine. But that fantasy is yanked out from under me when Drake places a chaste kiss on my cheek.
He’s nothing if not gentle and upstanding.
“I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you around.”
I slip inside, press my back against the door, and try to get my heart under control. When his vehicle starts up, I dash to the window, fling the curtain open, and watch him pull away. His taillights fade into the night, and I replay our evening over and over again—every laugh, every word, every touch—as I perform my nightly routine.
But it’s not just tonight I’m thinking about; it’s today in the OR, three days ago in my living room, and the twelve short hours we spent in his bed.
Flicking off my bedroom light, I crawl beneath the cool sheets and startle when my phone chimes from the nightstand.
I slide my finger across the screen and see a text.
Drake: Tom wanted nothing more than to kiss Bethany goodnight.
Me: Why didn’t he?
I smile and watch three dots jump across my screen.
Drake: He wasn’t sure if she was a kiss on the first date type of girl.
I bust up laughing.
Me: She is definitely not that type of girl. She is also firmly against one-night stands. Although I think she would’ve made an exception for Tom.
Drake: Why is that?
Me: Because Tom is special. She feels things when she’s with him, things she’s never felt. He scares her a little.
Drake: She has nothing to be scared of because Tom feels the same way about her. He would never hurt Bethany.
