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Without another thought, Drew stepped inside after her and let the door close behind him. The king-size bed was like a beacon calling a sailor to port. His body thrummed with desire, pulsed with attraction, and begged him to claim her right then and there.
Lacey placed her purse on the desk and turned to him. Aside from their first kiss, Drew knew she wasn’t impulsive. Deep down, he didn’t want her to be that way with him. He wanted her to contemplate how they could be as a couple, to realize they were good together.
Drew couldn’t remember a time when he wanted to be with a woman so much… to feel the softness of her skin against his, and to run his fingers through her silky hair, all while holding her in his arms.
“I’m so happy to be here right now.” Lacey looked out the sliding glass doors before facing him. She pointed to the water bottles sitting on the dresser. “I wish I had more to offer you. They’re not even cold.” She let out a nervous laugh.
“No worries. I’m content just hanging out with you.” It didn’tmatter that it had been only days since meeting her, since he first heard the melodic tone in her voice, watched her eyes sparkle in the Caribbean sun. As ridiculous as it sounded, she took his breath away, and Drew would happily give her every other breath he had.
They sat side by side on the small plush sofa, making themselves comfortable as they got to know each other.
Lacey was as inquisitive as a reporter and as attentive as a teacher. “What did you want to be when you were a little boy?”
The memory made Drew chuckle. “A doctor.”
“Why’s that funny?”
“Because my reasoning was a bit skewed.” When Lacey’s brows furrowed, he added, “I was twelve, when the prettiest girl in our neighborhood fell off her bike in front of our house. She banged her knee pretty bad. I helped her clean it up and ran in my house to get her a bandage. She called me her hero and kissed me on the cheek.”
“You wanted to be a doctor because you thought it would get you girls?”
“Yup. But when I got older, I got sick in biology class dissecting a frog, so that ended that dream.”
Lacey laughed. “Well, you aren’t doing too bad for yourself.”
“Thank you. What about you?”
Her pretty eyes rolled up and she looked at the ceiling before meeting his gaze. “The first female MLB umpire.”
“Interesting. Favorite team?”
“The Yankees, of course. You?”
“Cubs, baby.” He leaned toward her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Why didn’t you pursue that dream? You’d look cute in that uniform.”
“Thank you. But when I was applying to colleges, I put together a brochure about myself instead of just writing an essay. I included pictures and captions—it was almost like a foldable storyboard, and I loved doing it. My guidance counselor told me I should go into advertising. I wrote her off at first, but when I got accepted to eight out of the nine schools I applied to, it got me thinking maybe mycounselor was right. When I lost my parents, I needed to be sure I would be able to support myself. Moving back home wasn’t an option. It was just me.”
Lacey’s eyes filled with tears and Drew’s misted over as well. Hearing her speak about what she’d had to go through all on her own broke his heart. It also made him realize he didn’t want her to ever feel alone again. Her perseverance and pure heart overwhelmed him. He shifted closer and wrapped his arm around her. Lacey gave him a small smile and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thanks, Drew.”
“We don’t need to talk anymore tonight, Lacey. I’ll leave and you can get some rest.”
She let out a yawn and soon after silence filled the room. Just the sound of her breaths evening out—Lacey had fallen asleep in his arms.
Drew wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he couldn’t stop thinking about all Lacey had gone through. Losing his parents and not having any family to speak of was difficult for him to comprehend.
Before closing his eyes, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and whispered, “Sweet dreams.”
“I love…” she murmured, melting further into his body.
What did she just say? What does she love?Drew’s heart hammered in his chest.Or is it a who?
He whispered, “Lacey, are you awake?” When she didn’t reply, Drew realized the rhythm of her breaths hadn’t changed; they were as steady as they’d been before.
Usually it had been the promise of a new day or the exhilaration of landing a new client that spiked Drew’s adrenaline more than a quadruple shot of espresso. But this morning it was the woman asleep in his arms and the memory of her sleep-filled voice.
He’d never thought talking to a woman about their lives andaspirations would be more intimate than making love to her. There was something in their conversation—in the way she opened up to him, that surpassed everything else. And those two cryptic words she’d uttered still had his head spinning. He shook his head, deciding that if she didn’t bring it up, then he’d keep it to himself until it was time to act on it.
When Lacey stirred in his arms, he softly kissed her shoulder. “Good morning, beautiful.”
