AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hope's stomach bottomed out. "Why?" she heard herself ask in a voice hardly more than a whisper.
"Because I would have been miserable here without you."
Every nerve in her body ran amok beneath the surface of her skin, the impulses manifesting from acute awareness to gripping fear to everything in between. Never had she felt more unsettled.
Or more alive.
Frozen in place, Hope had no idea what to do or say.
"And, just to be clear, that has nothing to do with your father or the baby," Drew added.
Immobilized by not only his words but the intensity of his beautiful blue eyes, Hope had no idea what to do or say. Hell, she could barely breathe, let alone even try to speak.
"I know we've blamed what happened between us on emotional overload and liquid courage. But regardless of how or why it happened, the truth is I wanted to be there with you that night, Hope. To comfort you, yes, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't also want to make love with you."
His words pierced her heart with the force of an arrow. Hope shouldn't have been surprised. The attraction between them had been strong from day one. Simmering on a slow boil. Teasing and taunting. For so long, they tried to ignore the pull. To keep a tight rein on their feelings. And they were successful until the one night neither of them had the strength to fight the temptation a moment longer and sought solace in each other's arms.
Maybe that wasn’t all they’d found that night. Maybe they’d found something more. Something deeper. Stronger. More powerful than either of them ever expected.
Now, here they were with so much on the line. A friendship. Working relationship. One night of passion with the ache for more. And a baby they'd created in the process.
So much had changed in their lives in the last four months. Changes requiring them to make monumental decisions affecting their future, with one of the biggest being where Drew decided to hang his shingle at the end of his six-week return to Lone Oaks to fulfill his grandfather's wishes.
And if Hope decided to keep the baby, where Drew lived and worked would significantly impact her life as well, especially if he chose Virginia. Damn, she hated this. Hated how careless they'd been. Hated making decisions when everything seemed so far out of her control. Where there were no guarantees.
The more cautious and protective part of Hope's psyche urged her to pack up and get the hell out of Beaumont before things became any more complicated between them. But the part that was pure woman yearned to stay and see where the road she and Drew were on right now might lead.
It could be an interesting ride.
And might even be well worth the risks.
But should she dare take the chance?
Hope looked at Drew, her gaze locking with his. Tonight, good, bad, or indifferent, she wanted to be the woman attracted to this man. "I wouldn't want you to be miserable, so I'm glad I decided to come along with you."
"So am I." His slow grin set off a swarm of dive-bombing butterflies in her belly. "Besides keeping me from being miserable without you, you've also kept the matchmaking duo from their quest to fix me up with every available woman in the tri-state area." He cocked his head to the side. "Of course, it does put you in their direct line of fire."
His blue eyes glimmered as his grin deepened. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"They're your family," Hope reminded him. "So, the real question is...are you?"
Leaning closer, Drew cupped the back of her neck and pulled her toward him, his eyes never leaving hers. A warmth curled through every one of Hope's girlie parts and beyond. "Oh yeah," he murmured, low and deep. "I've been ready," he added before capturing her lips with his own.
Arrows of white-hot desire shot through Hope. Electrifying, searing, and scorching every cell until she feared she'd be consumed by the fire raging to life inside her.
Drew nipped at her lower lip, coaxing her mouth open. His tongue entered and tangled with hers. Somehow, he'd had the wherewithal to remove the glass of milk from her hands, setting it unsteadily on the end table before closing the gap between them until their lips and tongues weren't the only parts of their bodies touching.
Her soft curves molded against the rock-solid hardness of Drew's chest. Her nipples pebbled against the fabric of her bra as a desperate need throbbed relentlessly through her core.
Could he feel what his touch did to her?
* * *
Drew's mouth plundered hers—tasting and devouring, taking everything she was willing to give yet demanding so much more.
His hand searched for the hem of the baggy sweater Hope wore over her khakis. He wanted—no,needed—to feel her skin beneath his fingers. For far too many nights, Drew had lain awake, remembering how soft and pliant her skin had been the night they'd spent together. How she'd trembled. Shuddered. And quaked.
Under the sweater, Drew's fingers brushed against the waistband of her pants, stilling suddenly when he realized the button was already undone. Easing his lips from hers, his eyes opened and met Hope's. She read the unspoken question in his eyes.
