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"Alone at last," Drew said with a grin. "What kind of pizza would you like?"
"Vegetarian." She grabbed plates out of the cupboard, then sat down across from him. "What did you do today?"
"I fixed my grandfather's car. Then I cleaned up their kitchen, and I watched my grandmother have a mental breakdown after reading a newspaper article." He set down his pizza and sighed. "She's really losing it."
"I'm sorry." She could see the pain in his eyes.
"It's hard to watch."
"That's the part your grandmother hates the most," Ria said.
"I know. But it's worse on my grandfather." He drew in a breath and let it out. "How was your day?"
"Better than yours." She met his gaze. "I spent most of it thinking about you."
Desire flared in his eyes. "Same here."
A long minute of shared intimacy passed between them. She wanted to talk to Drew, really talk to him, and then she wanted to kiss him, and touch him, and take off all his clothes and lose herself in his arms.
"Ria, don't look at me like that."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me."
"I know what's wrong with me, and that's you. We need to talk, Ria."
"Right now I'm thinking more about getting your clothes off," she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.
He sucked in a quick breath. "Don't tell me that."
"You said you liked it when I was direct."
"I'd like it more if we were alone."
"Right." She needed to get a grip. Her niece was in the next room. "You need to speak to Megan. She's the reason you came over."
He smiled. "A small part of the reason. If she hadn't called me, I would have called you or showed up announced. But one way or the other, I was going to see you tonight. And just for the record, I've been thinking about getting your clothes off, too."
Drew paused as Megan's door opened.
Her niece took a tentative step into the room, giving them both a wary look. "Is this a good time?" she asked. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No," Ria said, waving her into the room. "You should talk to Drew about the report, so you can get it done. Nothing like leaving it til the last minute."
"I had a lot to do this weekend," Megan said defensively. "And it was so nasty of Ms. Hobbs to make us turn in a paper right after the prom."
"She gave you plenty of time to do it," Ria said.
Megan made a face at her and then said, "I'll get my computer."
Drew smiled. "You sounded just like a mom, Ria."
She shook her head in bewilderment. "Sometimes I can't believe the words that come out of my mouth. It's like I'm channeling my mother. I never did a report early in my life. So why am I expecting Megan to do so?"
"Because you're pushing her to do the right thing. It's what parents do."
"When I was sailing around the world, I couldn't imagine myself as a parent. I wasn't sure kids were in my future."
"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're great with Megan."
"Well, she's almost grown, but a baby…" She shook her head. "I could mess a kid up good."
"I don't think so. You're a natural at mothering. You have good instincts, Ria. You should listen to them."
"Except when they tell me I should get you out of my life as quickly as possible?" she challenged.
"Except then," he agreed.
"Okay," Megan said, returning to the room. "I just have a few questions."
"You can have my seat," Ria said. "I'll put the rest of this pizza away. You should take some home when you leave, Drew. Otherwise, Megan and I will be eating it for breakfast for days."
As she cleaned up, she only half-listened to Megan and Drew. Her mind drifted as she thought about what it would be like to share this kind of scene every night. To have a man in her life, a man who cared about her and about Megan—a man who could make her laugh, and make her crazy, and make her life a little bit brighter. She could see Drew in that role. He'd already insinuated himself into every aspect of her life, and now that he was in, she didn't know how to get him out. Worse, she didn't want to get him out.
