The Wedding Date
Page 17
His hands gripped her tighter.
“No, you’re perfect. Don’t go anywhere.” He pulled her against him but relaxed his hold almost right away. “Unless you wanted to move? Because if so, I don’t want you to—”
“No.” She tilted her head back so she could see his face. “I’m happy right here.”
He wrapped his arms around her again, and she leaned her head against his chest.
“Good,” he said. “So am I.”
Drew woke up the next morning with Alexa’s body flush against his, his leg draped over her hip, and her hands on his butt. What a fucking fantastic way to wake up. He thought about letting her stay asleep—he really did. But then he remembered that he was leaving in a few hours. He needed to get all of this woman he could.
He ran his fingers up and down her body. My God, her skin was so smooth. He pulled down the covers and looked at those breasts that made him salivate. If he remembered last night correctly, which he thought he did, she really liked it when he played with her breasts.
As soon as he squeezed, she opened her eyes and smiled.
“Mmmm, what a nice way to wake up,” she said.
“I thought you might think that.”
After round three—or was it two and a half?—they curled up together in bed breathing hard.
“What time is it?” she said into the pillow.
He lifted himself up and looked at the bedside clock.
“Just after nine.”
She snuggled against him.
“Hey, Drew?”
He grinned.
“I just met you two days ago, so how do I already know that that’s your ‘I want something’ voice? Haven’t I done enough for you this morning?” he asked the top of her head.
He felt her smile against his chest.
“Mmmm, you definitely have done quite a lot. But you know what else you could do?”
He put a hand over hers, trapping it where he loved to feel it.
“Keep doing that and I’ll do whatever you want.”
She laughed and kissed his shoulder.
“Does that mean you’ll call down to room service and order me coffee?”
He flipped her on her back and pressed her against the bed as she smiled up at him. Her hair was wild, she had makeup smudges around her eyes, and he wanted to keep her in this bed all day.
“Coffee?” he said, a fake tone of incredulity in his voice. “I got the ‘I need a favor’ voice for coffee? Are you that easily pleased or do you love coffee that much?”
Still on top of her, he reached for the bedside phone and dialed room service.
“At this point, I think you know how easily pleased I am,” she said as her fingers walked down his body.
He played with her nipple again as he placed a very large room service order. She sighed and moved beneath him while he was on the phone. If they hadn’t just had sex, he’d be grabbing a condom just from watching her do that. When he hung up and pulled her back into his arms, he wasn’t quite ready for round four, but he was pretty happy to think about getting there soon.
“Hold that thought.” He rolled off the bed and into the bathroom. When he came back into the room, he hunted for his wallet so he could tip room service when it arrived. He found it in the back pocket of his pants, along with a stray room key.
“Oh my God, I forgot to tell you: Amy slipped me her room key last night.”
“What?” She sat up straight.
He plopped on the bed next to her.
“Yeah, I know, right? She said something shitty about you and then something shitty about Molly and then slid her key into my pocket.”
“Wow.” Her smile faded for the first time in hours. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to make her laugh again.
“So I guess you were right, about her either wanting to kill me or fuck me . . . though I’m still not sure which one.”
It worked, for a second. But after her laughter subsided, that thoughtful expression came back.
“So, last night at one point I was in the bathroom.” She paused.
“Uh-huh?” Was she going to tell him about people having sex in the bathroom? That would start round four off with a bang.
“No one knew I was in there . . .” Oh good, this was getting even better.
“And I heard Amy tell someone about when you broke up with Molly? Am I remembering incorrectly or did you imply that it was the other way around?”
Oh shit. His hand dropped.
After he didn’t say anything for a while, Alexa pulled the sheet up to her neck. That did not seem like a good sign for round four.
“So I guess that means I wasn’t remembering incorrectly.”
He sat up and sighed. Why was it just too much to ask for him to get through this weekend without having to talk about this?
“Yeah, I broke up with Molly. Yeah, I implied that it was the other way around to you. I don’t know why.”
She sat there for a while looking at him, her knees drawn up and her hands clasped. Guess he could wave good-bye to round four. Oh, the hell with it.
“Fine, I do know why: because I was an asshole to Molly, and I don’t like telling people, especially the cute women kinds of people I’m trapped in elevators with, that I was an asshole to a good person.”
The tight grip of her hands relaxed, and she touched his arm, just for a second.
“Okay,” she said. “Thank you for being honest and not bullshitting me right there.”
He shrugged, looking at his knees instead of her. He might as well tell her this whole story now.
“Molly and I dated for about a year and a half. She’s a very nice person, as you probably noticed.” He could see her nod out of the corner of his eye. “And I really cared about her. I maybe even loved her. I’m not sure if I was in love with her, but I think I loved her. If that makes sense.” She nodded again, and her hand went back to his arm, staying there this time.
“Right before her birthday I overheard her on the phone talking to one of her friends. She thought I was planning to propose and was all excited about it.” He was still staring at his knees. He had a scar on his right knee from that fall he took while running a few months back. He would be happy to tell her that story instead of this one.
He took a deep breath.
“I pretty much panicked. I wasn’t ready for that. I definitely hadn’t been planning to propose, and now I didn’t want to deal with her disappointment when I didn’t. So of course, like an asshole, the next day I told her I didn’t think it was working out and broke up with her. Right before her birthday. And then I dated three other people in the med school in quick succession. Kind of a jerk move.”
Her hand moved up his arm to his. He grabbed it and held on.
Molly had hated him after that. Hell, he’d hated himself. She’d forgiven him eventually, because she was Molly and (he strongly suspected) because Josh had gone to bat for him. Which is why he was at the wedding in the first place.
“And the whole Josh thing?” she asked.
“They didn’t start dating right away. In fact, they didn’t start dating for well over a year. But I still felt betrayed when they did, even though I had no right to feel that way. And even though Josh asked me if it would be okay. I guess I felt like . . . when I was ready to get married, Molly would be around for that.”
He sighed and let go of her hand.
“Anyway, we dated, I was an asshole, eventually I apologized for being such an asshole, Josh is a great guy, last night she married him. There, the whole story, more or less.”
She tightened the sheet around her body and turned to him.
“So . . . this wedding was kind of your penance, then?” she asked him.
He leaned against one of the pillows they’d pushed out of the way during the night and finally met her eyes.
“I guess so,” he said. “Maybe that’s one reason why I was dreading it so much. And why I needed a sandwich so badly.”
He hoped that she’d laugh at that, but she didn’t. She didn’t even meet his eyes.
“Hey.” He touched her arm. “I’m sorry. I should have been honest with you before you came here last night and not just because you found out somewhere else.”
“No, you’re perfect. Don’t go anywhere.” He pulled her against him but relaxed his hold almost right away. “Unless you wanted to move? Because if so, I don’t want you to—”
“No.” She tilted her head back so she could see his face. “I’m happy right here.”
He wrapped his arms around her again, and she leaned her head against his chest.
“Good,” he said. “So am I.”
Drew woke up the next morning with Alexa’s body flush against his, his leg draped over her hip, and her hands on his butt. What a fucking fantastic way to wake up. He thought about letting her stay asleep—he really did. But then he remembered that he was leaving in a few hours. He needed to get all of this woman he could.
He ran his fingers up and down her body. My God, her skin was so smooth. He pulled down the covers and looked at those breasts that made him salivate. If he remembered last night correctly, which he thought he did, she really liked it when he played with her breasts.
As soon as he squeezed, she opened her eyes and smiled.
“Mmmm, what a nice way to wake up,” she said.
“I thought you might think that.”
After round three—or was it two and a half?—they curled up together in bed breathing hard.
“What time is it?” she said into the pillow.
He lifted himself up and looked at the bedside clock.
“Just after nine.”
She snuggled against him.
“Hey, Drew?”
He grinned.
“I just met you two days ago, so how do I already know that that’s your ‘I want something’ voice? Haven’t I done enough for you this morning?” he asked the top of her head.
He felt her smile against his chest.
“Mmmm, you definitely have done quite a lot. But you know what else you could do?”
He put a hand over hers, trapping it where he loved to feel it.
“Keep doing that and I’ll do whatever you want.”
She laughed and kissed his shoulder.
“Does that mean you’ll call down to room service and order me coffee?”
He flipped her on her back and pressed her against the bed as she smiled up at him. Her hair was wild, she had makeup smudges around her eyes, and he wanted to keep her in this bed all day.
“Coffee?” he said, a fake tone of incredulity in his voice. “I got the ‘I need a favor’ voice for coffee? Are you that easily pleased or do you love coffee that much?”
Still on top of her, he reached for the bedside phone and dialed room service.
“At this point, I think you know how easily pleased I am,” she said as her fingers walked down his body.
He played with her nipple again as he placed a very large room service order. She sighed and moved beneath him while he was on the phone. If they hadn’t just had sex, he’d be grabbing a condom just from watching her do that. When he hung up and pulled her back into his arms, he wasn’t quite ready for round four, but he was pretty happy to think about getting there soon.
“Hold that thought.” He rolled off the bed and into the bathroom. When he came back into the room, he hunted for his wallet so he could tip room service when it arrived. He found it in the back pocket of his pants, along with a stray room key.
“Oh my God, I forgot to tell you: Amy slipped me her room key last night.”
“What?” She sat up straight.
He plopped on the bed next to her.
“Yeah, I know, right? She said something shitty about you and then something shitty about Molly and then slid her key into my pocket.”
“Wow.” Her smile faded for the first time in hours. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to make her laugh again.
“So I guess you were right, about her either wanting to kill me or fuck me . . . though I’m still not sure which one.”
It worked, for a second. But after her laughter subsided, that thoughtful expression came back.
“So, last night at one point I was in the bathroom.” She paused.
“Uh-huh?” Was she going to tell him about people having sex in the bathroom? That would start round four off with a bang.
“No one knew I was in there . . .” Oh good, this was getting even better.
“And I heard Amy tell someone about when you broke up with Molly? Am I remembering incorrectly or did you imply that it was the other way around?”
Oh shit. His hand dropped.
After he didn’t say anything for a while, Alexa pulled the sheet up to her neck. That did not seem like a good sign for round four.
“So I guess that means I wasn’t remembering incorrectly.”
He sat up and sighed. Why was it just too much to ask for him to get through this weekend without having to talk about this?
“Yeah, I broke up with Molly. Yeah, I implied that it was the other way around to you. I don’t know why.”
She sat there for a while looking at him, her knees drawn up and her hands clasped. Guess he could wave good-bye to round four. Oh, the hell with it.
“Fine, I do know why: because I was an asshole to Molly, and I don’t like telling people, especially the cute women kinds of people I’m trapped in elevators with, that I was an asshole to a good person.”
The tight grip of her hands relaxed, and she touched his arm, just for a second.
“Okay,” she said. “Thank you for being honest and not bullshitting me right there.”
He shrugged, looking at his knees instead of her. He might as well tell her this whole story now.
“Molly and I dated for about a year and a half. She’s a very nice person, as you probably noticed.” He could see her nod out of the corner of his eye. “And I really cared about her. I maybe even loved her. I’m not sure if I was in love with her, but I think I loved her. If that makes sense.” She nodded again, and her hand went back to his arm, staying there this time.
“Right before her birthday I overheard her on the phone talking to one of her friends. She thought I was planning to propose and was all excited about it.” He was still staring at his knees. He had a scar on his right knee from that fall he took while running a few months back. He would be happy to tell her that story instead of this one.
He took a deep breath.
“I pretty much panicked. I wasn’t ready for that. I definitely hadn’t been planning to propose, and now I didn’t want to deal with her disappointment when I didn’t. So of course, like an asshole, the next day I told her I didn’t think it was working out and broke up with her. Right before her birthday. And then I dated three other people in the med school in quick succession. Kind of a jerk move.”
Her hand moved up his arm to his. He grabbed it and held on.
Molly had hated him after that. Hell, he’d hated himself. She’d forgiven him eventually, because she was Molly and (he strongly suspected) because Josh had gone to bat for him. Which is why he was at the wedding in the first place.
“And the whole Josh thing?” she asked.
“They didn’t start dating right away. In fact, they didn’t start dating for well over a year. But I still felt betrayed when they did, even though I had no right to feel that way. And even though Josh asked me if it would be okay. I guess I felt like . . . when I was ready to get married, Molly would be around for that.”
He sighed and let go of her hand.
“Anyway, we dated, I was an asshole, eventually I apologized for being such an asshole, Josh is a great guy, last night she married him. There, the whole story, more or less.”
She tightened the sheet around her body and turned to him.
“So . . . this wedding was kind of your penance, then?” she asked him.
He leaned against one of the pillows they’d pushed out of the way during the night and finally met her eyes.
“I guess so,” he said. “Maybe that’s one reason why I was dreading it so much. And why I needed a sandwich so badly.”
He hoped that she’d laugh at that, but she didn’t. She didn’t even meet his eyes.
“Hey.” He touched her arm. “I’m sorry. I should have been honest with you before you came here last night and not just because you found out somewhere else.”
