His hand slides back into mine, then he lifts it and kisses the tender skin on the back of my hand.
The sensations flowing through me catch me by surprise, and I pull in a quick breath. I look at his face and see him watching me, watching my reaction.
“If I kiss you,” he says as he slowly smiles, “you won’t hit me, will you?”
I have a hard time answering, my mind stuck on the first part of his question. He wants to kiss me.
I want to kiss him too. Very much. And now that he’s told me he’s not serious with anyone, I feel free to follow my heart.
“Ashley?”
I swallow, then nod.
His smile grows. “You’ll hit me?”
I laugh. My nod was an answer to myself: Yes, kiss me. “No, I won’t hit you.”
Mock relief fills his face. “That’s good news.”
A giggle pushes up my throat, but I suppress it, and the next thing I know, Drake’s slipped one of his hands behind my neck, then he leans towards me and presses his lips against mine. His lips are demanding and after only a moment I respond, kissing him back eagerly.
As wonderful sensations pulse through me, I wind my arms around his neck. His free hand slides behind my waist and he pulls me against him.
The feel of his strong arms around me is just as I imagined it would be. And I like it. A lot.
He kisses me and kisses me, and his magnetism is drawing me deeper under his spell, but when his hand slides under my shirt, I push it away. He stops and looks at me, desire clouding his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asks.
What’s wrong is that I’m not so sure I want to have these powerful feelings for him. Even though I’ve let myself fantasize that there could be more between us, more than a sweet, good-looking man rescuing a woman from the side of the road, in reality we don’t know each other. Even more, I’ll be leaving tomorrow, ready to start my new life. And when I leave, it would be best if I’m able to pretend I never met him. That way I can focus on my new life.
But that’s going to be impossible because I realize I do have feelings for him. Feelings that I can’t deny. Feelings that I don’t want to deny.
“There’s something about you, Ashley,” he murmurs as he gazes at me. “Something I really like.”
The intensity of his eyes, the warmth of his body next to mine, the words he says—especially the words he says. All those things combine to make me fall for him harder, and I can’t look away. Then my fantasy comes back full-force. It doesn’t even seem so much like a fantasy as the beginning of reality.
There could be a future for us. Why not?
I decide to tell him the truth. “I…I feel the same way.” So much!
DRAKE
The look on her face tells me she means what she says, and I’m pleased. Not only because her feelings reflect mine, but because that means her relationship with her boyfriend is as tenuous as mine is with Rachel.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to dump Rachel the moment I see her, but these new feelings I’m having towards Ashley are helping me see that a future with Rachel is even less likely than I thought.
Then my logical mind intrudes.
What are you doing? You know nothing about Ashley. You literally picked her up on the side of the road yesterday. You know nothing about her or her background. For all you know, she’s a con artist ready to take advantage of the wealth you’ve accumulated. You know Rachel. She fits in to your life. Why would you dump her for a stranger? What is wrong with you? You’re letting your body’s desires dictate what your mind should be deciding.
Not wanting to listen to my logical side, I lean towards Ashley and kiss her again. Her arms wind back around my neck and I forget the thoughts I just had and focus on the sensations rolling through me.
ASHLEY
I’m falling for you, Drake. So hard. I know this is the beginning of something great, something I’ve been waiting for for a long time.
I’m ready to open my heart to him, and as his kisses deepen, I let myself fall into the abyss.
Eighteen
ASHLEY
Afterwards, I relish the feel of his strong arms around me, but it doesn’t take long for the afterglow to fade. That’s when I start to worry that my fantasy was just that—a wish with no basis in reality.
I scold myself for losing control.
You let your dream of a happily ever after lead you to do something you knew you shouldn’t have. He doesn’t love you—he hardly knows you. What made you think he was looking for anything more than a one-night stand with the girl he picked up on the side of the road? He has a girlfriend—whether they’re serious or not. When you leave tomorrow, he’ll go back to her and you’ll never see him again.
Devastated at the thought, but convinced it’s true, I remember why I was resistant to letting things go so far in the first place, and I know I’m head over heels for Colton Drake.
He props himself up on one elbow and gazes down at me. “You’re a beautiful woman, Ashley.”
Thrilled by his words, but heartbroken at the mistake I made, I stare back at him, trying to memorize his face, knowing no man will ever make me feel the way he’s made me feel. But I know this will go no further, and yet I still allowed myself to get caught up in the moment. And now I’ll only have myself to blame when my heart aches for him, and my body yearns for him, and I’m not able to fulfill the longing that will surely haunt me.
Even so, I sleep with him that night, his body wrapped around mine, but I wake frequently to remind myself of the way it feels to be in his arms, and by the time the sun rises, I am more captivated by him then ever, and I never want to leave this place.
DRAKE
The bright sun wakes me the next morning and the first thing I see is clear blue skies. I know what that means: Ashley will be leaving and I’ll go back to Reno. I tell myself it’s for the best. I had a great weekend with her, but now it’s time to get back to real life, and that life does not include a random girl I picked up on the side of the road. No, my real life includes running a successful consulting firm and dating a woman named Rachel.
After I help Ashley on her way, I want to get some work done before I head north. I’ll forget about her and I’ll go back to how my life was before I met her.
ASHLEY
“We should call the tow truck company,” Drake murmurs against my ear the moment I stir.
Why is he so eager to see me go? I frown as my reality crashes over me. Of course. I was only a pleasant diversion for him on a snowy weekend.
“Okay.” What else can I say? He clearly has no interest in anything beyond what we’ve done. He conquered me. He can add a notch to his bedpost. And now he’s done with me.
A sick feeling grows within me and I wish I’d spent the previous twelve hours in the bed he let me borrow—alone. Not in his bed where I’ve surrendered not only my body, but also my heart.
He slides out of bed, and a moment later I hear the shower turn on. Fifteen minutes later he walks out in a pair of jeans, his chest bare and his hair damp.
I am reluctant to get out of bed and end the fantasy that has taken hold of me. The fantasy that says Drake is mine, that he wants me, that he might even love me.
“We need to get going,” he says, ending my fantasy with completeness.
Why is he in such a hurry? Yes, the storm has stopped, but it’s Sunday, still the weekend. Why is he so eager for me to leave? But I know why. He has gotten what he was after, and now he is ready to move on.
I slide off the bed and trudge out of his bedroom and down the hall to mine. I sink onto the bedspread and put my head in my hands. Stupid girl. Stupid, stupid girl.
I squeeze my eyes closed, dismayed that I let myself get caught up in a fairytale, a pretend story that deep-down I knew was a wish. Especially when I should have known this is where it would lead.
You should have listened to your subconscious, baby girl. You should have resisted your attraction to him. Now it�
��s time to go, and you’re just going to have to get over him.
Sighing, I rise, knowing there is nothing I can do about it now. The mistake has been made and life must go on. I drag myself to the shower and let the hot needles pound against my skin, washing away the intimacy that I now wish I could forget. I scrub my skin raw, dry off and dress, then walk downstairs.
The lovely aroma of bacon drifts to me from the kitchen and I go there to face Drake. He stands at the stove, scrambling eggs, and when I enter the kitchen he turns to me with a smile. “I’ll bet you’re ready to get back on the road.”
No, but you’re obviously eager for me to go. I shrug in reply, my heart sinking even deeper.
“My Internet is back up,” he says. “I called the tow truck company. They’ll be in the vicinity of your car in an hour.”
“Great.” I force enthusiasm into my voice. I have to just to match the enthusiasm in Drake’s voice. But after the intimacy we shared, it’s disconcerting to see how anxious he is to push me out the door.
Why are you surprised, Ashley-girl? He had his fun with you this weekend. What did you expect? For him to beg you to stay, to become part of his life? He has a girlfriend. For all you know, he has multiple girlfriends.
He places the cooked eggs into a dish and carries it, along with a plate of bacon, to the table. “I don’t know about you,” he says, “but I’m starved.”
My appetite is gone, as often happens when I’m stressed or upset, but I take a small serving of eggs and one slice of bacon. No reason to let Drake know how devastated I am that I’m leaving. He’s eager to see me go, and I refuse to let him know that he’s begun to mean much more to me than a one-night stand.
He eats with gusto while I barely manage to eat the small amount I’ve put on my plate, but I force myself to pretend all is well.
After we finish eating, I offer to clean up, and he leaves me alone in the kitchen. I wash the dishes, then scrub the counter, trying to delay the inevitable.
“Ready?” he says as he walks into the kitchen.
“Yeah, sure.” I follow him as he walks back into the living room. My coat is laid neatly over the back of the couch, and he picks it up and holds it out for me to put on. I slip my arms into the sleeves, then wrap it around me like a shroud. I pull my boots on over my socks, grateful that my ankle seems to be back to normal, then sling my purse over my shoulder.
Drake opens the front door, holding it for me, and I walk out into the cold morning air. He steps onto the porch behind me, then closes the door. I see that he’s already scraped off his truck—I guess while I was cleaning up from breakfast—and the engine is running. He walks with me to the passenger door, and when he helps me inside by steadying my arm as I climb up, the heat of his touch seems to burn straight through my coat, although I know it’s all in my mind.
He shuts the door behind me, then gets behind the wheel. He’s attached some sort of contraption to the front of his truck that looks like it will clear the snow in our path, and as we slowly move forward, large piles of snow form on either side of us.
“This snow plow was pricey,” he says. “But it’s days like today that make me glad I bought it.”
I don’t reply as we move forward, eventually reaching the main road, where the snow has been cleared.
We turn right, then Drake glances at me. “Let me know where your car is.”
I look out the passenger window at the deep drifts that line the road and wonder if I’ll be able to see my car, but after a few minutes I see the blue of the roof poking through the snow. “There it is.” I point out the window, and Drake stops his truck.
Nineteen
ASHLEY
Drake rests his hands on his steering wheel as he gazes at my car. “That’s going to be a pain in the rear to get out.”
I drag my gaze away from my car and look at the man I’ve spent the weekend with. “But we’ll be able to get it out, right?” Now that I know Drake doesn’t want me around, I’m anxious to leave.
Drake looks at me, and when our eyes meet, I feel exposed, vulnerable. He gazes at me a moment, then glances in his rearview mirror. “I guess we’ll find out.” He opens his door and steps out.
I look out the back window and see that the tow truck has arrived. I climb out of Drake’s truck and walk over to where Drake is talking to the tow truck driver. They are discussing the details of getting my car out of the snowbank. What it comes down to is, they will have to dig it out enough to attach the tow truck’s equipment, and then they can pull it out.
“It’s going to cost extra if you want me to do the digging,” the driver says.
“That’s fine,” Drake says.
I’m not so sure that it’s fine. I don’t have much money, and what money I have I’ll need to keep me afloat until I get a job. I look at Drake, then at my car, then back at Drake. “Uh, maybe I can do it?”
Drake looks at me. “What?”
“I can shovel out my car.” My toes are beginning to go numb and I’m already doubting my suggestion.
“Why would you want to do that?” he asks.
“I don’t want to, but . . .” I lean closer to Drake so the tow truck driver can’t hear me. “I don’t know if I have enough money.”
Drake laughs. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it.”
Not liking the idea of him paying for anything on my behalf, but knowing that I’ll get frostbite on my toes if I actually attempt it myself, I grudgingly nod, then mutter, “Thanks.”
“Why don’t you wait in the truck,” Drake says. “You look like you’re freezing.”
I am freezing. The numbness in my toes is beginning to creep into my legs, and though I don’t like the feeling that I’m being dismissed, I can’t say I’m unhappy when I climb into the heated cab of Drake’s truck. I take off my boots and let the hot air blow across my toes, and soon the numbness recedes.
I watch from the cab as Drake and the tow truck driver work to get my car out of the snowbank and onto the road. It takes them a while, but when my car is finally sitting on the road with all the snow removed, sorrow cascades over me as I know I’m about to drive off and never see Drake again.
Drake waves me over, and after putting my boots back on, I climb out of his truck and walk over to where he and the tow truck driver stand.
“Let’s see if it will start,” the driver says, then he climbs inside and gives it a crank. Nothing happens. He tries jumpstarting my battery, but that doesn’t make a difference.
“Uh,” I say loud enough for the man to hear me as he sits behind the wheel of my car. “After I ran off the road it wouldn’t start.”
He climbs out. “Well then, I doubt it will start now. I’ll hook it up and take it to the garage in town.”
I’m afraid to look at Drake. This morning he was in such a hurry to get me out of his house and out of his life, I can only imagine how angry he is that I can’t leave just yet. I decide I’ll make it easy on him. “Great,” I say to the tow truck driver. “Let’s go.”
“What?” Drake says. “Where are you going?”
I turn to him. “What do you mean? My car needs to be fixed, so I’m going with the tow truck guy to get it taken care of.”
“How long is this going to take?” Drake asks the tow truck driver.
“Depends on what the problem is. At least a day or two.”
Drake turns to me. “Where are you going to stay?”
“I’m sure there must be a motel in town.”
His eyebrows crease. “A little while ago you didn’t have enough money to pay for him to dig out your car. Now you can afford to stay at a hotel for days, on top of paying for your car to be fixed?”
Even though I’m secretly worried how I’ll get by, I have no desire to be his charity case. I force a confident smile onto my face. “Maybe I have a secret stash I didn’t want to tell you about.”
It’s clear he’s not buying it. “Uh-huh.”
I’m a big girl and I’m not going to let a
man I’ve barely met take control of my decisions. Especially a man who so obviously wants me out of his life. I turn my back on him and say to the tow truck driver, “Can you give me a lift into town?”
He’s attaching my car to his truck. He looks at me with a smile. “Sure.”
“Thanks.” I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Drake scowling at me. “What?”
He shakes his head. “You are one stubborn woman.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “You just don’t like that I’m not obeying your orders.”
His scowl deepens. “Is that what you think?”
I scowl right back. “No. That’s what I know.” Even though I don’t know how I’m going to manage to pay for a motel and my car repair, I like the way it feels to defy Colton Drake. He was so eager to see me go, I don’t understand what he’s doing now.
He sighs. “Fine. Do what you want.” His eyes narrow as he gazes at me. “I’m done helping strangers.” Then he turns and walks back to his truck.
Disheartened that he considers me a stranger, especially after the intimacy we shared, I frown as I watch him climb into his truck then turn on the engine. A moment later he pulls away, heading in the direction of his house. I feel a tug on my heart, sad to know I’ll never see him again. Sad to know that I won’t be able to forget him. I stare after his truck until it’s a small dot in the distance.
“Ready, ma’am?” the tow truck driver says.
I turn to him. “Yeah.” Then I follow him to his truck. A few moments later, as we head toward town, toward the unknown, a mixture of dread and excitement sweeps over me.
Twenty
DRAKE
When I walk in to the cabin it seems so empty without Ashley there. I shake my head and go straight to my office, determined to get something done before heading home to Reno. But as I stare at my computer screen, I find it difficult to concentrate as my thoughts go to Ashley.
Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story Page 7
