I care about him for him. Not for his wealth. And me paying him back will hopefully help him to see me for me, not as a silly college girl who slid off the road and needed to be rescued. I want to show him that I can rescue him from being so serious and so stressed all the time.
I don’t respond to his challenge, but just smile.
“Oh,” he says, like he just remembered something, then he reaches into his laptop bag sitting on the windowsill. “I have something for you.”
He has something for me? My heart begins to pound in anticipation.
With a smile, he holds out a copy of Lord of the Rings. “You forgot to take this with you when you left.”
My smile matches his as I take it from his hand. “I didn’t know I was supposed to take it with me.”
“I told you that you could borrow it.”
“Hmm. I guess I know what I’ll be doing tonight.”
He laughs. “It’s not a homework assignment, Ms. Spencer.”
I laugh as well. “Good.” I pause. “Thank you for bringing it.”
He nods.
We’re quiet for a moment, then I say, “Well, I’d better get back to work.” When he smiles in reply, I hesitate, not wanting to leave after all, but I have nothing else to discuss with him.
Reluctantly I stand, open the office door, then with a final glance at his handsome face, I leave his office and walk back to my desk. As I wait for my computer to log back on, I wonder how much longer I can take the torture of seeing Drake every day, working with him every day, but not being able to touch him.
Sighing, I turn my focus to my job—making Drake’s life easier—and try to ignore the aching in my heart.
DRAKE
As I think about the look of surprise on Ashley’s face when I gave her the book, I smile. But the smile is swiftly replaced by a frown.
It’s been difficult to keep our interactions on such a professional level. I miss the flirting we engaged in at my cabin, as well as Ashley’s sassy attitude. I made her promise to forget our time at the cabin, but it’s all I think about.
Still, I’m glad I hired her. She’s doing a phenomenal job so far, although I know she’s capable of much more. If I’m honest with myself, I enjoy seeing her whenever I want to—whenever I demand to—even more than I’m enjoying her skills at being my assistant.
But I’m going to stay disciplined, keep things aboveboard and professional. I have a business to run, after all.
ASHLEY
When the end of the work day arrives, and Drake is still working in his office, I go to his open office door and see him staring intently at his computer monitor. Knocking softly, I watch his face. He seems to tear his gaze away to meet my eyes.
“I wanted to see if you need anything before I leave,” I say.
“Is it that time already?”
I nod. “Five o’clock.”
“No, I don’t need anything, but thanks for asking.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have a good night,” he says.
“You, too.” Then I grab my purse from my desk and head home. As I drive to my apartment, I think about my first day, and I’m pleased that it went so well. Then I think about Drake giving me the book that he brought from his cabin.
Wait a second. When he brought it from his cabin he had no idea I’d be working for him. He didn’t even know if we’d see each other again. So why did he bring it? Was he hoping we’d run into each other?
The thought brightens my mood, and I find I’m eager to go to work the next morning—a feeling I’ve never had in any job in my life.
Sixteen
ASHLEY
When I get to my desk the next day I see that the door to Drake’s office is open, so I glance inside to say hello. The lights are off and his desk is empty. I go back to my desk to check his schedule and see that he has a meeting in half an hour. Then I see that he’s sent me an email telling me that he’ll be working from home, and that I can call in to the conference call from my desk so that I can take notes.
Heavy disappointment settles over me that I won’t be seeing him, and I wonder why he’s working from home. Could Rachel be with him? Or some other woman? Hot jealousy threads through my insides, making my stomach churn, and I have to take several deep breaths to settle myself.
I reread the email and review the list of tasks he’s assigned me, then get to work.
When I get on the conference call a short time later, I’m the first one to arrive, but a moment later I hear a chime that indicates someone else has arrived.
“This is Colton Drake,” a deep voice says.
My face lights up with a smile, and I’m glad he can’t see me as I know my true feelings are written all over my face. “It’s just me so far,” I say, picturing his face, his smile, everything about him.
“Good morning, Ashley.”
The way my name rolls off of his tongue sets my insides on fire, and I want to hear him whisper my name against my lips as he holds me in his arms. I close my eyes as desire pounds through me. “Good morning.”
The chime sounds and we’re no longer alone.
I stay focused on the meeting, taking thorough notes, then hang up at the end without Drake addressing me personally. For the rest of the day we only communicate through email, and I find myself filling in the blanks of what he’s doing at his house. Each image that comes to mind involves some faceless woman and I find myself hating that woman with every fiber of my being.
When I realize what I’m doing, I’m shocked at myself, and try to convince myself that he’s just home because he had a doctor’s appointment, or had to wait for a repairman, or something equally benign.
The last email Drake sends before I leave assures me that he’ll be in the office the next day, and relief washes over me.
The next morning is Friday and he arrives before me. Desperate to see him, I go to his office before I even log in to my laptop. Like usual, he’s focused on his computer screen. “Good morning,” I say cheerfully.
He looks up with a smile. “Oh, hey. Thanks for holding down the fort yesterday.”
That’s the only opening I need. “Is everything okay?” That’s as specific as I’m going to get in asking where he was and what he was doing. After all, he’s still my boss.
“Yeah,” he says with no further explanation. “Can you review the slide deck I sent you and make sure I didn’t miss any typos?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” I smile, frustrated that I still have no clue why he worked from home.
“Thanks.” Then he focuses back on his monitor, effectively dismissing me.
I trudge to my desk and try to focus on my work.
DRAKE
I watch Ashley’s retreating back and am glad that, as her boss, I don’t have to give her an explanation for why I didn’t come in to the office yesterday. The truth is, I needed a day away from her, a day to focus completely on my job without the distraction of seeing her lovely face and sweet smile. A day where I didn’t have to think about her.
It was a dismal failure.
Yes, I got a lot of work done, but I missed her, and today I’m back in the office. For better or worse, I have to learn how to deal with seeing Ashley every day while keeping a professional distance.
ASHLEY
For the rest of the day Drake and I only interact on work-related matters, and when it’s time to go home that afternoon, he stops by my desk. “Have a good weekend,” he says. “See you on Monday.”
I nod, but I’m disappointed that he didn’t invite me over to his house.
Get real, Ashley. He’s never going to invite you over. Be glad you even saw the inside of his place at all—and that wasn’t by invitation. Some chick is probably holed up there now, so don’t hold your breath that you’ll see the inside of his house again anytime soon.
Frowning, I log out of my computer, gather my things, then head home.
As I get ready for my date with Jonathan that night, I remember
how much fun I had with him the previous Friday, and I force my thoughts away from Drake. The more I think about Jonathan and the good time we had before, the more I find myself looking forward to our date. When he picks me up, I’m excited to go out. It’s been a busy three days at my new job and I’m ready to unwind. I’m wearing a lacy black mini-dress that I know makes me look hot, and I want to show it off.
“Wow,” Jonathan says when he sees me. “You look . . . good.” His gaze slides up and down my body, and a pulse of heat flows through me at the look in his eyes—a look that I’d kill to see in Drake’s eyes.
“Thanks.” I put on my warm coat, then Jonathan takes me by the hand and leads me out to his car. “I heard you got a job,” he says as he holds the passenger door open.
“Yeah, today was my third day.”
“That’s great.” Once we’re on the road, he turns to me with a smile. “I’m taking you to a hot dance club that I think you’ll really like.”
“Awesome.” Excitement flows through me and I’m eager to get on the dance floor with him. Even though I’m crazy about Drake, dancing with Jonathan is a blast and I’m ready to have a good time with him and forget about Colton Drake—at least for one night.
Seventeen
ASHLEY
The dance club is all flashing lights and pounding beat, and when Jonathan takes my hand and pulls me onto the dance floor, I enthusiastically go with him. We move to the rhythm and I find myself smiling and laughing and having a wonderful time. Jonathan’s blue eyes mesmerize me, and I’m drawn to him.
When a slow song comes on, he pulls me against him and I enjoy the feel of his strong arms around me. I’ve worn four inch heels, but I still have to look up to meet his gaze. His hands are on my hips, but after a few moments they slide down and rest against my lower back. I press against him, loving the knowledge that he’s attracted to me.
The pent up desire I’ve been feeling for the last three days makes me bold, and I tighten my arms around his neck. He must sense my mood, because he tugs me close against him, and as we sway to the harmony, desire flows through me.
He pulls back slightly and I tilt my face to look at him. His pupils are dilated with wanting, and as he gazes at me I feel like I want the same thing. His mouth descends towards mine, and our lips touch. His lips are soft yet demanding, and I like the way they feel, although I immediately recognize that his kiss doesn’t send me to the same place that Drake’s did.
He frees my lips, gazes at me a moment, then murmurs, “You want to get out of here?” His body is telling me what he has in mind, but now that he’s asking, I’m not so sure I want to do what he’s suggesting.
Panic floods my mind. If I say no, will he end our date here and now? But if I say yes, I know I’ll regret doing with him what I just want to do with Drake. “I’d rather stay here,” I hedge.
The look of disappointment in his eyes is clear, but he half-smiles and nods. “Okay.”
We resume dancing, and his arms wrap around me in a possessive manner that surprises me. Is he trying to make sure I understand what he wants? As if it’s in any way unclear. A moment later I have the strange sensation that I’m being watched, and as Jonathan leads me in a tight circle around the dance floor, I lift my gaze to the people within my range of vision.
At first I don’t see anyone looking at me, but a few steps later my gaze locks on a face that I’m very familiar with. Drake. I nearly gasp as our eyes meet. He’s dancing with a brunette woman. He stares at me a moment, then his gaze drops to Jonathan’s arms, which are still wrapped tightly around me.
The look on his face leads me to believe that he’s livid, though I don’t know why he would be. He has no claim on me—in fact, he’s made it perfectly clear that we can’t have any romantic involvement at all. So why would he be angry that I’m dancing with another man? And who is the woman in his arms? Is she the reason he worked from home yesterday? When I see how he’s holding her in his arms, white hot jealousy sears me, and I know that if Jonathan wasn’t holding me so tightly, I’d stagger backwards at the strength of my emotions.
A moment later I lose sight of Drake as Jonathan continues to move me in a circle. I want to see what Drake’s doing, but the only way to do that would be to break out of Jonathan’s arms, and I’m not about to do that.
“Are you okay?” he asks, evidently feeling my body tensing.
I smile up at him. “Yeah.”
He smiles at me, then leans down and kisses me again. This time he moves one hand to the back of my head, trapping me in place. I’m acutely aware that Drake must be watching, and I’m not sure what to do. As much as I want Drake to be the one to kiss me, I know that’s not going to happen. And if I want to have a social life, I need to embrace the attraction I have for Jonathan and allow myself to have a good time. So I kiss him back.
The slow song ends and he releases me with a smile. I stay focused on looking at him, though in my peripheral vision I try to spot Drake. The room’s too dim, and there are too many people for me to tell if he’s nearby. I half-hope he isn’t watching me, and half-hope he is.
“Are you thirsty?” Jonathan asks.
I nod, and he takes me by the hand and leads me to an empty table.
“Wait here and I’ll get you something to drink.”
“Okay, thanks.”
As soon as he turns to go, I scan the room, looking for Drake. A moment later I spot him. He’s on the dance floor with the brunette, his eyes locked on her. I watch his body move and see that he’s a decent dancer, and I find I can’t take my eyes off of him. But he has eyes only for the brunette, and I want to scratch her eyes out.
Shocked at my visceral reaction, I tear my gaze away from them, but not before I see him glance at me. My eyebrows furrow in confusion. Why is he looking at me?
DRAKE
As much as I try to focus on my date, I can’t keep my mind—and my gaze—away from Ashley. What are the odds that we’d end up at the same dance club? And what are the odds that I’ll be able to keep my cool and not beat the crap out of the man who acts like he owns her?
Fury rushes through my body and I clench my jaw painfully.
“Is everything okay, Drake?” Patrice purrs into my ear.
Forcing my thoughts away from Ashley and how much I want to storm over to her and her date and knock the man out before dragging her away, I pull away from Patrice and smile at her. “Yeah,” I say, although that is a flat-out lie.
I push a smile onto my face. It’s not Patrice’s fault that I’m obsessed with Ashley Spencer. I’ve been out with Patrice a couple of times, and needing to force my mind away from Ashley, had asked her out at the last minute.
That didn’t work out the way you planned, did it?
I tug Patrice against me and look past her shoulder at Ashley, who’s patiently waiting for her date to return.
Desperate to tear Ashley out of my head, I know I have to get out of there.
I’m just not so sure I can walk away.
Eighteen
ASHLEY
My gaze keeps drifting to Drake as I wait for Jonathan to return, but I don’t see him look my way again. The more I watch him, the more I want him. If I was a brave woman, I’d shove my way through the crowd and tell him that I think I love him. But I’m not a brave woman. Plus, I like my new job and I don’t want to do something stupid that would jeopardize it.
I focus on the other dancers, purposely ignoring Drake and his date, although I can still see them in my mind. A few minutes later Jonathan is back with our drinks and I turn my back on the dancers and look at him. Sipping the fruity drink through a straw, I find that the cold liquid sliding down my throat helps me to focus. “This is delicious,” I say loudly, so I can be heard over the music. “Thank you.”
He moves his chair closer to me so that we won’t have to yell. “You’re welcome.” Putting his arm around the back of my chair, he leans towards me. “You look really hot tonight, Ashley.” He glances around at the othe
r dancers before locking gazes with me. “You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
Confidence shoots through me and I allow myself to believe what he says—and I hope Drake agrees. Stop thinking about Drake. You’re with Jonathan, remember? “You look pretty good yourself,” I say with sincerity.
He gazes at me a moment, then moves my chair so that it faces him, then turns his body so that his legs straddle mine, pinning me in place. His hand goes to the back of my neck, tilting my head, then his lips descend towards mine and press against my mouth.
His lips are insistent, and though I’d much prefer that Drake kiss me, the urgent need evident in Jonathan’s kiss sends an answering pulse of heat right to my core. Without thinking, I snake my arms around his neck and kiss him back.
What are you doing? You want Drake, not Jonathan. I listen to my internal voice, and realize that I’m leading this man on, a man who recently broke up with another woman. A man I don’t want to hurt by pretending to be interested in him when I know that as long as Drake is around, no man will be able to hold my interest like he does.
I unwind my arms from his neck and gently push against his chest.
He pulls away and looks at me with confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“I . . . I just don’t want to do this yet.”
Desire is etched in his eyes, and he strokes my arm. “Why not?”
“This is only our third date. And, well, you said you just got out of a relationship.”
Drake and Ashley: The Complete Story Page 19
