Push the Envelope (5 page)

“Nope.” He reached over and placed his index finger
over my lips, instantly quieting my argument. “You can deny it all you want,
but I know that you can feel the chemistry between us. When I saw you at the
Sig Chi party with Jackson, I wanted you right away. I thought I couldn’t have
you, and it pissed me off. I was wrong. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong about
something. ‘Cause believe me when I say that I’m going to have you, and I’m not
sure I’m going to want to let you go again.”

I didn’t know what to say. His confession shocked
the hell out of me! I felt like he was steamrolling over me, and I really wanted
to cave. His finger caressed my lips as he waited for my response. I’d felt
this thing between us, but I just didn’t know if I could trust him.

“I’ll come to the party with you. We’ll talk, but
that’s all that’s going to happen tonight. Understand?”

“Okay, babe. I hear you. Keep in mind that it isn’t
tonight yet.” He leaned towards me and his lips crushed against mine.
 
His tongue licked the seam of my mouth, and
he nibbled on my lower lip. My brain turned to mush, and my body started to
tremble in response. My eyes drifted closed as I enjoyed our first kiss.

Drake groaned deep in his throat, and I could feel
the vibrations through the kiss. He pecked the corner of my lips and pulled
away from me. Handing me the bags, he nudged me through the door before I could
react. My head was still spinning.

“One hour. Be ready for me,” he said before turning
around and striding away from me. Damn, I was going to be in so much trouble
with this guy.
There is just no controlling my response to him,
I
thought as I watched his ass until I couldn’t see him anymore.

Shutting the door, I heard my dad clear his throat
behind me. “Still nothing to say about Drake?” He smirked at me, and I blushed.
He had definitely caught us kissing. Drat! “Sounds like you need to go get
ready for a party, honey. Aren’t you glad you decided to come with me this
trip?”

I lightly punched him in the arm. “Geesh, Dad.
You’re such a smartass sometimes. The normal response would be for you to
threaten Drake with bodily harm if he touches me again. Not to taunt me about
kissing him and going to a party. And didn’t you think it was odd that he asked
you my shoe size? You just told him it without asking any questions?”

“It’s about time I saw you interested in a boy
again, Alexa. I know that everything that happened with Brad scared you off
relationships, but you need to learn to let people into your life. Even boys.
Go to this party with Drake and have some fun. I’m right here, so nothing bad
will happen to you. You’re safe. Live a little already!”

“All right, Daddy. I’ll go to the party with Drake.
But don’t get your hopes up about relationships and stuff. I don’t know what’s
going on with him, but Drake has a lot of explaining to do. Maybe we’ll get a
chance to talk tonight and work some things out. That doesn’t make him my
boyfriend though.”

My dad laughed and shook his head at me. “I heard
him plain as day, honey. If he has his way, he will absolutely be your
boyfriend. Mark my words. Good thing I like him.”

I headed upstairs and opened the bag. Inside was a
stunning cocktail dress. The deep purple color was almost an exact match to the
dress I’d worn last night. What were the odds that Drake’s sister would pick
out something in my favorite color? I held the dress up to my body as I looked in
the mirror, stunned at the thought that he might have been specific with his
sister in what he wanted me to wear tonight.

I hadn’t brought many hair products or makeup with
me. The downside of packing light and bringing my study materials, I guess. I wasn’t
sure that my usual brush of powder across my face and touch of chapstick would
do the dress justice, but it wasn’t like I had many options. Better to show the
real me now so Drake knew what to expect going forward anyway. If he was
expecting a frilly, girlie-girl, then he was going to be very surprised.

I pulled the shoes out of the box and gasped when I
realized they matched the dress perfectly. They weren’t the heels I had been
expecting. They were beautiful ballet flats, a deep purple patent leather with
a red sole that couldn’t have been worn very much since they looked practically
brand new except for a couple scratches on the bottom. They could only mean one
thing. He had definitely told his sister what to find, and he’d based his
instructions on what he had seen me wearing last night. This meant that he
really had seen me and had been as drawn to me as I had been to him. It didn’t
make any sense. If he had noticed everything I’d worn, down to my preference
for flats, then why hadn’t he said anything to me?

chapter
6

An hour had never passed so quickly. Before I knew
it, I could hear Drake’s knock on the door downstairs. My dad made it to the
door before I had even reached the top of the stairs. Curious to see what they
would say to each other, I paused at the landing so I could eavesdrop.

“Hello, Mr. Hewitt. Is Alexa almost ready to go?”
Drake asked as he stepped into the house.

“I’m not sure, son. She hasn’t come down yet, but I
expect she’ll be ready soon,” my dad responded.

“I hope so,” Drake offered. “The party will start
soon, but I wanted to show her some of the property before we joined everyone.
I didn’t think to ask earlier, but you’re more than welcome to come up to the
house for the party, too.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine down here. Got some football
to watch and snacks to eat. Not much for big parties anyway,” I heard my dad
say. “Besides, you’ll be lucky to get Lex up to the party after your walk.
She’s hard to rile, but once you get her going, you’d better watch out.”

“She has every right to be mad at me right now. I
wasn’t very nice to her when we met, and I know that I owe her an explanation.
I promise—”

My dad put his hand up to stop Drake mid-sentence.
“Make your explanations and promises to her first. If she accepts what you’ve
got to say and wants to date you, just understand that you’ll answer to me if
you hurt her in any way. And that’s a big if, boy. She deserves someone good in
her life, and you’ll be damn lucky if she gives you the chance to be that
person.”

On that note, I stepped out of the shadows and
started down the stairs. I was happy that Drake had thought to include my dad
in the invitation for the party, and I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t want to
go. I was surprised to hear my dad open up about me though. He must have been
more concerned about my lack of a dating life than I’d realized. The experience
with Brad hadn’t just affected me. It had hurt my dad, too.

Drake and my father heard me as I moved down the
stairs and turned their heads toward me. My dad’s face was filled with pride as
he looked at me with such love. I had no doubt that he would always have my
back, supporting me through anything that might come my way. I reached for him
as soon as I got near and hugged him tight. “Love you, Daddy,” I whispered into
his ear.

I glanced towards Drake as my dad kissed my cheek,
his arms tightening around me. He was staring at me, a look of hunger flashing
across his face. As my dad let me go, Drake’s expression cleared and he smiled
at both of us.

“Alexa.” He reached his hand out to me. “Ready? You
look great.”

“It’s the outfit that’s great. Thanks for thinking
of me.”

“No, it’s definitely you. Trust me on that at
least.” He tugged me closer to him. “We’ve got some time before the party kicks
off, and I’d like to show you around a bit. You up for a walk?”

“As long as talking is included with the walking,
I’m fine with that. Bye, Dad.” I let Drake lead me out the door.

“Night, Alexa. I’ll be here if you need anything.
Don’t forget, this might not be my roof, but I still expect you back at a
decent hour. We have the flight back tomorrow, and you need your wits about you
if you’re going to take the controls again.”

“Geesh, Dad. I know—” I started to respond. Drake’s
hand tightened around mine, and he shook his head.

“No, Alexa. Your dad is only looking out for you. I
understand where he’s coming from. I need to earn his trust as much as I do
yours.” He looked my dad straight in the eyes with a determined look. “I swear
she’ll come to no harm with me. Not now, not ever. I’ll have her back to you
with plenty of time for a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Glad to know you hear what I’m saying, Drake.” My
dad stretched his hand out and offered it to Drake. As they shook hands, I
could feel Drake relax beside me, as though a weight had been lifted off his
shoulders.

Drake grabbed my hand again after their handshake
ended. “C’mon, Alexa. We’d better head out so we have enough time to talk
before my mom sends out a search party.”

We wandered past the stables and towards a gazebo
surrounded by flowers. Drake explained that his mom loved gardening as much as
his sister loved horses. By all appearances, what his dad must love is to
indulge both his wife and daughter. Drake settled me onto a bench in the
gazebo. With the garden around us and strings of lights twinkling above, the
setting was terribly romantic. He sat down next to me and turned so he could
look me in the eyes.

“I know I’ve been a bit of a jerk to you, Alexa.
I’ve already apologized, but I haven’t had a chance to explain.” He leaned in
towards me and wrapped his hands around mine.

“A bit? I think I have whiplash from your mood
shifts. You seemed interested in the store this morning until I told you we’d
met at the party. Then you flirted hard before you recognized me on the plane
after that. What could I have possibly done to deserve that treatment?”

He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed them. I
could feel his breath on them as he sighed. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything,
and I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I’ve noticed you around
campus the last couple weeks. Couldn’t get you out of my head. There was just
something about you that pulled me in. You stood out among all the other girls
at school. It wasn’t just that you’re hot because there are plenty of hot girls
at school. I hadn’t even talked to you, and I was already comparing chicks to
you when they flirted with me. Couldn’t work up any interest for anyone else,
so I decided to talk to you the next time I saw you. Ended up that it was at
the party last night instead of on campus at lunch or in the quad. And then I
saw Jackson with you, and I was pissed that he got to you first.”

I shook my head in confusion. It seemed like he and
Jackson were friendly last night. This didn’t make any sense to me. “Why would
it matter that I know Jackson? I don’t understand.”

“It’s like this. There’s a guy code that I follow.
Bros before hos—not that I am saying you are a ho or anything like that. I like
Jackson. He seems like a cool guy from the time we’ve hung out together. I
thought you were with him at the party. That he’d gotten to you before me, and
if he had then I would have to respect that.”

“You thought that Jackson and I were a couple?”

Drake shook his head at me and glared. “Let me finish,
babe. I need to get this out and on the table. For the first time ever, I
didn’t want to follow the rule. I wanted you with me and not him. I had to
watch you walk away with him, up the stairs to his room. I spent the rest of
the night pissed the fuck off, imagining what you guys were doing in his room.
I left the party and stayed away so that I wouldn’t knock his door down to get
to you.”

His hands had clenched around mine, squeezing hard.
He looked so angry with his eyes blazing into mine.

“Never been knocked off my feet like that before. I
hadn’t planned to come home this weekend because I had too much going on at
school. Seeing you at the party fucked with my head so much that I needed to
get away so I had my dad book the charter out here. Wanted some distance to get
my head on straight before I saw Jackson again at the frat house. Wasn’t sure I
could see him without smashing my fist into his face.”

He chuckled darkly and looked at the ground as he
admitted the anger he felt. “Then I bumped into you at the store this morning.
You looked so different, but I still felt the chemistry. When I realized it was
you again, I felt like karma really was a bitch. Grabbed my mom’s card and
headed back to my apartment to pack my stuff up. Only there you were again when
I got on the plane. I was trying to run from you, and I just couldn’t get the
fuck away.”

He looked back up at me, and his hands gentled on
mine. He lips turned up in a grin. “Hearing you say that you’ve known his mom
as long as you’ve known him was probably the best news I’ve heard in a long
time. I realized that what I’d seen between you wasn’t what I’d thought it was.
Meant that you were free for me to pursue.”

He looked at me expectantly after his announcement.
“Oh, is it my turn to speak now?” I asked with sarcasm, masking the whirl of
thoughts flying through my mind.

His eyes flared with heat at my show of irritation.
“Yeah, I’m done for now. Go ahead, babe.”

“Not so sure I like you calling me babe, babe.”

Drake leaned closer to me, our noses brushing
against each other. His lips were as close to mine as they could be without us
kissing. “Oh, you’re going to like me calling you babe. Trust me on that.”

I shook my head, hoping to clear my thoughts as my
skin broke out in goose bumps. “You did get it wrong. Jackson is like a big
brother to me. His sister is my best friend, and we’ve known each other since
kindergarten.”

“Glad to hear confirmation that there isn’t
anything going on between you two. Not sure I’d be able to back off at this
point anyway. You’d be worth the risk,” Drake replied. “Doesn’t explain why
Jackson didn’t introduce us or why he bailed on the party to hang out with you
in his room though.”

His eyes had hardened again. Clearly the thought of
me spending time in Jackson’s room wasn’t a pleasant thought for Drake.
“Jackson’s a little protective of me with guys. I’m not sure if that’s why he
didn’t introduce us. You’d have to ask him. And he knew that the party wasn’t
really my scene so he helped me make my escape for a little while. We hung out
and watched a movie in his room so that I didn’t bail so early that Aubrey
would be pissed at me.”

“Is that a normal thing for you two, hanging out in
his room and watching movies?” Drake didn’t look very happy with my explanation.

“Every day normal? No. Happens from time to time?
Yes.” I knew my tone was getting snippy, but I didn’t feel like he had any
right to question my perfectly innocent friendship with Jackson.

“Just want to make sure I understand the situation
right. Could have sworn that I saw something between the two of you.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but I can
tell you that you were wrong if it was anything other than close friendship.
Jackson’s protective of me because he feels responsible after the way my last
relationship ended. Maybe that’s what you saw.”

Drake’s head snapped up when I mentioned the end of
my relationship with Brad. “Is there a reason he should feel responsible for
you ending things with your boyfriend?”

“No! That’s not what I said at all. Things got
messy, and Jackson had to step into the middle of it for me. End of story.”
There’s no way I was going to share everything with Drake now. If he managed to
dig himself out of the hole he’d put himself in and things progressed between us,
then I’d think about sharing more. Maybe.

“I’ll accept that. For now. But I don’t want any
secrets between us. You got a problem or a question, I want you to come to me.
I get that Jackson’s been there for you in the past, but I’m gonna be the one
there for you in the future.”

I held my hand up in protest. “Whoa. Slow down
there, buddy.”

He reached up and tweaked my nose. “I get it. I’m
jumping ahead of myself. No pressure. We’ve got plenty of time because I’m not
going anywhere. Now that we’ve got all that past us, we’d better hit my mom’s
party. I’m sure she’s wondering where we’re at by now.”

Drake’s parents seemed nice and were happy to have
me join them. Drea was serious about introducing me to everyone and stole me
away from Drake the minute we joined the party. She dragged me around the room,
flitting from group to group, and refused to listen when I told her I wasn’t
Drake’s girlfriend. Drake certainly didn’t help at all as he followed after us
laughing.

He kept his word and didn’t even give me so much as
a peck on the cheek when he walked me back to the pool house at the end of the
night. I tried to tell myself this was a good thing as I needed the time to
wrap my head around our conversation from earlier. Yet I couldn’t stop myself
from wishing that he’d given me a goodnight kiss. I already craved the feel of
his lips on mine.

I tossed and turned through the night, torn by my
fears of jumping into a relationship with Drake and my desires. I dreamed of us
together, bodies entwined. The feel of his hard body crushed against me, his
lips devouring mine. The whisper of his strong fingers gliding down my body,
teasing me to the point of frenzy. My legs writhing together as my body
clenched in anticipation. I awoke, drenched in sweat, my heart beating
thunderously. I gasped for breath when my body pulsed as a climax rolled over
me.