Cruel and Beautiful (Cruel & Beautiful #1)

He leans in for more kissing. I lean back so he can’t reach.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You did everything right. Too right, I think.” I bow my head because I don’t want him to see my heated cheeks.

“Then why avoid my kiss?”

I only shake my head.

“Please talk to me, Cate. I don’t read minds and if I did something to offend you, I need to know.”

I’m aggravated now. “I’m not offended, just all horned up here. I was practically dry humping you.” Oh god, did I say that out loud? Of course I did. Me and my big mouth.

“And what’s wrong with dry humping? It’s damn sexy. I want you to dry hump me.” He grabs my hips and squeezes me. “If I knew you better, I’d strip you naked and fuck you silly right now.”

“Oh, god, why don’t you know me better?”

He throws his head back and laughs. Before I know it, I’m laughing with him. He’s so easy to be with.

After we stop with the laughter, he says, “Don’t ever shut me out. I don’t like guessing games. Hell, I hate any kinds of games. Just tell me. I love how you’re frank about things. Don’t ever change. Now can I kiss those sexy lips of your some more?”

“Is that all you want to kiss?” I ask.

“No. Before too long, I will be kissing every single inch of you.” He doesn’t smile. He only pins me with his incredible eyes. They’re so intense right now, I can’t break the connection.

“Good. I can’t wait. I hope I don’t have to wait too long.”

“No, not too long. But not today. I’m kind of old-fashioned in that regard.”

Disappointment rushes into me. For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m going to be the pursuer.

“Hey, don’t look so sad,” Drew says. “I promise, I’ll make it worth the wait.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” And then his lips are on mine again, doing what they do best. Turning me into one dry humping maniac.

That night Drew takes me to dinner. We end up at a steak house at his insistence. I feel guilty because it’s a lot of money.

“Will you at least let me impress you a little?” he asks. He swirls his wine in his glass before he drinks it. I take a sip of mine and it’s delicious. He ordered for me because I’m clueless about ordering wine.

“Okay. But you don’t have to try. You impressed me the first time you walked through my door.”

“Ah, well that’s good to know. It’s burgers and fast food from now on for you, then.”

I bite my lip to stifle a laugh. I need him to know something. “Drew, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.”

His smile disappears, and he grabs my hand. “I can see that. I want to make you happy, Cate.”

“You do. I’m happy when I’m with you.”

A grin spreads across his face. “I want to ask you something. Would you like to come to Indy next weekend?”

“You’d want to put up with me for the entire weekend?” I’m curious about where he lives, who he hangs out with. Of course I’d love to go.

“I do have a slight confession to make. I have a short shift on Saturday. From six to noon. Would that be a problem for you?”

“Not at all. I could actually get some studying done.”

He gives me a megawatt smile. “Yeah? Really?”

“Yeah.” I grin back at him.

“There’s something else. On Saturday afternoon, I have a hockey match.”

My brow creases when he says this. Hockey. I know nothing about the sport. Where the hell did he learn to play?

“I can tell you’re not interested, are you?”

He misinterpreted my silence. “Oh no, that’s not it at all. I was trying to figure out where you learned to play. Growing up in Charleston, I mean ice skating wasn’t exactly common.”

“You’re right. I didn’t pick it up until Purdue. Promise me you won’t laugh when I tell you this.” He has the most serious look on his face.

“I promise.”

“I took figure skating lessons when I got to college. I loved hockey so much and wanted to learn to play, but I knew I needed learn how to skate first. So I sucked it up and took the lessons. It was awful. A ton of little girls and me on figure skates. Learning how to do the Salchow, Lutz, toe loop, and the Axel. Fun times. I busted my ass like you would not believe. But I learned. And when I was proficient, I joined a hockey league. I was still crappy, but I improved over time and now I’m fairly decent.”

“Hockey.” I’m amazed that he plays.

“So, do you think you’d want to come to my game?”

When I think about Drew all fitted out in his uniform, I grab his arm and say, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But I have to tell you, I know nothing about hockey.”

“I can teach you. It’s pretty basic. A lot like soccer except it’s faster.”

“Yeah. Okay, then next weekend it is. I’ll drive up on Friday.”

“Perfect.”

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