“Yes ma’am.”
“Oh, there’s Felicia. I haven’t had a minute to talk to her yet tonight. Please excuse me.”
After Carolina’s mother walked away, she turned to Drew. “You planned that.”
Drew gave her a look. “You think I secretly met with your mother and concocted a plan with her to take you to a football game?”
“Okay, maybe not. But it sure was convenient.”
“It was, wasn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to a football game. I don’t like football.”
“Because you’ve never been to a game. Trust me, once you’re there, you’ll love it.”
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Then I’ll call you up and ask you out. You’ll say yes, and we’ll go to a football game.”
“You’re infuriating.”
He grinned. “I know.”
He was also gorgeous, and she wanted to slide her hand along the very crisp lapels of his suit. Keeping her hands to herself tonight was proving to be difficult.
“Have I mentioned how very gorgeous you are tonight?”
She snapped her gaze to his. “Yes. And I appreciate it very much. And you should stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re hungry and I’m a midnight snack.”
He leveled a predatory smile at her. “Is it midnight yet?”
She looked at her watch. “After midnight.”
He leaned in closer. “I want to swipe my tongue across your neck, then take a bite.”
Fighting the shudder, she stayed put and whispered, “Stop that.”
“Stop what? Am I turning you on?”
“No.”
“You’re lying. You have goose bumps.”
She ran her hands over her arms. “It’s . . . cold in here.”
He laughed. “No, it’s not. In fact, I’d guess you were hot.”
Why was she even having this conversation with him? “I’m going to see to the guests.”
“Okay.”
She walked away, but he was right. It wasn’t cold in here. The staff made sure the temperature was comfortable. Not too hot, and definitely not too cool. It was Drew that gave her goose bumps, ones that still stood out on her skin because his words still lingered like a slow-moving picture playing in her head.
Her, reclining on the chaise in her room. Drew, coming up behind her to slide his tongue across her neck.
She rubbed her arms again as her nipples tingled.
Damn him. She was going to immerse herself in this party and forget all about him for the rest of the night.
No matter how difficult that was going to be.
SIXTEEN
IT WAS AFTER ONE IN THE MORNING BEFORE ALL THE guests had left. As was typical for her parents, they stayed up until the last guest was out the door.
Secret Service cleared the place out and did a double check. Her parents went up to bed, Gray and Evelyn following behind them. Carolina was exhausted, so she headed upstairs, too. Drew was talking to Arthur, one of the staff who apparently was a football fan.
She left him downstairs to his heated discussion. Yawning, she slipped out of her dress and went into her bathroom to brush her teeth. The quiet of the house was the best part of the night.
Okay, the best part of the night was seeing Drew in that suit. It made her rethink all of her options for dressing him.
She switched off the light in the bathroom, then laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, mentally playing out each outfit in her head. She grabbed her notepad and jotted down a few things, wondering if Drew would be up for wearing one of her suits.
He likely wouldn’t care. Then again, maybe he would.
She’d discuss it with him later. She laid her notepad to the side, her eyes drifting closed. But then another thought came to her so she grabbed the notebook again.
Thirty minutes later, she was staring at the wall, nowhere close to falling asleep.
This was ridiculous. She grabbed her phone to check her email.
Of course there was nothing pressing, because it was Christmas and everyone was home with their families, enjoying the holiday.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, she climbed off the bed and put on her robe, went to the door and opened it.
Not a sound. Everyone had gone to bed. Everyone was tired, including her.
Or at least she had been. Now she was wound up and for some reason her feet carried her down the hall, where she stood in front of Drew’s door.
What was she doing here? She should go back to her room. This was ridiculous.
She gazed up and down the hall, grateful the rooms were spread out. But if someone came out . . .
You’re already here, idiot. Just get this over with.
She knocked as lightly as she could, cringing at each rap of her knuckles.
Drew opened the door right away.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” he said with a smile. He stared down at her in her robe. “Is this my early Christmas present?”
Before she could utter a word he pulled her into his room and shut the door.