Rather than going to an ice cream stand, we ended up buying a couple of gallons and some toppings at the grocery store, and headed to my place. Drake made what he called his famous “you’re going to love it” sundae that consisted of a scoop of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream smothered in hot fudge, caramel sauce, sliced banana, a swirl of whipped cream, and a cherry to top it off.
Overwhelmed, all I could do was stare at it. “If I eat all of this, I’m not going to be able to move.”
He handed me a spoon, and held up another in his hand. “That’s why we’re going to share, if that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay.” Frowning at him, I asked, “You look like you just walked off the cover of a fitness magazine. Do you always eat like this?”
He chuckled, but not before taking a heaping spoonful of ice cream. Immediately, his face scrunched up, and he squeezed his eyes closed.
“Brain freeze?” I giggled and placed a small taste in my mouth. “Mmm, this is delicious.”
Drake nodded and squeezed his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Man, that smarts. I should learn to take smaller bites.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at him.
After we finished our dessert, Drake grabbed the remote. “Do you mind if I check some scores?”
When I shook my head, he flicked on the TV and tuned it to ESPN. He sat on the couch and pulled me to his side as he listened, and I was mesmerized by the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen. Even though I wasn’t sure what each acronym stood for, it caught my eye.
As I tried to decipher the code, my lids began to close.
? ? ?
The thud of the newspaper hitting the front door woke me. I went to stretch, but my hand hit a hard surface covered in what felt like soft cotton. When I slowly opened my eyes, still completely disoriented, I did my best to focus on where my hand had landed.
Drake’s handsome face was so peaceful in sleep. Early morning sunlight barely illuminated the room, just enough that I could see his chiseled jaw, which was now covered in morning scruff a little longer than I’d seen on him before.
I was leaning against the sofa cushions with my head rested on his bicep, when even in the relaxed position was prominent and hard. As if my hand had a mind of its own, it traveled from his chest down his tight stomach, feeling each ripple of his abs one by one, and stopped just above the waistband of his jeans.
My gaze was fixed on my fingers as they continued to move across the waistband of his pants and then north, but this time I grazed his strong arm until I rested my hand on his shoulder. When I looked back at his dark hair swept over his forehead, his eyelids flickered and his lips twitched.
Shit. He’s awake. I quickly jerked my hand back and rested it at my side, never losing sight of his face.
One eye opened and then the other. “Don’t stop on my account.” His dimple appeared, and my entire body heated from the inside out.
Swallowing hard with embarrassment, I choked out, “I’m sorry.”
He shifted and pulled me closer until my breasts pressed against the same hard chest my hand had just explored. His morning excitement pushed against my hip, and I did everything in my power not to grind against it.
“That was the best alarm clock I’ve ever had.” Our eyes met, and he lifted a hand to stroke my hair before resting on my neck. “Do you know how badly I want you right now?” His deep sensual voice rendered me speechless. “Do you, Lucy?”
“I have a bit of an idea.” I moved slightly, pushing my hip against his erection, and a deep growl came from him.
“If you keep doing that, my grand plan of dating and slowly seducing you are going to fly out the window.”
“So, you have a grand plan of seducing me?”
“You forgot the dating part,” he said wryly.
I snickered. “Yes, that too.”