I couldn’t stop looking at his jaw, thinking about the way it felt when my lips and chin rubbed over his.
You ever take a sip of freshly brewed iced tea? Where the drink is still slightly warm and super sweet from being boiled to dissolve the sugar. But your glass is filled with ice, so you get the combination of warm and cold swirling together as it hits your tongue. That first sip while the temperatures mix is always the best.
That’s what it’s like to kiss someone with a scruffy jaw. Except every sip from their lips tastes like that. The ice never melts; the temperature never changes.
Drew was like an endless glass of that perfect liquid.
His lips were smooth, but the hair around them was textured. As we kissed, the sensation of his stubble moving against me was addictive. Soft but rough. Itchy but soothing. It added a layer to a simple kiss I never knew existed.
One.
That’s all it took.
One and done.
I was done wondering. Done trying to tell myself this was wrong. Done attempting to convince myself I didn’t really love him.
I did.
I loved Drew. The kind of love I thought only men and women could have. The kind of love I saw between Romeo and Rimmel. Between Braeden and Ivy.
I wanted more.
The urge to grab his face and rub my lips all along his jaw and fill my arms with his body was almost too much.
Not yet. Maybe not ever.
As urgent as it felt, there was an urge even stronger. To protect Drew. To shield him. There was no way in hell he didn’t feel at least half of what I did a few moments ago. I’d felt his hard-on, though I tried not to rub against it.
His erection wasn’t the only thing I felt, though. I felt the weakness in his knees and the tremble in his hands.
He was scared.
I understood that probably better than anyone. This was unchartered territory for both of us, and I didn’t want to fuck it up.
Drew and I were friends first, and whatever this was… that was second. He needed my friendship right now more than I needed to ravage his lips.
I wanted to know what he was thinking. What he was feeling. If he was as totally lost in me as I was in him.
Fat chance.
But a guy could dream, couldn’t he?
He was still against the wall, looking a little shell-shocked. I retreated, giving him back the personal space I was oh so happy to invade.
“Want some coffee?” I asked, grabbing some mugs out of the cabinet and turning my back to him. Once I was totally turned, I reached into my jeans and adjusted my junk. I was still rock hard.
Clearly, my dick didn’t agree it was a good idea to give Drew some space.
“Uh, sure,” he answered.
I poured the rich liquid into two mugs and added the correct amount of cream and sugar. When I was finished, it seemed like the simple task hadn’t taken long enough. Electricity still sizzled in the air, and my heart was still thudding erratically.
I leaned back against the counter’s edge and looked across the room. “Where is everyone?”
“Not here,” he said. His eyes sought mine. “Won’t be back ‘til Sunday night.”
Well, that answer wasn’t going to help soften up my dick.
He swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing beneath his skin. Once again, I felt my eyes lingering on the light-colored scruff on his jaw.
“I like you unshaven,” I blurted out. I reared back like I’d punched myself in the face. I wasn’t the type to say stupid shit. I was the type that kept it all contained.
He was unraveling me.
I worried my obvious attraction to his facial hair would be too much.
I underestimated him. His teeth flashed, and a warm, almost flirty chuckle bubbled from between his lips. Drew rubbed his palm over his chin and neck.
It made me jealous.
“Yeah?”
I bobbed my head, not trusting my tongue enough to not say something else I might regret.
“Noted,” he murmured. The blue of his eyes narrowed on my face, his gaze dropping to my lips.
He liked kissing me.
Euphoria made me lightheaded, and I covered my smile by turning back to pick up the mugs. When I carried them across the room, Drew’s eyes followed me, like he was hungry.
This is good. Let him think about it. Let him want without any pressure.
Everyone knew a warm engine went faster than a cold one.
“Wanna watch a movie?” I asked and extended the mug between us.
Surprise flickered in his eyes. Like he couldn’t believe we’d just devoured each other’s faces and now I was handing him coffee and suggesting a movie. I wanted to laugh out loud.
Did he want me to jump him?
Christ, I wanted to.
“Sure,” he finally said, straightening and reaching for the cup. I made sure our fingers didn’t brush when I handed it over.
The living room was dark; the only light was what came in from the kitchen. I knew the room well and didn’t need much light to guide me, so I didn’t bother to turn on the lamp. The dark might make it easier for him to think anyway.