Third Strike Page 4

  Drew: You think I’m sexy? Ha ha

  Ashley: I think you’re gorgeous, Drew Peters, and you fucking know it!

  Drew: Can you make sure you’re safe, Ash? I’ll worry otherwise.

  Ashley: Aww, you’re adorable. Yes, I’ll stay safe. In fact, I’m going to check in with Jess and probably go soon.

  Drew: Text me when you’re home in bed?

  Ashley: You wanna talk to me in bed? ;)

  Damn, I walked straight into that one. But there’s no point lying.

  Drew: I think about you in bed a lot.

  Ashley: I really like that.

  Drew: Good, because it’s true. Even though I have no doubt it’s going to get me into a hell of a lot of crap one day.

  Ashley: We can be in trouble together. There’s no one else I’d want to be in trouble with.

  I lie in bed, staring at the phone with a stupid grin on my face. This girl!

  Drew: Go find your friend. You’re distracting me.

  Ashley: From what?

  Drew: You really don’t want to know.

  Ashley: Now I really DO want to know…

  Drew: That conversation is for another time, another place, and not when you’re buzzed.

  Ashley: Promise?

  Drew: As long as you text me when you get home and let me know you’re safe, then yes.

  Ashley: I’ll hold you to that.

  Drew: I don’t doubt it for a second.

  Ashley: I like you a whole damn lot.

  Thirty minutes later, I’m watching TV when her text comes through. I open it, my eyes popping out of my head when I do because she didn’t just send me an “I’m home” text. She’s sent me a photo of her lying in her bed, her arm holding up the phone to give me a full-length shot of her tank top and boxer shorts-covered body, one long, tanned leg hooked over the sheet.

  Ashley: I’m home ;)

  Drew: Definitely hot.

  Ashley: Just hot?

  Drew: My brain cannot think of any other words right now.

  Ashley: Has all the blood gone south? Ha ha. Mission accomplished then.

  Drew: TROUBLE! Go to sleep, mini Ross.

  Ashley: Sweet dreams, Drew xxx ooo

  I wouldn’t say my dreams were sweet, but I definitely slept well after having a quick late-night shower.

  Thanksgiving—two months later

  Ashley: Please tell me you’re arriving soon. Mom and Dad have all their stuffy friends here, and Lincoln Collins is eying me up like I’m a prime piece of meat he just can’t wait to stick his fork into.

  Millen: This is Drew on Mill’s phone. He’s driving a rental since the town car didn’t show. Millen said Lincoln always looks at you like that.

  Ashley: But now I’m of college age, I’m ready for marriage, apparently.

  Drew: Switching to my phone. Said to Millen it was weird to talk to you as him when I could just talk to you as me. I got your number from his phone.

  Ashley: And he didn’t think that was weird?

  Drew: No. My best friend trusts me. Not that he should.

  Ashley: We haven’t done anything wrong yet.

  Drew: Yet?

  Ashley: You’re here for four nights—who knows what will happen?

  Drew: Nothing can happen, Ash.

  Ashley: Nothing? ;)

  Drew: You’re gonna get me killed.

  Ashley: Then you’d be no use to me, and I have a lot of plans for you.

  Drew: Don’t make me hard in the passenger seat of your brother’s car.

  Ashley: Well, I wouldn’t want you soft now, would I?

  Drew: Ash…

  Ashley: Okay. Anyway, Lincoln’s dad said to mine that I should be looking for a husband. What is up with that!?

  Drew: Millen says that Lincoln is a dick, and so is his dad. Just ignore them, and we’ll be there soon.

  Ashley: I’ll go hide in the kitchen and swipe a bottle of wine.

  Drew: Is that a good idea?

  Ashley: Is that my brother talking or my Drew talking?

  Drew: Your Drew? KILLING ME here… God, I want to kiss you.

  Ashley: You have no idea how much I want that.

  Drew: Your messages last night might have clued me in.

  Ashley: Was I drunk? Maybe it was a wrong number ;)

  Drew: No comment. See you soon.

  Drew: Maybe delete these texts while you’re at it too.

  Ashley: You’re not listed in my phone under your name.

  Drew: Do I even want to know?

  Ashley: I’ll see how well you kiss me first.

  Five minutes later, my phone buzzes again.

  Ashley: Are you ready for this?

  Drew: You mean pretending I don’t want to kiss you?

  Ashley: Can a girl get hard?

  Drew: *bites tongue*

  Ashley: Wanna give me an anatomy lesson? I can call it studying for extra credit ;)

  Drew: *turns car around for self-preservation*

  Ashley: Don’t make me come after you.

  Drew: Don’t make me have to lie to my best friend about why I can’t be around his little sister in public.

  Ashley: One day we won’t have to lie.

  I look out the passenger window to hide my smile. The thought of having the freedom to explore whatever this is with Ashley gives me hope.

  “Is Ash okay?” Millen asks, thankfully distracting me.

  Turning my attention back to him, I nod and smile. “She’s ready to be married off—just say the word, and she’ll be the one in white.”

  He snorts and shakes his head. “I can’t imagine her saying that.”

  “That’s ’cause she didn’t, but it’s the impression she gave. Who’s this Lincoln guy?” I ask curiously.

  “His family and mine have been friends for years. His older brother, Kip, was in my year at high school. He’s great, totally different from his father and younger brother, who both think that they’re better than everyone else and—apparently—still believe that women should be seen and not heard. That’s when they’re allowed to leave the kitchen, of course.”

  I can’t stop a growl rumbling in my throat. “I hate guys like that. They always have a stick up their ass and believe their shit doesn’t stink.”

  Millen grins and nods. “You’ve just summarized Lincoln Sr and Lincoln Jr.”

  My eyes widen. “Oh god, they sound like actual clones.”

  “You wouldn’t be too far off the mark there,” he replies with a laugh.

  “So are there gonna be lots of those kinds of people there tonight?”

  “A few, but Mom and Dad aren’t really like that, so thankfully most of their friends aren’t either. Lana and Harris are going to be there too. You can be my buffer.”

  “To keep Lana away from you? Good luck with that. Just say you haven’t filled your Viagra script yet.”

  “Very fucking funny, asshole,” he mutters under his breath.

  My phone vibrates in my hand again. I don’t dare look at the screen because I know it’s probably Ash, and given the tone of our previous conversation, I definitely don’t want Millen seeing what she said.

  “Are you gonna check that?” Millen asks, nodding at the phone in my hand. “It’s probably Ash again. She’s got your number now. You’re never gonna shut her up.”

  “I doubt it. I’m just your friend from college.”

  “Sisters like that kind of thing apparently. I’m just lucky you’re not the kind of asshole who’d even consider going there.”

  I’m the worst kind of asshole because I already have.

  I turn my phone away from him and have a quick look, opening the message to find a photo of Ashley’s gorgeous face, her lips puckered into a kiss for the camera. Fuck!

  “So was it Ash?”

  “Nah, it’s Kayley, that nurse I was seeing.”

  “Is she missing your dick?” Millen muses.

  “Yeah, something like that.” Damn. For someone who doesn’t like lying, I’m certainly start
ing to make a habit of it. But it’s easier than answering questions about what his sister is texting me. Thankfully, Kayley has turned into a good sounding board, a female who knows my bullshit and doesn’t think twice about knocking some sense into me. The kind of friend I need.

  As soon as Millen and I arrive at the party, my eyes hone in on Ashley and a guy who’s standing far too close to her. He’s exactly what I pictured him to be when Millen told me about Lincoln in the car. His blond hair is suitably coiffed and slicked to the side, and he’s wearing a tailored suit with a buttoned-up shirt and a coordinating tie. Hugely different to Millen and myself, who dumped our bags in Millen’s room, quickly changed into pants and open-necked shirts, and walked into the house like we were the guests of honor. That’s not to say I’d feel a little underdressed if it wasn’t for my best friend at my side.

  Doesn’t change the fact that I still wanna punch the guy for even thinking he has a chance with my Ash… No! Not mine. Can’t be mine. Can never be mine.

  Unfortunately, before I can contemplate a rescue attempt—or intervene—Millen wraps an arm around my shoulder and leads me through the living room and out to the bar by the pool.

  By the time we’re halfway through our first drink, my phone vibrates in my pocket.

  Ashley: So much for saving me

  My eyes flick up to check on Millen, finding him engaged in a conversation about school with an older man around his father’s age.

  Drew: Thank your brother for leading me out to the bar.

  Ashley: It’s not my brother I wanted to save me.

  Drew: Ash…

  Ashley: Drew…

  My thumb hovers over the keys, the warning bells at the front of my mind ringing loud and clear. Unfortunately, my body and my reaction to her whenever she’s close make their own argument as to what I should be doing—or saying—right now.

  Ashley: Millen knows what Linc Jr is like. He hates that family as much as I do.

  Drew: Is he still coming on strong? Because if he can’t take the hint, I’m pretty sure I can make him see sense

  Ashley: Aww, is it wrong to find that incredibly hot?

  Drew: Is. He. Still. There?

  Ashley: I totally just imagined you growling that

  Drew:…

  Ashley: Alright, already. His dad dragged him away to talk to some politician who’s here. Now I’m standing in the kitchen watching you through the window.

  I look up and sure enough, she’s exactly where she said she was, a total goddess in a red dress, her hair curled and falling over one shoulder, her lips curved up in a sexy-as-hell grin.

  I glance back to my phone. Would this be easier if I was from a well-to-do family like that douche?

  Drew: That’s the kind of guy your parents want to set you up with?

  Ashley: God no! It’s all about family connections and business relationships—their’s, not mine.

  Ashley: My father would lose his mind if I were to run off and get married now.

  I smirk and chuckle under my breath.

  Drew: So that’s a no to eloping to Vegas then?

  “What are you looking so happy about?” Millen asks, surprising the shit out of me. My head snaps up, and his narrowed eyes tell me he didn’t miss my deer-in-the-headlights expression. “You look like I just caught your hand in the cookie jar. What gives?” He leans forward as if to see my phone screen. That’s not gonna happen.

  “Nah, it’s just Kayley.”

  “Sexting on Thanksgiving. Nice,” he says with an approving smirk. If only he fucking knew. “You okay on your own for a bit? I need to check in with Dad, do some handshaking, you know the drill.”

  I don’t, but then again, I’m not the son of a hospitality magnate. I wave him off. “I’m fine. I’ll just sit out here and nurse the bar.”

  He quirks a brow. “And sext the nurse.”

  I shake my head but can’t help laughing. “Go, schmooze. If you can’t find me later, I’ve probably just put myself to bed somewhere.”

  He claps me on the back before stepping toward the house. “My house is your house, brother. Make yourself at home.”

  Once he’s out of sight, I look back to the kitchen to find Ash is gone, but my phone vibrates again with another message.

  Ashley: Walk to the other side of the bar, go down the stairs, and follow the path around to the far side of the house

  I look up and around, trying to find her, but she’s nowhere to be found.

  Ashley: You won’t be able to see me, even if you try. I’ve lived in this house for more than half my life.

  Ashley: Five minutes, or we’ll lose our window of opportunity.

  That sparks me into action. The last thing I should be doing right now is downing my drink, leaving my glass on top of the bar, and walking around the side of the house, down the stairs, and following the path along the house and round the corner.

  But that’s exactly what I do.

  And that’s when I find her, a sexy smile lighting her face, her eyes dancing with mischief and happiness as she lets out a squeak and takes a running jump into my arms. Her mouth crashes into mine. I’m forced to take a step back to hold her up, but that doesn’t mean my body doesn’t automatically respond to her, my cock turning hard, my arms wrapping around her and holding on tight as my tongue dips between her lips and tastes her once more.

  Her fingers glide through my hair like we’ve got all the time in the world, and it doesn’t register just how risky this—albeit fucking fantastic—kiss is until a laugh from inside the house breaks through my lust-fueled haze.

  I gently end the kiss and ease her back to the ground, my hands steadying her before I step back, putting some much-needed distance between us.

  “Drew?”

  I take her in, her perfect curls now messed up, her lipstick a little smeared, her mouth a lot swollen. She definitely looks like someone just kissed the shit out of her, and if she were any other woman—and not related to my best friend—I’d be proud as hell to walk back to the party with a big grin on my face. But she’s not any other woman. And she cannot be mine.

  “That can’t happen again, Ash. It’s too risky.”

  She nods, but I can see the hurt in her eyes. Dammit. I close the distance between us and take her face in my hands. “That was one hell of a hello, sweetheart, but your family is inside, and there are too many people wandering around to do this out in the open.”

  Tilting her head, she leans up and brushes her lips against mine before lowering back down and grinning up at me. “Right. Out in the open, no. Behind closed doors, yes.”

  “No, Ash, that’s not what I—”

  “Bye, Drew,” she calls out, walking backward and blowing me a kiss before disappearing around the front of the house.

  I reach down and adjust the bulge in my pants.

  I already thought this weekend was going to be hard. Now I definitely know it’s going to be.

  In more ways than one.

  I’ve always known Ashley was trouble. Part of me knew she’d be downright dangerous for me too. Something that’s become obvious to me these past few days at the house. I haven’t stayed here since prom night in May. Therefore I haven’t had to pretend I’m something I’m not.

  Now it’s Saturday afternoon, the last day before Millen and I leave again. An hour ago, I walked out of the house to lie by the pool only to find Ashley and Lucy already there. Ashley, who was supposed to be out shopping and catching up with friends for the day. Ashley, who had been texting me all morning while Millen, his dad and I shot nine holes around the country club.

  There’s only so much teasing a red-blooded male with a high libido can take before he reaches his breaking point, and I thought mine was twenty-four hours after I arrived. Seeing her, spending time with everyone and not being able to do anything—touch her, kiss her, do more than kiss her—has been driving me crazy.

  I was wrong though; my breaking point is seeing her wearing the exact same bikini she wore th
e first time we met. If the smirk Ashley shoots my way is anything to go by, she knows she’s not only knocked me on my ass, she’s thrown me off a goddamn cliff.

  “Hey,” I say, walking to the bar fridge and grabbing a bottle of beer, wanting to get shit-faced so as to stop from doing anything like, say, jumping my best friend’s sister in front of an audience.

  “Hi,” Ash and Lucy reply in unison before turning back to face each other. Ashley rolls onto her side, giving me an amazing view of her back, hips, and very revealing bikini bottom. I shake my head, my jaw tense as I take my drink in hand and make my way toward the pool house where I’m staying.

  After slumping down onto the couch, I rest my head back against the cushions and stare up at the ceiling, trying to will my cock back from the brink. For someone as admittedly innocent as Ashley—she sure does know how to drive a man to the edge of his self-control.

  It’s like she’s set out to remind me how I felt when I first saw her—before I knew she was off-limits—and remind me what I could have if I just stopped trying to be honorable by not taking the next step. Our text conversations over the past few months have definitely taken a turn of late, but talking about it is easy when you’re thousands of miles apart. Being in the same zip code where the risk of getting caught is right up there with the risk of getting sunburnt—damn near inevitable—is just a disaster waiting to happen.

  They say you always want what you can’t have. The calluses on my right hand are evidence of that.

  I’m both sad and glad that Millen and I leave for Texas tomorrow. Sad because stolen kisses, passing glances when no one else is watching, and late-night text messages have not been enough. Glad, because any longer and I’d say “fuck it” and run away with her.

  Deciding I need to cool off—in more ways than one—I walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. After moving back to get undressed, I step into the glass enclosure and shut the door behind me, letting the water cover my head as I scrub my face with my hands and let out a frustrated groan.