Chapter 26

KATE.
I walked down the stairs with Drew following behind me. Not far from me though, because he kept a tight grip on my fingers, which made it somewhat awkward to walk.
I saw Bailey sitting on a lounge by the side of the staircase, typing away on her phone, with the man that had been restraining her earlier, standing beside her. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, staring at her with a perplexed expression.
I wasn't even in the right state of head to ask Bailey what had happened between the both of them.
She looked up when she saw me coming and got up, adjusting her gown.
"Oh my God, Kate. I've been so worried. " she glared at Drew behind me.
"Really? You were worried? " I cocked a brow.
She turned her glare to me, looking slightly hurt, "Well, of course I was. "
I shook my head then shifted to study the man who hadn't left his position on the wall. What was his deal?
He had dark hair, like Drew, but Drew's hair was a shade darker. He had light stubble that ran along the sides of his jaw, chin, and on top of his lip.
He looked to be at around the same height as Drew, although he was a tad musclier. His eyes were a very light shade of blue.
He pulled off that bad boy look well. And he was incredibly sexy, I had to admit.
He cocked a brow and smirked at me when he caught me staring. Ugh. Another cocky asshole.
"I don't trust you. " Bailey said all of a sudden.
I glanced at her and saw it was directed at Drew. He watched her warily without saying anything. And I found myself rising up to his defense.
"You gave him the key to your apartment. "
She rolled her eyes, "Well, not literally. But it got us here anyway, didn't it? "
She grabbed me and pulled me, silently telling me to follow her, but Drew's grip kept me from moving.
I tugged on his hand, but he tightened his grip, looking a little unsure and a whole lot scared. My heart melted.
"I just want to talk to Bailey. " I assured him, squeezing his hand.
He nodded, letting me go. And Bailey hastily pulled me aside.
"What the fuck are you doing? " she whisper yelled. Like the other men in the room couldn't hear us.
"We're back together. "
"Is that what he told you? " she asked mockingly.
"No. " I snapped. "We worked that out. "
But did we though?
"Huh. You guys were up there in like what? Ten? Twenty minutes? "
"We just covered the basis. We don't really know where we're going but –"
"I don't want you to try to get defensive with me, Kate. I'm just worried about you. I don't want to see you get hurt. " she cut me off, "The past two weeks have been as hard on me as they were for you. "
I exhaled, massaging my temple. I knew she was right. I knew it. And I knew I was just diving headlong into this because I wanted it so bad. Once again, I was putting my wants first without actually thinking about how this was going to affect me if it didn't turn out how I wanted it to.
I needed to have an honest to God conversation with Drew. Because all we did was to keep going in circles without actually getting anywhere. And if we kept that up, it was guaranteed that somewhere along the way, someone was going to get hurt again. And I knew without a shadow of doubt that that person was going to be me.
Bailey, as always, was just trying to make sure I didn't get hurt. She was supportive like that and I loved her for it.
I laced my fingers with hers. "I understand. I'll make sure we talk about this before starting anything with him again. "
"Yeah, that's what I want to hear. " she smiled, patting my cheek lightly.
"I know y'all are going to get freaky. " she wiggled her brows.
"Stop it. " I pulled away from her, laughing lightly. "We're going to talk, is all. "
"Heh. Whatever. " she glanced behind me. I followed her eyes and saw Drew was talking to his friend.
Wait. Friend? Drew had a friend? Before I'd been stuck in my own head but now that I was really thinking, I was shocked that Drew had a friend.
I mean, he rarely spoke about anybody in his life. And it actually made me realize how we did this backwards.
I barely knew anything about him and I was sure he didn't know a lot about me too. He didn't know my favorite colour, what food I loved the most, the kind of coffee I drank, nothing.
And it was saddening.
"Who is that guy? "
I glanced at Bailey. "I don't know. His friend maybe? "
"Damn. He's a masterpiece. " she murmured, her eyes glued to the oblivious man.
I shook my head, walking backwards towards Drew. "If you want him, talk to him. "
"What?! " she whisper yelled again. And it was just starting to get funny now. "Are you crazy? Look at him. He probably gets that everyday. "
I cocked my brow but said nothing as I walked away. A challenge might just be what Bailey needed.
Drew's eyes lit up when he saw me coming, and whatever he'd been saying, died on the tip of his lips.
"Hey. " he snaked his arm around me, pulling me to his side. "You're done talking? "
"Yep. " I gave Bailey a pointed look. She rolled her eyes, coming to stand in front of me.
"Kate, this is Arash. He's an asshole. " he gestured to his friend. "Arash, Kate. "
I extended my hand to Arash for a handshake and he clasped my hand in his bigger, firmer ones.
"Nice to meet you. "
"Pleasure's all mine. Believe me. " he smirked again.
His mouth crinkled at the corners, like the smirk was always on his face. He had laugh lines by the side of his eyes too. So he definitely laughed a lot.
I gestured to Bailey, "This is my friend, Bailey. "
He held her hand, more like dragged, and lifted it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. And I watched in fascination as Bailey blushed.
I felt a silly grin pulling at my lips. It was fun watching Bailey get all flustered up since it rarely happened. Oh, this was going to be so good.
"Are you ready to leave? " Drew asked, drawing my eyes from Bailey to him.
"Go where? " I frowned.
"To the penthouse. "
"You didn't asked me to go with you. " I argued.
"Yes, but automatically, I assumed –"
"You assumed I was going to go to your place with you? When you didn't even ask. " I shifted from him.
He was being overbearing. Again. All he thought about was himself and what he wanted. Just like how he'd broken up with me without caring how I felt.
And I wasn't putting up with that anymore.
His eyes widened, panic creeping into his features. He made to take a step in my direction but stopped all of a sudden. He looked around, probably realizing we weren't alone.
He avoided Arash's eyes, who looked like he was perplexed by the whole interaction, then met my eyes.
"Would you come to my place with me? " his jaw ticked, and his discomfort was obvious in the tense lines of his shoulders. "Please? "
I fluttered my lashes, "Well, since you asked nicely, why not? "
He narrowed his eyes at me, telling me he wasn't impressed with my antics. But underneath all that, I could see the relief in his eyes. The tension in his body loosened and he fell back into his natural, confident skin.
"You're training him. " Bailey grinned, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
I wiggled my brows but didn't say anything. Drew was already uncomfortable as he was, I didn't want to push him.
"You're so screwed. " Arash laughed. "Very much so. "
"Shut up, asshole. " Drew replied, calm as a cucumber.
"So.... My leg is starting to hurt from standing so long. " Bailey piped in. "Are we leaving here or what? "
I looked at Drew, waiting for him to take the lead.
"I'm leaving with Kate. " he glanced at Arash. "Can you drop Bailey off? "
"Gladly. "
"No. "
They both said at the same time.
I sighed, "Bailey, don't be a hardass about this. "
"I'm not being a hardass. " she snapped. "I could easily get a cab. Why stressed yourself? " the last part was directed at Arash.
"It wouldn't be stress. " Arash was already walking towards the main floor of the club, about to go outside.
"But I'd just be taking your time. " she argued, stomping along.
"You don't hear me complaining. "
"Those two. " I murmured to Drew.
But he wasn't looking at them. He was watching me.
"Are you really here? " he whispered, dragging his thumb down my cheek, his eyes tracking the movement.
The look of awe, disbelief and appreciation on his face was too much.
I wanted to give him something, tell him how much I'd missed him too. Show him. But I was scared too. That this wasn't real. I couldn't get words past my throat because it was closed up with emotions I couldn't identify. So I nodded instead.
He extended his right hand to me, "Come home with me? "
I placed my hand in his, silently agreeing with him. He closed his hands around mine and off we went.
DREW.
I couldn't help but glance at Kate every once in a while as I drove. I knew she was here but I just couldn't believe it. Every now and then, I'd look and find out it was an illusion anyway. It was unbelievable that she was finally here with me.
"Take a picture. It'll last longer. " she muttered one time when she caught me staring.
"I might just. " I said under my breath.
"Pardon? " she asked, shifting closer but I shook my head.
I parked in the under ground garage and held her hand as walked into the elevator.
I found it hard to keep my eyes off her body as we went upstairs. I loved how the colour of her shirt brought out her skin tone. And how her shorts hugged her ass. She was a walking, talking temptation. And she was killing me.
She walked ahead of me into the penthouse, kicking her heels off by the door.
I found myself hesitating to follow her. I'd been wanting her for weeks and now that I finally had her? I didn't know what to do with her.
"Sit. " she pointed at one of my lounge chairs, sitting on the one opposite it, "I want to talk to you. "
I exhaled, my shoulders dropping. I was tired. As hell. But apparently, she wasn't.
I did as she asked and waited for her to take the lead.
"First off, I've not been able to get this out of my head. " she laced her fingers in front of her. "When you said those guys attacked me because they wanted to get to you. "
I nodded for her to continue.
"You sounded so sure and I was wondering. How did you know? They could be random people for all we knew. "
I dragged my hand down my face, thinking of the best possible way to tell her this.
"We caught one of them –" but she cut me off.
"Don't lie to me. " she snapped. "They escaped. Even I know that. "
Fuck. Fuck. She couldn't have known that. She was unconscious for fucks sake. But lying to her was such a hard task, I couldn't do it.
"If you're not going to talk, I'll leave. " she made to stand up but I shook my head vigorously.
"Wait. " I got up and paced, because there was no way I could tell her this sitting down.
"Start talking. "
"I've told you already that me and my dad's relationship is complicated. " I walked to the bar and poured myself a glass of whiskey, before walking back to her, "We've been enemies for as long as I can remember. And we're always trying to harm the other. " I paused, waiting for the look of disgust that would be on her face but when I found none, just confusion, I took a sip of my drink and continued.
"I met him that night after the accident. I confronted him about it and he didn't deny it. The fact that he sent them, I mean. "
Her eyes were slightly unfocused and she clutched her hands tightly. "Your dad sent them? " she whispered.
I nodded.
"But...... why? Why would he ever do something like that? "
"I told you. To hurt me. "
At this point, I was fighting a battle to not go to her and touch her. And I was losing. She just looked so damn vulnerable and small and so fucking sexy sitting there. The combo was fucking me up bad.
"And did it? " she asked, watching me.
I nodded without giving much thought to the question. Of course it hurt me. It fucking hurt to see that scar on her head.
She looked away for a second, before bringing her eyes back to mine.
I polished off the remainder of my whiskey and dropped the glass on the bar top.
"Why did you break up with me? " her husky voice filled my senses, "You said you did it to keep me safe. But you did that after the accident, not before. "
I nodded, turning around to face her, "To me, I thought breaking up with you would prevent you from more harm. " I exhaled. How stupid that sounded now. "It fucking killed me when I saw you on that hospital bed, hooked up to so many machines. " I closed my eyes as the ever ready image appeared behind my eyelids. "I'd never been so scared, Kate. "
"Drew... "
The tremor in my voice had me opening my eyes.
I was closing the distance between us before she could even blink and I was just about to take her in my arms when she put her hand out to stop me.
"No. No. No. Stay away. "
I froze in my tracks, confused. "I thought we were okay? "
"We are. " she assured me. "But were not done talking. "
"What else, Kate? " I shoved my hand into my hair, pulling at the roots. I wanted her. But she still wanted to talk. Couldn't we do this tomorrow?
"Jeez. What's up with you? " she asked with wide eyes.
"What's wrong with me? " I glared at her in frustration, "Christ, I want you so much, I can't even see straight. Do you know how hard it is for me seeing you like that when I've not had you for two weeks? " I exhaled, "You're driving me crazy, Kate. "
I watched as her breaths shallowed, her chest, rising and falling ghastly, and her grey eyes were dilated.
She wanted me, that I was sure of. So why the hell was she stalling?
"We..... I just.. " she blinked, giving her head a sharp shake. "Damn it. You're confusing me. "
"I find no joy in this. "
"Okay, so going forward, I need some form of assurance. " she started, "At the hospital..... "
"What happened at the hospital? "
"You said we were never in a relationship. And then you mocked me for breaking up with Trent. "
"It was all so that I could make the break up look real. " I tried to explain.
"But it hurt anyway. " she continued.
Shit. All the stupid things I'd said to her were coming back to bite me in my ass. And I was paying for them.
"I'm not going to get into anything with you without some form of assurance. For all I know, you could change your mind tomorrow, because you're unpredictable like that, and I'd be left with a broken heart. " she admitted softly, "Or more. "
"Okay. When you say assurance, what do you mean? "
She shrugged, "I don't know. Tell me something. "
What to tell her. If she'd asked me to donate my kidney right now, I'd have done it without thinking twice about it.
But I felt this was more complicated than that. What did she mean by 'tell me something'? Did she want a love declaration?
I didn't know what she meant, but I was desperate enough to want to try. I needed her. I craved her. And she wasn't going to be mine if I didn't give her what she wanted.
I walked over to her and placed my hands on her cheeks, cupping them, "You make me crazy, Kate. How I feel about you...... I've never felt like that before. " I admitted, "And it's scary as fuck. But I also like it, I think. " I squinted, trying to communicate exactly what I was feeling to her.
Her lips were parted to accommodate her breaths and I fought the intense urge to kiss her senseless. I mean, it wouldn't be so hard. Her lips were just a few inches away from mine. All I'd need to do was bend a little. Or lift her onto the next free surface.
I shook my head, trying to stay on track.
Where was I? Right. I was trying to tell her how I felt. "I like how different it makes me. I feel weak at times and it's annoying and confusing and sometimes, straight up laughable. Because, hell, I never thought I'd ever feel like this. "
Her eyes watered and she brought her hands up to place them on top mine on her cheeks.
"What I'm trying to say is, I care about you. A whole damn lot. And these last two weeks have been hell without you. I don't want to experience that anymore. " I inhaled. Exhaled.
Her breaths wheezed out of her, a tear dropping on her cheek.
I wiped it away with my thumb. I didn't want to see her cry. Couldn't. "Be mine, Kate? "
"Yes. " she murmured, a sob escaping her lips.
Finally. Fucking finally.
I could tell she was still rocked by my revelation about my dad, but what mattered was this moment.
I dropped down and kissed her, sealing the deal with that little kiss.
"Drew? " she whispered, breaking the kiss.
"Yeah? "
"Be mine? "
"Fuck yes. " I groaned, pulling her in for another kiss. "You fucking own me. "
I kissed the sides of her mouth, biting her juicy bottom lip. God, I missed that. So much.
"I missed you, Drew. " she whispered against my lips, trailing kisses along my jawline. I parted my lips to control my breathing because it suddenly became too hard to breathe.
I dropped my hands to her waist, running my hand over every inch of exposed skin I could touch at her back. Her skin was hot to the touch and it was making me go insane. My grip on control was held together by a single thread.
And it was about to fucking snap.
"Wait. " she used her hands at my chest to push me away.
"What? " I snapped.
"I'm not having sex with you today. "
Her words said one thing. Her body said another. But I wasn't going to pressure her, God forbid. I was going to eat up whatever scraps of herself she gave to me with open arms.
"Fucking fine by me. I just wanna hold you. "
"Then fucking hold me. " she breathed against my lips, slipping her hand around my neck and pulling my lips down hard, against hers.
A tortured, agonized groan escaped my chest.
I was in heaven. And I had absolutely no intention of leaving now.