Page 42 of Drew
I expect him to say more, but Drew remains tight-lipped. What is he not telling me?From the look on his face, clearly there’s a lot more to the story.
I clear my throat, pondering how to satisfy my curiosity. When I finally find my voice, it comes out a bit strange and uneven. “Uh… are you speaking from firsthand experience?”
Drew groans, and I have my answer.
He’s quiet for a minute as he parallel parks. For as long as he’s silent, I’m almost certain he’s going to change the subject. But once we’re parked like a pro, his cheeks darken as he tells me more than I need to know.
“Well, my freshman year, there was this girl…”
Great. Just how all good stories start.
My gut clenches at an onslaught of possibilities, while I wait for him to continue.
I can tell Drew really doesn’t want to finish his thought, and by the unpleasant look on his face, I’m not so sure I want to know either. To let him off the hook, I offer, “It’s okay, Drew. You don’t have to say anything.”
Drew lets out a huge sigh, then surprises me by continuing, “It’s actually better you know.” He shakes his head and has a look of disgust for a fleeting moment before his features clear. “You see, when I was a freshman, I was already a starter and getting a big name on campus. A couple of girls in the dorms made it their mission to bewithme…” Drew looks up to the sky as if the rest of the story is written there and takes a deep breath.
“Okay…” I draw out. And I’m suddenly positive I would rather not know what happened. My stomach lurches, and my heart accelerates to a staccato.God, please don’t let it be that bad.
Drew’s low voice finally breaks the silence, “One night, I came back to the dorm and found one of the girls who’d been following me around, naked in my bed.”
“Seriously?” I ask in disbelief. Holy shit. What the hell is wrong with people?
Drew rolls his eyes. “Seriously. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for having naked girls in my bed because… well… I’m a guy.” He shrugs as if that should explain everything. “But—trust me when I say, I prefer to be there when it happens. Or at least have invited them there in the first place.”
No shit. I think I’d freak out if someone showed up in my bed unexpected. “What did you do?”
Ohmigod, do I even want to know?
Duh, Abby, most guys would usually join her. I wince, hoping I don’t regret asking Drew this question.
Drew swallows slowly as he watches me like a hawk to gauge my reaction. “I politely asked her to leave, and when that didn’t work, I went to sleep somewhere else.”
Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.
My jaw drops. As much as I didn’t want to hear about any sexcapades, I find it hard to believe him entirely. “Are you kidding me?”
“Unfortunately, no. I saw more than my share of her body as she tried to make a move. She was beautiful, but there’s something about respect that holds my attention more.” He shakes his head then. His voice sounds more forceful when he continues, “Clearly, she had none for me. Hell, I didn’t even know her name. Listen… I’m not a prude, and I enjoy sex as much as the next guy… But it needs to be consensual, ya know?”
No shit.
He takes in a deep breath and slowly releases it, shaking his head. “After that experience, I made a point to move out of the dorm as soon as possible. There was no way I wantedthatto happen again… And that’s how I ended up with this place.”
“Wow. I can’t even imagine.”
“Trust me, neither could I. I’d heard stories about it happening, but I never thought in a million years, I’d experience it.”
“Drew, you’re a star athlete at a D-1 school. Don’t women flock to you?” I’m genuinely curious, but my question sounds more accusatory. I know my first reaction to him, and I didn’t even know he played basketball. But then again, seconds later, I thought he was a cocky ass… so there’s that.
Drew makes a sound between a strangled laugh and a cough. “Umm… I wouldn’t say flock.”
Maybe it’s best that I don’t know the answer to this question. You know the whole curiosity killed the cat and all.
Unfortunately, I can’t help but roll my eyes in his attempt at modesty. “It’s really none of my business. Seriously, Drew. I don’t need to know.”
“I’m neither a saint nor a virgin, but I’m not a player off the court either, Angel. Yeah, I’ve used my popularity to my advantage from time to time. But that comes with a double-edged sword. It’s a constant wonder of whether they’re with me—the athlete, or me—the real Drew Jacobs.”
Drew’s nothing like I expected. There’s so much more to him than my first impression. But when I look at the sincerity in his eyes, my heart plummets to my stomach.
