Page 55 of Drew
Drew may be a D-1 baller,but he most definitely isn’t a bowler. If there is an A for effort, the man would be raking in the points, but knocking pins down? Nope. He’s not doing well.
“I swear there must be glue on the bottom of the pins,” he grumbles when he bowls yet another split and only knocks down four pins. We’re only in the middle of our fourth frame, but already I can tell bowling’s not his sport.
I’d like to offer him advice, but I’m not doing much better. I get lucky and hit a strike in the first frame and pick up a spare nearly every frame since, so my score is considerably higher, but I can’t say I have actual skill. The poor guy is averaging six to eight pins a frame. A couple of times, he throws a wicked curve ball, but it only ended up in the gutter.
At least he’s a good sport and celebrates with me when I do well. When I get another strike, he stands and wraps me in a hug. “Congratulations, Angel,” he whispers in my ear, and my body tingles with desire as he sets me on my feet.
“If you’re gonna celebrate like that, you’re only encouraging me to do it again,” I tease.
Drew’s blue eyes darken as a smile spreads across his face, making my belly flop. Damn, he’s sexy. “Maybe your talents will rub off on me, and you can be my good-luck charm.”
Once the pins reset themselves, Drew walks to the ball return and picks up his ball. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, and I can’t help but check out his ass. His jeans are sexy. It’s almost as if they were tailor made to fit him. They stretch over his muscles perfectly. Maybe he should model for that brand. Women everywhere would be purchasing that brand in hopes their spouses would look that good. My mouth goes dry, just watching his every move.
I’m so focused on his perfect form, I barely notice Drew finally rolls a strike. The moment all the pins go down, Drew spins around like a kid who’s just been told he’s going to Disneyland and pumps a fist in the air. “Yes!” His smile is infectious, and my heart soars with excitement for him.
In three fluid steps, he’s standing in front of me. His long arms wrap me into a hug and lifts me as he spins me around. “It’s about damn time.” He chuckles in my ear. “Maybe youaremy good luck charm.”
When he sets me down, I shake my head as I roll my eyes.Me? A good-luck charm? Yeah, right.
“Uh… I highly doubt that. If I were, you would’ve been doing that all day. Don’t you know, you make your own luck, silly,” I tease.
But the way he stares into my eyes makes me wonder if he believes in good-luck charms. I mean… I’ve heard of athletes being superstitious. But I had nothing to do with him rolling that strike.
Drew looks like he’s about to say something but decides against it. He shakes his head slowly, then pats me on the ass, like you would a teammate. “You’re up, Angel.” I have no clue how to take that, so I do the only thing I can.
I roll another strike.
By the time we leave the bowling alley after a few more games, Drew’s convinced I bowl more frequently than I let on. I try to tell him otherwise, but he won’t have it. I didn’t even beat my personal record. But if we’re looking at the numbers… my score practically doubles his at one-forty.
At least Drew’s a graceful loser. He celebrates my success as well as his. Sure… he teases me, but he doesn’t make it into an issue. Overall, I’d say we had a great first date.
As we get into his SUV, Drew turns to me and asks, “So, what’s next on our list?”
“Uh…” I’m totally unprepared for what to say. I’d been having such a good time, I hadn’t thought about what we can do for the next item on the list. “Well…” I drive out. “Since I picked this one, it’s only fair you get the next.”
This earns me a devilish grin. His perfect lips perk up, making me want to kiss the cocky expression right off his face.Oh, who am I kidding? Now that I’ve had a taste of him, I can’t wait to kiss him again.
Drew places a finger on his chin, and his eyebrows pull together. His expression morphs from cocky to concentration in an instant, and I can’t help wondering what he’s thinking about so heavily.
Finally, he breaks the silence. “What do you think about geocaching? I used to love going all the time when I was younger, but I don’t think I’ve gone since Summer was re-diagnosed. It was something we used to do together when I babysat her.”
“Are you sure?” I don’t want to do anything to cause him pain.
He nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, I’m sure. She’d kick my ass if she knew I’d stopped going because it reminds me of her. I don’t think that’s the reason I stopped; I haven’t had the chance since I started college. What do you say to doing that, then it’s your turn to choose?”
“Won’t you be tired of me by then?” I tease. Because seriously, he’s talking about a couple more dates, and this is only date one.
Drew stares at me in disbelief, his jaw slack. “Not gonna happen, Angel.”
When we get back to my place, Drew parks the car and walks me to my door. This time thankfully, there’s no awkwardness between us. It’s natural when I offer, “Wanna come in?”
He surprises me with his brutal honesty. “I don’t want to hijack your day, but I’m not ready to leave either.” Then he rocks back on his feet as he awaits my response.
Wanting to put him out of his misery as fast as possible, I suggest, “Let’s go inside, and I’ll start a load of laundry. I’m caught up with studying for the week. Maybe we can watch a movie?”
Drew’s instant smile causes my heart to skip a beat.Seriously, how does anyone get anything done around this man?His dimple pops, and I know in this instance, I’d do practically anything to keep him looking at me in this way. “Only if you let me pick,” he teases.
Yep. He can watch whatever the heck he wants, with a smile like that. “I think I can manage letting you choose. But be warned, I’m picking the next one.”
