Page 309 of Rock Me All Night
“You are my home, Kara. Wherever you are, that’s home.”
Fuck him and his sweet voice and the pain in his eyes and how pathetic he looks dripping wet. I’m too empathetic.
Drew deserves to wait, but I can't put myself through that.
"Fine. Come in." I unlock the door.
Drew follows me inside.
I keep myself busy in the kitchen. The house is clean but not overly so. There are dishes in the sink. The pantry and fridge are stocked. Mom is eating. Cooking even.
Drew's footsteps are behind me. They still make my heart race. I turn back to him. Suddenly, I see the house in a whole new light. A wall he can press me against. A table just the right height. A couch I can use to mount him.
His eyes meet mine. "You want me to do it?"
God yes. I clear my throat. "Do what?"
"Make coffee." He motions to the coffee maker then to the couch. "Sit down. I'll fix yours with extra cream and sugar."
I take a seat at the far end of the couch and play with the fabric of my jeans to keep my thoughts from drifting to the gutter. How can my body be so utterly against me? It doesn't help that my heart is so fucking devoted to him.
He stays in the kitchen until the coffee's done. Then he fixes two cups and hands one to me.
It's decent even if coffee isn't my favorite. Plenty sweet. Exactly the way I like it.
He makes eye contact. "I'm sorry. I know I fucked up. I don't have an excuse." He moves closer. "I wish I could explain it. There was so much attention and I kept thinking about the way everyone treated me when I was with Vivian. And after. Like I was caustic. Like I was about to explode. I panicked. And then Tom kissed you and I lost it. I knew he was making a point, but I still wanted to kill him." His voice gets serious. "I had to get out of there so I wouldn't."
I hold his gaze. I want to call out his bullshit, but I can't. It's awful when everyone looks at you like you're going to break. "Okay."
He moves closer, sets his cup on the table, and offers me his hand. I want to hold it. I want it on my body. But that's only going to make this more difficult.
I down half my cup of coffee. I won't tell him until I finish my drink. A girl can't deal with heartbreak and caffeine deprivation at the same time.
He pushes a stray hair behind my ear. "Remember that game, truth or truth?"
Right. That super fun game where we ask each other questions we don't want to answer.
But we did answer them.
And honestly.
That has to count for something. I nod, okay, turning so we're eye to eye. Those are some gorgeous eyes. Deep and brown and full of life.
He stares back. "Is there any chance you'll back down to your mom and skip out on your teaching credential?"
I run through the options. There was a chance, a good chance, but now I'm too determined to do anything else. "No. I don't think I would have gotten here without you, but no. No chance I'll back down."
His smile breaks up the misery in his expression. His eyes light up. His cheeks crinkle. It's sweet and smug at once.
He cocks his eyebrow. "Say that part about how you couldn't do it without me again."
His voice wavers. Not his usual playful self.
"No. Your ego is already the size of the Golden Gate Bridge."
"My ego, huh?"
"Yes."
