Page 52 of The Law of Attraction

What do you keep locked away?

‘I’m sorry. I’m not trying to do that. I just want to make sure we’re okay.’

She closes her eyes on a sigh. I don’t go anywhere, waiting for her to open them again. ‘We’re good. I’m sorry about the park.’

‘Don’t be. I haven’t been kissed like that in a while.’

In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever been kissed like that. So it rocks me to the core and completely takes over my senses.

She bites her lip, and I have to pull it from her teeth with my thumb before I bite it myself.

Distance. We need distance.

‘It’s not enough that you’ve damaged my kids irreparably?’ Millie sticks out her tongue when Becky and I snap our gaze to her.

Becky laughs nervously. ‘Sorry about that. My fault entirely.’

She really thinks that? She has no idea.

14

DREW

If my life had a headline right now, it would be this:

The award for the most awkward ferry crossing from Staten Island to Manhattan ever goes to Drew and Becky: Drecky.

Then there would be a picture of us looking like deer caught in headlights on an open country road. The caption would read:

Congratulations guys, you messed up big time, and one kiss was all it took.

This is why men and women can’t be friends.

When we dock, I carry Becky’s bag out to the street, despite her protest – which is, incidentally, the most she has spoken to me in the last few hours. I hail a cab and put our bags in the trunk while she gives the driver her address.

You could be fooled into thinking it was an August day with extreme humidity in the back of the cab. The tension radiating between us is almost unbearable. What I can’t figure out is whether she’s angry with herself for kissing me, or angry that we got stopped in the act.

Honestly, I don’t know which camp I’m in myself. I know it shouldn’t have happened. I’ve been talking myself out of doing the very same thing to her – and worse – since the day we met. But it did happen. And now I can’t stop thinking about the feel of her lips. The slip of her tongue against mine. The way she gripped my back, digging in her nails. How she pressed herself into me. She wanted me then and I’m damn sure I want her now.

I also need this mid-afternoon traffic to disperse because my willpower is waning fast. I want nothing more than to reach over and pull her onto my lap. I want to tear off those jeans, maybe find some sexy lace panties underneath. I want her to straddle me, right here in this car, and…

‘So.’ The word leaves my mouth louder than I intended, making Becky jump and dart her attention from passersby to me. ’What’s next for Becky Does New York?’

‘What? Oh, the list? Right.’ She’s flustered. So much so, I’d be willing to bet her mind had just been in the gutter, right there with mine. ‘Ah, some eateries. I can’t remember which ones. My vacation is over, though. I’m back to work tomorrow so the list will have to be parked. For now.’

I wonder whether that was a complete brush off, or whether she’s on my wavelength and also thinks that if we are going to make this friend thing work, we need some space.

We pull up outside her block, and I grab her bag from the trunk. I hand it to her on the sidewalk, and we’re left facing one another. I try to focus on saying something sensible. Closing the weekend. But my gaze drops to her pink lips, and all I can think about is how much I want to taste her again. There. Everywhere.

‘I really enjoyed meeting your family. It wasn’t so scary after all. And you made the boardwalk… special.’

‘Are we…’ I move my hand back and forth between us. ‘Are we okay?’

‘Yeah. We’re good.’

‘Good.’

‘Well, I’ll see you when I see you.’

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