wandered past the stables and towards a gazebo
surrounded by flowers. Drake explained that his mom loved gardening as much as
his sister loved horses. By all appearances, what his dad must love is to
indulge both his wife and daughter. Drake settled me onto a bench in the
gazebo. With the garden around us and strings of lights twinkling above, the
setting was terribly romantic. He sat down next to me and turned so he could
look me in the eyes.
“I know I’ve been a bit of a jerk to you, Alexa.
I’ve already apologized, but I haven’t had a chance to explain.” He leaned in
towards me and wrapped his hands around mine.
“A bit? I think I have whiplash from your mood
shifts. You seemed interested in the store this morning until I told you we’d
met at the party. Then you flirted hard before you recognized me on the plane
after that. What could I have possibly done to deserve that treatment?”
He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed them. I
could feel his breath on them as he sighed. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything,
and I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I’ve noticed you around
campus the last couple weeks. Couldn’t get you out of my head. There was just
something about you that pulled me in. You stood out among all the other girls
at school. It wasn’t just that you’re hot because there are plenty of hot girls
at school. I hadn’t even talked to you, and I was already comparing chicks to
you when they flirted with me. Couldn’t work up any interest for anyone else,
so I decided to talk to you the next time I saw you. Ended up that it was at
the party last night instead of on campus at lunch or in the quad. And then I
saw Jackson with you, and I was pissed that he got to you first.”
I shook my head in confusion. It seemed like he and
Jackson were friendly last night. This didn’t make any sense to me. “Why would
it matter that I know Jackson? I don’t understand.”
“It’s like this. There’s a guy code that I follow.
Bros before hos—not that I am saying you are a ho or anything like that. I like
Jackson. He seems like a cool guy from the time we’ve hung out together. I
thought you were with him at the party. That he’d gotten to you before me, and
if he had then I would have to respect that.”
“You thought that Jackson and I were a couple?”
Drake shook his head at me and glared. “Let me finish,
babe. I need to get this out and on the table. For the first time ever, I
didn’t want to follow the rule. I wanted you with me and not him. I had to
watch you walk away with him, up the stairs to his room. I spent the rest of
the night pissed the fuck off, imagining what you guys were doing in his room.
I left the party and stayed away so that I wouldn’t knock his door down to get
to you.”
His hands had clenched around mine, squeezing hard.
He looked so angry with his eyes blazing into mine.
“Never been knocked off my feet like that before. I
hadn’t planned to come home this weekend because I had too much going on at
school. Seeing you at the party fucked with my head so much that I needed to
get away so I had my dad book the charter out here. Wanted some distance to get
my head on straight before I saw Jackson again at the frat house. Wasn’t sure I
could see him without smashing my fist into his face.”
He chuckled darkly and looked at the ground as he
admitted the anger he felt. “Then I bumped into you at the store this morning.
You looked so different, but I still felt the chemistry. When I realized it was
you again, I felt like karma really was a bitch. Grabbed my mom’s card and
headed back to my apartment to pack my stuff up. Only there you were again when
I got on the plane. I was trying to run from you, and I just couldn’t get the
fuck away.”
He looked back up at me, and his hands gentled on
mine. He lips turned up in a grin. “Hearing you say that you’ve known his mom
as long as
surrounded by flowers. Drake explained that his mom loved gardening as much as
his sister loved horses. By all appearances, what his dad must love is to
indulge both his wife and daughter. Drake settled me onto a bench in the
gazebo. With the garden around us and strings of lights twinkling above, the
setting was terribly romantic. He sat down next to me and turned so he could
look me in the eyes.
“I know I’ve been a bit of a jerk to you, Alexa.
I’ve already apologized, but I haven’t had a chance to explain.” He leaned in
towards me and wrapped his hands around mine.
“A bit? I think I have whiplash from your mood
shifts. You seemed interested in the store this morning until I told you we’d
met at the party. Then you flirted hard before you recognized me on the plane
after that. What could I have possibly done to deserve that treatment?”
He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed them. I
could feel his breath on them as he sighed. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything,
and I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you. I’ve noticed you around
campus the last couple weeks. Couldn’t get you out of my head. There was just
something about you that pulled me in. You stood out among all the other girls
at school. It wasn’t just that you’re hot because there are plenty of hot girls
at school. I hadn’t even talked to you, and I was already comparing chicks to
you when they flirted with me. Couldn’t work up any interest for anyone else,
so I decided to talk to you the next time I saw you. Ended up that it was at
the party last night instead of on campus at lunch or in the quad. And then I
saw Jackson with you, and I was pissed that he got to you first.”
I shook my head in confusion. It seemed like he and
Jackson were friendly last night. This didn’t make any sense to me. “Why would
it matter that I know Jackson? I don’t understand.”
“It’s like this. There’s a guy code that I follow.
Bros before hos—not that I am saying you are a ho or anything like that. I like
Jackson. He seems like a cool guy from the time we’ve hung out together. I
thought you were with him at the party. That he’d gotten to you before me, and
if he had then I would have to respect that.”
“You thought that Jackson and I were a couple?”
Drake shook his head at me and glared. “Let me finish,
babe. I need to get this out and on the table. For the first time ever, I
didn’t want to follow the rule. I wanted you with me and not him. I had to
watch you walk away with him, up the stairs to his room. I spent the rest of
the night pissed the fuck off, imagining what you guys were doing in his room.
I left the party and stayed away so that I wouldn’t knock his door down to get
to you.”
His hands had clenched around mine, squeezing hard.
He looked so angry with his eyes blazing into mine.
“Never been knocked off my feet like that before. I
hadn’t planned to come home this weekend because I had too much going on at
school. Seeing you at the party fucked with my head so much that I needed to
get away so I had my dad book the charter out here. Wanted some distance to get
my head on straight before I saw Jackson again at the frat house. Wasn’t sure I
could see him without smashing my fist into his face.”
He chuckled darkly and looked at the ground as he
admitted the anger he felt. “Then I bumped into you at the store this morning.
You looked so different, but I still felt the chemistry. When I realized it was
you again, I felt like karma really was a bitch. Grabbed my mom’s card and
headed back to my apartment to pack my stuff up. Only there you were again when
I got on the plane. I was trying to run from you, and I just couldn’t get the
fuck away.”
He looked back up at me, and his hands gentled on
mine. He lips turned up in a grin. “Hearing you say that you’ve known his mom
as long as
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