26

Chapter 25

Drew

I sat in a pair of boxers with a beer in hand watching the game when someone knocked on the door. I ignored it. After what went down with Cici I wasn't in the mood for company at all. I just wanted to get drunk and ignore life for a while. So when the knocking continued, I turned the TV up. Maybe if I just drowned it out, I wouldn't feel bothered by whoever it was and want to pummel them until their brains leaked out their nostrils.

"Drew, I know you're in there. I can hear the TV. Answer the door."

The voice stopped me in my tracks, even as I held the remote up to continue pushing the volume louder. It was her--here to see me at my own house. But why? She'd made it painfully clear she was done, and while there was still a fire in me to never say die and chase her down, I was at a low point.

Still, when she called my name again, I scrambled. I shut the TV off and grabbed my pair of shorts, strewn over the end of my couch. The place was savage, looking like a tornado had ripped through and left empty pizza boxes and beer bottles in its wake. I'd sent the maid away three times, just to be alone, and the apartment was evidence of my depression. I didn't care. She was here and I was being given a gift from the heavens. I raced to the door and jerked it open.

"Drew..." Cici stood with her lower lip worried between her teeth and her dark green jacked draped over her arm. Her eyes looked me up and down and she said, "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah, yes... Uh, come in," I told her, stepping to the side. She walked past me smoothly, her eyes scanning my messy bachelor pad. "Fuck, I'm sorry." My cheeks burned as I raced around, picking up the more grotesque things I'd left lying, like a plate with a half-eaten, moldy crust and a near-empty dipping sauce container on it.

She sighed, probably totally turned off by my filth, and I winced at her frown. If I'd have known she was coming this place would've been spotless, draped in roses and diamonds and ready for her. But I had no clue. I thought she had sent me packing for good.

"Can you stop?" she asked, but my brain was frazzled. I swept around the room snatching up my dirty laundry and panicking. It was the only distraction I had from the way I felt. Overwhelmed. I'd never felt this way about anyone in my life. For a while I thought I was incapable of it, like a fucking sociopath or something, but here I was helplessly in love with her, and I didn't know why she was here.

"Drew!"

I froze, arms loaded with my belongings and staring at her with eyes wide open. "I'm sorry."

"Can I talk?" she asked, and then she set her purse and jacket down on the leather recliner near the door. I swallowed hard and put the armload of things I had in hand onto my dining table and gestured at the couch.

Cici grimaced as she sat down, perching on the edge as if afraid something would crawl out of my sofa and bite her. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a rodent or two now that I'd really let things go. I sank into the cushion beside her and sighed, then ran a hand through my hair.

"I know what you're going to say. Why you're here..."

"You do?" she asked and chuckled. "I don't think so."

I met her gaze as her lips curled into a smile. "Drew, thank you for the flowers. When you left I had a good think..."

God she was so fucking beautiful. She really took my breath way when she smiled, and I had been so foolish to never appreciate that. I slid off the couch and dropped to my knees, crawling the few inches between myself and her and taking her hands.

"Cici, I will literally grovel until I suffocate, walk across hot coals, whatever it takes. You have to believe me when I say I'm sorry and I love you."

She bristled as I said the word love, but she didn't pull away. She pressed her eyes shut, then rolled her lips together and licked them, then opened her eyes and looked at me.

"I think you're the most irritating and infuriating man I've ever met. You've mocked me, bossed me around, made fun of me, pranked me, and broke my heart." I saw tears welling up in her eyes and felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.

"But..." I said, hoping there was really a but in there. That she wasn't just here to rub my face in it.

"But, I love you, Drew. I have for a very long time. I can't stay mad at you. I can't get you out of my head, and my god, that sex in the cabin was incredible and--"

I never let her finish her words. I had to dive in and kiss her before she changed her mind. My hands gripped each side of her head as I pulled her in and covered her mouth with mine. Our tongues twirled together in a feverish dance, and I fought back tears. She was here, and she told me she loved me, and nothing could ever keep me away from her again. I pulled back slightly, "I'll never hurt you again, I swear. I've learned my lesson. No more pranks, no more mocking, just Drew 2.0. If you'll have me, of course."

She smiled and looked at me with the same fire I'd seen in that cabin when she tried to keep me out of that bedroom. "Drew 2.0? Really? That sounds like an app update," she said with an eye roll and a chuckle.

"Yeah, the kind that comes with all new features and bug fixes," I joked, relieved the tension between us had dissipated. I pressed my lips to hers again, and this time she really kissed me back. Her hands rested on my shoulders, then slipped up into my hair, and I moved closer, nestling between her knees. The damn skirt kept her from really opening to me though, and I growled in frustration. I wanted her, to be inside of her, to make this thing permanent.

"We have a lot to talk about, but I'm sick of letting my brother get in my head and make me doubt myself." She sighed and rested her forehead on mine. "Drew, my heart is really fragile. I don't want to be hurt again. I'm not just a plaything you can toss away if you get bored. I really care about you, and I don't want to do this if you're not serious."

I gripped her head more tightly and kissed her hard again, then returned to rest my forehead on hers. Every single time I ever hurt her flashed through my head in a split second. The stupid pranks, telling her to not act childish, belittling her ability to be professional, and most recently refusing her a ride after I got offended by a simple comment she made.

"Old habits die hard, Cici. But I do love you." I pulled back and looked her right in the eye. "And if I ever say or do something to hurt you, I need you to know it's not intentional. You call me on my bullshit. You force me to grow up and learn to love you the right way, because that's all I really want."

With tears welling up, she bit her lip again and nodded.

"Cici, I want--"

She stopped my words with her finger at my lips, then she leaned backward and unbuttoned her blouse. I couldn't believe her boldness, but I wasn't going to stop her. She grabbed my hand and guided it to her lace-covered breast, and I'd never felt anything so soft. I groaned as my palm covered it, squeezing gently, teasing her nipple through the fabric.

My cock throbbed in my shorts, desperate for her touch, but this was about her. She needed to know I wasn't the selfish jerk she had experienced. "Cici, we don't have to--"

"Shut up before I change my mind," she snapped, pulling me in for another kiss. My hands slid down her sides to her dark green skirt, and around to the small of her back where I found the zipper. In one smooth motion, I had the material pooled at her ankles, baring her from the waist down completely. Her lace panties were damp, and I couldn't resist leaning down to breathe in her scent. Cici moaned as my tongue found her hard nub, and she dug her nails into my hair as she lifted a leg, giving me room to work.

"Fuck, I want you so bad," I growled, pinching her clit between my lips before sucking. I felt her moving about, then the light brush of her shirt as it slid across my back and to the floor.

When I looked up she was naked, eyes hazed over in lust. My tongue greedily lapped at her moisture, swirling and sucking her clit. She tasted better than I remembered, and better still knowing she was mine now, no more games.

"Drew," she panted, her hands in my hair again as she rolled her head back and arched her body to meet me. "Oh fuck, Drew," she moaned as I slipped a finger inside of her, then a second. Her walls were tight, wet and so hot around my digits. As I added a third, she screamed out, "Yes, right there!"

I loved how responsive she was, how much she craved my touch. I wanted to make up for what I'd done, and this was as good a place to start as any. I made sure to hit that sweet spot inside of her with every thrust and she shuddered, her body clenching my fingers. She moaned as her orgasm barreled over her. I lapped up every drop she had to offer, reveling in her unique taste and scent. Her body convulsed and spasmed, and I moaned against her mound as she bucked against my face.

When she calmed, I wiped my face. I couldn't wait any longer. Sliding my fingers out, I stood and freed myself from my shorts. My dick sprang up, standing hard for her. She quivered with her eyes shut, enjoying the hormone surge still pumping through her as I dropped back to my knees between her thighs. I gripped her hips, pulling her toward me. Cici spread her legs wider, revealing her drenched sex to me, and I placed the head of my shaft against her entrance. Her response was a moan as she rocked back against me, impaling herself on me inch by inch.

"Oh fuck," we both groaned as our bodies connected, heat to heat, and I couldn't help but to thrust hard, burying myself balls deep inside her tight space. She met me thrust for thrust, her nails digging into my back as she cried out in pleasure.

I cupped her ass as I pounded into her, loving the feel of her wetness enveloping me, milking me with each downward stroke. I wanted to make this last, but it'd been too long and I felt myself on the edge already. "God, Cici," I panted against her neck, my hips slamming into hers. "I'm gonna..."

"Yes! Drew, don't stop." She clenched around me tighter, and I lost it. We came together, our bodies intertwining in a passionate dance. Her name escaped my lips in a breathy whisper, a sweet reminder of why I had pursued her with such fervor. In that moment, the world melted away and all that mattered was the fiery connection between us.

As our breathing slowed and our hearts returned to normal, I held Cici close, nuzzling her hair with my chin. Her scent filled my senses, and I didn't want to ever let her go.

"Should we..." I hesitated, not wanting to disrupt her.

"Eat something," she said, finishing my sentence. "You wanted me to have dinner with you, so let's eat."

I pulled away, sliding out of her warmth and watching my sex drain from her body as I helped her sit up. Never in a million years had I imagined a moment like that, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Chapter 26

Cici

My phone chirped, waking me from my sleep. I hadn't slept that deeply or been this comfortable in my life. Drew's arm draped over my body made the entire difference. I'd dated other men, slept over at their houses, but none of them ever made me feel the things Drew did. Julie had been right; there was no way to experience this height of emotion with someone unless the converse was experienced too. And Drew had taken me to some awful depths.

He roused a little, wrapping his arm more tightly around me until his hand cupped my naked breast and he squeezed. But still he snored. So I answered the call quietly, hoping not to wake him.

"What do you want, Beck?" My voice was almost a whisper, and I sounded drowsy.

"Wake up, sleepy head. I'm here with donuts and coffee. I wanted to see your new place." My eyes shot open in shock and mild panic. Beck was at my apartment? For what? And why all the sudden did he care about my place. He made so much money, I knew it would be far beneath his standard.

Or maybe he just felt bad about the way things had gone between me and Drew, at least the parts he knew about. Maybe Beck was there to apologize to me and try to bury the hatchet. After lunch that day, he knew I was upset with him. Learning he was the one who instigated ninety percent of the pranking when we were younger made me seriously dislike him. I couldn't blame him for wanting to protect me now though.

"Uh, I'm not home..." My body tensed as Drew stirred more, pulling me closer to himself. His hard morning wood pushed against my ass and he ground against me. Fuck it made me want him but Beck's voice on the other end of the line was a buzz kill.

"What do you mean? Are you at Nev's? I can wait. Just give me the code." He sounded too cheerful, too happy to be at my place. This wasn't my brooding brother.

"No..." I sighed. There was no point in hiding the truth from him now. Drew and I were officially together, and I hoped it lasted. I didn't see us having any more issues. Sure we had some things to discuss, but we both knew we wanted this, and I knew it would take work with any person. Now I wanted my person. "I'm at Drew's house."

"What?" The first word came out as surprise. "What do you mean?" The second came out as anger, through clenched teeth.

I didn't want to argue with him. This was a conversation better had with him in person, but I could tell he was upset and probably wouldn't want to speak to me in person for a while until he calmed down. But as I tried to pry Drew's fingers off my body, he woke up and pulled me back down. I lay on my back looking up at him as he blinked away and Beck breathed heavily into my ear.

"I'm at Drew's. Okay? We are working things out." I chewed my lower lip and Drew's eyebrows rose. He hoisted himself up to an elbow as he lowered the blanket from my chest, revealing my porcelain skin. He smirked at me as his lips descended upon a nipple, teasing it to a soft peak.

"What the hell are you thinking, Cici? I told you he's dangerous." I could imagine Beck's face going bright red as he realized he had no control over me. It had never been my intent to anger him or make him so upset like this. He just felt the need to parent me in ways I never needed him to.

"We can talk later, okay? Let's have lunch tomorrow," I said, forcing my body not to react to Drew's touch as his hand slid between my thighs. "I'll call you later." I ended the call before letting the soft moan escape my lips as Drew dived beneath the blanket and found my core sopping wet for him.

"Shit..." I hissed, spreading my legs. Wake up sex was incredible--if you could avoid morning breath--and Drew knew what he was doing. I got lost in his affection poured onto me through action. His fingers pressed into me softly and I folded the blanket back to watch him. He seemed to enjoy it, licking me and pleasuring me, and I pushed his dark wave behind his ear for a better view.

"Fuck you taste so amazing. I could do this all day," he growled and continued eating me. I reached down and found his dick, still just as hard as it had been a few moments ago. I stroked him with one hand and let my phone drop from my other.

I didn't know how long I lay there letting him work his magic on my pussy, but when the waves of orgasm rolled over me, my shrieks met his groans. I felt his dick pulsing in my palm as it unloaded itself onto the sheets and I shuddered and trembled around his fingers.

I lay back, panting and still zinging with pleasure, and heard the doorbell ring.

"Fuck's sake... He's here," I grunted.

"Who?"

"Beck. He called me. He was at my place with donuts. I swear if he's here to cause more problems I'll snap." Frustrated that my afterglow was being ruined by this, I draped an arm over my eyes and let my entire body go limp. "We should ignore him."

"No, I'll take care of it. You just lay there." I felt the bed shake and the covers be torn from my body, and then I heard the bedroom door open and shut. I was so upset with Beck for being this way, acting like I wasn't capable of making my own decisions, or that the ones I made were bad. He acted like I was his most guarded possession and he had to spend every second of every day making sure I was doing the right thing.

I listened intently, thinking I would hear shouting or something, but nothing came. No shouts, no pounding, not even a raised voice.

I slipped out of bed, taking the top sheet with me to wrap around my body, and I tiptoed to the door and opened it. I heard a woman's voice, and she sounded familiar. In fact, she sounded like she was trying to put the moves on Drew.

"Come on, baby, say you miss me. He told me you missed me. He told me to come here this morning. That you'd be expecting me."

I strained to see what was happening but from this angle at his bedroom door, I could see nothing. So I pushed the door open farther and stepped into the common living/dining area. A woman, raven hair and bright blue eyes, stood in nothing but a trench coat, spread open with her naked body on display. The instant she saw me she slapped the coat shut and backed away.

"What the fuck?" she gasped, then slapped Drew hard.

The poor guy looked like a deer in headlights. "Drew, what's going on?" I asked, moving out into the living room.

"This isn't what it looks like. Cici, I swear..."

My heart squeezed in my chest, even as the post-sex moisture still pooled between my thighs. This woman had come to Drew's house in nothing but a coat for a reason. And I'd seen her. If memory served me correctly her name was Kendra--Drew's ex.

"Drew?" I mumbled, trying to make it make sense. He wouldn't.... He couldn't. I shook my head and covered my mouth, only a hint of the sheet covering my body now. I felt gutted and enraged at the same time.

"My god, I'm sorry. I had no idea. Beck said you were looking for someone. Fuck, I'm so sorry..." The woman frantically buttoned her coat and tied the belt and then ran out the front door, slamming it behind herself as she went. And even the mention of Beck's name was enough to acquit Drew of any wrong doing.

He rushed over to me, dropping to his knees and wrapping himself around me. "Fuck, Cici, you have to believe I had nothing to do with that. Beck sent her to distract me from you or something. I don't know. Please, don't be angry with me."

I rested my hand on his head, feeling him trembling. The things Beck would do to keep us apart were so extreme I didn't know how to feel. My heart was still enraged, but now deeply broken too. My brother was the liar. He was the one trying to hurt me, and I never thought it could happen that way.

"I believe you, bud... Let's go back to bed," I told him, coaxing him off his knees. He followed me to bed where stripped the fitted sheet and lay down, holding each other beneath the covers.

Beck had gone too far this time. When my phone vibrated repeatedly, incoming calls from him, I shut it off. He'd planned to be at my house distracting me while Kendra came in to seduce Drew, and god only knows the rest of what he had planned. I didn't care if I ever talked to him again. Beck might as well not even be my brother anymore.