50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

Chapter Twenty

      Candace Patterson was one hundred percent certain that her roommate had been replaced by a pod person. What else would explain her rapid transition from mopey and depressed to bubbly and cheerful? She watched her roomie from the living room, where she sat perched on the couch eating out of a small pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream.

    Destiny walked back and forth, in varying states of dress. The poor girl even mumbled under her breath as she looked for random items, scouring the bathroom for her Urban Decay makeup or jewelry she'd loaned Candace forever and a day ago. When she walked past in a flowy gold sheath of a dress, Candace perked up on the couch. "Wait a minute..."

    Destiny arched a brow at her, stopping in mid-stride.

    "You're not just going out for a night on the town," Candace said, narrowing her eyes. "You're going on a date."

    Destiny continued walking and disappeared down the hallway, heading towards the bathroom. "I don't have time for this conversation!" she called over her shoulder.

    "Who is it with?" Candace demanded, setting her pint of ice cream off the table and bouncing off of the couch. "Inquiring minds want to know."

    "Inquiring minds need to mind their business," Destiny said, eyeing Candace's reflection in the mirror.

    "It's going to take more than that to shut me up," Candace muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked her friend up and down, taking in the shimmery gold empire-waisted dress and the naturally curly hair. "What the fuck have you done with my roommate?"

    Destiny smiled at Candace's reflection before putting finishing touches on her eyeliner.

    A firm knock sounded on the door to their apartment. Candace backed out of the bathroom, eager to see who was at the door. The knocking persisted. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Candace shouted. "Keep your pants on." She unsecured the locks and pulled the door open.

    A tall, light-skinned man with dark, downturned eyes stood in the hallway dressed in the most amazing suit Candace had ever seen. And it wasn't just any man. "I might have the wrong place...is Destiny here?"

    Candace nodded, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "Are you...Drake?" she asked him.

    He smiled. "I go by Aubrey now," he corrected, extending a hand. "And you are?"

    Her eyes rolled upwards and she fell backwards, onto the floor.

    Hearing the loud thud, Destiny ran out of the bathroom, panicked. "Candace, what's wrong?" She stopped in her tracks when she saw Aubrey carrying Candace to the couch in the living room.

    "She fainted," he explained, setting the pretty, brown-skinned girl down on the couch and kneeling beside her.

    "Is she okay?"

    He touched the back of his hand to her forehead. "She should be. To be safe, we should stay here until she wakes up." He looked up at Destiny then, and his breath caught in his throat. He rose to a standing position and drank in the sight of her.

    She gave her hair a self-conscious pat. "Is it the hair? You don't like it?"

    He blinked slowly and lowered his eyes. He walked around the couch and went to stand in front of her. He cupped her face in his hands and gently kissed her on the forehead. "This is the most beautiful I've ever seen you," he said, lightly touching her hair.

    She beamed up at him as his arms slid around her waist.

    He lowered his head and kissed her hungrily. "I missed you," he growled in between kisses, pushing her against the nearest wall. He braced his arms on either side of her as their kiss deepened.