Indestructible: Reinforced

Chapter 80

Chapter Eighty

     November 2012

     Present Day    

     I finished fixing my makeup in the downstairs bathroom then stepped outside. Drake was leaning against the wall next to the door and he grinned when he saw me.

     “Are you done crying?” He teased and I lightly smacked him on the arm. “Seriously, Avy, you put everyone to shame today. You actually cried at your sister’s wedding.”

     “You are heartless.” I poked his chest. “I love that kid, she’s my baby sister. Of course I was going to cry at her wedding. And there’s Josh as well. How could I not have cried? You’re heartless!”

     “Oh, I’m heartless now?” He grabbed my hand and slid it up his chest, and left it above his heart. “Then what’s that? My lungs?”

     “Technically my hand’s resting above your lungs as well.” I giggled. “Joke’s on you.”

     “Wiseass.” He backed me up against the well and that simple movement knocked the breath out of me. He glued his body to mine, and his lips hovered an inch away from my face. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

     “Yes.” I nodded, my heartbeat increasing and my breath quickening. “You did mention it. Like a thousand times or something.”

     “Just a thousand times?” His breath whooshing across my skin made my knees weak and I almost fell, but he was holding me up with his body. “I’m slacking here.”

     I blushed and cupped his cheeks. “Just kiss me already.” I ran my fingers through his hair once then went back to cupping his cheek. “I’ve been dying for this since this morning.”

     “Not as much as me.” He pressed his lips to mine and I instantly reacted. I wove my arms around his neck and deepened this kiss. Drake obliged me and kissed me back just as heatedly.

     “I missed you.” Drake murmured and pulled me away from the wall so he could wrap his arms around me. “And I was so jealous when you shared that first dance with Jake.”

     “Well, so far I’ve danced three dances with you and one obligatory dance with him.” I melted against him and he tightened his hold around me. “You’re ahead.”

     “I better be.” He chuckled and it did things to me. That, and his possessiveness and jealousy of Jake, made me want to stay here wrapped up in his arms, and not go back to the wedding. “I damn well better be.”

     “Damn it, Drake.” I pulled away and took a deep breath to calm down. I couldn’t lose control, I had a feeling that if we got caught, people would make a big deal out of it. “Stop being so irresistible.” I cupped my forehead and tried to regulate my breathing. His pupils were still dilated, and his chest was visibly rising and falling as he panted.

     “I can’t get enough of you.” He ran his gaze all over me and rubbed my arms in a matter that didn’t help me with what I was trying to do. “I can’t stay away from you, especially not tonight.”

     I couldn’t suppress my grin. “Yeah, I feel the same way.” Then what he’d said registered with me differently and I frowned, suddenly not feeling so good about this. “Wait, is that all this is to you?” I pushed him away so I could have some space. “Hooking up? That’s it? Is it just physical?”

     Drake looked serious as he regarded me, he made to take a step closer to me but thought against it, dropping his arms beside him. I appreciated that, I didn’t want him in my personal space right now. “It’s not.” He sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. “It’s everything to me. But this is all we can be right now, atleast until we go public. And I missed this, I missed being with you like this.” He smiled at me and it reassured me a little bit. I relaxed and let out a pent-up breath. I worried too much where he was concerned. “But this isn’t all I want from you.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, at the French-doors and the party outside. “You have no idea how I felt when you danced with him. It felt like I was dying, and I felt so angry and jealous.” He dropped his arm and shook his head. “I’m trying to handle it, and I know you’re sort of over him now, and you don’t want to go back to him and your toxic relationship, but it’s not easy for me.”

     “I like being with you, Drake.” I sighed and grabbed his hands. Just that mere, simple touch was enough to send jolts up my arms and shivers down my spine. I noticed that my heartbeat was picking up its pace. “I just wish we could be normal, soon. But I’m too scared to lose you, and I’m too scared to hope, but I so desperately want us to work.” I sniffed and tried not to start crying again, I hated reapplying makeup. Come to think of it, I hated makeup, period. “There are so many things I’m feeling regarding us and I’m too stressed out to even sift through them and try to understand them. And the worst part is, I don’t know what you are really feeling.”

     “I’m scared.” He shrugged. “But I didn’t get hurt, I didn’t get disappointed, as much as you did.” He sighed and brushed his thumbs against my fingers, my knuckles, sending more jolts through me. “Nothing that even comes close to what you and Jake had has ever happened to me, so I can’t even begin to understand what you felt, and how you’re feeling right now as a result of what happened between you two. But this, us, we’re going to be different, Avy. I’m not him, and you’re not the same person you used to be. This is completely different.”

     “I really want this to work.” I sniffed and batted my eyelashes. My eyes were welling up fast and my chest hurt, but in a good way. “I mean, look at Josh and Gaby, no one thought they would work out, but we’re at their wedding now. Maybe we have a chance?”

     “Of course, we do.” Drake wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. “We’ll try, Avy. And we’ll keep on trying. If it still doesn’t work out…” He trailed off and let out a shuddery breath. He shook his head and looked down. “I can’t think of that, I just can’t.”

     “Come here.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my chin on his shoulder. He rubbed my back soothingly and held onto me. “I love you so much, Drake. I’ll work on it as much as you will. We’ll make it work. We just have to be brave enough to stick it out at first.”

     “Okay.” He nodded and pressed his lips to my shoulder. I shuddered and he chuckled, making me shudder more, and lose the ability to breathe normally. “And I’ll try not to let the urge to kick Jake’s ass whenever he looks at you overtake me.”

     I giggled and pulled back. “I like you better.” I cupped his cheek and placed a quick peck on his lips. “Plus, we already have a son, it would just be too tiresome if we tried to go out with other people.”

     “Oh, really?” He cocked his eyebrow at me and I gulped. He wasn’t going to let it go without riling me up and either taking me all the way, or leaving me needing him beyond reason. “And if we didn’t have a kid? You wouldn’t be with me?”

     “I think after seeing those pecs and six-pack I would’ve come back for more.” I nodded and tried to get him to let me go. I didn’t want to go out there looking too satisfied, or not at all. I’d once been told that it was really obvious when I was one of those things. “And things would’ve picked up from there. I’m pretty sure I would’ve fallen for you as well, but it would’ve been harder.”

     “I’m not going to dwell much on that.” He smirked at me. “Because it seems like you only came back and decided to stay with me because of Christian. Nevertheless, I have you now and that’s all that matters, I’m not going to go search for trouble.”

     “Good.” I kissed him again and melted against him. “Because I’m done with the drama and all of that. Can’t we just be happy and at peace for a change?”

     “Definitely.” He murmured against my lips and kissed me back slowly yet passionately. “Can we tell them tomorrow? I don’t want us to hide anymore, Avy, please.”

     “Okay.” I pulled back and nodded. “We’ll act normal tomorrow, and they’ll figure it out for themselves. It’ll just seem too weird if we announce it like that.”

     He chuckled and shook his head. “Fine, whatever you want, babe.” He sighed contentedly and kissed me. “Can I have a couple more dances, though? I need to blow off some steam.”