Single, Available, and Completely Attached (18 page)

At least, he liked to think he could.

Maybe it was the fact that Anna had been so unobtainable to him.
 
Or maybe it was the thrill of the chase.
 
Or possibly, it had something to do with their newfound friendship.

Or maybe it just had something to do with their chemistry—whatever had drawn him to her all those years ago at that party, still hiding there beneath the surface, pulling all the strings.

Whatever it was, he knew that this was different.
 

He’d wanted women before.
 
He’d even pursued them when they’d played hard to get.

But this…

It was more than that for him.
 

And that terrified him more than anything.

The thought of walking away now, though—it wasn’t even an option.
 
He was in too deep—he craved her touch, her laugh, her soft little sighs and gasps…

Her.
 

He could only hope that his friend had been right—and that, with time, it would pass.

But until then, Drew decided, he was going to live it to the fullest.

~*~

A week had gone by since Anna had made her proposal to Drew, and they hadn’t spoken of it once since then.
 
In fact, if felt like she had barely heard from him—and that had bothered her more than she thought it might.
 

She had wondered if she’d taken things too far—was even this too much of a commitment for Drew to
handle?
 
She had given him as much leeway as she could.
 

Nothing needed to change, except that, whenever the urge arose, they didn’t have to feel so guilty about breaking the rules—because now, the rules had changed.
 

She couldn’t help but wonder if what Jeff had said was true.
 
Had Drew already tired of her?
 

She thought back to the night after the dance, remembering the fervor that had them practically mauling each other within seconds of finding privacy.

No, she was no expert—but even she knew that there was some serious chemistry at play between them.
 

Maybe he just wasn’t interested.
 
Or maybe, he felt too guilty about sleeping with his friend’s ex—although, really, she didn’t understand what business it was of Jeff’s, anyway.
 

Drew had sent her a few texts here and there throughout the week, telling her he’d spoken to someone about
DJing
for the prom, or that he’d stumbled onto a
360
marathon and he’d had to share in the gory details with someone.
 

He’d even dropped in for a quick lunch, so they could discuss his prom idea a little more thoroughly.
 

But nothing had been said, and so she had let it go, too.
 
If he’d chosen to remain friends without benefits, she was fine with that.

More or less, anyway.

She tossed the magazine she’d been thumbing through onto the coffee table in front of her, sighing softly.
 
Out of habit, she checked her phone—and found that she had a new message.

Drew:
 
Plans tonight?

She didn’t hesitate to type out her response.

Unless you count watching the new 360…

Apparently, Drew didn’t hesitate either.
 
Her phone vibrated within minutes of pressing the send button.

Drew:
 
You want to come over here and watch it?
 
You could even stay, if you wanted…

She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever before extended that invitation to another woman.
 
Something told her Drew didn’t share his life with very many people—and even fewer of the female persuasion.

Are you inviting me to a sleep over?

Drew:
 
Maybe so.
 

Anna felt the grin form on her lips, already heading upstairs so that she could get ready.
 
As soon as she reached her bedroom, her phone vibrated again.

Drew:
 
And Annabelle?
 
Pajamas are optional.

She blushed, her smile showing her embarrassment even though she was alone in the house.
 
Obviously, he’d made up his mind.
 
She grabbed a change of clothes from her bedroom and stopped off at the bathroom to freshen up, sure to toss a few things in her oversized purse, practically bouncing down the stairs and out to the car.

She was giddy with anticipation, though she had to admit she was a little bit nervous.
 
Things weren’t going to feel different between them now, were they?
 
She hoped not—that was part of the reason she’d decided this was the best plan of action.
 

It was quite apparent that whatever physical attraction there was between them was something that couldn’t be ignored.
 
And Anna was comfortable with Drew—she didn’t want to worry that he was judging her.

When she arrived at his apartment, she hesitated in the car for a moment, taking in a long, deep breath.

And then she hurried from the car and pushed the buzzer, waiting for him to let her in.
 
It didn’t take long, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of his door.
 
Just as she raised her hand to knock, he pulled it open—and Anna found she held her breath, unsure of what to expect.

He wore a pair of old, worn jeans and a plain gray t-shirt—and he was barefoot.

Even at his most
relaxed,
Drew Whitman was easily one of the most attractive men she’d ever met.
 

She stared up at him for nearly a minute, searching for her voice.
 
“Sorry, did my smile distract you?”
 
And, just like that, she felt herself relax.
 
She rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove as she pushed passed him into the apartment.
 
He chuckled as he closed the door behind her, slipping the chain into place.

“Don’t make me regret telling you that.”
 
She told him, taking her coat off and tossing it on a nearby chair.
 
His hands slid around her waist and she felt the warmth of his body surround her.

“That’s the very last thing I want to do, Annabelle.”
 
She tried not to sigh as he dipped his head and touched his lips to her neck, but she couldn’t help herself.
 
Her purse fell to the floor with a heavy
thunk
as she turned around to face him, capturing his lips.

After a few moments, Drew pulled away, groaning softly as he rested his head against hers.
 
“We’re missing our show.”

“Isn’t that what you have DVR for?”
 
she
asked.
 
Her lips were pink, her olive eyes searching his cerulean ones.
 

“Good point,”
 

And then it was unstoppable.
 
He took her face into his hands and kissed her with a passion she matched.

~*~

They had, at some point, stumbled into his bedroom, and now that she was able to concentrate on something
other
than her unquenchable thirst for everything that Drew had to offer her, she took a moment to look around.

“I’ve never really been in here before.”
 
Anna told him, though she
had
been in his room once before: that night she had teased him with a reward for rescuing her from the date Alice had set her up on—but she hadn’t taken the time to look around, having already felt like she was intruding.
 
Instead, she’d simply pulled on the shirt he’d left on the bed and hurried from the room.

“Neither has anyone else.”

“Anyone?”
 
He shrugged a shoulder, as if to say it wasn’t a big deal—but she knew that it was, and she had to fight the urge to touch her lips to his chest.

That was a different kind of intimacy—the kind that wasn’t allowed.

Instead, she decided to ask more questions.

“Is that you?”
 
There was a photo on the dresser of a young boy and a pretty brunette.
 
Drew nodded.
 
“And your mom?”
 
He nodded again.

“She died.”
 
Anna hadn’t known that—all Jeff had ever said was that they’d been friends since they were kids.
 
“That’s when I went to live with my dad.”
 

It was obvious that he didn’t really want to talk about it, and so she decided to drop the issue.
 
Maybe another time, when they weren’t tangled up in his bed sheets.
 

There was a doorway across the room that was partially ajar, and she craned her neck to see what was in there.
 

“Is that a bathroom?”

“It’s a very
nice
bathroom.
 
With lots of hot water.”
 
She nibbled on her lip for a moment.
 
What she wouldn’t give for a nice, long, hot shower…
 

“And, because I’m such a nice friend…I picked up a couple of things for you.”

“You got me a present?”
 
Her smile filled her face.

“And it’s not even your birthday.”
 
She jumped from the bed, wrapping the sheet around herself as she hurried toward the bathroom.
 
He hadn’t been lying when he said it was a nice bathroom—in one corner, there was a very large, encased shower.
 
And in the other, a sunken tub.
 

But it was what was on the counter that caught her attention—it was a travel size version of her shampoo, and another of her conditioner.
 

“I thought you might like the chance to take a
real
shower.”
 
Drew was leaning against the doorway, his jeans unbuttoned.
 

Before she could stop herself, she had crossed the room, her lips on his.
 

And then she was back to the shower, reaching in to turn on the hot water and place her gifts inside.
 
She heard him laugh as she reached in to test the temperature, her smile only widening with excitement.
 

“Aren’t you coming?”
 
She asked, holding his eyes as she dropped the sheet and stepped into the shower.
 
The water was perfect—the glass already steaming up.
 
She let it run through her hair and over her neck, enjoying the hard spray.

And then he was there, standing behind her.

“I have a feeling this is going to be the best shower of my life,
”
 
she
told him.

She wasn’t wrong.

Anna was sitting at her dining room table, nursing a cup of tea while she poured over the details for the prom.
 
She’d found a few local businesses that were willing to offer discounts or promotions for everyone who bought a ticket, including the pub Drew had taken her to on their first outing.
 
One of the interns at the station had volunteered his band as the entertainment—which she liked much better than the idea of a DJ, and a local sandwich shop had offered her a serious discount on hors d'oeuvres.
 

She had decided to ask Alice to act as the photographer, but hadn’t yet had the chance.
 
It seemed like she barely saw her sister these days—between their work schedules and Anna’s newfound social life, the two barely even crossed paths.

It was early Saturday morning, but she expected Alice to walk through the door any minute now.

So when a knock sounded, she was a little surprised.
 
She dropped her pen to the table and padded her way to the front door.
 
“Did you forget—
”

But it wasn’t Alice standing on the other side of the door—it was Drew.
 

With a giant box next to him.

“What’s this?”

“This, my friend, is a new water heater.”
 
She stared at him for a moment, mouth agape.
 
“Don’t
worry,
you’re going to pay me back for it.
 
I just thought—after all the fun you’ve had with
my
shower, you might finally want one of your own.”

“Is this your way of telling me you don’t want me to enjoy your shower anymore?”
 
She asked him, eyes narrowed as she stared up at him, arms over her chest.
 

“This is my way of saying I don’t want to take cold showers whenever I stay over here.”
 
Anna laughed, nodding her head.

“Can’t say that I blame you there—but this is too much.
 
Were you just planning to leave it here until someone comes to install it?”

“Why would I do that?
 
I’m perfectly capable of doing this myself.”
 
She eyed him doubtfully—she’d never known Drew Whitman to do anything even semi-mechanically inclined.
 

“If you think I’m going to let you do some hack job—”

“Oh, ye of little faith.
 
If I can handle a complete restore on a ’68 Mustang on my own, I think I can handle a water heater.”
 
Drew told her.

“You work on cars?”
 
This was the first she’d ever heard of any such detail.
 
Drew drove an SUV—a brand new one, at that.
 
She’d never even so much as seen him near a classic car.

“I used to work at a garage.”
 
He told her, as if it wasn’t a big deal.
 

“I didn’t know that.”
 
She told him, leaning her back against the door.

“There are quite a few things you don’t know about me, I’m sure.”
 
He grinned at her.
 
“Now, if it makes you feel better, I skimmed through a few guides—”

“Where’s this Mustang you restored?”
 
She interrupted him.

“Oh, I only break her out for special occasions, Annabelle.
 
Maybe I’ll introduce you eventually.”
 
He grinned at her again, and she felt her curiosity growing.
 

Just at that moment, however, before Anna could push for more information, Alice pulled into the driveway, and as she exited her vehicle, Anna didn’t miss the look her sister gave them.
 
“What’s all this?”

“Hot water heater.”
 
Drew told her, tapping the box.

“He wants to install it.”
 
Anna added
,
certain Alice would consider it as dreadful an idea as she did.

“He
know
how?”

“He skimmed a few guides.”
 
Anna repeated, shooting Drew a pointed look.
 

“Sweet—I’ve been hoping you would just break down and hire someone.
 
Need help carrying it in?”
 

Of course, Anna should have known better than to rely on Alice to make a sensible decision.

“Okay, fine, you can
try
to install it.
 
But don’t expect me to help—and if you break anything, you’d better be prepared to—”

“Look at this.
 
Here I am, trying to do something nice—”

“And also self-serving,
”
 
Anna
added.

“And this is the thanks I get.”
 
Drew shook his head, sighing loudly as he turned to Alice, making it very clear that he was now ignoring Anna.
 
“I would
greatly
appreciate the assistance, Alice.
 
Thank you.”
 

“So long as I get some hot water out of the deal, I’m all for helping.”
 
Alice tossed her bag into the house and turned back to the box.
 
Anna held the door as she watched them carry it in, listening as they discussed the best plan of attack to get it down their narrow basement stairs.

Anna trudged back to the dining table, imagining various catastrophic scenes as she settled in.
 
Just because Drew
said
he was capable didn’t mean that he actually
was
,
she told herself.

Not that she’d ever known him to lie…well, ever.

But she’d never seen evidence of his so-called mechanical abilities, and until she did…she was only going to assume the worst.

Alice didn’t come back upstairs for quite awhile, and when she finally did, she stopped in the kitchen and turned on the faucet.
 
Anna tried to sit there quietly, but she couldn’t help herself.
 
“So, how’s it going down there?”

“Seems like he can handle it.”
 
Anna only nodded, returning to the doodle she’d begun when they had gone downstairs.
 
When she glanced at it, she saw the beginnings of a familiar face looking up at her and she felt her cheeks redden.
 
“
Whatcha
drawing?”

“Oh, nothing.”
 
Anna closed the notebook—but not before her baby sister got a quick glimpse.
 
Alice said nothing, but her expression spoke volumes.
 
“Hey—I was going to ask you for a favor.”
 
Anna was desperate to change the subject.

“Really?”
 
Alice raised her eyebrows and tossed herself into the chair across from Anna.
 

“Well—we’re doing this fundraiser thing for the center in a couple of months.
 
It’s a prom—”

“I hated prom.”

“Didn’t we all?”
 
Anna asked, almost laughing.
 
“Anyway—
”
 
Behind
Alice, the faucet began to sputter spastically.
 
“Is that supposed to happen?”

“Yeah, it’s good.”
 
She got up from the table and turned the faucet off.
 
“It’s done!”
 
Anna nearly jumped as Alice yelled.
 
From below, she heard Drew call back an okay.
 
“Go on.”

“I was just going to see if you could maybe take a few pictures?”

“Do I get to dress up?”

“So long as it’s appropriate.”

“Then of course.”
 
Anna smiled, relieved.
 
That was the last thing she needed to check off the list.
 
As if he’d been waiting for the conversation to finish, Drew yelled something from the basement and Alice sighed.
 
“Duty calls.”
 
She hurried down the basement stairs, yelling about tools and buckets the entire way.
 

Anna tried not to worry.

Instead, she flipped open her sketchbook and touched her hand to the drawing she’d been working on.
 

It was Drew—his smile genuine, the corners of his eyes wrinkled with laughter.
 
She sighed, rolling her eyes at herself as she flipped through the pages.
 
Faces and scenes greeted her with every turn—Alice, Nana, Jeff, kids at the center, Nana’s cottage…

She stopped at this page, filling with a longing for her grandmother’s company.
 
Her phone was sitting on the table just in front of her and, without thinking, she reached out and swiped through her contacts until she found Nana’s name.
 

Several rings passed before the older woman answered.
 
“Anna Marie, I was just thinking about you.”

“I just wanted to hear your voice.”
 
Anna told her, fidgeting with the binding of the sketchpad.
 
“How are you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain about a thing, dear.
 
How are
you
?”
 
They hadn’t spoken in a few weeks, Nana having gone on a retreat, as she often did.
 
“You can take the girl out of the 60’s, but you can’t take the 60’s out of the girl.”
 
Anna heard her Nana in her head and smiled.
 

“I’m doing much better.”
 
Anna told her grandmother as she flipped through the pages until she found the drawing of Drew, trying to ignore the way her heart did a little flip-flop.
 
“I was thinking about maybe coming up there for a visit next weekend, if you weren’t busy.”

She wasn’t sure where it came from, but once she said the words, she realized that it was exactly what she wanted to do.
 
Visiting Nana always seemed to help Anna find her center, and though things were going very well right now—

It didn’t hurt to visit.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.
 
It’s too bad you kicked Jeff to the curb—I could use some brute force around here.
 
Spring is in full effect, and my yard is a disaster.”

“I could bring a friend.”
 

“A
man
friend?”

“He’s just a friend.”
 
Anna told her Nana, hoping she sounded convincing—both to Nana, and herself.
 
Because that’s all Drew was—a friend.
 
She knew whatever she was feeling toward him wasn’t
real
—it was just a natural chemical response, brought about by the steady flow of endorphins she’d been experiencing lately.
 

“Well, bring him on up.
 
We can put him to work and you and I can drink wine and watch crime shows all weekend.”
 
Anna smiled, imagining Drew mowing her grandmother’s extensive yard, while she kicked back and enjoyed a
360
marathon.
 
She was sure he would love that.

“I can’t wait.”
 
She told Nana.
 

“You tell that sister of yours she’d better make some time to visit, too.”

“Oh, I will.
 
You know Alice—if there’s not a club or a bar within five minutes driving time, she has a hard time getting through the day.”
 

“She’s still on that ‘good time’ kick?”
 
Nana sighed.
 
“She’s young.
 
It’ll come with time.
 
What about you, have you been dating anyone?”

“Not really.”
 
Anna pulled the notebook she’d been writing in this morning closer and plucked at the paper caught in the spirals.
 
“Haven’t really been looking.”

“You’ve got all the time in the world, sweet Anna Marie.
 
No need to rush into something—you’ll know when it’s right.”
 
Anna’s smile was small as she nodded, even though Nana couldn’t see her.
 
“Oh, geez—I left the torch going out there—”

“Go on before you burn the house down.”
 
Anna told her, laughing.
 
Nana was always working on some new piece of art—she did it all:
 
painting, sculpting,
photography
.
 

“Love you, baby.
 
See you next weekend.”
 
She sighed as the line went silent and placed the phone back down on the table.
 
The muddled voices of Alice and Drew sounded from beneath her, and a few times, she heard Alice laugh.

Another hour or so later, they came tromping up the stairs, obviously proud of themselves as they boasted.
 
“I’m going to test it out,
”
 
Alice announced.

“I told you, it’s going to be a couple of hours before
it’s
fully ready—”

“Drew, you’ve used our shower.
 
Even if this thing is only functioning at ten percent, that’s probably twice what our old one was.”

“You make a valid point.
 
Go on, my apprentice.
 
Be sure to let us know how incredible it is.”
 

“You know you’re welcome to try it out yourself, Drew.”
 
Anna tried to ignore the way Alice winked at him, but she was unsuccessful, and her scowl showed it.
 
Alice disappeared upstairs and the shower sounded almost immediately.
 

“Are you mad that I proved you wrong?”
 
Drew asked.

“Let’s give it twenty-four hours before you go and make that claim.”
 
Anna told him.
 
He playfully glared at her.
 
“Thank you, though.
 
I really appreciate it.”