Tornado Allie(21)

He reluctantly opened it, and his sister barreled past him.

“Drake, at least withhold your judgment until you hear my side of the story.” Taryn stopped in the center of the room and frowned when she saw her best friend in tears. “What’s going on in here?”

Allie bit her trembling lip and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you ready to go? I really want to get to the airport right now.”

His sister didn’t speak, eying both Allie and him warily. “Yeah. Give me a minute to say good-bye to my brother.” She watched her friend leave before turning to him with her hands on her hips. “What did you do to her?”

He held his hands up in surrender. “Nothing, I swear.” Knowing when he was full of shit, she tapped her foot and waited for him to continue. “I may have forgotten to tell her about my new job.”

“Let me get this straight, you had sex with my best friend last night, and somehow the fact you were moving to Chicago to take a job at the same station where she works never came up in conversation?”

He squirmed under his little sister’s look of disdain. “It’s complicated.”

Jack laughed and coughed the word “pussy” into his hand.

Asshole.

“Something I believe you could relate to, considering the secrets you and Jack are obviously keeping from me,” Drake said.

“I think that’s my cue to leave,” Jack said, no longer laughing. He stood and stalked to Taryn, leaning to speak in her ear. “You and me. Not finished.” He gave a curt nod to Drake and swaggered out the door.

“Do I want to know?” he asked, hoping she’d say no. He really didn’t want details about his little sister’s love life, especially when it had something to do with his best friend.

“I doubt it.” She poked his chest with her finger. “Let’s discuss you. How could you not tell her?”

“Me? Why didn’t you? I didn’t find out until last night while you’ve known all along, Little Miss Matchmaker.”

“I thought I’d surprise you both.” She waved her hands. “Surprise,” she said meekly.

He couldn’t lay the guilt at her feet when it wasn’t her fault. He wrapped his arms around her and tugged her close, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t blame you. You had good intentions. When I found out she lived in Chicago, I should have told her about the job even though she would’ve used it as an excuse to push me away. I had one night to convince her, and I blew it.”

She patted his back. “Maybe not. Give her some time. She’s been through a lot this year, and as hard as she tries to pretend she’s completely healed—”

“What do you mean? I thought she’d beaten the cancer.” His heart jumped into his throat, and he pushed back from the hug.

“She did. Physically, she’s fine, but emotionally…she’s not over it. ”

Like he’d discovered the missing puzzle piece, everything clicked into place. Allie was scared. That solid brick roadblock she’d erected with her wish for a one-night stand on the condition they’d never see each other again suddenly made sense. The problem was he wasn’t sure he had the proper equipment to knock it down.

He had to let her go.





Chapter Seven

Once again, Allie found herself in the backseat of a minivan, rocking to and fro, holding her palm over her mouth. Only this time she wasn’t carsick. She was heartbroken.

After she’d left Drake’s room, she had quickly changed into clean clothes and then swept up her things and tossed them in her suitcase before heading to the front desk to check out. She didn’t want to run into him again, so she’d texted Taryn to meet her outside. Thirty minutes later, they’d left the hotel—and Drake—behind, on their way to the airport in a taxi.

Taryn took her hand and squeezed. “You were kind of harsh on my brother.”

Allie exhaled. She knew her friend wouldn’t stay silent for long. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, but he lied to me.”

“Sweetie, I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I’m not saying you’re right either. Let me ask you this. If Drake had told you he was moving to Chicago, would you have slept with him?”

Tired in more ways than one, she rested her head on the window. “No.”

“Do you regret last night?”

Flashes of their time together played in her mind on a loop. She couldn’t shut it down, as hard as she’d tried. When she closed her eyes, she could smell his stormy scent in the air, taste the salt of his skin on her tongue, and feel his hot length buried between her thighs. “No. It was the best night of my life.”