Dating: One on One: Eastridge Heights Basketball Book 1 Page 5

  We watched the chaos quietly for a few moments before either of us said anything. Drew was the first to break the silence.

  “Aren’t you going to get in? The water feels good.” He watched me, his eyes reserved.

  “Yeah, I’ll get in. I was kinda waiting for the idiot show to calm down, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen.” I grimaced as A.J. yanked Will’s ankle, dragging him under water. I had no desire to get in the fray. It was surprising one of them hadn’t tried to get me yet. They must be intimidated by Drew. I knew I was.

  Without warning, Drew got to his feet and held out a hand. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

  I hesitated before taking his hand. But then, I thought, what the heck. His skin was a little wrinkled from dipping his hand in the pool water, but it still made my pulse skyrocket to touch him.

  Drew glanced at the guys in the pool. None of them were paying us any mind.

  “This way,” he said and ducked behind the faux stone structure that the waterfall fell from, pulling me behind him.

  “Where are we going?” I was a little nervous. After all, this was the guy who’d kissed me without warning on a basketball court in the middle of the night. Hiding from everyone in his yard suddenly seemed like a bad idea.

  Drew glanced at me over his shoulder and his smile was heart stopping. Okay, maybe not a bad idea.

  We stopped in a small alcove with a bench carved into the stone wall.

  “Take off your clothes,” Drew demanded.

  Pulling my hand out of his, I recoiled. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re wearing a swimsuit, aren’t you?”

  My heartrate calmed a little at the reminder, but the sly grin on his face told me he knew exactly how I’d taken his words.

  “Jerk,” I muttered.

  Drew laughed out loud. “Come on, Princess. There’s no place to put your stuff up there.”

  I glanced around. “Up where?”

  He pointed to a recess in the wall. I could barely make out the outline of a ladder. “There.”

  “Where does it go?” What was this place?

  “I’ll show you, but you’ve gotta lose the extra layers.” His blue eyes delved into mine and time stood still. My body remembered our kiss and wanted more. But the thought of taking off my shorts and tank top made me feel a little faint. Why had I let Dannika talk me into this bikini? Why didn’t I wear on of my old tankinis today? Anxiety at the thought of Drew seeing me in this swimsuit had me ready to melt in a puddle at his feet.

  Drew stepped away from me toward the ladder. He placed one foot and a hand on the rungs, glancing at me over his shoulder, one brow raised in challenge.

  I was out of time. I had to act now and follow Drew or back out and go sit where I’d been. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the hem of my tank top.

  Chapter 7

  Drew

  Her fingers brushed the hem of her shirt and my breath caught in my throat. I’d been waiting for the last hour to get a look at Piper in her swimsuit. The straps tied behind her neck had been teasing me until I was ready to rip her tank top off myself. That probably wouldn’t have gone over well.

  She hesitated and I lifted one brow impatiently, trying not to feel like a sleaze talking a girl out of her clothes. She was wearing a bathing suit! One I was dying to get my eyes on. I could tell from the lines through her tank top she was wearing a bikini. There was a lot of skin covering her six-foot body and I wanted to see it.

  Piper shook her head with her eyes cast down. It took me a second to realize she was talking to herself. Finally, she whipped her shirt over her head so fast my head spun and when she shimmied out of her cut off shorts, I had to grip the ladder to keep from falling to my knees at her feet.

  I cleared my throat. “You ready?”

  Still not meeting my eyes, which was a good thing because mine were lingering in not so appropriate places, Piper stepped over to the ladder.

  “Ladies first.” I swept my hand out, gesturing for her to go ahead of me.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Stand back.”

  Damn.

  Trying to appear innocent, I took one step back.

  “More.”

  Sighing, I resigned myself to the fact that Piper wasn’t going to go up the ladder if it meant her round bottom was going to be in my face at any point and stepped away from her.

  With one last stern look, she took the first step and then the next. I waited until her feet were as high as my head before climbing up behind her.

  “Oh, wow.” Her voice was soft and breathy with awe.

  “I know, right.” I pulled myself up next to her on the narrow ledge beside the small pool.

  “This is amazing.” She peered into the pool, following the path of the water that poured over the edge into the pool below.

  “Get in,” I told her as I closed the hatch-like door, covering the access and twisting the handle to keep anyone from coming up.

  Piper dipped one pretty toe into the pool, accentuating the long lines of her legs. My stomach tightened. I didn’t know what I was doing. And right this minute, I didn’t care. I hadn’t been able to get this girl off my mind and right here, right now- I wasn’t going to worry about anything but enjoying this.

  “It’s cold.” Her smile was warm. It heated me up from the inside out. I’d never reacted to a girl like I did to Piper.

  “New water comes in from the pump at the bottom of this pool to feed the one below. In the winter, I guess you can turn off the waterfall and turn this into a hot tub.”

  Piper gingerly stepped into the pool and lowered herself onto the built-in ledge.

  I didn’t waste any time joining her, sitting beside her instead of across the pool like I probably should have. My thigh brushed hers under the water. I expected her to shift away and almost cheered when she didn’t.

  “So,” she paused to clear her throat while floating her hands out in front of her on top of the water.

  “Yeah?” Hadn’t she said she was used to kissing guys? Didn’t she say that in the car? I didn’t just imagine it. I moved closer, resting my arm along the ledge behind her.

  “How are you liking Indiana?”

  I smiled to myself when she had to clear her throat. The other day when I’d kissed her, I hadn’t had a chance to get close. So, I took the time to study her from mere inches away. Admired the delicate slope of her neck. Took note of the rapid pound of her pulse just there in that tender spot I realized I’d like to kiss. I wondered if she’d let me.

  “It’s humid.” My eyes wandered to the thin spaghetti straps tied at the back of her neck, the damp curls of strawberry blonde hair hanging close by. I reached for a curl and twisted it around my finger, wondering what this girl had done to me. I glanced at her face. Her wide eyes watched me.

  “I want to do it again,” I said wondering if she would understand what I meant. I leaned forward until my lips grazed her neck.

  It took her a second to respond. I fought back a grin.

  “You mean that thing that happened at the basketball court?”

  Hmm. She could have just denied me. Or played dumb. My pulse raced in time with hers.

  “Yeah, that.” I let my hand fall to her shoulder and she shivered under my touch even though her skin, still above water, felt warm and soft. I buried my face in her neck and pulled her closer.

  “Why?”

  Girls, I thought to myself. Always had to figure shit out. I wanted to kiss her because she was driving me crazy! I pulled back and shrugged. “It could be fun.”

  Her eyes narrowed, I felt them spearing me, even though I was already focused on her lips. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. I salivated like she was dangling a New York strip in front of me.

  “Fun,” she repeated.

  I didn’t like her tone. That tone lowered my chances of kissing the girl substantially. I was too keyed up to figure the statistics mathematically, but my finely tuned the-girl-is-getting-pissed receptors we
re working just fine. I leaned in again, rubbing my nose along her jaw until my lips were close to her ear.

  “Lots of fun.”

  “Like last time.” Her breaths were shallow.

  “Last time was fun.” I flicked my tongue across her earlobe.

  She melted against me, her face turning toward mine. It was all the invitation I needed. Without preamble, I crushed my lips to hers.

  With a small moan, she met me kiss for kiss. Nothing tentative in this exchange. Her lips met mine with just the right amount of aggression. Enough to spin my wheels but not so much I was going to pass the point of no return. When she bit my lip, a growl rumbled deep in the back of my throat and I stood, dragging her weightless body through the water to meet mine.

  And then those legs. Those long, luxurious, amazing legs, wrapped themselves around my waist and I was lost. Her arms around my neck held her afloat when I let go of her waist to run my hands over the length of her thighs.

  They were every bit as tantalizing as I’d imagined. I had a feeling my dreams would be forever haunted by the feel of Piper’s legs.

  I had no idea how long we kissed. My lips were raw and still I kissed her. And Piper. It took a bit of coaxing, but she finally let loose of my neck and allowed her hands to explore. My shoulders. My chest. My abs. Every muscle tightened as her tentative fingers explored each dip and plane.

  “What was that,” she asked between kisses.

  “What?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “That.” She pulled her lips away. No worries. I enjoyed tasting her neck as well. “Drew. Someone is throwing something at us.”

  “What?” Sighing, I finally lifted my head and looked around. Beside me a soft plop in the water drew my attention. What the hell? It happened again.

  Someone was throwing pebbles or something into the pool. And I bet I knew just who it was. Glancing over Piper’s shoulder toward the house, I saw her. Kittie.

  What? I signed silently.

  Her eyes glittered dangerously from her position at her bedroom window, darting to Piper, who I still held in my arms. Kittie must have been spying on us. I’d invited her to swim through text. I knew she would decline. It was one thing to meet my friends, but all guys- swimming- well, that wasn’t a good first meeting for Kittie.

  What are you doing? She signed back.

  I smirked. What do you think?

  “Drew, what is going on,” Piper asked, dropping her legs from around my waist.

  Damn. I missed them already.

  I pointed to the window. “My sister.”

  “You have a sister?” Piper screeched, glancing to the window before burying her face in my chest. “Oh, my gosh.”

  “What’s the matter,” I laughed, tipping her chin so I could see her face.

  “How embarrassing!” Her already flushed cheeks burned brighter.

  “No way. Not at all. Kittie can mind her own business.” And I told her that, signing behind Piper’s back.

  “Kittie?”

  I leaned down to press a quick kiss to Piper’s lips but it was too late. Piper was distracted. We might as well have been doused by a bucket of cold water- forget that we were standing in a pool of cool water- and not the refreshing kind you enjoyed on a hot day, but the startling kind that woke you up from a hormone induced state.

  I sighed as Piper backed away from me.

  “Kittie is a nickname.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” she cried, pointing a trembling finger in my direction.

  “What?” I wanted to be irritated but I was still flying high from those kisses. If I was into that sort of thing, Piper would be my brand of drug.

  “You did it again. You kissed me,” she accused.

  One corner of my mouth curled. “You kissed me back.”

  “I-” her mouth opened and closed making her look like a six-foot fish. A beautiful six-foot fish. “I’m leaving.”

  Not again. “No. Wait.” She was already at the door leading to the lower level. She turned the handle, tossing a dirty look over her shoulder at me.

  “I didn’t want the guys jumping off the top.” That was true, but not the real reason I wanted it locked. And she knew it.

  And I knew when I was beat. Dragging myself out of the pool, I followed her down the ladder.

  Piper

  What was that? That was not like me. I did not make out with guys I barely knew in secluded, amazing pools at mansions. Trembling, I hurried into my shorts and tank top. They felt horrible over my wet skin, but I didn’t care. How embarrassing! Not only had I thrown caution to the wind kissing Drew, but we’d been caught by his sister!

  “Where have you been?” Luke stood at the edge of the pool looking harried, his phone in one hand, mine in the other.

  “Here, same as you,” I answered, yanking my phone out of his hand, wondering how long Drew and I had been gone.

  “No. Not the same as me. Because I have been here,” Luke indicated the area around the pool. “And you have not been here.” His finger circled the pool again.

  “Ugh. You are not my babysitter, Luke.” I tried to calm my frayed nerves. I wasn’t particularly embarrassed about making out with Drew per se, but he pretty much admitted it was just for fun. And I’d succumbed! I barely knew him. I didn’t even know his last name. Or where he moved from. I didn’t know if he liked Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings because those were deal breakers. If he even wanted to make a deal. Oh, my gosh. What if he had a girlfriend? What if Drew was a total player who made out with girls he didn’t know all the time?

  And that begged the question, was I angry with him or with myself?

  “You’re still my sister, Piper.” I took a second to really look at my brother. His eyes were hard and that muscle in his jaw twitched.

  “Hey, you guys done swimming?” Drew came around from behind the waterfall wall, rubbing at his hair with a towel.

  “Where have you been?” Luke wasn’t confrontational by nature, but he was glaring Drew and puffing out his shoulders.

  Drew’s gaze darted to me so fast I almost missed it. Luke didn’t miss a thing.

  “Right.” With a sigh, Luke glanced back at me. “Let’s go, guys. Load ‘em up!”

  The guys, who’d been lounging on rafts and drinking sodas, moved into action.

  “Piper, you’re with me. Jared, you hop in with Will.” Luke was angry and as much as I hated Luke the Tyrant, I knew now was not the time for a showdown.

  With a chorus of thank yous and see you laters, we loaded into the cars. I sat shotgun in the Jeep. Drew walked out to the driveway and try as I might, I couldn’t avoid his gaze. And hot as his gaze was, it was his smile that gave me goosebumps.

  “Piper-” Luke began and I forced myself to look away from Drew.

  “Later,” I cut him off. Much, much later.

  Chapter 8

  Piper

  The next week passed in a humid, hazy blur of Netflix lethargy. I’d spent all my time with my television and none of it with Drew. The jerk.

  Finally, Dannika came home and by the next day, she was staying the night at my house.

  “And you said he’s hot.” The wheels were turning in my best friend’s head as we caught up with each other after weeks apart.

  “Like unbelievable.” And he was. I’d been having more dreams than I wanted featuring blue eyes, sculpted muscles, and talented lips.

  “And tall.” Dannika flopped down on my queen-sized bed.

  “At least six inches taller than me,” I affirmed, dropping beside her with a sigh.

  “And he showers,” she teased, elbowing my ribs.

  I snorted, then sobered quickly thinking of Drew’s appealing, citrusy scent. “Yeah, he showers.”

  Dannika lifted herself onto her elbow, resting her head on her palm. “You can’t lose this guy. He meets all the requirements.”

  “I think we might have been a little narrow minded with our criteria. Tall, hot, and clean doesn’t cover much.” In fact, the
list had been much shorter until last year and just talking to Randy had made me want to hurl. Until then, it had been ‘tall’ and ‘not ugly’.

  Dannika giggled. “You mean he has to be nice and a good kisser, too.”

  I blushed. “He has the good kisser thing going for him.”

  Dannika froze, her eyes wide. “He kissed you?”

  I hadn’t quite gotten around to telling her that part yet. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to, but I was all stressed out. School starting soon had my nerves in a complete jumble. Avoiding Drew when we weren’t in the same building wasn’t so hard, but that was about to change.

  “Twice.”

  Dannika squee-ed, scrambling to her knees on the bed. I sat up, sitting crisscross-applesauce in front of her.

  “Please explain to me how this conversation did not start with ‘a hot, tall guy who loves basketball as much as I do, kissed me’.”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. Maybe I shouldn’t have told her.

  “How did it happen? When? Where?” The questions were spilling out of her mouth as fast as she could think them.

  I held my hands up. “Hang on,” I laughed. “One question at a time.”

  “I thought you said you only met him twice.” Dannika’s eyes were wide and excited. This kind of drama was right up her alley.

  “I have only met him twice.” I wasn’t counting the first time I saw him when I had to get Luke so he could practice piano since I didn’t talk to him or anything. “I didn’t even know his name the first time he kissed me.” I explained about seeing him at the court that night and how we’d played PIG, ending with that mind-bending kiss and me running away from him.

  Dannika listened with her mouth hanging open. When I finished, she just sat there shaking her head. “So, you dunked the ball and he attacked you,” she finally said.

  “I’m not sure I would classify it as an attack, Danni.” Or maybe I would. “But, yeah, that’s kind of what happened.”

  She shook her head, looking a bit dumbfounded. I could relate. I’d felt the same emotion myself.

  Suddenly, Danni grinned. “Holy crap, Pipe. That’s smokin’. How did you not just melt at his feet?”