Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

DRAKE

A s I made my way to the Rawhide University library on the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving, I wondered why I of all people had been chosen to run a book club at the University, which I did not attend, and why on earth the book club was starting now, while the University was on winter break until after the new year.

It wasn't like I kept my affinity for romance books hidden, but I didn’t go around advertising it either. Apparently word had gotten around. I’d been excited when I accepted, but now I was second-guessing everything.

Was I really the best person for the job?

And of course I was secretly hoping Luna would be there. What if she wasn’t? I’d have to keep doing it anyway, because now I’d committed to my boss.

Not that saying no had been a real option. When the big boss asks you for a favor, you say yes. At least I do, and I’m sure that most feel the same way. Derek’s done so much for all of us. If he wanted me to run a book club, I wasn’t going to say no. I wouldn’t have even if I hadn’t been the big romance reader I was.

These were the thoughts running through my mind as I made my way to the University library. I wanted to get there a few minutes early, just to have time to figure out my plan and be alone with my thoughts. I didn’t want any of the interested students to beat me there.

When I walked in, on a Sunday afternoon, a time when the library wasn’t even open usually, I knew the door would be unlocked, Derek had said he’d make sure it was. So when it pushed wide open for me, I didn’t think twice about it.

Professor Rogers was supposed to leave a selection of books for me to choose from for our first read. He said it would be on the big table in the back of the library, and that he’d had the submissives bring extra chairs over from other parts of the library to accommodate everybody.

So when I arrived, I walked straight to the back. And saw Luna standing over the pile of books, checking them out. She hadn’t seen me yet, so I stood watching her as she picked up a book, flipped it over, read the back cover, then set it back down on the table and repeated the process.

It was nice to be able to watch her without her knowing I was there, no matter how creepy admitting that made me sound. I missed her. Everything about her. The way her eyes twinkled with mischief when she was pushing my buttons and the way she looked up at me from her lashes when I put her on her knees at my feet during a scene. Mostly though, I just missed her presence. We hadn’t talked or hung out since that day almost a month ago when I’d kissed her and walked out on her.

I stood lost in thought for longer than I should have before she turned and spotted me.

“Holy shit.” She jumped and grabbed her chest. “What the hell are you doing? How is it that you’re able to move that huge body like a fucking ninja?”

“I just walked back here, wasn’t even trying to be quiet. Maybe you just got lost in the stories.” It wasn’t hard to do. Getting lost in a good romance book was one of our favorite pastimes that didn’t involve scenes or sex, of course.

“Maybe.” Shrugging, she picked up the book she’d dropped.

“Anything look promising?” I asked, trying to spark conversation.

“A few things. I’m hoping we can vote or something? Seems better than just one person picking the book for everyone, doesn’t it?”

“That’s a great idea.” I was kinda surprised I hadn’t thought of that myself. It sure alleviated the stress of picking the wrong book and ruining the book club before it even had a chance to get off the ground. “Everyone can read the blurbs and we could go from there.” I picked up a book and started reading.

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Seems like an easy way to spark discussion since we don’t have an actual story to discuss yet.”

“Good point. You’ve really put some thought into this book club. You excited about it?” The fact that she was the first student there and also throwing ideas at me were telltale clues to how much she was looking forward to this and I mentally high-fived Master Derek for asking me to do this. “Want to help me carry these out to the main area so not everyone is cramped back here?”

“What are we going to do? Put them in a pile on the floor in the middle of the chair circle?” She threw her sass at me and I smiled.

“Been a long time since you had your ass beat, huh?” I couldn’t help myself. Teasing her was just too much fun to resist.

“Whatever, Drake.”

Was that a blush on her cheeks? Or was it just hopeful on my part?

“Why don’t we put one on each chair and then we can rotate them around and chat as everyone reads?” I offered a simple solution and one I thought she might like. Even though I was running the book club so ultimately I had final say, having her there made it better and having her help me made it feel like we could get some of us back.

“Okay. Yeah, we can do that.” She nodded and started stacking up the books.

“Glad you approve.” I rolled my eyes.

“Approve? What do you mean ‘approve’?” she asked as she walked past me with an armful.

“I mean I don’t mind you helping, but ultimately I’m running this thing.” I decided to at least let her know where I stood.

“I’m sorry, what?” She turned on her heel to face me. “You’re not running this thing, I am.”

“How do you figure?” I wondered if maybe Dalton had asked her without knowing Derek had already given me the task.

“Master Derek specifically asked me to do it.”

“Why would he ask you when he already asked me?” What the heck was happening?

“Why would he ask you?” She looked at me like I was an idiot. “You don’t even go to school here.”

“He specifically said he needed someone who wasn’t a student to eliminate any issues that could arise about like favoritism and stuff.”

“He told me that’s why Emily wasn’t doing it.” She continued to argue.

In that moment I knew exactly what was happening. “The matchmaker is at it again,” I grumbled half to myself but not too quiet that Luna couldn’t hear me.

“Are you kidding me? Why would he… did you tell him something?” she accused, her voice growing louder.

“I didn’t say a word. What would I tell him anyway?”

“He’s such a busybody.” She huffed loudly in exasperation as she turned and flounced away.

I couldn’t argue, but I also wasn’t mad about it. If we were running this thing together there would be no way she could continue to avoid me. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t love that.

I followed Luna out to the main part of the library where she stutter-stepped almost causing me to crash into the back of her.

“What are you doing?” I asked before looking over her head and seeing all of the seats full and Master Derek standing near the entrance. All sets of eyes were focused on us.

“Busybody, huh?” Master Derek asked with a quirk of his brow

Luna’s shoulders fell and her eyes dropped to the stack of books still in her hands. “Sorry, Sir.”

“Apology accepted. I just wanted to swing by and see that all was as it should be. I can see that it is. Enjoy the book club everyone.” He wasn’t upset in the slightest. If anything, he was entertained if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.

I nudged Luna a few steps forward so I could get past her and try to cut through the awkwardness.

“On that note… welcome to the Rawhide University Romance Book Club. Those who don’t know me, I’m Drake and yes I actually do love reading romance. Most of you probably know Luna, and we will be your co-hosts. We were told to choose our first book, but Luna thought it would be more fun if we chose it together so everyone take a book, check it out, read the blurb, see if anything sticks out to you and by the end of this meeting we will know what book we are all going to spend this next week enjoying.”

I looked at Luna as I was handing out the books and that seemed to get her feet moving. I could tell by the blush on her cheeks that she was still super flustered, but I hoped it would dissipate if we just continued like nothing had happened.

After all the books were handed out, we took the last two empty seats that happened to be beside each other.

“All right, who wants to start?” I asked.

As soon as we got the ball rolling, the conversation flowed smoothly and before we knew it, everyone was leaving with a smile on their faces and a book in their hands. Even Luna loosened up after a couple of minutes.

“That went great!” I announced happily as I picked up the books that had not been chosen and took them back to the table for Emily or whoever to deal with later.

“It really did. I think everyone had a lot of fun. I know I did,” Luna agreed.

“Let’s celebrate. Ice cream?”

Luna would never in her life turn down ice cream. It was her biggest weakness and I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt wielding it because I was not ready to call it a night. I wanted more time with her. Lots more, but I would take what I could get at the moment.

“Are you going to be gross and get pistachio and mint?”

“You bet I am.”

She loved to tease me about my weird flavor pairing.

“Just because they’re both green doesn’t mean you should eat them together!” she exclaimed. It was her favorite argument and, funny enough, it was why I had tried them together in the first place.

“Whatever. Do you want to get ice cream with me or not?”

“Fiiine.” She sighed.

We headed down to the tunnels in a companionable silence. I would have preferred to walk outside, but it was dark and way too cold this time of year so I was actually thankful for the tunnels and the golf carts.

LUNA

The trip to the cafe where we were going to get our ice cream was a quiet one which I was happy with. The whole book club thing had been a trip from the second Drake walked in. It was crazy how easily we just fell into our same bantering selves and while I would be lying if I said I hadn’t missed him, I really didn’t realize just how much I’d missed the big oaf until we were forced to interact.

The neutral ground took all of the pressure off and had been a lot of fun. Listening to him lead the discussions about fictional romance characters did something to me. I didn’t just miss him. I longed for him. What was I doing to myself? Why couldn’t I woman the fuck up and just give us a try? What did I really have to be afraid of? I glanced over at him from the corner of my eye as he navigated the underground tunnels with a practiced ease. When I drove the golf carts, I was like a toddler in a Power Wheel for the first time. It wasn’t pretty. But not Drake. He was in complete control. It was hot as fuck.

What I wouldn’t give to feel his hands on me, but I knew I couldn’t do that to him unless I was really ready to pull my head out of my ass. He didn’t deserve to have his heart trampled on because I was a commitment-phobe. And I wasn’t going to give up my beliefs just because my body was a horny bitch. I’d just have to spend some extra time with my special toys tonight before bed.

Just the thought frustrated me though because I knew they were nothing in comparison to the real thing. At least the real thing with Drake. He was fucking fantastic. My toys just barely took the edge off. We walked from the cart to the cafe while my body and brain warred.

“You good?” Drake asked when we got into the elevator.

“Yep.” I lied.

“You sure?”

Nope. “It's nothing some ice cream can’t fix,” I lied again.

The look on his face told me he didn’t believe a word I was saying, but thankfully he kept it to himself. For now anyway. If I didn’t snap out of it, he was eventually going to keep prying. He really couldn’t help it. It was the Daddy in him.

The cafe was pretty quiet at the late hour which was both good and bad. If it had been busy, then there would be noise and distractions to keep my mind off of jumping Drake’s bones. Then again, the quiet was peaceful and serene. If it wasn’t so cold, I would have wanted to sit out on the deck.

“What can I get you guys?” Julie, the service submissive who seemed to always be in the cafe, asked.

“Single scoop of strawberry in a cone for her and a double scoop in a dish for me. Pistachio and mint, please.”

“What if I don’t want strawberry in a cone?” I argued, simply because I was frustrated.

“You always order strawberry ice cream in a cone.” He furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, but what if I don’t want that anymore? What if I want something else?” I realized I wasn’t talking about ice cream at all anymore and I needed to get away from him for a second and breathe. “Never mind, I’m sorry. That is what I want. I’m going to grab a table.” I turned around and practically stomped away.

Under no circumstance did I need to grab a table as there were plenty to choose from but it was the only thing I could think of to create some space. I went to the furthest table from the counter and sat down, refusing to look in his direction.

“Pistachio and mint for you and strawberry for your girlfriend,” Julie teased. She knew who I was and she knew we were not together.

I opened my mouth to correct her from all the way across the room but Drake beat me to it.

“She’s not my girlfriend and you know it.”

There wasn’t the exasperation in his voice like there was in mine when I corrected people. It was more defeated and the look on his face kind of broke my heart. It sucked.

I hated that he was hurting. I hated that I was such a bitch.

Drake grabbed a spoon and napkin before joining me at the table.

“What was that about?” he asked before his ass even hit the seat.

“What was what about?” I focused on my ice cream.

“You know what I’m talking about, stop being a brat. We just had a great time at the book club, so what’s going on with you?”

There it was. I’d failed at hiding my mood better and he was all done with my shit.

“Maybe I just wanted something else. Can’t a girl just change her mind every once and a while?”

“Of course you can, but this isn’t about ice cream, Luna. Something else is up with you.”

“It might be about ice cream!” My voice started to raise as my thoughts and feelings bubbled just below the surface. “I always have strawberry because it's what I always want. But what if I want to try something else? How will I know if I want anything else unless I try other things? What if I want to try your ice cream?” I ranted.

The confused look on his face made me want to scream.

“You can try my ice cream if you want to.”

“Oh my hell, Drake. This is not about the ice cream! It’s about us, okay? You and me. What if I want to try it?”

He blinked a few times, completely dumbfounded before I watched the words sink in and his entire body changed. His face softened and he sat up a little straighter.

“Don’t fuck with me, Luna.”

“I’m not. I want to try it. I miss you and being together tonight made me think. I want to try it.” I was repeating myself but I wanted him to understand that I knew what I was asking.

“Try what, exactly? I need to hear exactly what it is you want.”

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to be your girlfriend,” I admitted.

If I thought I wanted it before, saying the words out loud made me want it a thousand times more. What if I was too late though? What if he didn’t want it anymore?

A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, I want you to be my girlfriend,” he reassured me. “And I want to be your boyfriend.”

I nodded. “Yes. All of it. I want to try it.”

Drake reached across the small table and threaded his fingers through my hair until his hand was cupping the back of my head and he was pulling me in for a kiss. Not just any kiss though. This was a claiming. Or as much of a claiming as it could be in a public area of the Ranch with a table between us. Our lips locked, the comfort and familiarity still present, but different somehow.

I didn’t have nearly enough time to enjoy it before he released my mouth from his, but he didn’t move back. Instead, he rested his forehead against mine and lowered his eyes.

“Fuck, I feel like I have waited my whole life for you to pull your head out of your ass.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re way more patient than I am.”

He chuckled and kissed my forehead before letting go and sitting back down. “I have to be. Imagine if we both had the patience of a hungry toddler who missed their nap time?”

The perfect imagery came to my mind and I laughed out loud. “That would never work.”

“No it would not. Now finish your ice cream because we have things to discuss and I need to have you alone and naked to discuss them.”

“Discuss with words?” I squirmed in my seat because I already knew the answer.

“There will be moaning, maybe some whimpering. Hopefully a scream or two. But if you’re able to string words together during this particular discussion then I will have failed at my mission.”

My mouth went dry. “What if I don’t want to finish my ice cream?”

“I’m good with that.”

He didn’t give me a chance to change my mind before he was taking the cone from my hand. Putting the ice cream upside down on top of his own, he reached for my hand and tugged me out of my seat. We all but ran back to the tunnels where we could take a golf cart to his place. It was more private than mine and bigger and I loved being in his space.

We barely had the door closed behind us before he was tearing the clothes from my body.