Page 16 of Filthy Uncle To Go

“No need to thank me. I’m happy to be here. In fact, it’s the only place I want to be right now,” he replies.

“Are you sure? There’s probably a fancy dinner party you should be getting ready for right now instead of sitting in a college campus cafeteria.”

He grins.

“I’m positive, honey. If I weren’t here right now, I’d be in my penthouse all alone,” he says.

“Yes, but it must be a huge, beautiful penthouse with all the amenities,” I reflect in a wry tone.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” he admits. “But it gets really lonely on occasion. Most of the time, I wish I had someone there with me because it’s so huge and I feel like I rattle around inside by myself.”

I look at him askance.

“Really? You don’t have someone to keep you company in your penthouse? Like an actress or a model?”

He laughs throatily.

“Most of the women I meet are superficial and don’t add any value to my life. I want a real woman who’s beautiful, funny, and smart,” he says lightly. OMG, where is this conversation going?

“But you haven’t met anyone like that yet?” I ask.

Then the blow comes.

“Actually, I have,” he says, causing my heart to sink into the pit of my stomach. “She’s amazing.”

“Oh, of course,” I comment softly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” But Drake continues, his expression teasing.

“I’m just afraid that I’m too old for her,” he murmurs, still gazing into my eyes.

Now, his stare is intense and impossible to break away from. Could he be talking about me? I hope so, but I can’t assume anything because I don’t want to put my foot in my mouth. Yet I can’t just ask him if I’m the woman he’s talking about because if I’m not, then I’ll look like a complete idiot. So I dance around the issue.

“Maybe she’s into older guys,” I suggest. “Some girls are.”

“Doyoulike older men, sweetheart?” he asks. I hesitate before answering. OMG, the moment has come, and suddenly, I can’t lie. I don’t want to.

“Yes,” I say softly after a brief moment of silence.

Suddenly, a loud crash breaks the bubble surrounding us, causing both of us to look over at the kitchen area. Someone must’ve knocked over the yellow trays because they’re scattered all over the floor now. A few people gather around, and slowly, I turn toward Uncle Drake to find him gazing at me, his expression unreadable.

“So what’s next on the agenda?” he asks.

I swallow and try to get my head on straight.

“There are a few activities to do around campus, but they start in an hour,” I say.

“Well, I guess we can just sit here and talk for the next hour. I feel like there’s so much I don’t know about you,” he says.

Technically, he’s right. I’ve completely avoided him for the last few years because of the major crush I’ve had on him. Now, I regret running and hiding at every family function because this day has been perfect so far. As I stare into his eyes, he no longer feels like an uncle to me – instead, he’s the man that I desire and we’redefinitelyon a date.

“What would you like to know about me?” I ask softly.

He grins.

“Well, let’s see…I already know you want to study sociology, which I did a little research on before I came here,” he says.

“You did?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure I didn’t sound like an idiot this time,” he confesses.