Page 8 of The Stolen Dagger

CHAPTER SIX

KATHERINE

“ M ake yourself at home,” Drew said as he led me inside his apartment.

With my duffle bag in one hand and my schoolbag in the other, I stepped into the open living room tentatively and wondered if staying with him was a good idea.

I might be safer with Drew, but that didn’t ease the awkwardness I had created by ignoring him over the last few months.

Drew’s apartment was modern and up-to-date with nice, expensive furniture, renovated kitchen fixtures, and the kind of hardwood floors that any homeowner would die for.

You’d expect it to be messy and disorganized, but it was clean and cozy—homey even.

There was a huge, soft-as-silk rug that stretched across the living room and in front of the five-cushioned black sectional couch against the back wall. A few snake plants—sure to be Leah’s influence—were evenly spaced throughout the open-concept room .

Honestly, his apartment looked more like a magazine ad than a living space for a man in his late 20s.

After Drew locked the door behind us, he took the duffle bag from my hand and walked past the kitchen on the left and into the hall that, I assumed, led to his bedroom straight ahead. Just before he turned the corner, he looked back over his shoulder to where I still stood.

“You comin’?” His gaze was concerned, yet eager for me to follow him.

Ignoring all the dark, self-doubting thoughts telling me I shouldn’t be here, I walked deeper into his apartment.

When we entered his bedroom, my gaze instantly went to the king-size bed against the far wall when everything—physical and emotional—that had happened in the last few hours hit me like a tidal wave.

I wanted so badly to fall into Drew’s bed and pass out, but I suddenly realized how dirty and sticky I was from working in the bar. I was sure I smelled just as bad, like beer and sweat.

“There are fresh towels in the bathroom if you want to shower,” Drew pointed to the bathroom door behind him on the right and placed my duffle on his dark blue bed sheets. “Feel free to use whatever you can find, but if you need anything, just holler.”

We stood a few feet apart in silence. Him by the bed and me just inside his room. The lamp on the side table cast us in a soft yellowish glow.

I wanted to break the silence and get it over with, but something held me back.

I shouldn’t be here.

I should have been driving far, far away. Somewhere Adrian couldn’t find me. Somewhere I could start over.

My chest ached, and my stomach turned at the thought of leaving, though .

Why does the thought of leaving hurt so badly?

I knew I should have left the moment Sarah handed me that note. It would have been the smart thing to do. Yet here I was. Still in town, in Drew’s apartment, in his bedroom.

The worst part was, it felt right.

And that thought—that realization—scared me more than Adrian’s threats because it meant that those feelings that I had tried to ignore for the last few months were still there and stronger than ever.

“A shower sounds amazing,” I finally said, releasing a deep breath. “Thank you.”

Drew smiled and gave me one last glance before he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

After a scalding hot shower, I changed into an oversized tee and sleep shorts, then climbed into Drew’s tempting bed.

I settled in on my back and pulled the comforter up to my chin. My body instantly relaxed as I decompressed into the uber-soft mattress with a sigh.

Even I couldn’t stop the small smile that pulled at my lips.

I wasn’t used to this feeling of complete and total comfort, and it wasn’t just the bed that elicited those feelings from me.

There was a soft knock on the door before it cracked open fully.

Drew stepped into the soft glow of the room and leaned against the wooden frame. He crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge underneath his shirt, and smiled. He mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t make out the words.

“Hm?” I inquired, still snuggled underneath the covers .

He shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I called it a night.”

“You’ve done more for me than I deserve, Drew,” I admitted. “I’m good. Thank you.”

A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips, and he dipped his head in a nod.

We stared at each other for a few more seconds, me tucked into his bed and him still leaning against the door like it was the most natural thing in the world. We were closer than we’d been since our kiss, yet it felt like we were still so far away.

Too far away.

“It’s nice seeing you like this,” Drew said softly. “In my bed, under my covers, relaxed. Despite the circumstances, I’m glad you’re here. It’s almost like …”

Drew trailed off. I wasn’t sure what he was about to say, but to me, it felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. Like the last few months never happened.

Like I wasn’t running from my past.

“Anyway,” Drew said, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Good night, Katherine.”

When he straightened and turned for the door, the dread I thought had washed away in the shower earlier came back in full force, bubbling up inside me.

“Wait,” I blurted without thought.

Drew paused in the doorway, his hand on the brass handle.

“You don’t have to go,” I whispered.

I didn’t want him to leave. The thought of being alone made my muscles lock up and the ache in my chest spread.

But when I looked at Drew, at his serene green eyes and crooked smile, that dread slowly eased away. Everything was better with him near .

“I can sleep on the couch.” His voice was deep and raspy. “I’m sure you want your space after tonight.”

I don’t want space. Not from you.

“This is your bed, Drew.” I sat up and pushed the covers back on the left side closest to him. “I’d rather not be alone right now.”

He stood by the door frozen, like he was fighting an internal battle. His knuckles whitened as he twisted the doorknob in his hand, left and right.

“Please,” I added, knowing he couldn’t resist for long.

Drew tipped his head slightly and stepped into the room. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” My stiff body relaxed into his bed again as he shut the door behind him.

As if in a trance, I watched him move across the room. He grabbed a pair of boxers from the dark wooden dresser next to the bathroom door, then passed me to the walk-in closet and stepped a few feet inside.

His fingers went to the button of his jeans as he undid them, then to the zipper. The waistband hung loosely on his hips as he went to take them off.

I held my breath in anticipation, but then his movements stopped. I looked up at his face, wondering what was wrong, only for him to be looking over his shoulder at me.

“Like what you see, darlin’?” Drew asked playfully.

Then he winked.

Actually winked .

Heat flared up my neck and centered on my cheeks. I quickly looked away and settled on my side with my back to him.

His soft chuckles filled the room.

Jeez, Kat, you perv.

Now in only his boxers, he walked into my line of sight, still chuckling as he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The sound of rushing water came a few seconds later.

“Why were you staring?” I asked myself, then moved onto my back with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling.

Because you like him.

I did.

I liked him more than I should have, but that didn’t stop me from feeling like shit for pushing him away.

A heavy weight settled on my chest.

I knew he took my rejection hard. I did, too, but the only thing keeping me together was knowing he’d be far, far away from Adrian. And that he wouldn’t be weighed down by the the threat of my past.

Drew came back into the room then. He rounded the bed, turned off the bedside lamp, and pulled back the covers. The mattress dipped as he settled in beside me.

We both lay on our backs as silence stretched between us.

Still feeling the weight of my contrition, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I’m sorry,” I said to the darkness.

Drew was silent for a beat before he responded.

“Sorry?” Drew asked, like it was comical. He rolled onto his side, propped his head up with his hand, and gave me a lazy smile. “Don’t worry about it, baby. That little strip tease earlier was free of charge.”

Strip tease? What ? —?

It finally clicked what he was talking about. The strip tease .

I laughed out loud.

“Oh, my God.” I turned over and lightly slapped his hard, naked chest. “I’m not talking about you changing in the closet.”

“Hey, you were the one lookin’,” Drew teased. “Although, I can’t blame you.” He flexed his biceps, and I laughed harder .

How did he do that? How did he find the energy to make jokes so easily? Make me feel like a normal person?

“No,” I said after I caught my breath, turning serious. “No, I mean, I’m sorry for … everything. For tonight. For having to stay here with you. For pushing you away and ignoring you. For Adrian?—”

“Don’t,” Drew said sharply. “Don’t apologize for that asshole. You did nothing wrong.”

“But it’s my fault you’re in this mess.”

“I willingly put myself in this mess, as you want to call it. Just like you said, you pushed me away. Even though I didn’t know it, you were doing what you thought was best. You were trying to protect me, weren’t you?”

He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I understand why you did it, but you should know, that will never happen again. I won’t let it because this,” he gestured between us, “is too important to turn my back on because some asshole is trying to hurt you.”

I turned on my side then, shifting closer to him.

“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered, scared to admit it.

Drew just smiled. “The fact that you even think that tells me I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you.”

As if everything from tonight hit me at once, tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision of Drew in the low light. I wasn’t used to someone else looking out for me.

“Katherine, you deserve the world,” he whispered.

“You care more about the people around you than you do yourself. You’d put yourself in danger before letting it happen to anyone else.

That’s just who you are.” He swiped a tear that rolled down my cheek.

“But know that I’m here with you now. So you don’t have to carry everything on your shoulders.

I want to help you, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I want to.

Whether you like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.

Now that I have you here, I’m never letting you go. ”

I nodded, not trusting myself to formulate any words without crying more.

“Now, come here.” Drew opened his arms to me. “I can’t stand you being so far away from me in my own bed.”

Done resisting him, I hesitantly laid my head onto his chest. After finding a comfortable spot, his warm arms encircled me, and I felt more safe than I had in months.

“That’s better,” Drew whispered against my hair.

I relaxed into his arms, listening to the steady beat of his heart, and pondered how I got here .

I’d been content just a few hours ago with the life I’d made for myself. I was going to school like I had always talked about with Mom. I had friends I’d do anything for.

And then …

Then Adrian found me. The past I tried so desperately to run from had found its way back to haunt me.

He haunted me.

My body locked up and my breath hitched as the fear of that knowledge spread.

But then I thought of Drew and was able to breathe again. With the warmth of his body wrapped around mine and the almost-kiss we had back at my apartment, I knew I was safe.

I didn’t want to give that up.

I had tried to push him away and deny my feelings, but I didn’t want to anymore. Maybe that was selfish and put us both in danger, but I was already in a dangerous situation with Adrian. What was a little more?

I shifted against Drew.

The thought of him, even Leah or Tyler, getting hurt because of me made my stomach roll. I had to make sure that didn’t happen. I needed to focus and not get distracted by my feelings for Drew, at least until everything with Adrian was over.

Drew’s arms tightened around me. “I can feel you tensing up against me. What are you thinking so hard about right now?”

“Nothing, it’s just—” I sighed, nuzzling deeper into his chest. “After that night, I didn’t think I’d ever have this again. You and Leah. I completely ruled out these kinds of relationships from my life because of Adrian.”

I paused, thinking the worst. “What if Adrian does come here? What if he goes after you and Leah to get to me? What if one of you gets hurt?”

Drew pressed his lips into the top of my head. “I won’t let him get anywhere near you or my sister. I promise.”

I opened my mouth to disagree and say he couldn’t promise something like that, but Drew tightened his arms again.

“There’s nothing he can do to you right now, Katherine,” he reassured. “Just relax and get some sleep. We’ll go from there in the morning.”

I relaxed back into his firm chest, agreeing that sleep would be best, but one last thought ran through my head.

Drew’s plan was to wait until Adrian came to me, but I didn’t think I could do that. I couldn’t sit around and do nothing.

I needed to know why Adrian thought I had this dagger. It had to be connected to that night that changed everything. Otherwise, why would he think I had it at all?

For the first time since I ran away, I was finally willing to find out more.

I’d been too afraid before, but now I needed answers.