Lasting Summer - [Loving Summer 05] (4 page)

Chapter
5

I
wanted
to run to the door and yank it open, but Drew put a hand on my shoulder,
silently telling me he would check on the door. His jaws clenched tightly as
his anger with Nat took over, and he walked towards the door in strong strides.
From the way his hands balled into fists, I was expecting a fight.

I got up and walked calmly over to stand
behind Drew as he opened the door. If there was a fight brewing between the two
brothers, I was going to be there to stop it, knowing and fearing someday, they
may end up killing each other if I was not around.

Keeping me safe from Sloane was one of
the reasons the brothers bonded again after Nat and I got together and Drew
went missing. Also, there was a bond we all shared, having been raised by Aunt
Sookie, who was my biological aunt, but who took the Donovan siblings under her
wings. When she died, the bond was still there, but it had been tested many
times.

Drew, always Drew, had been there for
me.

Always there…picking me off the floor.

Oh how I’ve been so blinded by my own
hurt to see that Drew was only keeping Nat’s secret in order to protect me.

I gently touched Drew’s shoulder and
leaned in to kiss his cheeks, surprising him enough to stop from opening the
door, ready to pounce on Nat. “Drew,” I said, looking up into his eyes, “I
understand. It wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry I blamed you all this time. I’m
sorry I shut you out of my life for the last two weeks after I received Nat’s
letter. I was consumed with grief over Nat, and then to find out it was all
something you, Nat, and your father came up with to deceive me, I couldn’t take
it any longer. So you see, Drew, I didn’t mean to have all that pain explode on
you when you came to see me. I shouldn’t have blamed you. You were just as much
as a bystander as I was. Nat and your father always had a way to make you go
along with their plans. I realize now how it isn’t your fault…it couldn’t be.
You were just there to pick up the pieces Nat left of me. He should be the one
I never want to see again. Not you. You’ve always been there for me. I just
never saw through my blindness to your love and kindness.”

Drew’s hand fell off the doorknob, and
he turned around, wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me to him.
“Summer,” he whispered, his eyes filled with agony but love. “You don’t know
how long I’ve waited to hear you say that to me.” He crushed his lips on mine
in a kiss that made my toes curl and my head spin. How long we had been
kissing, I didn’t know, but when we finally pull apart, Drew cupped my cheeks
and said, “I love you Summer Jones. You are the most precious person to me. I
don’t ever want to be torn away from you again!”

I took his hand and pressed it against
my cheeks, “I can’t stand not having you a part of my life, Drew. It tore me
apart being away from you these past two weeks as it did when I lost Nat. I
became someone filled with darkness, bitterness, and anger…someone I don’t want
to be.”

“Summer…” Drew kissed my forehead, then
took my hands, kissing the tips, before he poured kisses all over my face.
“Summer,” he said, pressing harder against me, turning me around so my back was
to the wall next to the door. He raised my arms above my head with his right
hand, and lowered his head to kiss my neck, my shoulders, and the top of my
cleavage before returning his sweet lips to devour my mouth. “I want you so
badly it hurts. I’ve been holding back because you asked me to respect your
wish to just talk, but…”

I was flushed from being against Drew’s
delicious body, from his hot kisses, and electrifying hands. “I want you too…”

Drew groaned and lifted me to wrap my
legs around his waist. His hands cupped my bare butt, my panties already torn
and beyond repair lying on the rug near the sofa. “You are so aroused, my dear
Summer,” he grinned. He lifted me higher until my thighs were sitting on his
strong broad shoulder, and my lower half that was craving him so much, faced
his sweet full lips. “Hold onto the wall, Summer,” he said, taking a step back
so my folds opened up to him invitingly. “There,” he said. “So beautiful and
sweet. I wanted to savor my dessert, but with you, there is no way I could take
my sweet time with you. You are the one I crave, Summer. Your taste alone
satisfies me.” His mouth covered my entire lips with a deep kiss that made me
almost lose my grip on the wall.

“Drew!” I cried. “Oh Drew…” his hot
tongue circled my lips, before he plunged into me.

I closed my eyes, relishing his
onslaught on me before my body was overfilled with pleasure, it exploded with
tremors all over. Drew slid me down to hold me while my body continued shaking.
“How do you feel?” he asked afterwards.

I leaned into him as he stroked my back.
“Hmm?”

“I guess that means you enjoyed it,”
Drew said looking at me with adoring eyes.

“How could I not?” I asked. “I’m putty
in your hands. When it comes to you, Drew, my body becomes your puppet to do
with it as you please.”

Drew laughed. “I like that!”

I shook my head, “Oh no,” I glanced at
the door. “I was just trying to keep you from killing Nat, but we got caught up
in it…I can’t believe I keep losing my head when it comes to you, Drew…”

I grabbed the doorknob to open the door,
twisted it and swung it open to reveal a hallway that was empty.

Drew stepped up next to me to look up
and down the hallway.

I ran out to the elevator. “Maybe we can
catch him downstairs. Oh no, I can’t believe I missed him.”

I punched the elevator door, and had it
go down to the first floor of the building. Why? I had no clue where Nat went
or even if he lived here at the building, too. But I went down to the ground
floor, got out of the elevator and looked around. Like the entire building,
except for the top floor, which was Drew’s penthouse suite, the entire place
was empty of people.

“Nat?” I called out? “Nat?”

I walked around the lobby area, hoping
to see any signs of someone. It was night, and only a few lights were on in the
building. I walked down the hall towards one office that looked like there was
a light on inside.

I quietly turned the knob of the door to
open it when a hand touched me on my shoulders, causing me to jump.

“There you are,” Drew said. “You ran so
fast for the elevator, I didn’t get a chance to catch you. What are you doing
down here?”

I looked down. What was I doing down
here? Snooping? “I wanted to catch Nat. If he left the building wouldn’t he had
to exit from the first floor?”

“Summer,” Drew said, cupping my chin so
I was looking at him. “I’m afraid that wasn’t Nat at the door. I forgot to tell
you I have security, just one man sometimes who check up on the building. Make
sure things are fine. I think that was just Jim checking up on me.”

“Oh,” I said. “I thought you said you
would find Nat…that he was here.”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

“He was supposed to, but somehow he
didn’t,” Drew looked as disappointed as I felt. “But you know what,
Summer…maybe there was a reason, a good reason, because now you understand why
I did what I did to you.”

I couldn’t help feeling I let Nat down
now, though, although Drew and I had cleared things out. Did Nat actually show
or was it really the security guy checking up on Drew. If it was Nat waiting at
the other side of the door while Drew and I were talking, kissing, and
together; he would’ve heard everything.

Chapter
6

Drew

A
ll he had to do
was show up. That was all I had asked of Nat so Summer could have her
closure…so she could move on and finally let herself go with me.

But the guy didn’t even have the balls
or decency to face us.

Summer was heartbroken about Nat’s
deception, and I was left to pick her up, even left with feeling the brunt of
her despair. There was no one else she could turn to, yet the two closest
people to her who held her fragile heart in their hands twisted it and deceived
her. It was a testimony to her generous heart, that she was able to find love
for me once again.

But then again, I broke her trust. I
promised her Nat, and he didn’t show. I don’t know what she’d think…that I
made up all this about Nat showing just to get Summer to see me, to open
herself back up to me just to have it go crashing down?

I drove Summer back to her place soon
after I found her on the first floor, which was actually the second floor. At
the new building, the first floor was the basement, where we had top secret
information in servers running in a large wing of the floor. Summer somehow
found the door leading down the hallway to that wing, which had multiple levels
of security.

It was a place Summer should not be
visiting. I didn’t want her face photographed on the security cameras leading
to that area, in case there were any concerns later on. I didn’t want her
knowing about the place in case she gets targeted for her knowledge. It was
better for her to know nothing. If she ever gets hurt or worse because of her
knowledge and association with me, Nat or Donovan Dynamics, I could never
forgive myself.

Why did she think about Nat right after
I made love to her? Wasn’t I enough to satisfy her? Why did she run after Nat
with such abandon, left me behind while she pursued him?

Nat, Nat, Nat! He was the bane of my
existence. Not only did he take the place of the eldest son in the family, but
he took whatever chance I had with Summer, by being her first.

I called up the line that hid Nat and my
true number and waited for Nat to pick up.

After a five rings when the voicemail
would pick up, I heard a click.

“You asshole!” Nat’s voice shouted into
the receiver. “What kind of a game are you playing… inviting me to your Den,
just so you can flaunt what you have with Summer?”

“So you did show up?” I asked.

“I had better things to do,” Nat said,
“but for the sake of Summer’s sanity, I did…only to hear her tell you she never
wanted to see me again! Only to hear you and Summer…I can’t even talk about
it. It’s bad enough I had to leave Summer, but to hear her having sex with you
right when I was expecting to see the love of my life again, it’s low, man.
Really low.”

“So you took off…again, breaking
Summer’s heart all over again. Just as always, Nat. You see, you can’t face
her. You chickened out. I admit what happened right behind the door between
Summer and me would hurt you, but you had no idea how much hell you put Summer
and I through. She dumped me and said she never wanted to see me again. She
meant it too. All because I, being the good little brother, kept your secret.
You think I wanted to see the girl I’ve been in love with since I can remember,
crying her heart out and almost killing herself over a liar like you? And not
being able to tell her the truth? She hates me now. That little scene you heard
will probably be our last. She gave me the chance to prove to her I was telling
the truth about you, but because of your no-show, it’s back to ground zero. She
thought I lied about getting you to the Den to see her, when you didn’t show
up. Now I don’t know if she’ll ever trust anyone again. You see, Nat, she
trusted you and me to be there for her, to be her rock, but all we’ve done was
play with her emotions…play with the desires we both have for her. It isn’t
fair what we’ve put her through. She’s been there for us, and all we’ve done
was hurt her. I tried to make it up to her, but I don’t even think she wants
anything to do with me. As much as I’d hate to see you succeed with Summer, she
needs to see you.”

“She won’t recognize me now that I’m
undercover, but I’ll find a way to let her know, I’m around,” Nat said
steadily. “Technically, I’m not even supposed to make contact with her or see
her. I can’t let my cover get blown.”

“You shouldn’t have sent her that letter
then,” I said. “You either disappear completely or don’t. It’s as simple as
that. Why do you always have to complicate things, especially when it comes to
Summer?”

“Wow,” Nat laughed. “Is this Drew I’m
talking to?”

“What?”

“Never thought you’d have any deep
thoughts beyond which girl you’re going to hook up with…”

“Nat, man, you better take that back,” I
said, a little angry. “That was before Summer. I’m not like that anymore. I
have responsibilities now…stepping into your shoes at Donovan Dynamics, taking
care of Mom, making sure Rachel isn’t in over her head with whatever new thing
she’s into…right now it’s Astor or Ashton Fairway.”

“Hmm, that pretty boy actor who wanted
Summer,” Nat nearly spat. I know him, he didn’t trust Summer with him before
and now he wouldn’t trust Rachel trying to get with him, too. “Keep an eye on
Rachel with him. I know he’s helped out with Aunt Sookie’s Academy, but I still
think he’s not over Summer. If he hooks up with Rachel, he’ll break her heart.”

“Still the Big Brother,” I said.

“Just because I’m technically ‘dead’
doesn’t mean I don’t worry,” Nat said. “And just because I have another identity
doesn’t mean I’m not helping Dad and Donovan Dynamics out. Listen, when I went
over to the Den earlier, I wanted to see Summer for real, and you, but I also
had to go into the Vault to update some info. Nearly got decapitated just going
in. You have some serious security there, Drew. Make sure you keep Summer
out. I know she’s too curious to stay put but you have to. If she’s going to
go over to your place more often, then secure the place, even against Summer. I
don’t want her to get hurt even more so Summer-proof the place.”

“Easy for you to bark orders from far
away,” I said.

“Exactly,” I said. “Now you know what
it’s like to be in my shoes.”

“I’m not following in your shoes,” I
said. “I’m stepping up to be who I am…”

“Good,” Nat said. “It’s about time. Now
if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

He hung up before I could get a retort
in. The tension between us was thicker than ever. Strained when it used to be
so easy between us.

Even if he went back to being Nat as
before, would we ever be close again?