The Long Way Home (Corps Security #6)(19)

“No,” Drew repeats more forcefully.

“No,” Riley parrots, mimicking his hard tone to perfection.

“There’s just not that much—” I squeal when I’m moving through the air a second later, my words stolen from my mouth with the quick movement.

One second, I’m standing there, and the next, my back is against the couch with my side pressed close to Drew’s. Riley lifts her head to look up at me and giggles over his chest.

The chest that’s moving slightly, like he’s … laughing?

I whip my head up and see a twinkle in his eye. But no other outward sign that he was, in fact, laughing.

“Do you ever laugh?”

He doesn’t react.

“What about smile?”

Nothing.

“Do you do anything other than silently brood?”

“What’s brood, Auntie?”

“Your giant. He’s a brood.”

“That’s silly. He’s a giant, not a brood.”

This time, it’s me that raises a brow at him. “Do you own any clothing that isn’t black or dark?”

“His jeans are blue, Auntie,” Riley informs me, pride in her voice for noticing.

“Dark blue,” I mutter under my breath.

“Giant, do you want to pick the movie?”

He shakes his head. Of course he does. Because saying the word no would just be too much.

“Auntie, can I watch—” I cut her off with a shake of my head. “Please?” she continues.

“Absolutely not. You’ve gotten your way the past three movie nights, Riley. I’m sick of that one. I know you want to watch the San Pablo show over and over tomorrow, too. Let’s take a small break from BTS tonight and watch an actual movie, okay?”

“But my giant hasn’t seen my friends.”

“Pick something else. There’s only so much BTS I can take in one day.” Which is a lie, I could probably listen to them on repeat. They’re good, but I’m not admitting that to Riley. If I do, they’ll always be on.

Riley scampers off the couch to go grab the remote. I use her absence to push up on the couch and look down at Drew.

“What are you doing?” I hiss.

His brow goes up.

I reach toward him and poke his chest. He grabs my wrist and pulls me back down to his side. Only now he’s holding my hand captive, and he just places it on his chest like this isn’t a big deal. Meanwhile, my body is on fire, and I’m about to hyperventilate.

“Drew,” I complain.

“Hush.” His tone gives me pause.

Each time I’ve heard him speak, he’s had a gruff voice. One that I’m reasonably sure is from lack of use, seeing that he can talk but just decides not to, but this was not his normal tone. That was hard, with no room to argue. Sure, I could, but he knows I won’t with Riley in the room. I do the only thing that I can do. I lie back down and grab the remote when Riley tosses it on the couch, almost getting Drew right between the legs. He grunts, his whole body tensing as it braces for impact. I whip my hand out and catch the device just in time. Just not quick enough to avoid feeling the thick ridge of his cock against the back of my hand.

This time, it’s me that makes the sound deep in my throat.

“Snacks!” Riley screams and moves farther away, down the side of the room.

Drew’s body moves as he crunches his abs and lifts up slightly from his position. His beard tickles my forehead as he leans closer. “You on the snack menu?” he asks, shocking me completely.

I jerk, elbow digging into the couch, and gape my mouth at him. This time, he not only shocks me but stops my heart completely.

Because Drew can smile.

His eyes hold so much in them. Not only has the storm remained gone while he’s been with us, but that calm has been replaced with a burn so bright it can’t be mistaken as anything other than what it is … lust. I think about his question. Does it really matter why he’s been walking us home? Sure, but does it really? I know he’s safe in the general sense, but what do I really know about him? Then again, it’s been close to eight years since I’ve scratched my itch, and I imagine Drew knows what he’s doing.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind and just roll with it, at least until I can get some answers out of him, I relax back into his side.

“It’s a secret menu, but I’ll let you take a look later.”

His chest moves as he chuckles, and I smile to myself. Nothing wrong with a little fun, but with a mystery like him, I have a feeling this might be a little more like an adventure.

Riley returns a second later, climbing back in and dumping tons of candies and treats on Drew’s stomach. He doesn’t even move, just lets her use him as her sorting table. She doesn’t lie back down because she’s taking up so much room perusing through her loot. She looks up from her contemplation of Skittles or Twizzlers and smirks at me.

“The circus one, Auntie.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yup,” she responds, the p loud in the silent room.

“If that’s what you want.” I point the remote toward the control center and start looking for The Greatest Show. It’s one of our favorites, but something tells me that Drew isn’t going to like the musical at all. He doesn’t exactly seem like the type of man who sits at home watching musicals and singing along, like Riley and I do. Poor guy, he has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.