Free Falling for Summer by Kailin Gow Page A

we can spend one day together uninterrupted.
    “I promise to spend more time with you, Summer,” he says. “I’m so sorry I can’t be there with you today on your birthday, but I’ll make it up to you. I swear.”
    I’m about to say, “Okay,” but Drew, who is sitting on my bed, his shirt still lying open from when we got hot and heavy, gets up from the bed and begins buttoning up his shirt. As he’s doing it, with a look of frustration on his face, I can’t help thinking how close I came to being with Drew. Especially how much I want to.
    Drew has finished buttoning up his shirt and now he’s tucking it into his pants, and I see that his shirt is lopsided because he missed one of the buttons. He catches my eyes on him and gestures at his watch. We still have a dinner date to go to, and I know Drew is hungry. Even for real food, not just for me.
    Without thinking about it, I go over to him, with one hand holding my phone while my other hand reaches out to pull his shirt up. I’m unbuttoning his shirt when Drew gives a surprise laugh and says, “What are you doing, Summer?”
    “What?” I say, trying to straighten out his shirt so I can fix it, get the buttons aligned so Drew doesn’t embarrass himself when we go out for dinner.
    “My shirt,” Drew says. “Why are you unbuttoning my shirt like this? Do you want to continue where we left off?” his lips curls into a wicked smile.
    “Summer?” Astor says from the phone. “Is that Drew? Is he there with you?”
    “Yes,” I say.
    Drew licks his lips then and reaches out to brush my hair aside from my face. “I’d like that.”
    “So Drew’s there with you,” Astor says. His voice has become agitated, and there’s a sense of worry in it. “I thought he’s back in San Francisco. Is the whole gang there? Rachel? Is she there?”
    “No,” I say. “Only Drew. He came down to check out USC for college, take me out for a birthday dinner, and now he’s spending the rest of his weekend here.”
    “Oh.” Astor’s voice drops.
    “He got a scholarship to USC to play football,” I say proudly. “Early admissions and early start. He’s thinking of staying here at Aunt Sookie’s.” I smile at Drew, who is now behind me, his hands kneading my back, shoulders, and neck, working out all the tension I have there.
    “This is part of your birthday present,” Drew whispers into my ear. His hands are working wonders on me, and when he hit a tight knot at the back of my shoulders, working at loosening it, I let out a groan.
    “Summer!” Astor says. “I’m coming out there as soon as I can.”
    “No, I’ll be up late tonight,” I say. “Nat’s flying in, too. He owes me a birthday dinner, and he’ll be staying here for Christmas break.”
    “Summer…” Astor says. “I know you said you thought we were moving too fast in our relationship so I’ve backed off. I’m not asking you to come out with me to stay while I film, anymore, and I’m not giving you expensive gifts anymore because that’s what you want. But Summer, I love you, and gosh, I don’t want to be having this conversation with you right now over the phone like this. I want to see you and hold you. I want to be there to hold you in my arms and kiss you…I just don’t want you forgetting how much you mean to me.”
    “Astor,” my voice is husky now because of several reasons, one of which is because Drew’s hands has moved on from my back to now my legs. He’s using his strong hands to massage my calves, and it feels so sensual. “I don’t want to have this conversation over the phone, too, but since we can’t see each other in person, this is the best way so we can at least hear each other.”
    “Summer,” Drew says from below where he is kneeling on his knees in front of me, lifting one of my legs up and placing his lips on the sensitive skin behind my knees. “How about if we skip dinner?”
    “Drew…” I say. I want to walk away to some place where I can have