Free Unsurpassed by Charity Parkerson Page A

said, “I am after
something from you. Your friendship and your time are something I’ve come to
realize I want more than anything.” His heart swelled at her words, but she
wasn’t finished. “I also yearn to bask in your wildly inappropriate remarks. You
to make me a bit uncomfortable with your overwhelming presence and I crave it.
Come to think of it, I probably expect more from you than anyone you’ve ever
met.”
    Clearing his throat, Drew did his best to talk in spite of
feeling as if someone were sitting on his chest. “I expect some things in
return.”
    Aubree gave him a solemn nod as if she would accept no less.
“Go on.”
    Keeping a straight face, he began the rundown of his list,
“Your undying love and affection along with your unwavering loyalty.” Aubree
covered her face with her hands and let out a snort of laughter, but he didn’t
let up. “I also demand sexual favors and at least half this bed, which I
suspect was actually handcrafted by fairies.”
    “Oh shut up!” she cried, playfully slapping at his shoulder.
He caught her hand, holding it in place.
    “Okay, I’m being serious now,” he said, making sure he had
her full attention before adding, “I want as much of you as you’re willing to
give. Your friendship means more to me than I can explain, but I’m not joking
about the sexual favors. I’m really going to do some naughty things to you.”
    “For the love of…” Aubree sighed giving in. “Tell me about
your upcoming match. Who is your opponent, and what are your chances of
winning? Is he hot?”
    His cheeks hurt from smiling. Drew refused to let her bait him.
Instead, he bored her to tears with training strategies and fighting stats. She
looked completely wiped out. The longer he spoke the more he intentionally
dropped the pitch of voice, lulling her to sleep. Spending time with her was
enough. He didn’t need her to keep him entertained. He let her doze for close
to an hour while he simply enjoyed watching every nuance of her face while
completely unguarded. Aubree slept with her chin tilted toward him, and she
curled against him so trustingly. He couldn’t look away. Drew traced the curve
of her cheek with his eyes until—giving into temptation—he cupped her face in
his hand. She snuggled closer to his chest at his touch. Everything he felt and
every intention he had toward her became clear. Being with her had nothing to
do with besting anyone, as Max accused. She wasn’t a game to him. While it was
true, he couldn’t pretend as if he hadn’t seen the way Ryan and Max looked at
her, even before he’d known the truth of their relationship, it wasn’t about
stealing her away from them. Drew cared about her more than he had anyone in a
long time. A few short minutes after meeting her, she’d managed to make him
want to fight for her.
    With his fingers splayed across her cheek, he brushed his
thumb along her bottom lip as he urged her closer. Settling his lips at the
corner of her mouth, he inhaled the scent of her skin into his lungs before
opening his mouth over her bottom lip and sucking it between his teeth. His
stomach growled as the tang of cherries exploded across his taste buds. The
weight of her hand fell across the nape of his neck and she stroked his tongue
with her own. He knew she was more asleep than awake. He didn’t have any
intention of dragging her from her dreams. It was the driving need to
experience this moment with her causing him to act. With an internal cry of
denial, he untangled himself from her hold and whispered against her ear. “Go
back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
    Doing as he bade, she turned on her side. He hauled her
against his chest. Even as he swore he’d never be able to sleep with her hips
cradled by his, the darkness pulled him under.
     
    Aubree jerked awake. She immediately reached for Drew,
finding him gone. The smell of his cologne lingered, proving he hadn’t been a
dream. She cursed her stupidity as her