DrakeSunday was a day of rest, and happened to be the only day Drake DeMarco had off from his beloved gym. It was a lazy day to watch football and lounge around on the couch, wash a few loads of clothes, and eat his one cheat meal of the week. Rest was the last thing on his mind when he woke, his stomach a torrent of knots as he tried to walk through what went wrong with his latest obsession.Something about the look on Sicily's face the day before at the gym told him that she knew more than he wanted her to about who he was before moving to Maine. She'd changed her tune about going to dinner with him and seemed far more interested in running on the treadmill than giving him another second in her presence."Weird," he grunted and got out of bed. Being a bachelor had been a necessity for a while, the need to ensure that he was safe in Maine had left him lonely. She was the first girl in five years who hadn’t been a planned one night stand in another town over just to release some of t
DrakeThe weather was beyond blissful as Drake drove his bike to the harbor, the wind chilly and refreshing. He parked and locked it up as Jake got out of his old truck."I'm thinking I need to get me one of those." Jake nodded to the motorcycle."Oh yeah? Gets the girls every time." Drake wagged his eyebrows and stood, stretching his arms to the heavens and twisting his torso."I got the girl. It's your turn now." Jake popped him in the back and nodded to the sidewalk that stretched around the string of shops. "Good thing it's Sunday or this wouldn't be possible without having to dodge old ladies and baby strollers."Drake laughed and walked to the sidewalk with Jake. "Jumping over a stack of old ladies holding baby strollers would be easier than getting the girl. She's damn near impossible.""You still have your eye on Sicily?" Jake nodded as they picked up their pace, jogging at an aggressive speed.It would be good to bleed out some of his angst through his sweat glands. Pumping i
SicilySunday was a waste, a day to lie in the bed and lament over the truth about Drake. He was part of the DeMarco-Castaletta clan, and Sicily's brother had been serious about his warning. Some part of her wanted to call and find out the full details on what it could mean, but knowing anything too damning would completely snuff out hope. Hope that she and Drake might become something when she lost her weight and he, what... stopped being a villain?***SicilyShe woke on Monday morning to the alarm, her desire to get up and do anything officially gone. It would have been a good day to get back in the kitchen and experiment a little, but she was due at the police station at eight. How they had her down as a suspect was beyond her, but she would push past her angst and answer their questions. Things would get cleared up and she could get back to her life."Some life it is," she grumbled and milled through her clothes.Drake saw her differently than she saw herself, his words telling h
Sicily"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered angrily."I'm reading the paper. Do you want to read it? If so, just ask." He chuckled and pulled it down. "How are you more beautiful when you're angry? It should be a crime.""Not funny. You're not a lawyer. You own the town gym. Everyone knows that. The cop is going to know that, so what the hell are you doing?" She hated the pissy sound of her voice, but the combination of needing him and not wanting to need him raged inside of her, threatening to spill over and ruin her composure.He set the paper down before moving forward, his actions putting him closer than she wanted. "I'm a lot of things, Sicily. You don't know me and you're judging my abilities. Don't. I don't judge yours."She turned as the girl called her name. "Miss Moretti. You and your lawyer can come this way.""Thank you," Sicily called out a little too brightly. She glanced back at Drake as he stood and moved up beside her. "This conversation isn't over.""Good.
DrakeDrake let out a long sigh as he parked at the gym and locked up his bike. The look on Sicily's face said that she assumed the worst from him – again. He was simply trying to get her to help him figure out why the fuck the sweater was at Judy's. He wasn't insinuating anything. The girl had brothers. She had to know that most men who wanted to say something would just say it.First her thinking that he was continuously poking at her weight and not that she was a criminal."So fucking ridiculous," he growled and dropped the chain the bike. A soft grasp resounded behind him and he realized how loud he had been with his cursing. The Beltmans were walking out of the gym and stopped in their tracks. "I'm so sorry.""It's all right, son." Mr. Beltman reached out and patted Drake on the shoulder. "Something got you stirred up?"He glanced to Mrs. Beltman with a look of apology on his face and nodded. "Yeah. The girl of my dreams is quickly becoming a nightmare.""Drop her ass," Mr. Beltm
SicilyShe still hadn't answered his text from the day before. The honest truth of it was that she didn't know how to. Tugging on her yoga pants and leaning over her bed, she pulled the text up again.Drake: What if... just what if... my question earlier was to try and get you to join my team in solving this mystery? What if I'm actually a pretty decent guy and the type that says exactly what he means? Like, no mincing words or any of that shit? What if you just don't know me well enough yet? Sicily... what if?"Yeah, what if?" she grumbled and fell forward, flopping down on her bed accidentally. A growl left her and she rolled on her back before throwing her legs in the air and trying to wiggle into the pants.Lisa stopped by the door and snorted. "Um, you need some help?""Go away. I'm trying to get these on and someone washed them in hot water.""They're yoga pants, Sis. They are supposed to look like someone painted them on you.""Then never mind." Sicily ripped them from the midd
SicilyDrake responded immediately, the ding on her phone causing her to jump.Drake: What if risking something meant gaining everything? Come to me and let's talk.Sicily: No talking. I'm coming to work out. Play racquetball with me.Drake: You like getting spanked?Sicily: Only in the bedroom.Drake: That's not fair. Vixen.Sicily: What if...She laughed and dropped the phone in her purse before pulling out onto the quiet streets outside of their neighborhood. It was nice not to fight traffic or hordes of people. Now if she could get her name cleared from being the town villain, she'd be good. Good thing she knew a senior counsel defense attorney."I wonder if he takes payment for services in any currency other than dollars." She laughed and parked at the gym, putting her nefarious thoughts away. She needed to be careful where he was concerned. The texts were enough teasing for one day. Maybe...Nervousness rose up in her as she approached the door, but she pushed past it. A playful
DrakeShe was beyond fine as she stood there in front of him, wanting to play ball, but more concerned with how she looked than anything else. His plan was to be totally open and honest with her. She wanted in? She was getting in... as far and as fast as she would allow herself to.He wasn't playing entirely fair as he flung his saucy comments at her, but nothing was ever fair in love and war. She hit the ball hard, surprising him and pulling him out of his meanderings."And what would you be doing in the shower while checking out my assets?" Her voice carried behind her, her pretty face and resulting expressions from the conversation hidden to him."Washing your back, of course." He hit the ball again – hard.She moved toward the front wall, letting the small blue ball ricochet off the back wall. It came right to her. With a gentle tap, it hit the front wall and rolled.Her point. Fuck. He had to change the subject. Getting her naked in the shower wasn't a topic of conversation he c