The Exception (7 page)

Drew

The connection I felt with her was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I wanted to kiss her, but I had to refrain because if I did, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say goodbye. I knew that once my lips touched hers, it would be something that would haunt me for the rest of my life. As we approached her suite, she asked me to come inside for one last drink before I left. Was that a good idea? Probably not, especially with the way I felt about her, but any last moment I could spend with her was gold and I wasn’t about to turn it down.

“Let me pour.” I smiled as I took the bottle of wine from her.

Handing her a glass, we took a seat in the chairs out on the balcony and listened to the subtle waves hit the shore.

“I’m sure going to miss it here,” she spoke.

“Me too.”

It was killing me not to know where she was headed to next. But for both our sakes, it was best that I didn’t. Looking over at her, I noticed she had something in her hair. As I reached over to get it, she reached up and placed her hand on mine.

“Sorry, but you had something in your hair.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes gazed into mine.

“I should get going,” I spoke as I got up from my chair.

“Okay.” She followed me to the door.

Turning around, my heart felt heavy as I struggled to say goodbye.

“Thank you again for making my time here a little less shitty.” I smiled as I took hold of her hand and brought it up to my lips.

“You’re welcome. It was fun.” She grinned.

Fuck
. The desire to kiss her was burning inside me. Before I left, I had to know what her lips felt like. If I didn’t, I’d spend my whole life regretting it. Just a small kiss wouldn’t hurt. A friendly kiss would be all. Nothing deep, nothing heavy. As our eyes stayed fixated on each other, I brought my hand up to her face and slowly lowered my head as my lips softly brushed against hers. I waited for her to pull away, but she didn’t. She welcomed it and kissed me back. I needed to go, but I couldn’t tear myself away from her. One kiss turned into two and then three. I looked at her as I pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, waiting, making sure that it was okay. She reached up and her lips once again collided with mine. This time, our tongues met and greeted each other with warmth. My cock was on the rise as the heat was on my skin. My hands roamed up and down the sides of her hourglass figure and a soft moan escaped her. Her hands left my face and started unbuttoning my shirt. She wanted me just as bad as I wanted her. As she slid my shirt off my shoulders, I untied the ties of her dress and let it fall to the ground, and she stood there almost naked with only her panties covering her. Picking her up, I carried her to the bedroom and softly laid her on the bed, hovering over her while my mouth explored her beautiful round breasts and my fingers traveled down the edge of her panties. Her moans were music to my ears as I dipped my finger inside her, taking in the wetness that surrounded her.

“You’re so wet and you feel so good,” I moaned.

“So do you.” She arched her back, forcing my fingers to deepen inside her.

A few more strokes and soft circles around her clit, she let out the most pleasing sound as she orgasmed. Standing up, I kicked off my shoes and took down my pants, setting free my rock hard cock that was ready to explode. Spreading her legs, I kissed up her inner thigh as she threw her head back in delight while my tongue slid its way up to her outer lips. Taking in the sweet taste of her, I placed my hands firmly on her hips as my lips wrapped around her clit, lightly sucking until she couldn’t take anymore. Her hands ran through my hair as her body tightened and another orgasm took her over.

****

Jillian

My body was on fire with passion, a feeling I’d never experienced before. This man and his mouth had me in such a state that left my insides screaming for more. The way his tongue caressed my most sensitive area floored me.

“I don’t have any condoms on me. They’re in my room,” he spoke with bated breath as he looked up at me.

“I’m on birth control, so you don’t have to worry. I trust you, Drew.”

His mouth explored my abdomen and my breasts. The way his lips wrapped around my hardened nipples excited me, as did the feel of his perfectly sized hard cock rubbing against my inner thigh. Hovering over me, he gently thrust into me until his entire length was buried deep inside. A moan escaped his lips as our eyes locked onto each other’s while he tenderly moved in and out of me. I swelled around him and he felt it. His pleasurable moans told me all as did mine to him. My nails dug into his back as his lips met mine and his thrusting became faster, sending me over the edge and into my third orgasm of the night.

“Yes. That’s it, come with me.” He strained, filling me up with his come.

Collapsing on top of me, he interlaced our fingers, brought my arms over my head, and stared into my eyes while we each tried to catch our breath. Once our heart rates returned to normal, he lifted himself up and pulled out of me. As we rolled onto our sides, he ran his finger across my cheek with a smile.

“You were incredible.”

“So were you.” I smiled back.

“Do you want me to leave or do you want me to stay the night?”

“I want you to stay. That way, I can say goodbye in the morning.”

His lips gently brushed against mine before we climbed under the covers and I snuggled against him.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. Did I regret it? No. Not in the least. Come tomorrow, we’d part ways with only the memory of this night and the journey I was on would continue. I wrapped my leg around him as his strong muscular arms held me. Grant rarely held me after sex and it was something I was used to. But this. Being wrapped around Drew’s body was something I liked. I felt secure and safe in his arms. Something I never knew I desperately needed.

The next morning, when Drew’s alarm on his phone went off, his arms tightened around me.

“Good morning,” I spoke as I looked up at him.

“Good morning. I need to go. I have to get packed and head to the airport.”

“I know.”

“Hand me your phone,” he spoke.

Reaching over to the nightstand, I grabbed my phone and handed it to him.

“There. You have my number. If you ever need anything or need help, please call me. I can be wherever you are in a flash.”

“Thanks. But I’ll be okay.”

“I know you will be. But you have it just in case.” He kissed the top of my head and climbed out of bed.

After he got dressed, I walked him to the door.

“I had a great time last night.” He smiled as his hand swept over my hair.

“I did too.”

“Good luck on your journey. I hope you find yourself and the happiness you deserve.”

Taking hold of his hand, I pressed his palm against my lips.

“Good bye, Drew.”

“Good bye, Jillian.” His lips softly kissed mine and he walked out the door.

Suddenly, it felt like all the air had left me and I couldn’t breathe. Sinking down to the ground, I brought my knees up to my chest and tightly wrapped my arms around them. Tears started streaming down my face and I didn’t know why. Confusion set in and, suddenly, I was afraid. Picking myself up off the floor, I took a shower, dressed, and headed to Ano’s house to say goodbye. When I arrived, all he needed was to take one look at me to know something was wrong.

“You’ve come to say goodbye, Jillian, but you seem so sad.”

“I messed up, Ano. I slept with someone last night and it wreaked havoc on my emotional well-being.”

“The man from the plane?” he asked as we sat down.

“Yes. He left today to go back to wherever he calls home and the minute he left, I started sobbing.”

“Do you know why?”

“I don’t know; that’s the thing.”

“Do you have feelings for this man?” he asked as he placed his hands on mine.

“Yes, no. I don’t know. All I know is that when he held me, for the first time in my life, I felt safe.”

“Ah.” He slowly nodded his head. “You discovered that you need safety.”

“But I always thought I felt safe.”

“Your perception of safe and the reality of it are two different things. It’s natural for a child to feel safe in the company of their parents because they are supposed to protect us. It wasn’t until you shared a special connection with that man that you realized you never felt it. Remember what I told you about your journey. You need to be fearless because every road you travel on will bring something about yourself that you didn’t know or realize. Now it’s up to you to take what you realized and find safety within yourself.”

“How?”

“You’ll figure it out along the way. You’re a strong and smart woman. Don’t underestimate your strengths.”

I got up from my chair and gave him a hug.

“Thank you, Ano. I better get going. I still have to pack and get to the airport.”

“Take care, my child. Don’t be a stranger.”

I gave him a smile as I kissed his cheek.

“I won’t be.”

Heading back to the hotel, I gave a lot of thought about what Ano said. My whole life had been spent being around people who controlled me, and now that I was alone, what I thought I knew I didn’t really know at all.

Drew

“Thanks, Randall. I’ll see you in the morning,” I spoke as I climbed out of the Bentley.

Walking up the steps of my townhouse, I saw my next door neighbor and friend, Liam Wyatt.

“Hey, you’re back. How was Hawaii?” he asked.

“It was eventful.” I smirked.

“In a bad way or a good way?”

“Both. I broke up with Jess and made her leave early.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

I gave him a small smile. “No you’re not. You never liked her.”

He shrugged. “True. But still. You’re better off without her. She reminded me too much of Oliver’s ex.”

“Yeah. I should have listened to you on that one. Stop by this week and we’ll have a drink.”

“Sure will, Drew. Welcome home.” He waved.

Stepping into the house, I took my suitcase upstairs and then headed to the kitchen for something to eat. I smiled when I opened the refrigerator and there were a couple of stacked containers sitting there with a note from my housekeeper, Jane.

“Welcome home, Drew. I slaved all day to make these meals, so you better eat them.”

Taking one of the containers out, I threw it in the microwave and walked over to the bar to pour myself a scotch. I already missed her. The moment I walked out of her hotel room, a feeling overcame me. A feeling that something was missing from my life. The time I spent with her on the plane. and the few times in Hawaii, made me feel like a different person, and now, I didn’t think I’d ever felt so lonely.

Opening my eyes to the sound of my alarm, I stumbled out of bed, showered, and headed down to the kitchen for some coffee.

“Morning, Jane.”

“Good morning, Drew.” She smiled as she poured me a cup of coffee. “How was your trip?”

I sighed. “Let’s just say that Jess won’t be coming over here anymore. I ended things with her.”

She made the sign of the cross and then placed her hands together.

“Thank you, lord.”

I lightly chuckled. “I know you weren’t a fan of hers.”

“No. No, I wasn’t. What did she do this time?”

“Just her usual shit. She basically told me that I was a bad boyfriend because I wouldn’t buy her something.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe if she wasn’t such a bad girlfriend, you would have bought her what she wanted. You’re a good man, Drew. Don’t let that little hussy tell you any different.”

“Trust me. I’m not giving her a second thought. Thanks for the coffee and now I have to head to the office.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Have a good day.”

Jane had worked for me for the last four years. She was a godsend. Not only did I love her, but my parents and friends did as well. She did everything for me and had quickly become a part of my family.

****

“Good morning, Lia,” I spoke as I walked past my secretary’s desk.

“Welcome back, Drew. How was Hawaii?”

“It was nice. Thank you. If Jess calls, don’t put her through. We’re over,” I spoke as she followed me into my office.

“Oh. Okay. I left some papers on your desk that you need to sign and you have a meeting in thirty minutes to look over the new software proposal.”

I sighed. “I know.”

“Anything else?” she asked.

“No. That’s all.”

Taking a seat at my desk, I leaned back in my chair and picked up the papers that needed to be signed. After looking them over, I threw them back down. The only thing on my mind was Jillian and our night together. God, she was by far the best woman I’d ever had sex with. Everything she did aroused me. Her soft moans, her gentle touch, her smell, and the way her body moved with mine was undeniable. How long was this going to last? Me thinking about her non-stop?
Fuck.
I should have asked for her number or at least asked where she was headed to next. I was worried, something I generally didn’t do with women. As I was deep in thought, my friend and VP, Lance, walked in.

“Hey, buddy. Welcome back.” He smiled.

“Thanks.”

“So did you get things resolved with Jess?” he asked as he took a seat across from my desk.

“Actually, I did. I broke up with her and sent her home.”

He chuckled. “In Hawaii?”

“Yep.”

“Classic and so deserved. It was about time, man. She was toxic.”

“But now that I got rid of that problem, I have another.”

“What’s that?” He leaned back in his chair.

“I met someone and I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“In Hawaii?”

“Actually, she sat next to me on the plane to Hawaii and we stayed at the same hotel. Jess invited her to dinner one night to try and prove to me that she changed.”

“And I can see that worked out really well.” He laughed. “So now you have me curious. Who is this mystery girl?”

“Her name is Jillian Bell and she’s the most beautiful, fun, kind-hearted, selfless, amazing woman I have ever met.”

“Hmm. I’ve never heard you describe a woman like that before.” He rubbed his chin. “Did you fuck her?”

“Yes, but that’s not important. What’s important is that I don’t think I’ll ever see her again.”

“Why? Where does she live?”

“She lived in Seattle, but she won’t go back there. I don’t know where she went after she left Hawaii.”

“Okay, Drew. Seriously, I’m so confused right now, man.”

“She left her fiancé at the altar on her wedding day and hopped on a plane to Hawaii to start a journey of self-discovery.”

“Wow. She left her fiancé at the altar?” He raised his brows at me. “Right off the bat, the two of you have something in common.”

I sighed as I rolled my eyes.

“Did you at least get her phone number after you fucked her?”

“No, and stop saying it like that.”

“Huh?” He looked at me in confusion. “Shit, Drew. What has this girl done to you?”

“I don’t know.” I turned my chair and looked out the window. “I put my number in her phone before I left. I told her if she ever needed anything to call me.”

“Drew. Drew. Drew. Why didn’t just tell her how much you liked her?”

“Because she’s focusing on her journey and has made it very clear that she’s living in a man-free zone.”

“So what? You never let things stop you from going after what you want. Damn. Who are you and what have you done with Drew Westbrook?”

“Just drop it, Lance. Let’s go. We have a meeting.” I sighed as I got up from my seat.