Her Unexpected Affair (The Robinsons) (23 page)

Eventually they moved back to the classroom to escape the noise of many other languages being practiced. The tonal sounds of Chinese were best learned in a quiet room without the competition of all the others. Although Meilin spent her time also helping Bob and Janice, she sat close to Drew. Close enough he was tormented by her perfume and the soft quality of her voice slowly repeating the vocabulary words they’d been given that morning.

Drew almost cursed his parents for not putting him in a bilingual school from the time he was three. Almost. But who would have guessed then he’d need to learn Chinese? French, Spanish, and a little Italian had been a part of his school years, all of them close enough to make learning one more a little easier. But Chinese? What had ever gotten into his head?

Near ten o’clock a large yawn stole over him. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up to see everyone else trying to hide their yawns.

“Enough,” the professor declared. “It’s late, you’ve all studied hard this week. We won’t start until ten tomorrow. Get yourselves out for a walk, run, bike ride, or sleep in, but get some down time. We’ll pick it up then and tomorrow afternoon I have some language videos. We’ll get some culture in while letting you hear the words spoken slowly enough you may understand it.”

“No closed caption subtitles, eh?” Cindy laughed.

“Only in Chinese,” Chung quipped and was answered by good-natured groans.

Drew groaned because it meant saying good night to Meilin, again. With his eyes, he asked if he could walk her out. She nodded slightly and finished packing her briefcase before turning toward the door.

Excitement tore through him and suddenly he felt as if he could leap tall buildings. No, it wasn’t pure imagination. This woman meant something special to him. He only had to find a way to make her accept and act on the attraction between them.

Piece of cake.

With Drew a few steps behind her, Meilin exited the building. At her car, she unlocked the door, and Drew took her briefcase and tossed it inside.

“Come for a walk. It helps clear the mind after a long day.”

She’d just opened her mouth to protest when her phone rang. “Excuse me.” It was Shan’s ringtone, and if she didn’t answer, well, she wasn’t sure she wanted to face an annoyed Shan in the morning.

“Hello?”

“Oh good, you’re awake,” he said. “After my fuss about you canceling on me last weekend, I really hate to do this…”

“You have to cancel this weekend?” She peeked up to see Drew grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes,” Shan said heavily. “Believe me, I’m extremely unhappy about this, but…well. No point in whining about it. I need to fly out tonight. Don’t suppose you could drive me to the airport?”

Meilin cringed and put an apology in her voice. “Arnie’s study session just let out. I’m in Palo Alto. What time is your flight?” At the thought of driving home, only to turn around and make the drive to the airport and back home again… The fact remained she was already tired from the long week.

“A lot of driving so late on Friday night, and I need to leave now. I won’t ask.” His words were mild, but his tone held an edge.

“If you let me know when your return flight arrives, maybe I can pick you up.”

“Since I don’t know exactly when I’ll be back, might be Monday, might be Wednesday, I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“All right. Text me the details when you know. I’ll do my best to be available.”

Shan chuckled. “I like that last sentence. I was so looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow night. Sunday morning.” He sighed. “The wait will make it so much sweeter. I’ll change our reservations to next weekend. Will you miss me?”

“Of course. Be safe.”

“For you? Always. Text me when you’re home so I can leave with an easier mind.”

Meilin murmured her agreement, then disconnected. Her shoulders sagged and she leaned into her car, forehead against the roof.

Large, warm hands settled on her shoulders, lightly massaging. “Bad news?”

Meilin raised her head. “Depends on how you look at it.”

“Tell me.”

She dropped her head back against his shoulder. “My plans for this weekend fell through. That means I can sleep in tomorrow and spend the day in my pajamas with a carton of cottage cheese, a bag of barbeque chips, and a good book.”

“An odd combination. I have a better idea.” He took her hand, pulled her away from the car, and shut the door. “Beep it locked, will you?”

She did as he asked, then followed as he pulled her along, taking a different path than before.

“What happened?” Drew asked, pulling her up beside him.

“Leaving town on business. Flying out tonight.” A simple enough answer.

“So you’re free the entire weekend?”

“Yes.”

Drew grinned down at her in a way that lifted her heart and made her forget she was tired. “Have your day of indulgence, but not too indulgent. Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow night. Nothing stuffy, but something fun. When was the last time you played tourist down at Fisherman’s Wharf?”

Meilin laughed. “It’s been years.”

“I’m dying for some fresh seafood. Also haven’t had time to play down at Pier 39.” Drew swung their hands between them. “What d’ya say? Sound like fun?”

“But what about class?”

“I’ll take off just before dinner. That’ll give us a few hours to eat and play tourist. Please? Pick you up about five-thirty? We can talk in Chinese, and that should count for study time.”

She couldn’t help it. Drew was too adorable, too playful. When was the last time she’d played? Too long, she decided, choosing to ignore her day of sailing with Shan. That hadn’t been anything lighthearted as she felt with Drew. Still walking, she looked up at him from under her lashes. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Maybe get a snack first from a street vendor, work our way up one side and down the other of Pier 39, then meander over to Alioto’s for some crab and shrimp. We’ll finish off the evening with a stroll along the waterfront. No set destination, no agenda, just wander where we want like real tourists. If we had all day, I’d love to take the Alcatraz tour, but…”

“If we went Sunday, we could have the whole day. If you can spare the time from your studies, that is.”

“And you’d get your day of down time.” Drew looked ahead, as if seeing something in his mind. “Okay, it’s a deal. I pick you up at ten on Sunday. We’ll do the whole day.” He focused on her once again. “For now, I want to show you a spot I know.”

It wasn’t far. Around a bend, behind a building dark for the summer, they approached a small grove of trees and bushes. And in one dark corner, a bench so private it was easy to believe they were entirely alone.

“What do you want to talk about?” she asked.

“Nothing special.” He put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side. It felt so perfect; she wondered if it was true two people could be specially made for each other. “Maybe I just want to be here with you. Did you ever think about that?”

She couldn’t resist his grin or the sparkle in his eyes. “You’re a bad influence.”

“But in a good way, I hope.”

Meilin chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder. “I shouldn’t be here with you. Shouldn’t be making plans.”

“Stop the guilt train right there. We’re just spending time together. Being friends.”

“I don’t usually cuddle on dark secluded benches with my friends.”

“Neither do I, but we’re a different kind of friend to each other. We can talk about dreams, plans, silly politicians, or last week’s art show. You can tell me about your latest job, or the most exciting one waiting for you to get to it. Tell me your philosophy on life and the state of trade relations with China. I don’t care. We can talk about anything or nothing.”

“All right then, tell me about your favorite American thing.”

“Oh, that’s easy. Actually I have a short list.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Football, Thanksgiving dinner, sunny pools, girls in bikinis, almost anything cooked on the grill, and”—he pulled her close, staring down into her eyes—“beautiful women with jade green eyes and sweet dispositions. Now that I think about it, I have to say you’re my favorite American thing.”

The descent of his lips to hers was slow enough she could have pulled away. She should have pulled away. But the electromagnetic energy that had sparked between them from their first touch was in full force that night. A force that made it as natural as breathing to open her lips to his.

The kiss started slow. Lips brushing against lips. Air was exchanged, each one breathing in the other. One hand curled behind her neck, cradling the base of her skull. The other slid down between their bodies, the back of his fingers caressing her side to her hip, then thigh where he slipped his hand under and pulled her leg across his legs. With little urging, she scooted fully onto his lap, bringing her face even with his.

She brought her hands to his face, his golden stubble soft and prickly against her palms. His skin was warm to her touch, his jaw firm, his hair perfectly soft for tunneling her fingers into. The faded scent of his aftershave blended with his skin, making a perfume that was all Drew. He had the power to drug her senses and leave her feeling mellow and energized all at once.

Pulling her top loose from her skirt, his hands found the skin of her back, then front, one cupping her breast, the other loosening the hooks of her bra in back. “Drew,” she said on a moan.

His hands stilled. Lips still touching hers, he quietly asked, “Stop? Or more?”

She should say stop, but instead demanded, “More.”

A rush of air that sounded like a sigh of relief brushed over her lips. “As m’lady commands.”

The hand cupping her breast slipped beneath the loosened bra, as his kisses moved across her cheek to her ear. She gasped when his tongue licked a secret spot just behind her ear. A rumble of approval accompanied the tilt of her head to one side giving him more access.

“You taste so good,” Drew whispered.

“You feel so good,” she answered, as her hands clasped his shoulders. In her sandals, her toes curled with each kiss, lick, and the gentle kneading of first one breast and then the other. Restlessly she moved against his hand, wanting more, needing something… His thumb and index finger lightly pinched one nipple, rolling and teasing as she arched her back to press closer.

His head still gripped in her hands, he dipped lower, trailing hot, wet kisses down her throat, to her shoulder. One strong hand braced her back while the other slipped the strap of her top and bra from her shoulder, tugging the cloth downward, exposing her to more attention from his hot mouth.

“There,” she whispered when his lips closed around her nipple, suckling, biting, driving her crazy. Between her thighs, deep inside, heat rose so fast she squirmed a little, hoping to release the pressure, ease the ache.

Drew groaned. Oh Lord. That was him, the presence pressing up against her thigh. She’d never felt that sitting on a man’s lap before.

“Easy, love. We’re just doing a bit of snogging now. Not actually going to do the deed out here in the open.”

“Then—oh!” The man had some moves with his tongue. “We should stop. Yes, we need to stop.”

Drew lifted his head, buried his face in her shoulder, and wrapped his arms tight around her. She clung to his shoulders, wishing she’d dared to pull his shirt off.

“I know you said we need to stop, and you’re right, this isn’t the place, but my sister is across the bay tonight. With the parents. We could go to—”

Meilin placed a finger over his lips to stop that idea right there. “We can’t. I can’t.”

Drew sighed and put his forehead against hers. “I know. But I can dream, can’t I?”

“We can both dream, but it’s not something to be acted on.”

“At least you didn’t say it could never happen.”

Lord she wished she could. Her contract with Shan demanded she should walk away from Drew and never look back. Somehow doing so would feel like walking away from life. And that she just couldn’t do. But neither could she take the path of temptation and follow him home.

It was a hell of a mess.

She’d been the good girl all her life, and what had it gotten her? Just this once she wanted to bend the rules, test her limits, live a little. And if that meant spending one day out of her planned life with a young, handsome, fun man while her fiancé was away, then that’s what she’d do.

* * * *

Drew was so excited for Sunday he made Birdie come back early so he could take the car.

“You’re going out with who?” Birdie asked the moment she walked through the door of their apartment.

Because he’d stayed up so late studying to make up for playing hooky today, Drew stood at the kitchen counter practically mainlining coffee.

“I’m playing tourist today in the city, and I want to pick her up like a proper gent.”

“Meilin, right? Isn’t she engaged?” Birdie stood at the door, hands on hips, a disapproving frown on her normally sunny face.

“She is, but he’s out of town. I figure since she’s a San Francisco native, she’d know the best places to see. We’re playing tourist down on the waterfront. No room for getting naughty.”

Birdie laughed and turned, shaking her head. “Right. Anywhere with you is a place to get naughty.” Before she left the kitchen she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Don’t mess things up for her. You’re leaving in a few weeks. It would be cruel to sidetrack her committed relationship, then walk away.”

The reminder of how short time was twisted his gut. “Not my plan, Bird.” Granted he didn’t know what his plan was, entirely, but he had to go with his gut. Every instinct cried out Meilin was something extra special to him and only him.

“Yeah, well, you’d better get going. The car needs gas.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and headed down the hall to her bedroom.

With heavy sarcasm, he called after her, “Thanks, ducks!” Damn female.

Following Google and Meilin’s directions, he arrived outside her building five minutes early. The only parking available within a block was right in front of the garage door that led to the lower level of the building next door, so he texted a message saying where he was illegally parked.