Push the Envelope by Rochelle Paige Read Free Book Online

Drake’s hand squeezed mine as he tried to get my attention. We
had turned onto a winding drive, lined by tall trees.

 
    “Alexa, we’re here,” Drake said as we pulled up to
a palatial farmhouse. This wasn’t a house—it was a country estate. And I hadn’t
packed to see anything other than the inside of a hotel room, a couple local
eateries with my dad, and the hotel swimming pool. Great. Another chance for me
to look as unappealing as possible in front of Drake.

 
    “Yeah, I kinda figured that one out myself when we
pulled up to the house. Anything you forgot to mention about your parents,
Drake?” I asked. Even though he could make me melt with the mere stroke of a
finger against my skin, I was still pissed about what he had said earlier and
wasn’t looking forward to meeting his parents while feeling woefully unprepared.

 
    “We didn’t really have time to discuss much of
anything. Did we, Alexa? I promise, you will love them. My mom will be excited
to meet someone from school, and my sister will be thrilled to have another
girl around the place for the day. You’ll be like a surprise present for them.”

 
    My dad cleared his throat from behind us, reminding
me that I kept forgetting he was here whenever Drake looked at me. Not a good
sign at all. “Well, then I hope they think my dad’s a present, too.”

 
    “Alexa, don’t be so worried. Drake’s father had
offered to let me stay here when he booked the flight. I told him it would
depend upon if I flew Drake up by myself or not. So we’ve both been invited to
stay.”

 
    “Dad! You never said anything about staying here
when you asked me to come with you on the trip.” I glared at my dad since I
probably would have packed a little differently if I had known that we would be
around people while we waited for the return flight home. Not that my dad would
understand—his packing would be the same no matter where we went or what we
did.

 
    “Sorry, honey. Didn’t think I’d take him up on the
offer if you were with me. Figured you’d want to stay closer to town and
explore a bit. But since you and Drake know each other, this makes more sense.
Don’t you think?” His tone of voice let me know that I shouldn’t argue and
reminded me that my dad was going to have lots of questions for me when we were
alone.

 
    “See. Nothing to worry about, babe. My dad already
invited you, and you didn’t even know it! I’m sure my mom has prepped the pool
house just in case it was needed.” Drake started walking around to the back of
the house. “Let me get you settled in, and then I’ll go find my parents to let
them know you are here.”

 
    I gawked a bit at the Olympic-sized pool that was
surrounded by slate tiles. The pool house was a two-story white structure that
was a good three to four times bigger than the size of my suite at school.

 
    “There are two bedrooms upstairs, so you’ll have
plenty of space. There’s one bathroom upstairs and a bathroom with a walk-in
shower downstairs.” Drake opened the door to the pool house. We walked inside,
straight into a living area with a big-screen television and a small kitchen
off to the side. The decor was very masculine, and the place smelled like
Drake, a woodsy scent with a hint of leather.

 
    “Does anyone usually stay here?” I asked.

 
    “Me. I like a little bit of privacy if I’m going to
be here for any length of time, but I’ll just use my rooms in the main house
while we’re here tonight.”

 
    “Sorry to displace you,” my dad responded.

 
    “No problem, sir. I’m glad you decided to stay with
us instead of at a hotel in town. It will give me a chance to hang out with
Alexa.”

 
    “Yes, I’m clear on the fact that you’d like to
spend some time with my daughter. But how about you let go of her hand for now,
son. I’m sure your parents are excited to see you. You should probably head on
up and let them know you’re here. We’ll get