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CHAPTER 4 Dream vs Reality

Evie

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, utterly disappointed to discover I was kissing my pillow.

Gosh, it was only a dream.

I had dreamt that Draven had finally realized I was the woman he wanted to be with. We were alone on a beach in Santa Monica, walking side by side underneath the clear starlit night, talking and laughing, when suddenly he stopped me and gazed into my eyes.

"Evie, I want you to know you mean the world to me. I know this sounds strange, but I've come to realize I don't know what I'll do if you ever decide to leave me," he confessed as he reached up and brushed my hair away from my face.

"Oh, Draven, you know I'll never leave you," I said, smiling up at him brightly. "You're my bestfriend and we'll always be best of friends." He took my hands in his, raised my hands to his lips and tenderly kissed the back of my hands, the feel of his lips lingering on my skin. I felt a sudden jolt of electricity run through my arms, traveling to the rest of my body. I trembled, relishing the sensation which I have only begun to explore.

"I want us to be more than just friends, Evie," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "I want us to be together."

"You really do?" I asked, stunned. Yesterday, I was just a sister to him, but today... today, he wanted us to become lovers.

"Yes, I do. I love you, Evie Howell," he whispered with a yearning in his voice before claiming my lips with his.

Then I woke up.

I screamed into my pillow and threw it against the wall, angry at myself for being a fool.

I must be in heat to dream about Draven kissing me.

Well, there's one thing that could help me forget about Draven's lips on mine and that's work.

I quickly got up, took a shower and brushed my teeth. After getting dressed in a business suit, I ran downstairs for coffee.

The doorbell rang while I was rummaging through one of mykitchen cabinets for coffee filters. I glanced at my watch.

Who could that be so early on a Saturday morning?

Well, there was only one person I knew who would drop by this early in the morning.

I opened the door, surprised to find Draven with a couple cups of coffee in one hand and a bag of pastries in the other.

The morning rays of the sun literally formed a halo around his head, making him look like an angel. I wanted to reach out and touch him.

Instead, I raised my hands in front of my face to shield my eyes from the sun.

I swear, the gods must be punishing me!

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Draven drawled, a small smile playing on his pouty lips. He was in a dark tailored suit, his thick dark hair still damp from his shower. I inhaled deeply and caught a whiff of his expensive cologne. He smelled so good, like sandalwood and danger.

I stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. "I'm sorry, why are you here so early in the morning?" I asked as he walked right by me, heading towards the kitchen "Although I really don't mind, seeing you've come bearing gifts." I closed my front door and quickly followed him to the kitchen.

"To apologize for waking you up in the middle of the night," he replied, placing the bag of food and cups of coffee on my small kitchen table. I grabbed a couple of plates and forks and sat down in front of him.

"Okay... who are you and what have you done with Draven?" I asked while placing a croissant on each of our plates.

"Oh, come on, Evie, I've brought you breakfast before," he answered. I looked up at my ceiling and tried to recall if he ever brought me breakfast. If there was something I was good at, it was remembering everything that Draven has never done for me.

"No, you haven't," I argued, squinting my eyes at him. "Breakfast at the diner doesn't count." There was a small eighties themed diner near Blake's building. We usually met there for breakfast before work.

"Fine. I've bought you breakfast before," he said, correcting himself. "If you had just agreed to live on the floor below mine, I'd definitely bring you breakfast everyday."

My heart melted. I knew he was just saying that because I was his bestfriend and we literally did everything together. After middle school, we attended all the same classes in high school. After high school, we both went to the same university although we enrolled in different majors. Draven took up business administration while I majored in psychology.

I've always wanted to become a doctor, but since my family wasn't well off, I knew if I wanted to become one, I'd have to do everything on my own and it would definitely take some time.

Unlike me, Draven already had investments making money for him. This was the harsh reality I discovered when I accompanied him to the bank to open his safe deposit box. Inside was a deed to a building in downtown Los Angeles including stock certificates in his name. Apparently, his family purchased shares from a well-known beverage company when it first became public and held on to those shares. Draven decided to sell it all and became an instant multi-millionaire while I remained the same old Evie.

Now, he's my boss. Of all the rotten luck!

"Evie, you haven't said anything. Is the croissant not to your liking?" Draven asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm so sorry. I completely spaced out," I apologized, slicing a piece of the croissant and placing it inside my mouth. It was buttery, crisp and delicately sweet, practically melting inside my mouth as I chewed. "Oh, wow! It literally melts in your mouth. Where did you buy this?"

"At that bakery around the corner," he answered. "Good, you like it. I was going to suggest we go to the diner, if you didn't like the croissant." I glanced at my watch. It was still early.

"You know what? Let's have breakfast at the diner. I'm wanting some bacon," I said, cleaning my hands of crumbs.

"Mmmm... that sounds good," Draven said, standing up. "Bacon it is." He grabbed my hands and quickly pulled me up... well,a bit too quickly. I lost my balance and fell on his hard, muscular chest. His arms immediately wrapped around me and for a moment, I felt warm and safe... like I belonged there.

I closed my eyes and savored the moment, breathing in his masculine scent, feeling the movement of his muscles under his shirt, and relishing, even for just one single moment, being the one woman in Draven Blake's arms.

"You, my dear, are hungry. Mama Agnes won't like hearing I haven't been taking care of you. I promised her I'd watch over you and keep you healthy," Draven said, pushing me upright and making sure I was standing properly. I frowned, noticing he made a face like being near was such an inconvenience to him.

Reality sure as shit hurts.

I grabbed my car keys and tried to quickly put everything I needed in my purse. "I'll follow you." I couldn't ride with him. I felt vulnerable. I just dreamt of kissing him. I also had to remind myself he was still with Cheryl.

"No, you aren't." He glanced at his watch. "It'll take us more time to weave through traffic. I'll just have Luke drive you home later." I stopped rushing about, stunned hearing Luke could drive me later. Luke usually picked up whoever Draven was dating on a Saturday afternoon for dinner and dancing.

"Wait? What?" I asked, abruptly turning to him with a confused expression on my face. "It's a Saturday remember?"

"Cheryl and I broke up last night," he finally clarified. "I was right. She was cheating on me with Harrison Crowe."

"Ew... Harrison Crowe?! That asshole! He's old enough to be her grandfather," I exclaimed. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, regrettably.

"It's her decision," he said, dismissively. "I guess after telling her the story of what he did to you while he was still married with wife number five gave her an idea. Anyway, it's her bed, now she'll have to lie in it. Come on, Evie. We need to go now to beat traffic." He stood up and walked to my front door.

"I'm good to go, I guess," I said, checking my phone before placing it inside my purse. "I just have that one meeting with Kimura group and I have some documents I need to go over before I can rest for the weekend. Oh, by the way, Mama Agnes is expecting us at her place tomorrow. Which reminds me I need to buy her a gift." Shit! How could I forget buying her a gift for her birthday?

I saw Draven grimace. He forgot to buy her a gift too. "We'll go after work. Thank you for reminding me. She'll be so pissed I forgot." He opened the door and almost collided with my other bestfriend. His face darkened, the animosity palpable.

"Look what the cat dragged in."

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