by Leslie North
Her orgasm quaked through her, stronger than the last, and she dug her fingernails into his sides as she came and came. Blake drilled up into her again, a muffled groan escaping him. He grimaced, his brows knitting together as he tossed his head back. His hips jerked once and then a second time, and then all that remained was the sound of their heavy breaths.
She couldn’t speak for what felt like forever. She collapsed on top of him, unable to support herself anymore.
“Sorry,” she murmured into his collar bone. “I couldn’t—”
“No, babe.” He pressed a kiss to her hairline. “No apologies. That was fucking epic and we need to cuddle after that.”
She snickered, cozying up to the hollow of his neck. “Epic is right.”
“I think I just orgasmed into next year.”
“I orgasmed into the next decade,” she countered, her voice lazy.
He squeezed his arms around her. “I’ll let you win this time. But only because I’m pretty sure I’ll beat you during round two.”
Warmth spread through her, and she couldn’t hide the grin that covered her face as she nuzzled up to him, their skin sticking from the drying sweat.
Blake wanted a round two. Well, she wanted a round two all the way to two hundred. And after this explosive first time together, she knew she needed to find a new job, because there was no way that she’d be able to keep herself from singing from the rooftops about this man. Remaining publicly discreet and professional would be too much of a challenge. She could do it for a little while, as she job hunted, but she wouldn’t be able to hold back for long.
Because one thing was for certain.
Now that she’d let Blake see all of her…she didn’t want this thing between them to stop.
Not for a long time.
11
Blake spent as much as time as he could wrapped in the sensual cocoon of Michelle’s home. Their reverie lasted a full day and then some. When Mollie was set to come back from her friend’s house on Sunday afternoon, Michelle suggested they part ways so his presence there wouldn’t be confusing to her daughter.
“I don’t want to leave, you know,” Blake said, brushing his lips against hers. They’d been saying goodbye at the door for at least fifteen minutes already.
“I know. I don’t want you to leave either.” She sighed, sinking deeper into the embrace. She just fit in his arms. It was a verified fact at this point. And he couldn’t believe how little he wanted to spend the rest of his Sunday without her at his side.
“Listen. How about this: I go check in at my own house, take care of a few things while you and Mollie get settled, then we all go to a drive-in movie tonight?”
She beamed up at him, appreciation sparkling in her eyes. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“And then we don’t need to be apart very long at all.” He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the sexy glow she’d taken on ever since that first orgasm he’d given her yesterday morning. He might never get tired of staring at this face. Having her in his arms. Spending every second possible with her.
He’d never felt this way about anyone before…and oddly, with Michelle, it didn’t scare him. Not like he would have expected.
“One more kiss,” she whispered, before pushing up onto her toes and planting one on him.
“One more make-out session, you mean,” he teased, and then snagged another kiss, this time with tongue.
She giggled, squeezing his waist. “Okay, enough. Mollie is on her way. I’ll send you constant text updates.”
“Good. I’ll be waiting for the word.” He kissed her one last time and finally stepped away from her. They grinned at each other like teenagers in love as he left the house and made his way to his car. Once he was inside the cool, black interior of his SUV, he heaved a sigh.
This was certainly new. And a whole lot of fun.
He checked his phone for the first time in what felt like days. He’d consciously not checked it yesterday, and had skipped his usual email and voicemail sweep that morning. He thumbed through the notifications he’d received, frowning when he saw a missed call and voicemail from the contractor overseeing the club’s construction.
He hurried to listen to the voicemail.
“Hey Blake, it’s Donnie. Just wanted to let you know we’ve run into a setback. Turns out we need a special electrical permit due to the wiring system the building has. Some sort of updated code that went into effect this year. It could put us back at least a week. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but we’re working on it. Call me if you have any questions.”
Panic sliced through him. Oh no. Opening a week later than the scheduled and announced date was not part of the plan, and it was not going to happen. Blake was the master of finding solutions, whether through his own ingenuity or from throwing money at the problem. If he had to, he’d max out both avenues to ensure that his club opened on time and that he saw the arrival of DJ Fiesta as Daniel had promised.
As he pulled out of Michelle’s driveway, all the relaxation and bliss he’d accumulated from the past thirty hours melted away. He mulled over his options as he began the drive back to his house.
They were in the final stages of this project. Every day—no, every hour—counted. Which meant that he needed to start brainstorming a solution to this latest problem immediately if he wanted this club to open on time.
He hurried to his house so that he could shower and put on fresh clothes. Once he’d changed into old jeans and a ratty hoodie, he called Donnie.
“Hey, Donnie. Just got your message.”
“Sorry for the bad news,” Donnie said.
“Listen, I think we can find a workaround.” Blake told him the ideas he’d had during the drive from Michelle’s house, and Donnie was receptive.
“We’re still down here right now,” Donnie said. “If you can come now, we can hammer out a plan. It might be possible to open on time. But we’ve gotta act quick.”
That, at least, was reassuring. Blake hurried back to his SUV, ideas swirling as he pulled out of the parking garage of his building and zoomed off for the club.
His mind wandered to Michelle. As if on cue, he received a text from her just then:
“Mollie’s home and she’s dying to see you! What showing should we go to? I see one for 4:40 and another for 5:20.”
His stomach knotted. It was 3:30 now. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to make either of those showings and still take care of business at the club.
He voice-commanded his phone to call Michelle, and she picked up on the second ring.
“Hello, sexy,” she murmured.
“Hey babe.” He grimaced as he readied himself to break their plans. This didn’t feel good at all. But the club was too important to him—the project was too time-sensitive. She’d have to understand. “I have some bad news.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t think I can do the drive-in tonight.”
There was silence for a moment, and then finally Michelle said, “Oh.”
He could hear the disappointment. “I’m really sorry. But something came up with the club. I have to take care of it.”
She sniffed. “Oh, well, of course. You should.” She paused, something unspoken clogging the air between them. “I just wish I hadn’t told Mollie.”
“Tell her I promise I’ll make it up to her.”
Michelle was quiet for a moment, and then said, “Yeah.”
Something didn’t seem quite right, but Blake couldn’t imagine what it was. This was part of his job—unforeseen complications occasionally derailed his plans. Michelle couldn’t be upset for too long…he hoped.
“I already miss you,” he said. “I promise we’ll see each other soon. It’s just that my contractor is only going to be available for a little bit longer. It’s Sunday, after all.”
“Why are they even working today?”
“Because we’re on deadline. There aren’t that many days until we open, a
nd, well, time is at a premium.” He turned on his blinker as he eased onto the freeway. “Trust me, I’m just as bummed about the cancellation. I was looking forward to our date night.”
“All right. Well, just let me know how it goes. We’ll talk later.”
“Bye, babe.”
He ended the call, but anxiety continued its slow trek through his limbs. He couldn’t say why, only that he felt lousy for having broken his promise to Michelle.
But he would make this up to both of them.
Blake intended to erase every ounce of doubt he’d heard in Michelle’s voice on the phone.
She had no idea who she was dealing with when it came to surprises and grand gestures. And Blake intended on bringing Michelle and Mollie back onto Team Blake in no time.
12
The following Friday was a big deal to Michelle for two reasons.
First: this was Blake’s big night of making it up to her for bailing on their movie date last Sunday.
And second: she had news for him. She’d had an interview for a new job that morning.
Excitement and nervousness swirled inside her as she got ready for their evening. Her parents were in town from Nevada, and had whisked Mollie off to dinner at her favorite restaurant: Red Lobster.
As she finished her eye makeup, she couldn’t help but worry that he might cancel again. Part of her was keeping an eye on the phone for an apologetic call or text. Even though she perfectly understood the reason that he’d dipped out last Sunday was beyond his control, she secretly wondered if it was actually the nightclub that had made him call off their date, or if that was just a convenient cover for something else.
These were the scars she carried from dating a manipulative man. Sometimes, she was able to catch herself, and rationalize things. Remind herself that Blake wasn’t her ex, and that sometimes, life got in the way of plans. Other times, she got swept away in the doubt and unknowing.
Because even if he was telling the truth—which she believed—there still remained the fact that he was a bachelor who had no idea what it was like being a single mom. Raising a child all by her lonesome.
She was responsible for so much more than just making sure Mollie went to bed on time and ate three meals a day. She needed to manage this fragile, loving being’s emotions and expectations. Which meant that she needed to tread very carefully.
If he broke a promise to Michelle, she could handle it. But Mollie? When he made promises to her, he needed to keep them. Michelle had faced an entire twenty-four hours of pouting and disappointment from Mollie, which broke Michelle’s heart even further. Whether or not they’d planned on it, Blake had carved a space for himself in their lives.
She just hoped that he understood that his place in her daughter’s life was becoming more and more important. Things were fun for now—but did he really take this seriously? Doubt flickered in her more than she liked to admit.
She frowned as she finished touching up her eye makeup. She hated that this was what she dwelled on prior to her big Friday night out. She should be cultivating a happy and lighthearted mood. She and Blake were meeting his friends for a group belated birthday dinner for him, and she wanted it to be a great night—not only for her and Blake, but for him and his friends.
This was a big deal. It was a step forward. She would be meeting his two best friends who were as close to him as brothers, as well as their significant others. Which meant Blake was bringing her as his significant other. It was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking.
Especially because she still couldn’t entirely convince herself that Blake was ready to be in a serious relationship with her.
Will you stop it already? She made a kissy face into the mirror. It was time to let go of these negative thoughts. She needed to stop worrying about Blake and their relationship and just let things unfold naturally. Organically.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Blake that said, “I’m here babe—ready for you.” She grinned and hurried downstairs, her heels clipping softly against the wood floor as she grabbed for the jean jacket she’d paired with a bright and vibrant multi-jewel tone dress. She slipped her purse over her shoulder and breezed out of the house, butterflies filling her stomach as she saw Blake step out of his SUV to greet her.
He had dark designer slacks on, paired with a button up that had the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His sexy grin nearly sent her to her knees as she rushed toward him for a hug.
“It’s been too long, babe,” he whispered into her ear.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a year.”
“And I just saw you Wednesday,” he said. Which was true—except it had been at work. She’d been waiting for him to offer to come over—she’d even hinted at it plenty of times in their frequent texts—but he hadn’t taken the bait until the weekend. More doubts flooded her. Why had he waited so long?
“Well, I’m ready for a fun night out,” she said, heading for her side of the car. But Blake grabbed her wrist, bringing her against him.
“Don’t I get a kiss?”
She grinned up at him, pushing onto her toes to kiss him once, and then twice more. Blake hummed as he squeezed the tops of her hips.
“You can’t say hi without a little tongue,” he chided her jokingly.
“Ah, of course. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He led her to the passenger’s side, kissing her hand before opening the door so he could climb in. Once he was settled into his seat, he sent her a sexy smile. “You have no idea what’s waiting for you tonight.”
“Oh, jeez. I thought it was just going to be your best friends, but now I’m wondering.”
He snorted as he pulled out of her driveway. “Well, that part is right. But this restaurant…” He clucked his tongue. “Out of this world. I can’t wait until you see the menu.”
“Wow. That really is saying something, coming from you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, you’ve seen and done everything.” She squeezed his knee. “At least it seems that way to me.”
He smirked, sending her a look. “I’m hardly as well-versed in life as you think I am. But I appreciate your confidence in me.”
She leaned over the center console to plant a kiss on his cheek. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Their car ride to the business district took about a half hour. They chatted and listened to music, but Michelle’s nagging feeling persisted. Something was off with him. She didn’t know what it was. Had no idea how to even ask him. But it was there.
Once they pulled up to the restaurant valet, Blake went into celebrity mode as he handed off the keys—a certain type of cool, calm and collected persona that he had in public spaces. She supposed it came from his lifestyle—or at least the types of people he usually dealt with. At any rate, it was one of many things that fascinated her about Blake. She couldn’t keep the grin off her face as he escorted her into the restaurant on his arm, feeling every inch the VIP at his side.
The restaurant they’d come to was simply called VINO and featured a trendy, modern layout inside—low, rectangular booths around boxy, artistic tables. The air smelled like the most drool worthy food, even though she couldn’t pick out a single, individual scent. Blake pressed a hand to the small of her back as they followed the hostess through the restaurant, winding between tables toward a back room adorned with potted palms and sconce lights.
Inside, Blake’s friends waited. The two men came to their feet first, wrapping him in hugs and friendly claps on the back, and then their significant others headed his way for hugs too. Once they’d all greeted him, Blake turned to Michelle.
“You guys, I have someone special I want you to meet,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist. “Her name’s Michelle.”
Michelle bit at her bottom lip, heat creeping over her cheeks. It was mildly embarrassing, but she loved it at the same time. Blake introduced everyone one by one. His best friends offered their hands, but their partners
—Mila and Jackie—pulled her into hugs.
“It is so good to meet you,” Mila said, guiding Michelle toward her seat facing Blake across the long table. “Honestly, with the way Blake talked about you, I wasn’t entirely sure you were real.”
“Oh, no?” She laughed as she slid into her seat, finding a glass of sparkling water already waiting for her. Jackie raised her hand to summon the waiter, who arrived at the table a moment later.
“It’s our best friend’s birthday,” Grayson said, who sat in the middle between Daniel and Blake. “Bring us your most ostentatiously expensive wine.”
Michelle snickered as Mila rolled her eyes.
“Red or white, sir?” the server asked.
“Red. No, white. Blake, why don’t you choose?”
“Red,” Blake confirmed.
The server walked off and the table of friends grinned at each other. And truly—already—Michelle felt like she was among friends. She’d met Grayson and Daniel before at the stadium, and their significant others were incredibly welcoming.
“We heard you gave Blake an incredible birthday present,” Daniel said, smiling over at her.
“It was a poorly made pineapple upside down cake,” she countered. “Hardly incredible.”
“And homemade lasagna,” Blake countered. “And balloons, and all those sweet cards.”
Michelle grinned at him. “Okay, yes. It was an incredible birthday.”
“Blake never cares when I make him lasagna,” Grayson teased. “That’s how we know this is for real with you two.”
Michelle laughed, looking over to Blake for his reaction. But he was fully focused on his phone, frowning.
“What was that?” he asked, putting his phone aside.
“Just saying that you never got all excited when I made you lasagna,” Grayson repeated.
Blake snorted. “You haven’t made me lasagna a day in your life. And if you tried, it would come out so badly I wouldn’t even recognize it as lasagna.”