by Dawn Doyle
Blaine was silent for a moment, but when his arms tightened around me, it didn’t stop me thinking I’d said something stupid. “I’m not.”
I titled my head back to look up at him. His eyes were closed, but the tightness to his mouth had me wondering if he was holding me close out of courtesy. “You don’t have to,” I replied as I began pulling away. “I’m not either.” It was true. I’d always felt the need to break away to get air, the claustrophobia of being held close unsettling and causing me to seek my own space. But not this time. This time I wanted to get closer, to have the feeling of being smothered with affection, with kisses, with love… If Blaine didn’t want that, then I wasn’t about to force him to.
“Don’t you dare move,” he snapped, but his voice was soft. He opened his eyes, but the emotion there didn’t match the slight purse to his lips. “I want you to stay there, Robyn, okay? I just…” He blew out a long breath. “Just stay there.”
I nodded the tiniest bit and resumed my position against Blaine’s side, my arm over his hard stomach, and his arms closing around me, pulling me into the embrace I’d just wished for.
Fingers ran through my hair, and my eyes grew heavy as Blaine stroked over my head. I felt his lips press against me as I began to drift off, and just caught the sounds of his voice as he mumbled something under his breath.
Chapter 10
Blaine
“Blaine, you need to calm the hell down,” Brady said as I paced back and forth across the living room.
“I can’t,” I replied, running my fingers through my hair for the hundredth time. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”
“You must know something, seeing as you came to me with whatever the fuck has got you spooked.” My eyes snapped to his, my step faltering. His faced drained of color. “Fuck, Blaine, what did you do?”
My stomach lurched for a second, but relaxed when I doubted he knew about my other shit. I shook my head and resumed my pacing along the dark-wood floor. I’d shown up at his new apartment after texting him that I needed to talk. Luckily, he lived alone, so there was less chance of somebody just turning up unannounced.
“I haven’t done anything. Well, that’s a lie—I’ve done many things, but this is something else.”
“I haven’t seen anybody act this crazy, even you since Lucian met…” His eyes narrowed. “Oh, I see,” he drew out. “I get it now.” The asshole grinned and sat back on the black couch, folding his arms over his chest. “Woman troubles.”
“No troubles.” I shook my head quickly. “Fuck, Brady, I came to you because you’re the only one that didn’t really give Lucian shit over Luca.”
“He’s my twin brother, of course I’m not going to give him shit,” he countered.
“The fact that he’s your brother means that you would give him the most shit,” I fired back, then frowned because I was still not making any sense, even to me. “But because you didn’t, I thought I could come to you.”
He clasped his hands and rested them behind his head, smugness written all over his face. His dark eyes crinkled with amusement, the same kind I would be showing if it were the other way around. “You can, and you did.”
I stopped pacing, changing my mind about the whole thing. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” I scrubbed my hands down my face. I’d be enjoying watching me squirm, saying things to make the situation so awkward that I’d be begged just to shut the fuck up. But this wasn’t like that. I was in the situation, and it wasn’t funny in the damn slightest. “I should go and talk to Luca.” I headed toward the door.
“She would only tell Lucian,” Brady said, making me stop.
I looked back. “Do you think so?”
He nodded slowly. “Who do you think told us about Robyn? Charlie didn’t find that out, Blaine, Luca told Lucian because he was worried about you and she didn’t want him to. He told us.”
“What?” I hissed.
“Yeah. It was only then that Charlie looked a lot more closely into that guy’s unhealthy obsession with you. Mica, was it?” He blew out a breath while I held mine.
My fists clenched at my sides, anger swirling inside me at the thought they’d been spying on Robyn and not me. “What the fuck, Brady?” I growled. “Spy on me, that’s one thing, but keep Robyn the hell out of it!”
He jabbed his finger toward me. “That, right there, is the reason, dude.”
I flinched back. “What?”
He pointed again. “You’re getting fucking irate over her. What’s the deal? Is that why you came to talk? Because you’re in love with her and you don’t know how to handle it?”
A ton of bricks might as well have fallen down on me because a huge fucking weight dropped, knocking me for six. “I don’t… I…”
Brady grinned and gestured to the couch. “Just as I thought. I can tell just by looking at you, Blaine. You don’t have to be my brother to see that you’re messed up over this girl. Fuck, we’re all practically family, so figuring each other’s shit out isn’t as difficult as you’d think.”
My shoulders sagged, and I dragged my feet toward the couch, then dropped onto the seat. “I cuddled,” I admitted, closing my eyes, ready for the laugh and ribbing. I would do it, so I couldn’t complain when it came back on me.
“Cuddled? What do you mean?”
“I’m not spelling it out for you, Brady.” He wasn’t getting any details from me, and definitely not about Robyn.
“Oh,” he said slowly. “Fuck, you are in deep with Robyn. Shit, you would usually tell me you fucked someone and then you were outta there—”
“Jesus Christ!” My eyes flew open I jerked up in my seat to find a stupid knowing grin across his face.
Brady slapped his hand on my shoulder. “Does she know?”
It didn’t take a genius to work out what he meant. “No.”
He let out a long breath. “Do you think she’d bolt if she did? I mean, our history—your history.”
My insides heaved at the thought. The feelings I had for Robyn were nothing I’d felt for anyone, and the thought of her leaving me tore me up, ripping through my chest and slicing through my heartstrings one by one, the clawed demon laughing at me, telling me I never deserved her in the place.
I’d left Robyn early hours of the morning while she slept. I’d watched her for over an hour, smiling to myself as she spoke in her sleep. Her voice was so quiet, her words jumbled, that I couldn’t make out anything except for something about a race and a crash.
While I lay next to her with her curled against me, flashes of my childhood had come back, the times I would see my mom smiling at my dad with a strange look in her eyes. But, it was short lived. My phone had vibrated, reminding me I had a job to do and it had to be done right away. The sooner it was over with, the sooner I could get back to her. Two days was a fucking long time, especially when all contact had to be severed for their sake as well as your own. We’d texted back and forth at the end of our working days, and Robyn had never asked what I was up to. She was giving me the space I said I needed, and fuck if I didn’t love her just for that.
“Brady, I have to go,” a female voice came from the room down the gray-walled hallway. “Oh, hi.”
A woman walked toward us, her blonde hair messy as though she’d been thoroughly fucked, whatever makeup she had on worn off in places, and faint remnants of color smudged around her mouth.
I raised a brow at Brady.
“Uh, sure, Cara,” Brady said, lifting his hand. “See you around.”
My eyes swept back to Cara, who stood with her black heeled shoes in her hands. Her tiny scrap of a dress, what I would usually be all over, looked like it was for a night out rather than a morning outfit.
Her face fell, but as soon as it did, she pasted on a fake smile and pushed her tangled hair back. “Yeah, sure.” She tiptoed on her bare feet toward him, stooped down and pushed her tits forward. I studied her when she lifted his chin with a long nail and kissed him right on the mouth.
Right after she straightened, she looked at me. “I’ll see you too, honey. I’ll be the one in the cage.” She walked past me and licked her lips, but I rolled my eyes.
The second I heard the door close, Brady held up his hands. “Hey, I never said I was alone, dude, I just said to come over.”
“You could’ve told me one of your fuck buddies were still here, though.” I shook my head. Since Lucian had become a hot shot on the MMA scene, Brady had gotten famous with the girls who held up the cards between rounds as well as being Lucian’s manager. I’d had my share of fun with a few, but I’d gotten out of that a few months before I’d first spoken to Robyn.
The corners of my mouth twitched. Just thinking about her made me smile. Yeah, she had definitely gotten under my skin like a damn tattoo, and there was no way in hell was I going to remove her from where she belonged.
“We only got back a few hours ago, and she was still sleeping when you got here. I didn’t think it was important,” Brady said with a shrug, then held his arms out to the sides before resting them on the back of the couch. “You know how it is, Blaine. I’m single, I have my own place now, so there’s gonna be girls coming and going.” His eyes narrowed. “This version of you is beginning to unsettle me, though. Seriously, you have nothing to say? Nothing like, how I should get a ticket dispenser? Or that they’re only coming to me because you’re too much for them to handle?”
I snorted a laugh. “Brady, Brady, Brady,” I said, shaking my head. “Have you not learned anything by being friends with me?” I twisted in my seat to face him and clapped my hand on his shoulder. “You saying those things only proves that I don’t even have to open my mouth for the truth to come out.” I got up and walked toward his front door, turned the chrome handle, then stopped to glance back. “I’ve taught you well, grasshopper.”
Brady laughed. “There you are.” He pointed at me, then his laughter subsided, his brows knitting together. “Just tell her, though, or it’ll drive you insane. I can tell you’re in deep with this girl, and I don’t want you to go through the pain like Lucan did.”
I knew exactly what he meant, and I hoped to hell that I never had to go through that. The thing was, it was almost guaranteed.
“I’ll figure something out,” I replied, but I had no fucking clue what I would say. Hey, Robyn, I jack cars for fun. Are you okay with that? Cool, baby, wanna join me on a special excursion to scout for a new set of wheels? Don’t worry, I have the details I stole from work, that’s why I twisted our conversations to make sure my job never came up. Yeah, she would totally go for that.
I thought about that a little longer. I hadn’t done a personal job in a while, and it took standing here with Brady while I freaked out to make me realize that.
Brady blew out a breath. “We’re all friends, even though sometimes we haven’t been all that great to each other.” No shit. My eyes turned skyward at that comment. He stood and walked over to me while I still held the door open. It was his turn to clap his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, we’ve looked out for each other from day one. We’re here for you no matter what, you know that.”
Did I, though? The last get together didn’t turn out so well, with me leaving as though I was a screw-up and willing to walk away from them. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t, but I sure felt like I was on the outside of the group, clinging on with the tips of my chewed-up nails, grasping at what was left of our ‘family.’
Robyn
The walls were the same pale shade of green as they had always been, the stains never painted over in the three and a half years I’d been attending the office. The putrid smell of old carpet hung in the air, probably from the thousands of dirty feet that had trailed in and out of the building, as well as the spilled coffee, vomit, and pee that had been taken for drug testing. The plug-in scents did nothing to mask it, only adding to the gut-churning aroma in the air.
“So, you’ve got just over five months left on probation, and three thousand four hundred dollars left to pay,” Derek said as he looked down into my file. He pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose. “No speeding tickets, no arrests…” He looked up at me then, his dark eyes penetrating me as though checking for lies. “No driving of unapproved vehicles.”
I shook my head while clutching the black strap of my satchel. “No, Derek. I’ve driven my Swift, and that’s it. I’ve been a passenger of a fast car, though,” I admitted, instantly regretting it when his eyes narrowed on me. “I’ve not been in the driver’s seat, I promise.”
“Hmm, we wouldn’t want you to violate your probation,” he drawled, flicking the page and scribbling something down. I hated when he did that because I had no idea what he was writing. “It would be a shame if you did, Robyn. You know the consequences.”
“Of course.” I did, and I wasn’t going to risk it. Aaron had gotten away with what had happened, but me… Yeah, he’d made sure I took the blame for everything, even though he was the one who’d caused the accident.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you in four weeks. Don’t be late.”
“Thanks, Derek.” I stood from the orange plastic chair and headed out of the building, the dull ache between my legs throbbing with every step, the lingering reminder of the incredible night I’d spent with Blaine.
He’d left at some point in the early hours while I slept, sending me a message that he would be back as soon as he could. He’d texted me his new number, saying something about stopping annoying calls, then we’d texted back and forth during the nights, but he hadn’t called me at all. I remembered what he’d said about being gone for a couple of days, and I respected that. Whatever he had going on, I trusted he would tell me when he was ready. But, it was more than two days now, and I still hadn’t heard from him. The nagging feeling eating away in my gut wouldn’t let go of the thought that something was wrong—that he was avoiding me like he said he wouldn’t.
‘You fucking own me.' If I did, then where was he? If I were Blaine's as he claimed, why did he leave without saying anything?
I walked down the stairs of the stone building, watching my feet as I took each of the concrete steps. The second I reached the pavement, a silver car flew past the curb, speeding through the traffic as though it was on autopilot. My thoughts immediately went back to Blaine, and the way he drove with precision, just like I would have.
I rechecked my phone and saw I had a message from him. I swiped the screen and opened the notification.
‘I meant what I said, retweet.’
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach, my mouth spreading so wide I had to bite my lip so that I didn’t look like a lunatic as I stared at my phone. My fingers flew over the screen as I replied.
‘You have to show me, Summers. It’s been so long, I think I’ve forgotten.’
Yeah, like hell I had. I put my phone in the front pocket of my satchel and unlocked my car. Once inside, my phone pinged again, and I quickly yanked it out.
‘I’ll be over at your place in an hour, keep the door open.’
I involuntarily licked my lips, wondering what he was going to do when he got there. I put on my seat belt and started my car, my hands shaking with nerves as I pulled out into the flow of traffic.
My apartment was as clean as I could get it. I fluffed the gray cushions once more, and then looked around to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Why the hell was I stressing out? Sure, Blaine’s house was probably as beautiful on the inside as it was outside, and most definitely would be a better sight than this shoebox of a home, but it was mine; I’d worked damn hard for this.
I went to the window and checked outside for the fifth time, seeing no sign of him pulling up. My phone ringing on the coffee table had me running to pick it up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, babe!” Ella said, her happy voice making me smile. “How are things? It feels like I haven’t seen you in so long.”
I chuckled. “Ella, it’s been three days.” We’d worked a shift at Alpha together, and then she ha
d her scheduled days off when I was to work both jobs after that.
“I know, but it seems like we haven’t talked in ages. What’s up? Did you see Blaine? I need the details,” she sighed.
“Yeah, I saw him,” I replied, unable to keep from grinning. “I saw a lot of him.”
Ella’s gasp resonated down the line. “Did you? Oh my god, please tell me you did.”
Warmth heated my back, causing the tiny hairs on my skin to stand on end. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind and soft lips grazed the shell of my ear, my body firing up in an instant.
“Uh,” I had nothing. My words had died on the tip of my tongue. I turned my head to see Blaine gazing at me.
He took the phone out of my hand while his other one stroked up my stomach to my breast, then cupped me, his hand gently squeezing. He brought the phone to his ear. “Hi, this is the blond stud-muffin that rocked your friend’s world.” He pressed his lips to mine then spoke again. “I’m sorry she can’t come to the phone right now, she’s currently speechless at the god with his hands all over her.”
My jaw fell, and he pumped his eyebrows at the same time I heard Ella squealing down the phone, “Yes! Get some, girl!”
Blaine grinned. “Oh, she’s about to.” He hung up and threw my phone on the couch. “Hey.”
I turned in his arms. “What am I getting, exactly?” I asked, running my hands inside his dark-red hoodie and up over his chest. The white fabric of his T-shirt showcased his physique.
Blaine yanked me closer to him, his cock already hard and pressing into my stomach. “A whole lotta me, baby.”
He released my breast and ran his hands down my sides to my thighs, then hauled me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my loose, knee-length skirt riding up as I did.
“I missed you.”
Blaine smiled, then stroked down my cheek. “I missed you too, retweet.”
I crashed my mouth to his, tasting everything I’d missed since he’d left, my tongue searching for his and moaning when I found it, and just as eager as mine.