by Alicia Rae
His stride never hesitated or faltered. They were all taken with confidence and consistency. I picked up his rhythm, and my steps were gracefully flowing with him.
In awe that he was not a simple two-stepper, I asked, “Where did you learn to dance like this?”
I regretted my question instantly at the sad smile in his expression.
“My aunt Grace taught me to dance when I was a kid,” he answered.
His expressive eyes told me everything I needed to know.
He added, “She passed away a few years ago, but I still remember every dance move she’d ever taught me.”
I quickly put two and two together, realizing he must be talking about Lily’s mom. I remembered that Lily had lost her family a few years ago, but that was all I knew. I wanted to ask him more and offer solace to him. Now, at a bar, was surely not the proper time though.
“I’m so sorry,” I said with utmost sincerity and a frown.
“Me, too,” he said, his tone sounding heavy, as he nodded.
Then, like a rapid snap of the fingers, Blake’s expression went unreadable, completely blank, throwing me for a loop.
He repositioned himself slightly, dropped his right hand to my lower back, stepped outward, and effortlessly guided me into a spin. By the time I returned his hold, his face was alight and focused solely on me.
Determination filled his features. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night, Audrey,” he said softly so that only I could hear, still keeping his steps in rhythm.
My steps hesitated, but Blake caught me, and we continued to move.
“I can’t,” I responded, shaking my head adamantly.
He led me into an unfamiliar step and tipped me back. His hands supported my back as it arched. He slightly bent toward me as the song neared its end.
His unbelievably blue eyes were inquisitive. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Both,” I rasped unevenly, praying for strength to resist this kindhearted man who deserved so much more than what I had to offer him.
He leaned in further, close enough to where I thought he was going to kiss me. My breathing deepened as my body became achingly aware of him. My subconscious begged for him to close that tiny gap between us, so I could know what his lips felt like.
It was his turn to shake his head. “So, you’re telling me that if I kissed you right now…”
He paused as though letting my anticipation heighten or giving me a chance to tell him no. It was a nerve-racking mere seconds as my mind and body went to war. He gracefully slid one hand up to the middle of my back, resting it in between my shoulder blades to support my upper body.
“It wouldn’t feel the same to you as it would to me?” He brushed his lips over my own. “And you wouldn’t kiss me back?”
The connection between us fogged my mind and judgment. I was not sure if what he’d asked was really a question or a challenge, but my lips longed for him, and they won the heady battle, sealing themselves over his.
Bystanders be damned, I kissed him. The first few seconds, he let me explore his mouth tentatively. His full lips were exquisitely soft, curving and molding around mine. Then, as though his resolve broke free, he took over our embrace, controlling it and kissing me ardently, like he needed me to breathe. His hands kept hold of me, supporting my weight, while his mouth captured and tasted, as if he could not stand any space between us, until he and I were gasping for air.
Somewhere along the way, the previous song had ended, and a new one was already in full swing. As Blake righted our position, I noticed that Gail, Abbey, and Lily were all watching us with astonished yet dreamy wide eyes.
“Now, that was a kiss!” Gail whooped out loud with a smirk, throwing her fist in the air.
“Get a room!” Damon scoffed.
“That was gross! I don’t want to see that shit!” Jason made a teasing mock face of disgust.
Kyle nudged Jason in the arm. “That’s how I feel about you kissing my sister.” Kyle cocked a brow at him. “About damn time I get some payback.”
“Like I want to see you kiss my cousin either.” Jason rolled his eyes, jokingly shoving Kyle back. “Touché, fucker.”
Lily positioned herself in between her cousin and husband. “Do I need to separate you two kids?” she asked, joining in on the fun chatter.
“Nah,” Kyle said, enclosing his arms around his wife. “You know we can’t help ourselves.”
“Sounds like brotherly love to me.” Abbey shrugged, laughing. Then, she glared at her brother. “Although, Kyle hasn’t ever put a frog in your bed or started a mud fight with you, like he did to me when we were kids, so consider yourself lucky.”
The banter continued as I turned back to face Blake.
“Are they always like this?” I whispered so that only he could hear.
“I haven’t been around my brothers and Lily for more than a few days at a time the last several years, so I know about as much as you do.” Blake laughed quietly. I could hear the love and affection for his family in his tone. “But knowing how my two brothers and I treated each other as kids and the way Lily could hold her own back in the day…yeah, it sounds pretty normal.”
Laughter seeped out of me. “Then, I guess we don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Just me kicking all their asses for interrupting our kiss.” Blake grinned devilishly.
The corner of my mouth quirked up in amusement. “They didn’t impose on our kiss. It ended,” I countered.
“No,” Blake stated, his eyes dark with desire, “it’s only just begun.”
Then, he captured my lips again, and a few gasps surrounded us, but I did not care. I was way too busy exploring the man in front of me.
From somewhere deep within myself, I felt my body catch fire and awaken at his every caress. In the back of my mind, I knew this was bad, very bad, yet I was helpless to stop it. For letting myself enjoy this moment with Blake, I would surely be doomed with profound repercussions in the near future.
~Blake~
It had been five whole damn days since I saw those stunning green eyes of hers and tasted that sweet mouth before safely driving her home after a night of fun with family and friends at the bar. I had even given her my number before we parted ways, and I had missed no calls. Apparently, that was my hint that we were unquestionably not going to have dinner anytime soon.
Or so Audrey thought.
I could not put into words what I felt when her name or the image of her gorgeous smile went through my mind. Only, her conservativeness was unsettling, but her inner beauty was a breath of fresh air, and I had no intention of giving up so easily on something I wanted.
And I wanted more time to get to know Audrey.
I would just have to be more creative, that was all.
So, today after work, I stopped by Damon and Gail’s to pick up some new blueprints for a job we were starting next week.
Damon opened the front door and smiled at me. “Hey, man.” He motioned for me to come inside. “Come on in, and I’ll get the designs for you.”
“Thanks,” I replied, stepping into the apartment.
Gail came around the corner and beamed over at me. “Hey, stranger,” she said, approaching me.
“Hey yourself.” I grinned affectionately. “How are you?”
“Excellent,” she responded, leaning up against the kitchen counter. “What brings you by?”
“Just getting my next mountain of a to-do list from your man.”
“Oh, jeez. I bet that’s a long one.” Gail laughed.
“I have no doubt.”
Damon sauntered back into the room and outstretched his hand. “Here you go. Jason already picked up his copy, so this one is yours.”
“Sounds good,” I answered, taking the blueprints of a small local restaurant. “Are we still starting this new project on Monday?”
“Yes. It will overlap with the dental office we are finishing up, but since you and the crew only have a few finishing touches”—Damon
smirked—“it should be easy for you guys.”
I raised a brow at him, stifling my humor. Damon always liked to give me a challenge.
“It will be,” I agreed.
“Good.” Damon chuckled, backing up toward Gail. He slipped his arm around her waist. “Anything new with you?” he asked in a probing tone.
“Uh…like what?” I questioned.
Gail playfully nudged Damon in the arm. “Stop beating around the bush.” She glanced over at me. “We were curious to know if you’ve talked with Audrey at all this week since our night out at the bar.”
“Oh,” I replied, stunned at the sharp change in topic. “No. She seems to be avoiding me.”
“That’s interesting,” Gail purred, lifting her hand to grasp her chin, as if deliberating. “Though, I shouldn’t be shocked.”
“Is Audrey playing hard to get, man?” Damon’s voice was laced with hilarity.
“Yeah, something like that,” I answered, not sure how to explain it.
“No, she isn’t,” Gail cut in defensively. “You just don’t know that much about her.” She strolled over to me with a thoughtful expression. “Blake, you have to understand something about Audrey. She’s not the dating type. In fact, she is the most anti–fairy tale woman you’ll ever meet.”
“Then, why on earth would you force Audrey to plan our wedding?” Damon scoffed gently.
My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, wanting to hear that answer myself.
“Because I want to help her,” Gail stated confidently.
Damon perked a brow at his fiancée. “By torturing her?”
“No.” Gail sighed exasperatedly.
A small laugh escaped my lungs. This is good stuff right here.
“My intentions are to show her that fairy tales do exist and that she doesn’t need to be alone forever.”
After the things I’d seen and done in my military career, I did not know if fairy tales existed myself, but I sure as hell was interested to find out why Audrey did not believe in them. It had been apparent that she guarded part of herself from others, but she shouldn’t have to. From what I had already seen, she was a great person who genuinely cared for those around her.
“So, how do I get her to go out to dinner with me?” The words had just flown out of my mouth.
Gail appeared to be in deep thought as Damon set his hand on his chest and laughed his ass off.
“Oh, wow.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I never thought I’d see the day my big brother fell flat on his ass for a woman. Too bad Jason missed it.”
“I haven’t fallen anywhere.” I jokingly glared over at my brother. “But if you don’t get out of here, so I can talk to Gail without your comicalness, I am going to knock you on your ass—literally.”
“Whoa!” Damon defensively threw his hands up in front of himself, still chortling. “Let’s not give each other black eyes before your first big date.”
“Dinner,” I corrected. “And we don’t want you to have a shiner for your wedding either.”
“Very true!” Damon smirked. “I’ll leave you two alone, so you can chatter away.” He gave Gail a smacking kiss before turning to me. “I already caught my girl,” he added, making Gail blush before he walked off.
“So, you want to take one of my besties out for dinner and woo her, huh?” Gail teased. Her eyes shined with amusement.
“Don’t you start in on me, too, future sister.” I grinned boyishly. “Because I was growing very fond of you.”
“Well then, we wouldn’t want to jeopardize that, now would we?” Gail chortled. “So, how can I play matchmaker?”
“I don’t need one of those.” I frowned, unsure of what the hell I wanted. “I just want to take Audrey out to dinner.”
“What was her answer?” Gail questioned curiously.
“At first, it was a yes, so I gave her my number. Now, I’m assuming by her strategic avoidance that she changed her mind somewhere along the way.”
Gail bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh…yeah, Audrey can be good at averting a man.”
“I’ll say,” I agreed, thinking of the stubborn green-eyed beauty. “So, how do I get past that minor detail?”
“That’s an easy one,” Gail said simply as if it were no big deal. “Just show Audrey something you enjoy doing for fun.”
“Huh?” I murmured. I was at a complete loss. Hell, I didn’t even know what I liked to do in my free time. That was not a luxury in the Marines.
“Audrey is a locked box,” Gail indicated. “She will not let you in right away, so my suggestion is to show her the person you are.”
This woman makes no sense. “How will that help me get to know her?” I retorted, exasperated.
“Look, I don’t even know that much about Audrey, other than the very basics friends tell each other. She’s always been reserved about her home life,” Gail said in a sad tone. “When we were kids, I made the first move to be her friend, and Audrey slowly opened up to me over time—with limitations, of course.”
As Gail continued talking, I was trying to follow along and take in any information I could about Audrey, but hearing more about her home life made my eyes see red, and my heart clenched into a ball. I had no idea what the fuck was up with Audrey’s parents, but I was going to find out and help her with that bullshit.
As I tamed my inner urge to run to Audrey this very moment, I tried to focus back on Gail.
“So, let her see who you are,” Gail said. “My only advice is, don’t ask her about her family.” She shook her head, seemingly pondering sympathetically about her friend. “It will only shut her down.”
I absorbed everything Gail had said, but I could not refrain from asking, “What do you know about her mom and dad?”
“They are horrible people, and the entire town feels the same,” Gail replied on a sigh. “Look, that isn’t my story to tell, not that I know much of it. I only have my own assumptions. At any rate, you need to hear the facts from her.”
I nodded and offered Gail a gracious smile. “Thank you, Gail. I greatly appreciate your help.”
“Hey, I haven’t helped you yet.” Gail teasingly threw her hands up in the air and stood to her full height. “Don’t be surprised if she chucks eggs out the window at you to warn you off.”
“I’ll bring an umbrella with me,” I started to say. Then, her words sank in a little further, causing me to gape at her. “Wait, did Audrey do that to you?”
“Yep.” Gail laughed. Then, guilt settled across her face. “But in all fairness, I TPed her house first.”
I restrained from laughing. “What for?”
“You know, typical senior-prank stuff,” Gail admitted sheepishly.
“Nope. I don’t know what stuff you’re talking about,” I deadpanned.
Gail tossed her head back, chuckling. Then, she pinned me with her eyes. “Don’t bullshit me, Blake. You’re not very innocent yourself there, mister. Damon told me all about the time you ambushed him with your paintball gun.”
“Damn,” I replied under my breath.
“Yeah, I’ve already been around your brother too long. You can’t fool me.”
The way Gail spoke of Damon had my heart acting peculiar again. I could hear the love in her voice, and I had already witnessed the way my brother looked at her. It made me damn happy for him that he’d found such a girl, and it also instilled me with a slice of hope that I might someday be worthy of such a woman, too.
“I’m happy for you two, Gail.” I smiled over at her. “I don’t know all the details of how you met my brother, but I’m grateful you came into his life.”
Gail’s mouth opened slightly, and her eyes overflowed with softness that glittered back at me. “Thank you. He says I’m his everything, but the truth is, he’s mine.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say. I had never been in love before, but I had to admit that seeing a woman love my brother made me ache for someone to feel that way toward me.
Gail stepped forward and set her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t give up on Audrey,” she said softly. “She’s going to protect her heart and push and fight you every step of the way. If anyone is strong enough to show her another path in life, it’s you.”
Fuck, now I’m really speechless.
Gail’s words hit me hard. I slung my arm over my future sister-in-law and hugged her.
“Thank you for that,” I replied at last.
She squeezed me back. “You’re welcome.”
“Hey!” Damon exclaimed.
Gail and I broke apart.
As Damon’s face split into a tongue-in-cheek grin, he tugged Gail into his side. “Go get your own damn girl, asshole. I’m not letting you take mine!”
“Simmer down there, brother.” I chuckled deeply. “I’m off to catch my own woman,” I added with a wicked, determined grin of my own as I headed for the door.
“Blake?” Gail asked, earning my attention.
“Yeah?”
“Since she returned home, every Saturday morning at ten sharp, Audrey may or may not volunteer to read to young kids at the El Dorado County Library, off of Rufus Allen Boulevard. It was something she did back when we were kids. But you didn’t hear it from me.” Gail winked.
“Thanks.” I smiled kindly back at her.
It seemed I was finally going to catch a break—or so I hoped.
I pulled into the small parking lot of the library and parked my truck. Lots of cars were coming and going. Boys and girls, looking to be between the ages of four to ten, held books in their hands while talking among their family members and peers.
As I made my way into the building, I was surprised to see how many people had shown up for a Saturday morning reading program. Following along with the crowd, I entered through the main door and went down a flight of stairs.
The basement was fully finished and kid-friendly. Wall-to-wall bookshelves outlined the entire perimeter. Round tables were spaced evenly throughout the room, and in between those were shorter bookshelves appropriately sized for a child.
There were just so many books and kids with glowing broad smiles. It was a sight to behold. I noticed an elderly lady with brown hair wrapped in a bun gathering the children, and I assumed she was the librarian.