by Alicia Rae
My face curved into an affectionate smile at the care and worry in his eyes. It made my chest overflow with warmth.
“It’s just a paintball game. I’ll be fine,” I said, keeping assurance in my voice.
“I know,” he said without much force behind it. “If one of my brothers leaves a welt on you, I’m going to kick his fucking ass.”
I chuckled under my breath, realizing Jason and Damon probably felt the same way about Abbey and Gail.
I’m different from them though, aren’t I? The thought made me feel off-kilter, so I pushed it away.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a done deal that we are all going to be leaving here with welts.”
“You’re probably right.” Blake smiled and let out a deep breath. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
I glanced over at my friends to see they were each getting the same instructions and a vest as I had. Once they finished, we all walked out the back entrance to playing field number six. I hastily studied my surroundings, trying to memorize as much of it as I could. The place was huge, nearly the size of a football field.
Hay bales were stacked, forming barricades throughout the area. Most of them were stained, looking tie-dyed with all the dried splatters of paint. Old tractor tires were secured and standing up in the ground. Large trees also provided great shield. Painted doors and plywood appeared to be evenly placed, too.
Damon, Jason, and Blake all strolled over to the south side of the field, disappearing behind at least two dozen hay bales that were stacked seven or eight bales high. Abbey, Gail, and I all huddled on the north side behind a double-wide purple door anchored in the dirt.
“Man,” I breathed in horror. Nerves were creeping in fast with a vengeance. “We are all newbies going up against three brothers who probably have a whole childhood of experience on us.”
“You have nothing to worry about, Audrey.” Gail flippantly waved her hand in the air and whooped. “Have faith, and let’s show these men the POP.”
Abbey and I gave our friend a blank expression.
“What in the hell is a POP?” Abbey asked.
Gail jokingly rolled her eyes. “Power of the Pussy.”
Abbey and I made eye contact for about two seconds before bursting out into laughter.
“What?” Gail deadpanned with a shrug of her shoulders.
“That was totally not what I thought you were going to say,” Abbey replied in between her chuckling.
“Me either,” I added.
“What did you think it meant?” Gail questioned, leaning against the door.
“I thought you were going to say something like, ‘Bring on the heat,’ or ‘Women rule,’” Abbey responded, making funny gestures with her hands and paintball gun. “But POP does have a ring to it, so it definitely works for me.” She stepped forward and outstretched her gun. “POP, baby!”
“Let’s do this.” I clinked her barrel with my own.
“POP, bitches,” Gail added, making us all giggle again.
Damn, it feels good to let loose. Silly or not.
“Are you girls all done yacking over there? Ready to get dirty?” Damon yelled over his barricade with unmistakable hilarity ringing in his voice.
“Bring it!” Gail shouted at her man. Peeking her head around the door, she fired her gun at the hay bale.
“Let’s do it!” Abbey yelled, raising her gun in the air, before going out the opposite end as Gail.
“Shit, here we go.” I laughed more to myself than anyone.
My adrenaline spiked as I went out after my team members, terrified to get pelted with plastic balls. There was no way that could seriously feel good.
All of a sudden, Blake, Damon, and Jason all jumped out from their cover. The six of us scattered. Two sounds filled the air—a click and then a splat—one after another, over and over again, followed by laughter and screams.
Jason was the closest to me, so I fired at him. He was faster and dived behind a wooden shelter sticking out of the dirt. Next, Damon came out of nowhere and blasted a few paintballs my way. After a thump, thump, thump, I looked to the right and saw they had only missed my arm by a few inches.
I let out a relieved breath as Gail poked her head out from behind our barrier and around me. She began firing rounds as quickly as she could. I snapped into gear and aimed for him, too.
Within a few minutes, Damon strategically maneuvered himself near Abbey, ready to strike her. Jason appeared from behind a tree and closed in behind her.
He hit Damon square in the chest and clipped his right shoulder, switching teams to defend her. “Don’t hit my girl, asshole.”
“Thanks, babe.” Abbey grinned up at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Then, the two of them split up.
Pellets started flying in the air again. From whom, I wasn’t sure. I ducked for cover behind a yellow door. Just as I was about to make a run for it, strong, thick arms banded around my center and tugged me backward, causing me to yelp.
“Got you,” Blake crooned in my ear. He spun me around and pinned me up against the wood. His eyes shone with a teasing glint in them as he placed his elbow right above my head, resting it on the door.
I peered up at him, reflecting his expression. “You’re supposed to shoot me, not tackle me to the wall.”
“But catching you is more intriguing.” He grinned before swooping his arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him. His other hand came to my nape, tipping my head back to meet his scorching gaze. “So, I could do this.”
Then, he kissed me.
This wasn’t an ordinary kiss. His lips seized, captured, and consumed mine. They were soft and luscious yet overwhelming and powerful.
His tongue brushed back and forth along mine, soothing me from the depths of my core and rippling outward, calming a raging storm within me. No one had ever had such a profound effect on me. When he touched me, it would make me forget everything. My troubles, fears, reservations would be gone with just one kiss.
My hands twined into his hair, and I clung to him as though he were my lifeline, my reason for breathing. I was desperate never to let go.
In the next moment, pellets bombarded the yellow door around us and then across Blake’s back, followed by colored paint splattering at our sides along the wood. I could feel the gooey paint landing on the side of my face. We broke apart, and I took in the bright green glob of paint covering Blake’s right cheek.
“Be right back.” He grinned, gave me a quick peck on the lips, spun around, and fired his gun with quick succession.
I went to step around him to help.
Blake’s right arm reached out and pressed me against the wall. “Stay back.”
I glared at his back at his overreaction. My eyes wandered down the curve of his jeans as he continued in pursuit of Jason. I wondered how pissed Blake would be if I shot him in his tight ass with a pellet. I lifted my gun and fired, knowing I’d probably miss by a mile. The pellet flew through the air, and white paint splattered out of its capsule on my target. To my utter amazement, I’d actually struck his bottom left cheek.
Blake rubbed his ass, and he whipped around. All the while, I stood rooted in my stance. My eyes darted up to his to see them filled with pure shock. Hell, I was shocked.
“Oh shit,” I muttered under my breath, forcing my feet to move backward.
“You shot me!” Blake said, stalking closer. The look in his eyes changed, lurking with challenge and retribution.
“I’m so sorry!” I shrieked, raising my hands in the air.
Blake cocked his head at me. Now, because of his larger strides, there was only a distance of a few feet between us. “So, it was an accident?”
“Kind of,” I fumbled for a response.
“It either was, or it wasn’t.” He laughed.
I couldn’t tell if it was a good ha-ha laugh or an oh-shit laugh.
“I meant to hit you in the ass.”
His brows rose, making me chortle.
“But I thought I would miss,” I added.
“You remember what I said about taking it easy on you?” he asked in a low tone that had a sexy hum to it.
My heart rate soared. “Yeah.”
His head shook from side to side. There was less than a foot between us. “All bets are off.”
Knowing it was time to run, I turned the other direction and ran for it. Blake’s fingertips brushed along my side, only missing me by a hair as I took off. He stayed right on my tail. His longer strides soon overcame mine, and his hands looped around my waist and lifted me off the ground. Seconds later, I was over his shoulder.
“Hey!” I cried out, laughing uncontrollably. My hands came to his lower back for balance. “Put me down!”
“No one can save you now,” he said with a playful tone as he slapped my ass. “You’re all mine.”
We rounded two large trees that were close together. Abbey and Gail were standing on the other side, both covered in paint.
I watched Gail lift her paintball gun to aim at Blake. “Put her down!” she threatened good-naturedly.
I felt Blake shake his head, tickling my side. “No can do. This one’s all mine.”
“Wrong answer,” Abbey said in a theatrical voice, making me roll with laughter until she started firing at him.
“Don’t mess with the POP,” Gail added, perfectly matching Abbey’s tone. Then, she fired her weapon, too.
Blake took off running, backtracking to the two large trees. Jason and Damon came from the other side of our shelter and started chasing after their women. Blake set me down on my feet, and the two of us took off after the others.
By the time we finished, we were all dead on our feet. Every muscle in my body ached. Our clothes were now multiple colors. Dry, crusty paint was forming on my cheeks and arms.
In my twenty-five years, nothing had ever been more fun.
~Audrey~
Two weeks had passed in the blink of an eye.
After caring for my mother, I prepared myself a cold-cut turkey sub sandwich. I made Blake one, too, since I would be heading over there soon. Tonight, he was going to be working on my car at his house. Jason, Damon, and Kyle had lent him the necessary tools to hoist the fried motor out. This weekend, the four of them were going to install the new one together.
I placed the food in containers and also brought enough potato salad for the two of us. I dropped them into a tote bag along with an envelope of cash I had taken out of my savings to pay Blake for his time and hard work while fixing my car. I had never expected a free ride. I was just grateful for his help. I was unsure how Blake would respond to me compensating him for his efforts, so I was hoping I would find the right opportunity to approach him.
On the short walk to his house, I reveled in the peaceful quietness and fresh air while I cleared my mind.
Of course, it didn’t last long. Thoughts of Blake quickly took over, and conflicting emotions raged inside of me.
It was beyond easy to see something was brewing between us. I knew he cared for me, as I did for him. That was powerless to stop. But anything past that, I could stop, and I needed to end it before things got out of hand.
I would never allow my beliefs on love to change. Guilt filled my heart, knowing that it was unfair to drag Blake along, even for this long. It was time to tell him a friendship was all I had to give.
I paused on Blake’s front stoop to find the courage I so badly needed right now. I lifted my hand and knocked on his door. When he opened it, his smile was radiant, bright, and full of light.
He gestured for me to come inside his place. “Hey, come on in.”
The most delicious smell of chocolate filled my nose and carried me to the kitchen. “What is that smell?”
Blake shut the door behind me, chuckled, and followed me until we were standing in front of his kitchen island.
“Well, since you decided to bring dinner, I decided to make the goods.”
“What kind of goods?”
As if it were a sign from above, the timer dinged. Blake strolled over to the oven, picked up an oven mitt, and retrieved a pan. He unleashed a sideways grin. “Double fudge brownies,” he said before placing the pan on a hot pad.
“Oh my God,” I purred, inhaling. “Let’s just skip dinner and go straight for those bad boys.”
Blake briefly threw his head back and laughed richly. My eyes stuck on the movement.
“And here I thought you were one to follow the rules.”
I snorted. “There isn’t any such rule when it comes to brownies—well, any chocolate for that matter.”
Blake stalked closer, his body swaying in all the right places. The glint in his eyes was full of playful mischief. “Did I just find a weakness in that armor of yours?”
I inwardly gawked at him, perplexed by the strength and meaning of his words. My heart malfunctioned with an irregular stutter. I quickly racked my brain for a way to save myself. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out my sandwich, opened the container, and took a huge bite. All the while, I wished it were a big chocolate brownie.
Then, I swallowed and peered up into his eyes, forcing a smirk. “Nope.”
Blake’s expression reflected mine, and he breathed, “Liar,” as he outstretched his hand and wiggled his fingers at me.
Figuring it was my cue to give him his sub, I grabbed his out of my tote and handed it to him.
After eating our dinner and chowing down a third of the brownie plate between the two of us, Blake and I found ourselves in his garage. My earlier intentions of having a serious moment with Blake to thank him for fixing my car and to give him the money were long forgotten as Blake strutted around my Charger. I felt Karma kicking in full gear while I watched my own personal striptease, and my eyes traveled everywhere he did.
He was wearing dark jeans that slung low on his hips and clung to his perfectly toned ass. His fitted black tee showed off his immaculate physique.
I didn’t know what was more torturous to look at—the way his dense biceps and forearms flexed when he was using the wrench or how his shoulders and back muscles bulged against the cotton material when he bent over the hood of my car.
Yeah, there are things to be said about Karma.
It was frustrating and arousing at the same damn time.
By the time midnight rolled around, my aching core could bear no more sexiness, or I was going to jump him.
My old motor was now out of my car and hoisted on a large silver metal engine mount. Minutes later, just as I was about to thank him and excuse myself so that I could head home for the night, Blake shut the hood of my car.
“I think that about does it for today,” he said, wiping his hands off on a white towel before tossing it aside. He walked over to stand in front of me. He set his hands on my waist and drew me closer. “Half of the work is now done. All we have to do is put in the new engine when it arrives.”
I looped my arms over his shoulders and peered up at him, amazed by his generosity. “Thank you for helping me fix my car,” I said sincerely. “It wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
His palms glided up my waist, leaving a trail of heat behind. “Anything for you.”
I gave into the need to brush my lips across his, kissing him tenderly. As if he couldn’t resist, Blake deepened our connection and parted my mouth with his tongue. My heart rate instantly kicked into overdrive, yearning for more of him, all of him.
Apprehension rolled over me as I worried about the path our relationship was traveling down and where it would lead to in the future. I backed up, breaking our embrace, and I forced myself to give him the honesty he deserved. “There’s something you need to know about me first.”
“Okay…” he drawled, confusion laced his tone, as his eyes stayed locked on mine.
I knew this was something that wasn’t normally belted out to a man, but he had to know where I stood, so I took a deep breath before speaking. “I’ll never fall in love—ever,” I started to say, letting
the hurt and disappointment fill my soul as it always did. It had to be less painful than a broken heart in the end though. I continued, “I don’t believe in it. It’s not the way I’m built. So, if that’s what you’re looking for in life, I can’t give it to you.”
An array of emotions I couldn’t put my finger on passed through Blake’s eyes while he silently studied me. Seconds or minutes passed, and I still didn’t have the slightest inclination of what he was feeling. All I knew was that whatever was running through his mind seemed intense.
Wordlessly, he closed the gap between us and gently cupped my cheek. He ran his hand back and forth, caressing my skin and leaving a trail of warmth behind.
My breathing deepened audibly, and I had to break the silence by asking, “Did you hear me?”
He dipped his head down and nuzzled his nose along the crevice of my neck and jaw, skimming up my throat with his lips. “Yes.”
“And you have nothing to say?” I rasped unevenly, knowing my willpower to resist him was about to snap.
He softly nipped at my skin and then grazed it with his lips once again. “Yes,” he repeated before leisurely running his tongue up to the base of my jaw. “I think you’re lying to yourself. I get that you’re scared, Audrey, and believe me, I am, too.” He dragged those heavenly lips to my ear. “But you won’t let yourself feel without overthinking.” I gasped as he briefly sucked my lobe into his mouth. “Or allow yourself to see what is right in front of you.”
My mind swarmed with protests to make him see my ways. It was all I knew. However, I couldn’t form any words with him touching me.
Blake lifted his head, making direct eye contact with me. He raised his hand and ran the pad of his thumb back and forth across my chin. “And I have no intentions of giving up until you do,” he finished.
He ended our conversation by capturing my mouth, and just like that, a switch flipped inside of me. He was all I could see when his hands were on me. Everything else disappeared.
I kissed him back, hard and passionately. I poured everything I had into our embrace, releasing all my pent-up frustration along the way. I hated how he could so easily affect me, but at the same time, I loved the way he did make me feel. I was alive when his hands were on me.