by Alex Rosa
The air stills as he tries to comprehend its meaning. “No?” he questions timidly.
My grin is so wide it hurts and my breathing has become erratic. “No.”
Slowly, and making me insane with anticipation, he pulls out from under my shirt, his hair ruffled and his eyes leery.
“No,” he says more matter-of-factly, as if testing the word.
Now under his penetrating gaze, my nerves get the best of me. I shake my head in response.
His face tells me he still isn’t sure what it means, but he climbs up the length of my body until his face is hovering above mine.
I’m still terrified.
His eyes dart over my face, and he licks his lips as if tempted to kiss me, but he’s waiting. He’s waiting for me to speak.
“I’m crazy about you, too.”
A heavy weight lifts from my shoulders the moment the words leave my mouth.
The silence drags on.
“Are you fucking with me?” Blake blurts out, and my face twists into mock disbelief.
“I guess you really never were the romantic type, huh?”
He chuckles. “I’m just unsure what’s happening.”
“What do you want to happen?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
He chews the corner of his lip, but Blake never has much to fear. “I want you.”
“Elaborate.” Yes, I want my damned pound of flesh.
“Oh, you’re toying with me, aren’t you?”
I bite the tip of my tongue to restrain my giggles. “If you want me, tell me how you want me.”
Without missing a beat, he has his reply. “I want you in every way, and to be only mine. I want you to be my . . .” He lets out a sigh, struggling to finish the sentence.
I’m so overwhelmed with joy that I decide to throw him a bone. I lean up and capture his lips. The touch is sweet, and he accepts my mouth with a delightful hum. A tingling sensation grows in my heart, and sizzles down to my toes and fingertips. His touch ignites my beating heart like a sparkler on the Fourth of July.
It seems to be the incentive he needs. He controls the kiss, dipping his tongue into my mouth, getting a satisfying taste before speaking between our rushed breathes.
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
“Well, I want to be your girlfriend.”
He pulls away. “You do?”
I nod. “I was going to tell you the same thing today, but I was pretty much prepared to lose you.” I turn away, embarrassed by the confession, finding honesty harder than I thought, but it doesn’t stop the butterflies in my gut from fluttering.
He chuckles, dragging his nose down the side of my face, and places a sweet kiss below my ear. “I thought the same. You played the no-commitment thing better than you thought.”
I shake my head. “Boys are dumb, and you’re not the exception.” I giggle as I run my hands through his unruly hair. “I think it was pretty obvious how I felt about you. I’ve been giving myself away constantly.”
“Skyler,” he scoffs, “you should have known I was into you. I showed up drunk.” He presses his body into mine, calling my attention. “I demanded your body and pretty much confessed my feelings. Only boys in crazy infatuation do stupid things like that.”
“I didn’t know.” I shrug.
“I think I got lucky with you and your inexperience. Anyone else would have stopped me dead in my tracks . . . probably when I told you that I thought you were beautiful for the first time. That is a little bit out of the scope of unattachment, don’t you think?”
I wrinkle my nose. He kisses the tip of it, with his effortless sincerity.
“I have a confession.”
“Another?” I ask, finding it funny that he just keeps talking. I swear, I assumed there would be more of an interrogation on my end, but he seems to be overflowing with things to say.
“I knew I was in trouble when I first tempted you in the club. You were wearing that tiny black dress.” His right hand takes a firm grip of my bare thigh, dragging it upward, leaving goose bumps in its wake. “You tempted me with your looks, and that smile,” he utters whimsically. “And you never let me get a word in edgewise. I knew I was in for it. I knew I wanted you then, but I didn’t know what I was doing.”
“Are you telling me you manipulated me into having sex with you?”
He laughs, and I join in too as he shakes his head. “No, not at all, though I don’t think it took that much convincing.” He kisses my silent lips, only making me smile more. “I guess I didn’t really know at the time. I knew I wanted you, but I had trouble figuring out how I wanted you. Eventually, all I ever wanted was to be near you in any way and . . . Never mind, forget it.”
I bring my hands to cup both sides of his handsome face, and for the first time since we started this, he leans into my touch, closing his eyes as if absorbing the feeling.
My heart skips a beat at the sight, and I realize I have never felt more complete.
“Tell me,” I request.
His eyes open, and they glitter a warm green that reminds me of summers and wide-open fields of lush, inviting grass.
“You believed in me without question. No one has ever done that. I told you what I wanted, and you supported me, needing no reason. It’s really more than I could ever ask of someone.”
His confession has me shaking my head again, collapsing back into my pillow.
“What’s wrong?” he asks. “I’ve said too much, haven’t I? This is too much?”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, and with confidence I didn’t know I had, I have this urge to make him understand.
I twist my body and sit up, causing him to collapse back into the bed. I climb over him, straddling his hips, basking in his endearing stare as he watches my every move. His hands take a firm grip of my hips as I lean over his body. I drag my nose over the bridge of his, and I lower my voice to a whisper, as if still afraid this is too good to be true.
“Your words will never be too much. I’m trying to figure out how we got here. As much as I love your soft side, I miss my smart-ass. Of course I’d always believe in you, which means I need you to believe in yourself. You don’t ever have to worry about being too much for me. I just have never gotten you to talk so much about how you feel.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, and I take advantage of the moment, pressing my lips to his, stroking his mouth with mine to show how much I care.
“How do you feel?” he breathes out as I pull away, hovering close while his hands make a slow, leisurely journey over the curves of my body.
I let out a sigh of relief. “Happy.”
He snorts comically. “Happy? After my confession, that’s all I get?”
With nothing to worry about now, I tug at his bottom lip with my teeth, eliciting a quiet groan from him. “Yes, and of course you will always get more. However, what you’re not understanding is I can’t remember the last time I was ever able to use that word honestly. You make me . . . so happy.”
He rewards me with my favorite smile and that sexy dimple. I kiss at it, finally feeling like I can.
“Now come take a shower with me.”
Blake’s eyes light up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. He rushes to sit up and presses his lips to mine. As if it were possible, he tastes even sweeter now.
I am falling fast, and I know it.
Chapter 34
Standing in Blake’s room, I tighten the towel around my body as I watch him slip on a pair of briefs. I find it comical how comfortable we are, not that we didn’t make the strides to get here. He shoots me a wink as he pulls his briefs over his hips, and I laugh, realizing he knows exactly how I feel about that part of his body.
“It’s nearly noon now. Do you want to go grab food?”
At the mention of the time, I freeze. “What’s today?”
He slinks toward me. “Friday, why?”
Free from my post-coital haze, I go wide-eyed. “Work! I have work! I’m working a doub
le today!”
Blake, seemingly unaffected about most things, regains his typical cool. “When?”
“In an hour and a half.”
His eyes ignite. He pushes me back onto his bed, causing me to stumble backward onto the mattress. I struggle to hold the towel against my body as I giggle. “Blake! You’re crazy! I have to get ready.”
He climbs over my body and pulls the towel open. He places delicate kisses on my skin, starting at my navel and up my torso until he reaches my lips, pressing his body into mine. I tangle my fingers into his damp hair.
“You’re already showered. That’s half the battle. You have lots of time.”
He hovers above my face, tilting his head to the side, and I drag my fingertips down his jaw, strumming them over his slight stubble.
I lift my head up to nip his bottom lip, finding myself more comfortable with him like this than I thought. “We have to talk, you know? Were you serious about me being your girlfriend?”
His brows knit together. “Of course I was serious.”
“Well, what about my brother?”
He lets out a sigh. “Yeah, about that. I’m assuming we should both tell him together, or maybe I should tell him first. You shouldn’t have to convince him. The problem is with me.”
“Why?”
His hum is a curious one as I watch him toss around the idea in his head. “I think you know why. I don’t want to say or do anything to have you running into the hills, but obviously, I’m not the nicest guy. I haven’t been for a long while.”
“But you are!” I blurt.
He chuckles, making my core tingle with happiness. “To you, Skye. It was always only ever to you. I don’t know why, but you keep me in line. It’s probably with those intense eyes of yours.” He nudges his whole body against mine.
“My eyes? Yeah, right!”
“You don’t get it, and maybe I should be glad you don’t know. But your blue eyes see right through me. I feel it when you look at me. It always felt like I could never hide anything from you anyway. You owned me, even before I realized it.”
I shut my eyes. “Who are you right now?”
“I’m a guy, totally admitting he’s whipped.”
We both erupt into laughter.
“I can’t believe you said that. We’re losing track of the point. My brother . . .”
His face goes back to stoic. “Skyler, your brother was my wingman for the past year or so. Don’t you think he’s been there every step of the way for all the girls I’ve been with?”
My face sours. I always knew that was Blake’s life before all this. I was never okay with it then, so am I supposed to be okay with it now?
“Skyler, see. I didn’t want those beautiful eyes of yours to look at me like that.”
I pull myself out of the mental rut. “Blake, stop. I knew who you were when we started this.”
“You deserve better than me, you know? If you don’t, you should. Your brother knows this. He doesn’t want you with some nobody like me.”
My brows furrow in anger. “You aren’t a nobody. You’re a somebody to me! Plus, you have the brightest future I know.”
He smiles, a glorious rose color appearing on his cheeks. “Did I mention I’m crazy about you?”
I shake my head through my restrained glee. “Focus please.”
“Oh yeah. Okay, how about we regroup tonight? When you get off. I’ll try and think of the best way to approach him, and we’ll pool our ideas.”
I nod, finding the plan acceptable. “Will you wait up for me? I’ll be home late, though.”
“Of course.”
“I’m working a double because we lost some staff, so I’ll be at the coffee shop all day. If you get bored, you should come get a mocha . . . with soy. Will you be home all day?”
He laughs his agreement, and then stops, as if remembering something. “I have to meet up with a friend tonight, but I should be home when you get home.”
His tone catches my attention, and I’m curious as to whom he is referencing, but I decide ignorance is my best option. “Okay, good.”
His smirk is slight, but his eyes worry me for an instance. “Are you all right?” I ask
“Yeah, of course. More than fine. I just have to close a couple doors this afternoon.”
The saying has me more curious than I was about his tone, and now I want to know what he means by closing doors, but he cuts me off with his lips again. The kiss is hard, possessive, and so delicious, but he pulls away.
“I guess it’s only fair I let you get ready for work now. I can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ll miss you.”
My previous pique of curiosity is forgotten.
“You mean it?”
“I mean everything I say to you, and I can’t wait to tell you everything. Tonight.”
I grin, eager for everything, whatever that means. “I’ll miss you, too.”
Chapter 35
I nearly frolic from one latte to the next. I’ve kept quiet and ignored Tucker’s comments, but once we’ve hit the fourth hour and the shop has calmed, he drops the blender in the sink.
“Holy hell, Skyler. Why are you keeping me in the dark? I keep thinking you’ll bring up Blake, but from your ridiculous grinning I can only assume you talked?”
I bat my eyelashes as I grab for a clean rag. “Maybe.”
Tucker grunts. “You know I live vicariously through you. I need to know.”
I shake my head. “Is it wrong I want to wait to tell you everything, let’s say, tomorrow?”
He purses his lips. “Yes, it would be terribly wrong of you. Did you take my advice and talk to him?”
I think it was essentially everyone’s advice, and wonder if I should mention how Blake and I ended up after I talked to Tucker.
“Skyler!” he snaps, bringing me out of my reverie. “You’re killing me here.”
I huff, but my smile still can’t be hidden. “Aren’t I allowed any secrets?”
Making me suspicious, Tucker bites back his words, as if thinking something over. “I say no, you’re not allowed to have any. You slept with him again, didn’t you? You have no shame, darling.”
I swipe my tongue over my teeth. It makes me want to run back home so I can kiss him and worship his body, kiss those hip bones, and bask in his touch.
“Something big must have happened. You literally just daydreamed in the middle of our argument.”
My brows furrow. “Are we arguing?”
“Well, we’re about to if you don’t start talking.”
I throw my hands up in defeat, and I admit I’m aching to tell someone. “Fine! Blake admitted how he felt about me.”
Tucker stops everything he’s doing and turns around. “I’m assuming it went well, then? Does this mean you two are together now?”
I offer a careless shrug. “I went out with Jennifer and Vanessa. They said the same thing as you, to talk to him.”
“Naturally,” Tucker butts in.
I roll my eyes, but nothing can affect my mood. “Well, I came home, scared out of my mind that I was going to lose him, feeling prepared for just that. I had him stay the night with me one last time, and to my surprise, he stayed until the morning. And if you can believe it, he confessed how he felt before I could.”
“I’ll be damned, Skyler. You tamed the lone wolf. How the hell did you do it?”
I shrug again. “I have no idea. To be honest, I don’t think I did a thing.”
Tucker wrinkles his nose and smiles. “It’s so cute, I might throw up.”
I raise a brow. “Thanks for the support, Tucker.”
“Of course I’m happy for you. It’s just your fairy-tale life with that hot guy makes me kind of sick.”
I know he’s joking, but it annoys me. “Hey, my life was not always a fairy tale. I took a lot of brutal blows along the way.”
“I’m sorry, Skye. You know what I mean. When did this all happen?”
“This morning, actually.”
; “Oh, well no wonder you’re so happy. You’re in the honeymoon phase. That will last a while, I assume.”
His lack of excitement irks me. “Why aren’t you jumping for joy with me? This was what I hoped for.”
“Of course I’m happy for you. I just . . . Just be cautious. That’s all I want. Plus, can’t I be a bit jealous?” he adds. “I was hoping he’d play for the other team in the end.”
I let out a long belt of laughter.
“What about Josh? Does he know yet?”
The laughter halts instantly. My stomach knots. “No. Blake and I are going to figure out how to tell him tonight.”
Tucker hums, but his twisted lips have me worried. “You know he isn’t going to like it.”
“I know that. I just wish he’d be more rational about it.”
“I don’t know, Skyler. I mean, Josh knows everything about Blake. Don’t you think he must have his reasons? Blake has probably banged most of West Hollywood.”
My smile vanishes. His words hurt. “I don’t know why you’re being mean right now.”
He bites his lip, shaking his head. “Skyler, I’m just saying the truth. Your brother doesn’t want someone like that for you.”
“But what if he was only committed to me? What if, from now on, I’m all he wants?”
“I’m sure that’s all true now. However, Josh has to deal with Blake’s past and knowing he’s dating his sister. Your brother is so overprotective of you, especially since you left Jason. The last thing he wants is for you to get hurt.”
My brows shoot up in surprise. “You think I’m going to get hurt?”
Tucker takes in a deep breath. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m obviously doing a poor job of saying this. Don’t get me wrong, I want you two to work. But like your brother, I care about you. I wonder if Blake deserves someone as amazing as you. I’m sure he knows how amazing you are. I just hope he’s capable of not fucking it up. Maybe that is my biggest concern. So I want you to be happy and have hot babies someday, but for now, I want you to take things slow, because slow has not been your forte lately.”
I nod. “I’m nervous, too. I’m incredibly happy. He’s wonderful. Hard to believe, really. He explained that he was never the type of guy to be nice to anyone until I came around. So you can imagine that’s a lot to have to deal with, and a lot of naysayers involved. I know what I’m up against, and because of that . . . I’m terrified, okay? I haven’t given my heart to many people. And it feels kind of soon after Jason. I never knew I would want this. I’m scared. I’ll be cautious. But I trust him, you have to know that.”