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Better Than Revenge (Sweet Secrets #1)

Page 14

by Taylor Henderson


  “It’s a good thing I did.”

  I squinted up at Blake, a smile parting my lips as I thought about something. The pain in my head was a bit duller now, but I knew that I would wake up tomorrow with a headache. Brianna on the other hand was hit in the side of her head. That had to hurt. “Do you think that I left a mark?” I asked hopefully.

  Blake smirked down at me, “Judging from the size of the dent that her head left in that can, I’d say that you did.”

  “Good. She deserves it.”

  “Who knew she had such a short temper?” he mused aloud.

  “I did.”

  Blake leaned over, placing his lips on mine for a moment before pulling away. “I think we should go to your house. I’ll have to find someone to carry Lena over.”

  “Why?” I brought my hand up to cover my yawn.

  “She can barely stand straight. I doubt that she can walk.”

  I nodded. Suddenly I was a lot sleepier than I had been a few minutes ago. My eyelids were growing heavier with every passing moment, and it was slowly becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes open.

  Blake shook me gently as my eyes slipped shut. “Wake up, Vi. Maybe you should wait a bit before going to sleep. Just in case you have a concussion or something.”

  I closed my eyes again, ignoring his statement. “Sleep at my house tonight,” I mumbled.

  Blake lifted me with him as he stood up. When he was standing, he readjusted my body into a more comfortable position. “Only if I can stay in your room with you.”

  I smiled, “My mom would kill you if she found out.”

  “I can take your mom. I’d just tell her that I caught some strange sickness that was airborne and I’d start coughing. She wouldn’t come near me for a month.”

  “Like when you got chicken pox last year?” I laughed at the memory.

  “Exactly. She wouldn’t let me come into your house for a month after I had already gotten better!”

  I shrugged, opening my eyes to look up at him. “Well, that’s my mom for you.”

  His eyes reflected in the light from the street lights overhead. Blake had taken the shortcut to my house, walking out through Brianna’s back door and cutting across my lawn. I reached into my pocket and handed him the key to open the front door. Shifting me in his arms so that he could hold me with one arm, he quickly unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Pulling the key out, he pushed the door shut behind him without even locking it.

  “Where’s Lena?” I wrapped my arms around Blake’s neck as he started walking up the stairs.

  “I’m going to go and get her after I put you in bed.”

  I yawned loudly, my eyes watering a bit as I did so. “Oh.”

  He smiled but shushed me as we got to the second level. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Blake slowly made his way into my room, where he walked me over and placed me on the bed gently before going to shut the door and flick the light on.

  Walking over to my dresser, he opened a few random drawers before finding the right one and pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms along with a plain white tank top. “Here, put these on,” he whispered as he walked toward me. He placed the clothes down next to me, and pulled me up in a sitting position.

  “Come on. I have to go get Lena.”

  “Okay,” I grumbled. When Blake squatted down to take my shoes off, I began to tug my shirt over my head. Once it was off, I tossed it to the floor, just barely hitting Blake with it as I did so.

  “Hey, watch it!” He whisper yelled as he yanked off one boot. He glanced up at me but quickly averted his eyes, a pink blush spreading over his cheeks. “Sorry.”

  I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help not to blush as well. His reaction was just too adorable. “It’s all right. I mean, it’s not like you haven’t seen me shirtless before already.”

  He tilted his head up slightly, looking me straight in the eye with a confused look on his face. “I have?”

  I nodded as I grabbed the white tank top and slipped it over my head. “You’ve seen me in a bikini plenty of times.”

  “That doesn’t count.”

  “Why not? It’s the same thing. My bikini is more revealing than my underwear is.”

  His cheeks burned.” It’s not the same.” He pulled off my other boot and set it down next to the other one.

  “Sure it is.”

  Blake pulled me to my feet and shook his head. “Not in my opinion. Get dressed. I’ll tuck you in before I go and get Lena.”

  Blake sat down on my bed and waited patiently as I undid my pants buckle and slipped them off, leaving them in a small pile on top of my shirt.

  “Pass me my pants?” I asked as I held my outstretched hand toward Blake.

  “Uh, sure.” His cheeks were flaming a bright red and as he passed me my pajama bottoms, he didn’t take his eyes off of my legs once.

  “Stop perving on my legs,” I joked as I slipped the fuzzy bottoms on and immediately climbed into bed.

  Blake smirked and stood up so that he could tuck me into bed.

  “Are you going to wipe off your eyeliner?” He asked.

  I shook my head and buried myself farther under the covers. Before I closed my eyes, I watched Blake walk toward the door and flick the light off on his way out. As soon as he had walked out, I let my eyes droop until they slipped shut, and I was almost instantly asleep.

  Chapter 19

  I felt the bed dip slightly, and as the irrational side of me took over I sat up and prepared to fight for my life from the murderer who had just joined me in bed. When a shaggy haired brunette stared at me as if I had lost my mind, I quickly dropped my arms down to my sides in embarrassment.

  Blake furrowed his eyebrows at the top of his head and gave me a look that seemed to say, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  I shrugged my shoulders before falling backwards onto my pillow. Blake removed his shirt and slipped under the covers next to me. I couldn’t help but to shiver as his cold arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I could feel his warm breath as it blew against my shoulder.

  “Did you put Lena in the guest room?” I asked in a whisper. Brianna had most likely decided to go against my parent’s and stay at her house after what had happened between us. I had no doubt that she would be here in the morning though, pretending like she slept in the guest room.

  “Mmhmm,” he murmured.

  “Did you tuck her in?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Do you think she’ll be all right all alone in there?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “I’m serious, Blake. What if she vomits in her sleep and drowns in a puddle of her own puke?” I was worried. Now that I knew that drowning in your own vomit was possible, I was scared that it would happen to Lena.

  “Violet, I’m sure she will be fine. Now go to bed.” Blake moved his arm from where it was casually tossed over my torso and brushed some of my hair off of my shoulder before moving his arm to rest on my waist again. “I love you.”

  My spine tingled where he touched me. “I love you too.” I felt his lips press against my shoulder for a moment, causing me to shiver with desire. Butterflies flew in circles around my stomach and I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off of my face. I laced my fingers with his and let my head sink farther into my pillow. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the smell of lemon scented fabric cleaner as I did so. Blake’s hand began to trace small circles on my hip and after a few minutes, I could feel my eyes drifting shut again. I scooted closer to Blake’s body, pressing myself against his chest as I slowly fell asleep to the rhythmic sounds of his breathing.

  ***

  Morning came faster than I wanted it to. As I opened my eyes, I saw that the light outside of my window was still dark, signifying that it was early morning. I brought my fist up to my face and rubbed my eye slowly before allowing it to drop back down to the bed. I snuggled farther under the covers, scooting closer to Blake’s sleeping body. The heat from his chest
was enough to make me never want to get up. Especially when room was filled with a slight chill that came every morning. I didn’t ever want to leave the comfort and warmth that my bed and Blake provided.

  Next to me, Blake let out a loud yawn as his arms tightened around my body. Turning to face him, I stared at his sleeping face. His heavily lashed eyes were closed and his pink lips were parted slightly. Whenever he breathed, his chest would rise and fall in a rhythmic motion. His dark hair was messy and hung down over his forehead in small waves, with a few unruly tufts sticking up at the top of his head. His jaw line was so sharp and defined that I couldn’t help but trace it with the tip of my pointer finger. His body shuddered visibly at my touch and I immediately pulled my hand away from his face in fear that I was going to wake him. He looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake him up right away, but he had to get up soon before my parents saw where he slept.

  Sighing softly, I tossed my leg over Blake’s and scooted closer to him so that I could rest my head in the crook of his neck. We laid like that for about a half an hour before Blake finally stirred. A loud yawn escaped from his mouth. He hugged me tight before pulling away, turning on his side to face me, and propping himself up on his elbow. I watched him as he rubbed at his eyes which were slightly pink. I guessed that his eye irritation was due to the fact that he had slept in his contacts last night. Letting another yawn escape from his mouth, Blake ran his fingers through his hair, making it look ten times messier than it already had.

  Sitting up, he smiled down at me. “I should probably go down to the living room before your parents wake up.” His voice was husky and sounded slightly deeper due to the fact that he was still tired.

  Leaning forward slightly, I hooked my arm around his neck and shook my head as I pulled him back down next to me. “Just a few more minutes?” I begged, looking up into his pale blue eyes hopefully. I poked my bottom lip out a bit, trying to give him the puppy dog look but most likely failed miserably.

  He brushed a few strands of hair back from my forehead and smiled. Rolling over, Blake positioned himself so that was on top of me, but he wasn't pressing any of his body weight down on me. He propped himself up on his elbows, which were on either side of my head, and just stared down at me. His eyes didn't leave mine once.

  One of his hands played in my hair, twirling it around his finger slowly. Staring up into his eyes, I couldn't help but wonder how I had gotten so lucky to have someone as special as he was, actually be in love with someone like me. He was smart, kind, thoughtful, and absolutely perfect in every way. When he smiled at you, flashing the dimple in his left cheek, you couldn't help but smile back. The way his eyes flashed in the light, and sparkled when he was laughing or excited was enough to make anyone stop and stare. He just had a face that you couldn't look away from when he looked at you. It was like he could see straight through to your soul, and you couldn't look away until he let you.

  I snaked my arms around his neck, pulling his face down toward mine. I didn't trust my voice to speak on account of the fact that it would probably come out in a high pitched squeak. As his face neared mine, I could feel his warm breath blowing gently across my lips, causing me to shudder in anticipation.

  When his lips finally met mine, I couldn't help the small smile that curves the corners of my mouth upwards at the feel of them. His velvety lips moved in perfect sync with mine. One of his hands gripped into my hair, pressing our lips together tighter while the other hand stroked my cheek softly.

  Removing one arm from around his neck, I pressed my hand against his bare stomach, tracing the lines where his lean muscles were most prominent, and causing Blake to shiver beneath my touch. Lifting one leg up, I hooked it over his hip and pulling his body impossibly close to mine.

  Blake traced his tongue across my bottom lip, asking for entrance which I immediately granted. As soon as his tongue slipped inside of my mouth, he let out a little moan of pleasure that sounded in the back of his throat. His mouth tasted slightly minty from his toothpaste that he must have used last night before bed. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on it gently.

  Breaking the kiss, Blake pulled away, smiling down at me and flashing his dimple in his left cheek. “I really think I should go to the couch now.”

  I bit my lip and nodded slowly, allowing my leg and arm to drop back down onto the mattress. I could feel a warm blush spreading across my cheeks and I turned my head slightly, trying to hide it.

  Blake chuckled, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “That's the cutest thing ever. I love it when you blush. You don't do it that often, but when you do you look so adorable.”

  “It's not cute,” I countered. “It's embarrassing.”

  Blake drooped his head down to place a warm kiss on my jawline, and my collarbone before he pushed himself off of me and chuckled. “It's cute.”

  “You think everything is cute.” I sat up, tucking my feet beneath my body and staring at Blake as he slid off of my bed.

  “That's because most of the things you do are cute.” He shrugged casually as he picked his shirt up from the floor and yanked it over his head. His hair looked like a bird had gotten into it and made a nest. He ran his hands through it again, but this time when he took his hands away it actually looked slightly better than before.

  If possible, my cheeks blushed brighter than they already were, and I glanced down at my lap where I was wringing my hands together lightly. “You’re just saying that.”

  Blake sat back down on my bed, although this time he was perched across from me with cute smile tugging at his lips, lighting up his handsome face. He leaned forward slightly, cupping my face in his hands. “You're so beautiful, Violet. Everything about you.” His thumb brushed across my bottom lip lightly, causing me to part my lips. “I love you. No matter what anyone says, remember that. You're absolutely perfect in my eyes.” He let his hands drop down from my face before he continued speaking. “You know, except for when you disobey your mom. Like when you go to McDonald's. That's a little too naughty for my liking.” He smirked, poking me in the rib playfully.

  I shook my head, slapping his chest gently. “You made me go with you! If anyone asks, I’m saying that you held me down, and shoveled the food into my mouth.”

  Blake chuckled to himself. “I’ve never seen someone down a milkshake as fast as you did. You probably set a world record for all we know.”

  I rolled my eyes at him trying to look serious, but I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face. “Yeah, right.” Placing both of my hands on his chest, I shoved him backwards gently, laughing at the little shocked faced he pulled as he slipped off of the edge of the bed. His body thumped against the floor and forgetting that he wasn’t supposed to be in my room, I threw my head back, laughing loudly. When Blake wrapped his hand around my ankle and tugged me toward the end of the bed, I rolled over and grabbed hold of my headboard, continuing to laugh.

  “No!” I shrieked as Blake began tickling my bare feet. My toes curled as he tickled the bottom of my foot fiercely. Letting go of the headboard, I let out a squeak as Blake yanked me off of the bed, causing me to land on top of him in a pile.

  He smirked at me as I poked my tongue out at him. Just as he reached both arms forward and began to tickle my sides, my door knob jiggled for a moment. When the person realized that the door was locked, they rapped their knuckles against the door a few times.

  My eyes widened as I looked at Blake. My face flushed as the realization that one of my parents could be standing on the other side of the door, waiting to come in and see me and Blake tangled together on the floor. Thinking quickly, Blake pushed his body off of the floor and walked to the other side of my bed, crouching down low and pressing his pointer finger to his lips. My lips pulled back into a forced smile as I stood up and walked over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

  At first I didn’t see anybody, but when I shifted my eyes down slightly, I saw a little smiling brunette. Lilly stood there with a little c
up in one hand and a pint of orange juice tucked under one arm. She looked up at me with her doe-like, brown eyes and smiled happily.

  “Good morning, Lizzie,” she chirped.

  I smiled down at her, opening the door wider for her to come in. “Good morning, Lilly.”

  The smile stayed pasted to Lilly’s face as she adjusted the jug of orange juice under her arm and proceed to walk into the room. Her little pigtails bounced along on each side of her head until she reached my bedside table, where she set down her cup along with the orange juice. Uncapping the bottle, she hoisted it up using both hands and splashed a few drops of orange juice into the cup. Her tiny arms shook as she struggled to hold the half gallon container up.

  “Lilly, you know that mom doesn’t like it when we bring food upstairs.”

  Lilly swiveled her head around at me, and giving me a sassy look, she said, “It’s not food. It’s juice.”

  “She doesn’t like it when we drink upstairs either. Besides, you can’t pour your own drink.” I walked over to her, took the orange juice from her hands and poured a little into her cup for her.

  “Thank you!” A few stray strands of hair fell into her face as she jumped up and down for a moment before grabbing the cup up with two hands. Her small fingers barely wrapped around the whole glass, but that didn’t stop her from raising the cup up to her tiny mouth and taking two long gulps of orange juice.

  Brushing the loose hair away from her face, I squatted down and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome. You better get out of here though. If mom catches you then you’ll be in big trouble.” I laughed as her eyes widened slightly.

  If she did get caught, there was no way that she would get any more than a small slap on the wrist. The worst punishment Lilly has ever gotten was when she was caught eating grass in the back yard. Apparently she thought that it was “healfy”—that was how she had pronounced the word—and that grass was a “veggie-table”. After telling her that she couldn’t eat grass, my mom took pictures of Lilly in her grass stained outfit and put them inside of her baby album, writing next to the pictures about the situation.

 

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