by Nicole Casey
I eyed him through my peripheral vision.
“And why is that?” I snapped. I was getting pretty sick of everyone telling me their opinion on me and Blake.
If they spent half the energy on themselves as they did on what Blake and I are doing, they’d probably be a lot happier.
He scoffed.
“Because I wouldn’t wish your family on anyone, least of all my sister.”
I scowled at him, defensiveness striking through me.
“You’re not dating her, are you? I mean, we both know you can’t keep it in your pants, Malcolm but I thought you had a little more class than going after family.”
“She’s not family!” I almost shouted, chills of disgust racing through me. “She’s not!”
“Great,” Gray sighed dejectedly. “You’re banging my sister.”
“I never said that!”
My head was so hot, I thought it might pop clear off my head. Grayson looked at me with his dark eyes, his brow knitting.
“No,” he said slowly. “You didn’t.”
He seemed relieved.
“Blake wouldn’t be that stupid.”
I gritted my teeth and pulled up in front of her house, my knuckles clenched around the steering wheel. I wanted to yell at him that Blake and I were getting married, just to see his expression.
“Thanks for the ride,” he grunted, stepping out of the car and I watched him go, my original plan to go with him to the front door evaporating. He slammed the door and left me staring after him, my pulse racing.
Then, before I could change my mind, I steered the Saab away from Blake’s house. The urge to go inside and see her was overwhelming me.
I had to leave her alone—for both of our sakes. Our families would never give us a minute of peace.
9
Blake
I didn’t receive Mal’s message until after Grayson was dumped on my front step, shocking me. I hadn’t even been sure my brother was coming for graduation. I knew that things had been bad between him and my parents and I had assumed that animus would spill into my grad.
I wasn’t sure if I was happy to see him or not because he was in a mood when Lisa yelled for me that I had a visitor.
My house was in chaos, even though it was only quarter to ten and we had two hours to get to grad.
I was already showered, using the last of the hot water and I gaped at my brother from the landing.
“Gray!” I cried. “What are you doing here?”
“Not happy to see me?” he asked, barely smiling and I had a familiar knot form in my stomach. I could see he was upset.
“How did you get here? When did you get in?” I asked, hurrying down the steps. “Where’s Ella?”
His face darkened even more and I had my answer.
“Never mind,” I told him, ushering him inside. “Come in the kitchen. There’s coffee on.”
I sat him at the scarred table as my housemates flittered through and greeted us. The excitement was tangible but I found my good spirits slipping away as I studied Grayson’s face.
“Are you dating Malcolm Laurier?” he asked and my shoulders instantly touched my ears.
“What?” I choked. “Who told you that?”
“Are you?”
“Of course not!” I denied and a flash of guilt accompanied the words. So what if I’d been thinking about him nonstop since our tryst the previous week. It had been a one off. It wasn’t going to happen again and I sure as hell wasn’t dating him…no matter how many ways I’d tried to make such a scenario play out in my head. It wasn’t like he’d even texted me once since we’d parted ways. He was in the same headspace as I was.
“Good. That entire family is the devil.”
“Gray, I really need to get ready,” I told him, eager to change the subject. “Can I leave you here while I finish?”
He looked at me, shame coloring his eyes.
“Yeah, of course,” he muttered. “Sorry, Blake. Ella just gets me so mad and once her parents get involved…”
I stood, unsure if he was going to start ranting but to my relief, he shook his head.
“Go!” he insisted, grinning for the first time since arriving. “You don’t want to be late for your own graduation.”
I didn’t give him a chance to change his mind and I raced back upstairs to my room to finish dressing.
I popped in my contacts, something I rarely did but I wanted my pictures to show me at my best that day. I’d bought a new dress, an A-line number which was both professional and form fitting so it showed off my natural curves, perfectly. It was black, a color flattering for my complexion and hair.
After I applied some foundation and mascara, I stood back to look at myself critically. Someone in the house yelled, “ONE HOUR TIL SHOWTIME!”
My heart began to race but not because I was so close to graduating. I mean, I already knew I was graduating. The show was just a formality, even if I was valedictorian.
No, my anticipation was for something else entirely.
I wanted to see Mal one last time. We hadn’t said goodbye properly and I felt like I needed closure somehow even though there was nothing to close, not really.
We weren’t even friends, right?
There was a soft knock at the door and I looked up as someone pushed it open. I started in surprise.
“Mal!” I choked, stepping backward inadvertently like he was a ghost or something.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I-I just wasn’t expecting you,” I answered, laughing nervously. I realized he was only wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, hardly dressed for grad.
“You look amazing,” he told me, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. His eyes told me he wasn’t lying and I blushed slightly.
“Thanks. You look…underdressed,” I teased. “What are you doing here?”
He shrugged, appearing slightly embarrassed.
“I’m not sure,” he replied honestly. “I think I just wanted to get you alone before our families screw it up.”
I knew exactly what he meant.
“I’m glad you came,” I told him quietly. “I also wanted to say goodbye to you.”
He nodded, a sad smile on his lips and slowly, he covered the space between us. I was nervous, knowing that my brother was downstairs. He would flip if he knew I was here with Mal in my room. We also had to go soon so we wouldn’t be late but none of that seemed to matter when he wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead, softly. Instantly, I fell into him, my body relaxing against his.
I felt like we just fit together somehow, like we’d always belonged curved into the grooves of one another.
“I’m almost afraid to touch you,” he said lightly. “You’re like one of those fancy cakes that should never be cut, only admired like art.”
I pulled my head back to laugh.
“You really do have all the lines, don’t you?” I chuckled. “I see why the girls have always liked you.”
His brow furrowed.
“Blake, you’ve always been wrong about me,” he growled. “I’m not the player you think I am.”
I shook my head quickly. I didn’t want anything to ruin our last minutes together. I just wanted to relish it and I showed him as much by raising myself onto my tiptoes to kiss his mouth softly.
Instantly, he returned my gesture, dancing me back toward the bed but I pulled him further with me, our mouths never parting until we hit the far wall. The bed was bound to be noisy and I didn’t want to attract any more attention to us. I had no idea who had let Mal in. The last thing I needed was anyone bursting in on us.
He pinned me against the surface, one hand pulling up my thigh so the skirt of my dress inched up but it was so tight, it didn’t go far.
I yanked it up myself, uncaring if it wrinkled. I was already excited, a rush of heat springing between my thighs as his mouth brushed against the skin of my cheeks, his nose nuzzling my flesh
. The warmth of his breath created goosebumps all over my skin and I pulled him closer.
I needed to memorize every curve of his body in that moment, the way he tasted, the little sounds he made as his excitement met mine.
His free hand slipped along the small of my back to cup my cheeks, kneading them to spread me apart as he ground into me with his crotch and I felt him growing harder with each tiny jab.
“Take me,” I breathed. “Now.”
His palm slipped off my rear to unbutton his jeans and he seamlessly dropped his pants. I could feel the tip of him dripping against me, sliding over the cleft in my middle, soaking him further.
“Oh God, Blake,” he rasped. “I can’t believe we’ve taken this long—”
“Shh!” I insisted, jutting toward him. I didn’t want anything to take away from this, our last moments.
“Shh,” I said again and he seemed to accept that, plunging into me with a slick, full thrust.
I cried out and he pressed his mouth to mine, our eyes wide as we stared at one another but I could see the primal lust in his irises and he filled me hard, his thrusts deep and penetrating.
I clung to him, my nails digging into his shoulders, wanting to cry out but Mal sensed it and kept his mouth firmly against mine. Like he had before, he was bringing me to my climax without effort. I was ready for him—I’d been ready for him since the night he’d left.
My eyes closed as a newly familiar trance slid over me and I succumbed fully to the feeling of the feral act, sweat breaking out on both our faces.
Mal’s fingers dug into my leg and I knew he’d leave bruises but I welcomed them. They would be there long after he was gone.
His breathing was jagged and there was an unmistakable tightening inside me. I clenched around him, yanking him even closer. His heartrate was as erratic as mine and with a final, hard push, he joined me, spilling himself into me with hot, long streams.
I was a slip and slide but I didn’t want Mal to withdraw, not yet, not when I had him exactly where I wanted him.
If we weren’t about to be discovered, I would have never let him go, I was sure and he seemed just as reluctant as me to disengage but he did, slowly, lowering me to my feet. I hadn’t even realized I’d been partially extended over the wall until that moment.
Still breathing heavily, he stared at me as I straightened my skirt and tried to keep all the juices from slipping out from between my legs. The room reeked of sex and I was sure I would too.
“I think you’re going to need to redo your makeup,” he joked but there was an unmistakable sadness in his face.
“Mal,” I said quietly. “We’ll keep in touch, okay? Email and stuff?”
He shrugged and nodded but neither of us believed it. It would make it too hard to stay away if we did that.
“Why did Grayson and Ella need to meet first?” Mal grumbled.
“That’s what older siblings are for,” I replied lightly. “To test the waters and see if it’s safe. Obviously, it’s not.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
He stepped toward me and gave me a warm hug, kissing the top of my head.
“You knock them dead with your speech today, okay?” he muttered. “And good luck in San Fran. Maybe I’ll run into you in Sterling sometime.”
I nodded.
“Hey,” I said when we parted and he turned to leave.
“Hm?”
“Thank you.”
It seemed like a weak thing to say to him but I wanted him to know I was grateful for everything he’d done for me, even if we had gotten off to a rocky start.
He opened his mouth, his brow knit in confusion but instead of asking what I meant, he only nodded.
“You’re welcome. Good luck, Blake.”
“You too, Mal.”
And then, Malcolm Laurier walked out of my life.
At least for a little while.
10
Blake
Three Months Later – Seven Years Ago
The alarm was going off but I couldn’t get out of bed. Everything ached. I was dying, I was sure.
Whatever the flu was that I was suffering was going to be the death of me and not only because I was sick—I was on a tight deadline at work and I couldn’t afford to screw it up.
I sat up, my head throbbing and a wave of dizziness overcame me. I was going to puke—again.
I barely made it to the bathroom and after I’d expelled my guts, I considered calling in but I immediately dismissed the idea. How was that going to look, two months into my job at Hendel? I was still on my probationary period and I couldn’t risk it, even though I knew they were really happy with my work.
No, I had to bite the bullet and go in—even if it killed me.
I also knew I needed to make an appointment to see a doctor. I’d been sick for weeks and it was getting worse. I was exhausted, achy and puking. I’d managed to keep it hidden but I was working in a lab. I couldn’t afford cross contamination.
I’ll make an appointment today, I vowed. Get on some antibiotics and be done with this wretched illness.
It took every fiber of my being to get up and showered but I was feeling more human by the time I forced some toast and coffee into my system and caught the street car to the Hendel offices.
Meredith did a double take when she saw me walk in.
“You look like shit,” my co-worker announced. “Like death honestly.”
“Thank you.”
I took my spot across from her, adjusting my glasses to peer at the specimens.
“Where’s your lab coat?”
I looked up in surprise. I never forgot to put on my coat.
This virus is eating my brain.
“Blake, if you’re sick, you shouldn’t be here. These samples are very sensitive…”
I looked at her desperately and she sighed, reading my expression.
“You’re not going to be fired if you’re sick. They can’t fire you for that.”
“They can fire me for anything! I’m on my probationary period.”
Meredith smirked.
“Let me ask you a question,” she said. “Do you think you’re more apt to get fired because you’re sick or because you contaminated our specimens?”
She had a point and I backed away from the sterile counter helplessly.
“Come with me,” Meredith sighed, shaking her greying head. “They hire you brilliant young graduates who can discover the cure for Alzheimer’s but you can’t wipe your own asses, can you?”
I was embarrassed but I followed her out of the labs and into the offices where she reached for her cell phone.
“Hello, this is Meredith Carver at Hendel. When can my assistant come in to see Dr. Stiles today?”
I cringed at the categorization. I wasn’t her assistant. I was a researcher in my own right but I dared not voice my protest into words.
“No, not tomorrow, today. I have a sick researcher, handling live organisms. I don’t think I need to spell out what that could mean—oh perfect. She’ll see you at noon. Her name is…”
She looked at me blankly like she’d forgotten my name and I stifled a grunt.
“Blake Mavis.”
“Blake Mavis. Thank you.”
Meredith disconnected the call and smiled at me.
“See how easy that is? Now get out of my lab before you get me sick too and if that happens, Blake, I promise you’ll be fired for sure.”
I believed her and I looked at her, a combination of gratitude and spite in my face.
“Thanks,” I offered by the way of compromise.
“Just get out. I’ll text you the address.”
I turned to leave, reaching for my purse.
“And Blake?”
I looked back at her.
“Don’t you ever step foot in my labs again while you’re sick, do you understand?”
“Yes ma’am,” I muttered. I had a bad feeling I was going to be out of a job before I’d even started.
> My benefits hadn’t even kicked in and while the pay was decent, living in San Francisco was expensive. I didn’t have a lot of extra cash kicking around to pay for doctor’s visits. I prayed it was nothing serious—I couldn’t afford it.
I could see that Dr. Stiles was annoyed at having her lunch break overridden with the likes of me but to her credit, she didn’t outright spit in my face.
“So? What’s the problem?” she demanded shortly. “You’ve got the flu?”
I wanted to tell her that she was the doctor and she was supposed to give me a prognosis but I refrained from matching her tone.
“I-I’m not sure,” I replied. “I’ve been sick for a few weeks.”
“Sick how?” The exasperation was palpable.
“Uh…body aches, vomiting…”
She peered at me, leaning closer.
“How old are you?” She didn’t wait for my response as she eyed my chart. “Twenty-one.”
“I’ll be twenty-two next month,” I volunteered irrelevantly.
“Sexually active?”
I snorted, my face tinging pink.
“No.”
“No, you’re a virgin or no, not currently?”
“No, I-I’m…I’m not currently active,” I stuttered, having a hard time even saying the word ‘sexually’ aloud. I hadn’t really thought about it but I guess I wasn’t a virgin anymore.
“How long has it been since your last partner?”
I was dying and not because I felt sick. I was mortified by the questions even though I knew she was a professional and just doing her job.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat. “About three months.”
“Were you using contraceptives?”
I was getting dizzy.
“You think I have an STI?” I choked in shock. Oh my God. Why hadn’t I thought of that? I had been so stupid, so careless. I knew about Mal’s reputation and no matter what he said, he’d been with dozens of girls, hadn’t he?
How could I have been so stupid?
“I’ll take that as a no, no contraceptives. We’ll do an STI test and a pregnancy test.”
