Behind The Book (Sexy #2)

by Heather Dahlgren

  He chuckles as I get a sundress out of the closet. “You passed out about five minutes after I got here. I would have just stayed on the couch with you, but you seemed to be having a nightmare or one hell of a good dream because you kept moaning. I thought if I put you in bed, you’d stop.”

  I can feel my face blushing and I’m so glad my back is turned. “Oh, did I stop?” Why I keep questioning it, I don’t know, but I want to know.

  “You did for a little bit, but it started again. Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”

  I bite my cheek and turn around. “Umm, no, I don’t. I’m going to shower, and you’re welcome to shower after me. I know you came right from work.” He grins and follows me out of the bedroom. I go into the bathroom, and right before I close the door, he calls my name. I poke my head out and see him standing there.

  “Make sure you lock this door, because the idea of what is happening in there is too much for me.” I laugh and close the door, but I don’t lock it. Part of me wants him to come in and stop with all his talk.

  I take a long, hot shower, washing the day off me. I don’t know how I’m going to get past this, but with Blake here, it makes it feel almost possible. I turn off the shower and get out, drying myself off. I put on my bra and panties and slip into my sundress. I brush my hair out and put it in a wet bun on the top of my head. I look at myself in the mirror and notice my eyes are still a bit swollen. I’m not going to try to put makeup on because it will just enhance my swollen eyes that much more. I walk out of the bathroom and go into the kitchen to get myself a bottle of water.

  Blake is standing there drinking a beer, and I tilt my head and look at him. “I didn’t even realize I had beer.”

  He smiles and takes another sip. “You didn’t. Jax dropped it off with my clothes.” I grab a bottle of water and drink down half of it before I can reply. I’m so thirsty, and that’s when I realize I haven’t had anything to drink since my coffee this morning, and I didn’t eat a thing. My stomach growls and he laughs. “I ordered pizza. It should be here in a minute.”

  “Beer, pizza, and clothes. You moving in?” I laugh and hop up on the counter to finish off the rest of my water. He moves to stand between my legs and rests his hands on my thighs.

  “Not yet, but I am staying the night. We’re both going to Kallie’s tomorrow anyway, so we might as well go together. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

  I lean forward and kiss him, tasting the beer. “Let’s see how the night goes before you make a promise you can’t keep.” He looks at me with wide eyes and I nip his bottom lip. He pulls me flush against him and stares into my eyes, searching them. I’m sure he’s trying to figure out if I mean what I said, but there is no need to search for that, because I meant every word. Just as he presses his lips to mine, the doorbell rings. “Ugh.”

  He laughs and gives me a quick peck. “Saved by the bell.” Saved my ass. I want him so badly that it’s consuming me.

  We decide to eat in the living room, and after two slices of pizza and a beer, I am so full. He’s still eating, so I lean back on the couch and watch him. Everything he does is sexy—the way he eats, the way he holds that beer bottle to his lips, and the way his muscles flex when he moves. He turns his head and raises an eyebrow.

  “What?” I mumble.

  He chuckles and throws his crust on the plate, before climbing on top of me. “You watching me eat?” I giggle and he winks. “I like when you can’t keep your eyes off me. That’s how I feel, but it’s my hands I can’t keep off of you.” My heart starts beating faster, not in a scared way like usual, but in a way that has my body humming. “Keep that thought while I shower.” He climbs off me, and the loss of his body heat makes me shiver, or at least I think that’s why.

  I sit up and follow him to show him where the towels are and how to work the shower. Once he has it all, I go back into the living room, clean up the dinner dishes, and put the pizza away. I wipe down the kitchen before sitting down to watch some TV. I flip around and find some tattoo show. I leave it on and watch, wishing I wasn’t so scared to get one. I want one so badly, but I’m scared to do it. Not because I think I’ll regret it, but I’m scared of the pain. I know what I want—the word “awakening” with a peacock feather. It symbolizes so much for me. I just need the guts to do it. Before the show ends, Blake comes out with his hair still wet from the shower. He glances at the TV and then me.

  “One day I’ll have the guts to get one,” I say, focusing on my blank canvas.

  He looks down at his tattoo-covered arms and back at me. “I’ll take you when you’re ready. My friend Tony does both mine and Jax’s tattoos. He’s fucking amazing.”

  He sits down next to me, and we watch another episode. I can feel myself getting tired, and I’m annoyed with myself because I was really hoping that tonight would be the night with Blake, but I’m not about to have another night of not remembering.

  I guess I start to nod off because Blake touches my leg and it makes me jump. “Shit, sorry. Come on, I’ll help you get to bed and I’ll take the couch.” What? I don’t want him on the couch. We walk into my room, and I grab my camisole top and shorts and go change in the bathroom. I come back to the bedroom, and his eyes about bug out of his head. I smile and pull back the blanket. “I’ll see you in the morning, sexy,” he says, kisses my shoulder, and goes to leave.

  “Blake.” He turns around and I smile. “You can see me tonight too.” I climb into bed and he stares at me. I pull the covers back on the other side and raise my eyebrows.

  “Are you sure?” I nod and he pulls off his shirt and steps out of his jeans, revealing the most unbelievable body. Solid muscle, tattoos, and black boxer briefs. I want to kick my own ass for being so tired. I watch him walk over to the opposite side of the bed and climb in. He pulls the covers over himself, and we both lie on our sides with our eyes locked. “As hard as it will be, literally,” he says with a wink, “I would just like to hold you tonight. Is that all right?” I don’t even say a word. I roll to my other side and he pulls me to him. Having his solid chest pressed against my back and his colorful arm around my waist, I sink into him. “I’m not going anywhere, London, so don’t ask me to.”

  “I don’t want you to.” He squeezes me tighter and I smile. I didn’t think it was possible after this morning, but I’m going to bed feeling not only safe but happy. I think it’s safe to say I’m falling for Blake.

  Chapter Eight

  Blake

  I wake up to the smell of bacon. I open my eyes and look over to an empty side of the bed. If not for the smell of the bacon, I’d be breaking shit thinking she ran out on me again. It’s not exactly the way I wanted to wake up. I was hoping to wake up with her still in my arms. Last night, I lay awake for hours listening to her breathing, holding her tighter when she would start moaning, and come on, let’s be honest, trying to keep from slamming into her. Having her soft, smooth body wrapped in my arms again was amazing. I’m man enough to admit, to myself anyway, that I’ve done nothing but think about just that. I’m not going to be able to control myself much longer though. I have a serious case of blue balls and London is the only fix.

  I roll over and look at her side of the bed, thinking about yesterday. Hearing her crying on the phone like that was my undoing. There was nothing in the world that would have kept me from her. When she hung up on me, I was already running out of the house. Jax ran after me and grabbed my truck door when I tried to close it. I was telling him what happened when Brody walked over. I wasn’t asking for permission because I was leaving regardless. When he told me to get out of there, I floored it. I was pissed that I was an hour away. It felt like a lifetime getting to her, not knowing what was going on. I called to cancel the shoot I was supposed to go to, and even though she was pissed, I didn’t give a fuck. In that moment, I didn’t care if I ever modeled again. I just wanted to get to my girl. My girl. Damn, I guess that’s what she is.

  When I burst in the door and saw her on
the couch, I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know what was going on. Was she hurt? Was she scared? I had no idea, but when she told me what had happened, I could see why she was so upset. That prick scared the shit out of her, and he better hope to God I never see him because no one scares my girl and walks away. I’ll definitely be someone he never forgets.

  I scrub my face and climb out of bed. I need to get my thoughts off that prick and back on the sexy woman in the kitchen. I throw on my clothes and check the time. It’s only nine o’clock, and I’m glad we don’t need to rush to get over to Kallie’s. We’re going to need to stop at my place to get a few changes of clothes for today, but before any of that, I’m going to enjoy my morning. I walk out of the bedroom, and the smell of breakfast has my mouth watering. London has music playing. She’s singing and shaking her ass as she flips pancakes. I lean against the doorway and watch her with a grin on my face. Damn, I’d like to see her shake that ass in bed.

  After a few minutes, she turns around to get something out of the fridge and screams when she sees me. “Holy shit, you scared the crap out of me.” Her face blushes and she glances down before looking back at me. “How long have you been standing there?”

  With my grin still in place, I walk over to her and kiss her lips. “Long enough to know how well you can shake that sexy ass of yours.” She covers her face and moans. “Don’t worry, it’s just another thing we can laugh about. You know, when I tell everyone.”

  She uncovers her face and smacks my chest. “Shut up.”

  I pull her in for a hug and kiss the top of her head. “Good morning. I wasn’t happy to wake up alone.” I want to say it again, but things are going good right now, and I don’t want her to go back to that weird place.

  She kisses my chest and smiles up at me. “Good morning. I’m sorry. I just wanted to make you breakfast…you know, as a thank you for staying last night.”

  I chuckle as we let go of each other. “London, there were plenty of ways to thank me in the bedroom.” She shakes her head and turns to open the fridge. I smack her ass and she yelps before she turns around, laughing. I give her a wink and go over to flip the pancakes for her. “What can I do to help?” She puts milk and eggs on the counter and pushes me out of the way.

  “Nothing. I’ve got this. Go relax on the couch until it’s ready.” I smack her ass again and walk out of the kitchen, chuckling when she tries to hit me with a dishtowel.

  I sit down on the couch and pull out my phone to check my Facebook. Nothing exciting going on, which is surprising, because usually there’s all kinds of drama going on. I’ve made so many posts about people putting all their shit out there on Facebook, because it annoys the shit out of me. I mean, hell, if you want to tell me about your horrible breakup, don’t get pissed when I ask what did you expect when you were flirting with guys? You put it out there. Don’t think I won’t comment. I’m a big dick on there, but it’s no different from real life. Anyway, I make a post about having a shoot today and get off before I run across any drama. I can hear London singing softly, and it makes me so happy that she’s in a much better place today.

  “Blake, can you help me for a minute?” Like she has to ask.

  I go into the kitchen, and she’s kneeling on the counter trying to reach something on the top shelf of the cabinet. “Are you fucking serious?”

  She turns her head and smiles. “Normally, I stand on the counter, but I got up here and there’s too much crap on the counters and nowhere to push it out of my way.”

  I shake my head and lift her off the counter. “What do you need?” She points to a big serving platter. I reach in there and get it down for her. “Why the hell don’t you own a step stool?”

  She laughs and starts filling the platters with all the food she made. “I don’t need one. Standing on the counter works for me.” She could fall and hit her damn head climbing on the counter like that. The girl is getting a step stool. “It’s just part of the world of short people. You wouldn’t understand.” She laughs as she grabs two plates out of the cabinet.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t understand, but it doesn’t mean I like it.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Hey, can you grab the platter and put it on the table? I’ll get the rest.” I do as she asks and we sit down for breakfast. She’s made everything: pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns, and she even has coffee on the table.

  “Damn, I could get used to eating like this. Normally, I just make a quick egg sandwich.” We start eating and I have to say she can cook. I don’t know why it tastes better than any breakfast I usually make, but it does. “So, you excited for the shoot today?”

  She takes a sip of her coffee and grins at me. “Yes, I really am. I’m intrigued to see how it all goes down.”

  I finish off my plate and push it to the side. “I know you’ve talked to Kallie about it all, but what exactly are you going for? Completely different from the first cover?”

  She pushes her plate to the side and pours herself more coffee. “Yes, it will be somewhat different from the first one. In the first book, the characters just meet and form a relationship. In this one, they’ve been together, and it’s much more sexual. I’m going for something like that.”

  Damn, the thought of her writing sex is such a turn-on. “When you write sex scenes, do you use things you fantasize about?”

  She stares down into her coffee cup and grins. “Sometimes, depending on the characters. The ones that are more like me, the sex is more like a fantasy.” She shakes her head, but never looks at me.

  “London, don’t be shy about it. Hell, you write it.” She laughs and looks at me. “Better. So this book, is the sex fantasy for you?” She doesn’t say yes, but she nods her head just once. Fucking hot.

  She checks the clock and stands up. “Shit, I need to get dressed. Do you need to shower again or something?”

  I smile, loving that she gets so uncomfortable with things sometimes. “We need to go to my place so I can get a few outfit changes. I can shower there, you know, so I don’t smell like a chick.”

  I help her clean up breakfast, and when that’s done, she goes into her room to get dressed. I go out front to have a cigarette and check out her neighborhood. It’s really a nice upscale neighborhood. I watch kids riding their bikes, guys mowing their lawns, and some women hanging out talking. Reminds me of when I was a kid, before I started fucking up my life.

  The door opens and London comes to sit next to me on the steps. “It’s gorgeous out.”

  I smile at her and can’t help myself from pressing my lips to hers. She looks beautiful. Her hair is curled, she has makeup on, and her short shorts and off-the-shoulder shirt make me want to bring her back to her room.

  “Let’s go grab what we need and head to my place. I need to shower and get ready for the shoot.” She agrees. When we head back outside, she keeps telling me she wants to drive, but it’s not happening. I don’t like being driven around. I like to drive, so I tell her that I will lift her in and out of the truck, and even though she doesn’t seem overly happy, she agrees.

  The drive to my place is quiet. She’s on her phone, and I’m trying to think which boxers I should bring for today. When we get there, Jax is home already. It’s no surprise, because Kallie usually kicks him out when she’s going to do a shoot. We go inside and Jax is sitting in the kitchen.

  “Hey guys. What’s up?” He gives London a kiss on the cheek and I flip him off when he grins at me.

  “I’m going to jump in the shower. Can you entertain London? And by entertain, I mean talk to her. Don’t even get any other ideas,” I threaten.

  London and Jax laugh and I walk out of the kitchen, leaving them to it. I know Jax would never really do anything, but I still need to give him a hard time. I take a quick shower and go into my room to throw on some clothes. I put on my bright blue boxer briefs, thinking these might be what London has in mind for the cover. I grab my jeans and black Hurley shirt. I fix my hair, making sure it looks like
I didn’t do it, and spray on some cologne. I check myself out in the mirror and I’m satisfied, so I go back out into the kitchen. I can hear London and Jax laughing, and it makes me happy they get along. I’d hate if Jax didn’t like her or vice versa. I shake my head, realizing that is exactly what I put Jax through. I truly am an asshole.

  I walk into the kitchen, and London smiles at me and then really checks me out. I grin and give her a wink. “You ready? I don’t want to be late. Kallie will kick my ass.”

  Jax laughs and gets up when London does. “Damn right, she will. My girl is serious when it comes to her models.” He can say that again. Look what she put him through. “I’ll see you guys after the shoot. Max is going to stop by and run to the store with me, so everything will be done when you get here.” I give him a nod and London thanks him for hanging out with her.

  We walk outside and I follow her to my truck. I purposely let her lead. I love watching her ass sway when she walks. Makes me want to sink my fingers into it. When we get to the truck, I lift her up and she climbs in. I get in and turn to her. “You ready?”

  She buckles her seatbelt and grins up at me. “Definitely. I’m excited.” I start the truck and back out of the driveway.

  “You just want to see me naked.” She laughs, but I can see her cheeks blushing. Yep, she’s totally going to be checking me out.

  Once we get to Kallie’s and I help her out of the truck, I wrap my arm around her and kiss her head. We don’t say anything as we make our way to her apartment. I knock on the door, and Kallie opens it right away.

  “Hey, guys.” She pulls London in for a hug, and I give her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m so excited for this shoot. I’ve got everything set up and ready to go.”

  London looks around and turns to Kallie. “This place is amazing.” Kallie takes her on a tour, and I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. She does have a great place and I love the studio. I’m just about to go into the living room when someone knocks on the door. I open it and it’s Ivy.