by Dawn Doyle
“Dad,” my mom scolded him. “That’s enough. Blaine helps me plenty, so drop it.”
“No point,” he snapped, the spittle firing from his mouth. I didn’t have to look at him to know, because the sick, wet sounds made my skin crawl. “He doesn’t listen, anyway.”
“Something we agree on,” I retorted, turning around. I started to take the food and cans out of the bags, too aware of the gremlin’s eyes burning into my back. Charlie dipped his hand inside the brown paper, removing some items and looking at me, waiting for me to show where they went.
It was faint, but I caught my grandpa muttering, “No point in you ever coming home."
“What’s going on?” Charlie whispered.
“Don’t care.”
“Why the fuck is he mad at you?” His face deadpanned. “What did you do?”
I shrugged, looking away from him. I wasn’t about to explain my family troubles to Charlie; it had fuck all to do with him. Besides, if any of them had even graced my doorstep in the last few years, they would’ve already known about it.
“Charlie?” my mom asked, and he looked over his shoulder.
“Yeah.”
“Wow, you’ve grown up so much. I haven’t seen you for such a long time,” my mom said, staring at him. “You’ve grown your hair out.”
He nodded while I rolled my eyes, then ran a hand over his chin-length hair. A pair of scissors would fix that, no problem.
“I have,” he grinned. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Summers. You look great.”
My mom blushed, and I gripped Charlie’s arm before he could charm her any more than he was. “We were just leaving, Mom. I’ll see you later.” I glanced toward the poisonous elf then back to her. “Much later.”
She nodded quickly and waved as I ushered Charlie out the door. When we got outside, a white car was parked at the end of the pathway, a reclined figure in the driver’s seat with his eyes closed.
“Come on, Nate, let’s go,” Charlie said, opening the rear door.
Nate sat up and started the engine. “About fucking time.”
“Bite me, dickwad,” I snapped, getting in the back with Charlie.
“Don’t fucking tempt me, asshole,” he growled, glaring at me in the rearview mirror. “You’ve caused enough shit that you’re lucky I don’t wrap a tire iron around your damn neck.”
I gasped, placing my hand on my chest in true Blaine fashion. “Nate, you have missed me, haven’t you? Charlie told me all about it but, buddy, I’m here now.” I reached forward and ran a finger over the shell of his ear, snatching it back when he tried to swat my hand away. “I’ll never leave you again, Princess.”
“Can we dump him somewhere?” he asked, his jaw tensing as he spoke between his teeth.
“Blaine, it’s been less than ten seconds, and you’re already pissing him off,” Charlie said, but I could see the corners of his mouth turning up while he tightened his lips. “It’s like you never left.”
I sat back, putting my hands behind my head and relaxing into the soft seat. “Yeah. Tell me that again in about half an hour, cos you’re gonna wish you hadn’t come over.”
Charlie closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. “Oh, Christ.”
I sighed. “Yep. Savor it, boys, because your man, here, has gotta whole lotta love he’s been storing up, and my cup hath runneth over.” I grinned, but I was far from fucking happy. They might have come to make things right, but the damage was already done. It had been slowly chipping away for years, but the last flake that had fallen was the one that took it beyond repair. I didn’t know how much more I could take being around them, but I knew there was more to just hanging out and boosting cars. I’d seen it in the eyes of a woman I didn’t know, heard it in the voice that called to me in ways I didn’t know was possible, and for the first time ever, my next hit hadn’t been on my mind.
Chapter 5
Robyn
I hadn’t heard from Blaine or saw him again. Mica had been unusually quiet, without a single word mentioned about our last interaction. I knew he’d been working when Blaine showed up; I’d taken the call, knowing that he was right where I saw him last, and damn did I want to get the hell out of the call center and run toward the coffee shop.
Had he gone there for me?
Probably not, but a girl could dream, and that’s just what I’d been doing. Dreaming of a guy that had the features of a god, the eyes of the deepest ocean… Fuck, I’d definitely read too many novels because I wasn’t thinking about Blaine in a healthy way, I was idolizing him like I’d know him for years instead of a few seconds.
I stirred the latte in my hand, looking down as the foamy top thinned out the more the spoon went around and around. The coffee shop was quiet, which it usually was ten minutes from closing.
“Why don’t you take off? Aunt Joan said from beside me. “You’ve already cleared most of the tables, Mica’s started on one of the machines, and all I have to do is cash up.”
I took in the open space where three tables each had a couple sitting there, coming to the last of their orders and ready to leave. “I think I will. Thanks, Aunt Joan.” I reached behind me to undo my black apron, then looked up as the door opened. My jaw scraped the floor as I saw who’d come in.
Blaine, and he wasn’t alone.
“Hello again,” Aunt Joan said, smiling as she greeted them.
I watched as the pair walked over, the blonde girl beside him looking up at the menu board. I took in her features, her button nose, full lips, and eyes almost as blue as Blaine’s. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back, with strands over the front of her black jacket. She was gorgeous. My insides plummeted to the floor, my stomach burning with the rising acid that simmered, growing hotter the longer I stared at her.
“I’ll have a cappuccino,” she said, then turned to Blaine. “What are you having?”
“Flat white,” he said.
I tore my gaze away from the beautiful girl and looked up at Blaine, my heart thudding when I saw he was looking right at me, his eyes sparkling wickedly, a smile threatening on his chewable lips.
“Of course,” Aunt Joan, said, then gently tapped my arm.
“Coming right up,” I said, my words tumbling out of my mouth too quick for my tongue to catch up, making it sound like all one word. Right away, my face blazed hotter than before, scorching my cheeks as though ridiculing me for gawking at Blaine while he was with another girl.
“I guess he’s taken, then,” Mica said from behind me, close enough so only I could hear.
I gritted my teeth, but ground out, “Go fuck yourself, asshole.”
“I take it you’re not happy with that?” he snorted, then backed off, but I didn’t miss it when he muttered, “Good fucking riddance,” before he went through the door to the back room.
Don’t lose your shit in front of them.
I heard low voices as though whispering, and I glanced out of the corner of my eye as I steamed the milk. Blaine dipped down, listening while she spoke to him closely. He grinned, then winked at her, causing her to swat his arm at the same time she beamed at him. That’s when I noticed the rock on her finger.
Fucking hell.
I sprinkled powdered chocolate on the cappuccino before placing a lid on the top. “Your drinks. Enjoy,” I said, putting them on the counter and pushing them forward. As it was quiet in the shop, we didn’t need to take names, which at that moment, I was glad about.
“Thank you,” the girl said, smiling at me as she picked up her cup.
“Thanks, Robyn,” Blaine said, his voice still sending tremors down my legs even though they shouldn’t.
I watched as they left, then dropped my head in shame. I’d been drooling over a taken guy, but more importantly, I’d thought he was flirting with me. Maybe he was, maybe it was harmless fun for him, but I didn’t find it funny at all.
The door opened again, and I was surprised to see the girl come back in, her eyes bright and a huge smile on her face. “Hey,�
�� she said, quickly looking over her shoulder. “I’m not his girlfriend,” she rushed out. “I saw how you reacted when you saw me, and I just had to tell you.” She turned around before calling back, “I’m Luca, by the way. Blaine’s friends with my fiancé.”
And just like that, the sizzling tsunami calmed, taking my embarrassment with it.
The second she left the shop, Mica came out of the back, his smile returned like nothing had happened a few days ago. “So, ready to lock the doors?” he asked, picking up his cloth and getting to work cleaning the other machine. The other customers had gotten up and began heading out the door.
“Yeah,” Aunt Joan replied. She gave me a look, one that said ‘what the hell?’ “Robyn, you can take off. We got it covered.” Aunt Joan glanced toward Mica, then back to me, lifting her brows and jerking her chin to the door, telling me to get the hell out of there while I could.
That time, I didn’t bother taking off my apron. I went into the back, grabbed my purse, and called out, “Bye,” while waving my hand, not turning back to look.
I reached where my car was parked, taking my keys out and unlocking it. A red-orange glow appeared in my peripheral vision, and I snapped my eyes to it, seeing a handsome face lit up. I paused with my hand on the door handle, not moving, and unable to look away as Blaine stared at me. He leaned against the wall of the launderette a few stores down, his foot propped up against the brick behind him.
The smell of something other than cigarettes wafted over to me as he exhaled, a huge cloud of smoke blowing in my direction that I wanted to breathe in just to taste what he had.
He wore a dark hoodie with white lettering down his right arm that was facing me. Gray sweats covered his legs, the kind that made your mouth water when they hung perfectly on the hips, and I imagined that they would.
“You’re lucky that’s legal here,” I blurted out, cringing at the first words to fall out of my mouth, the stupidity rolling off my tongue like the little girl Mica had made me sound like. I closed my eyes and turned back to the door, pulling it open and throwing my purse across to the passenger side.
A deep laugh came from his direction, low and rumbling. We hadn’t even had a full conversation but hearing his voice, his laugh, and not down the phone, every tiny hair on my body stood on end.
“One of my many vices,” he said, just I was about to get in my car and drive away to hide my reddening face. “Hanging out on the wrong side of town is another.”
I straightened, then slowly turned to him. “The wrong side of town?”
He threw whatever he was smoking on the ground and stepped on it, shifting his foot to grind it out. “Yeah,” he replied, blowing smoke into the air. “Well, city. This isn’t my neck of the woods.” He began walking toward me, and my heart raced, his height seeming to increase the closer he got to me.
“Oh?” I nervously tucked a loose strand of my hair back over my ear and swallowed hard. “You’re not from around here?”
He did that thing with his lips, the one where only half lifted as he smiled. “No, Robyn, I’m not.”
Considering our first interaction was when he was on the other side of Norton, I should’ve guessed that, but my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
He stood close, too close, and I could smell his scent in his nearness. Body wash, maybe, and definitely some aftershave that reminded me of the beach. Fresh, clean, free… I stopped myself from taking a deep breath—from savoring how he smelled.
Get a fucking grip, Robyn, you don’t even know him.
“Well, I should get going,” I said on a breath, watching as Blaine’s eyes twitched as I did. “I have to get to work.”
“At the cab company,” he stated.
“Yeah.” Fuck, he definitely knew it was me.
“Why do you work two jobs?”
My mouth opened and closed repeatedly while I blinked quickly, making me look like a complete idiot in front of the guy that was turning my knees to jello from just standing there. “Uh…”
He held up his hands. “Never mind, it’s not my business,” he said, then stepped back away from me, allowing me to breathe again and my mind to clear the tiniest amount so I could focus. “I guess I’ll call you in a little while.” His lop-sided smile promised that he would.
I just had to make it there in one piece so I could pick up when he did. Maybe then I wouldn’t make an idiot out of myself and be able to string a sentence together without blushing.
Blaine grinned as his bright-blue eyes searched my face. “You’re a blusher,” he said, his gaze lowering toward my uniform making my pulse speed up.
I was not a blusher, but lately, I couldn’t stop my skin from bursting into flames. “I, uh, I gotta go,” I stuttered, then got into my car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blaine standing next to my window, his crotch eye-level to me. I whispered, “Don’t look.” He dipped down, his face coming into view. I slowly turned my head, taking in his high cheekbones and defined chin before meeting his thick-lashed eyes that most girls had to pay for.
“I’ll see you around, Robyn,” he said, then his tongue darted out over his lower lip. “Sooner rather than later, I expect.”
I swallowed again, copying his move, and his eyes snapped to my lips, his jaw tensing and releasing. “Maybe,” I managed to get out, then started my car. Blaine stepped away, and I pulled out into the quiet road, checking my side mirrors as he stood watching me go.
“Jesus, that was uncomfortable,” I said to no-one. I’d never felt like that in my entire life, but I knew one thing… I wanted to again. Something about Blaine drew me in, and it wasn’t just the original pull of his voice. My body sang to him, tried to serenade him, and I had no idea how to control it.
Blaine
“Never fear, the entertainment is here,” I said, my arms wide and walked into the room like I owned the place. It was a cheap shot, I know, but since I’d come back, they acted like everything was damn peachy.
When Charlie and Nate had come to get me a couple of days ago, they’d all asked me what was up. Yeah, I wasn’t giving them shit except for one thing… I wanted some me time, a chance to center my Chi—whatever the fuck that was—and work on my chakras. I had no fucking clue what I was talking about, but it sounded like some mumbo-jumbo shit I’d heard over the years, and mainly from the girls I’d been with.
“Wow, you seem happy today,” Brady said, propping his feet on the coffee table and receiving a glare from Luca in the process.
“Get your feet down,” she said, slapping at his ankles. She looked up at me and walked over. “Hey, Blaine.” She wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed me tight.
Luca had apologized over and over, tears in her eyes as she explained she’d not pressed send on the message of the time change, only noticing when I’d insisted I wasn’t late. I’d taken off before she could tell me, which made me feel fucking guilty. Not about leaving, but because she felt like shit.
“Hey, Lu,” I replied, returning her squeeze while lifting her up and spinning her around. I put her down, then let go before heading over to the huge couch to sit next to Charlie. “What up, dawg?” I took the beer Lucian held out for me as he walked into the room, then sat back.
“No work today?” Lucian asked, sitting opposite in the dark blue chair that looked like the one he had in his room at his parents’ place.
“Nah, I’m back in tomorrow,” I replied, then looked to Charlie who hadn’t answered me. “No speaky?” He held up his finger, then continued scrolling on his phone. “I guess I have to wait for Sir scrolls-a-lot to finish up,” I said, looking pointedly to Charlie who flipped me the bird and went back to whatever the fuck he was looking at.
“So, what’s up?” Lucian asked as Luca sat next to him on their chair and leaned into his side. He draped his arm over her shoulders, pulled her close, then kissed her temple.
God, they were sickening to watch. But, he loved her so much, and I wasn’t going to make a wise-ass crack about it b
ecause she’d come through when he’d needed her the most—the reason he was still breathing.
“Not much.” I turned the corners of my mouth down and shrugged. “Just got a few things to do before the week is out.” And one of those was a high priority which, unfortunately, didn’t involve Robyn.
Damn, she was gorgeous. Long, dark hair that ran down her back, swishing in her ponytail as she walked, her eyes widening when she looked up that first time we met, her full lips parting before she fucked me senseless with just her words. I shifted on the couch, my need for release getting stronger every fucking day. I still hadn’t dabbled in some female company; I didn’t have the time, but whenever Robyn popped into my head, and my other head acknowledged those thoughts by stirring in my pants, I forgot about other women. A first for me.
“Have you calmed the fuck down after last week?”
“Bite my ass,” I said, then took a long drink of my ice-cold beer. “Nate was acting a dick like I said. He pissed me off.” Yeah, acting like I was inconveniencing him by being there was enough to tip me over the edge. I was so over his crap.
“He had something of his own to deal with—you know that,” Brady cut in. “And he’s not here cos he’s got a lot of shit going on right now, too. You know how it is.”
I did, but it didn’t give him the right to be an asshole to us, especially to me. “What’s his shit got to do with me?”
They looked at each other, then back to me. “You don’t know?”
I held my hands out, letting them know I had no fucking idea what was going on.
“The shit I told you you’d caused,” Charlie said, finally looking up from his tiny screen. “It wasn’t just the way you’d walked out and never called us—it’s this. I never mentioned it because I wanted to look into it first in case it was some kind of joke.” He held his screen toward me, giving me a good look at it. “Who the fuck is Mica, and why is he asking me to dig up dirt on you?”
“What the fuck?” I grabbed the phone from his hand and stared at the screen. Sure enough, there it was in black and white, an email to Charlie’s backstreet business with a flash-less picture taken of me outside the coffee shop with Robyn two nights ago, and an earlier one taken inside with me sitting at a table while talking on my phone A simple message followed. ‘What’s taking so long? He has a girlfriend, but he’s still hitting on mine. I need you to find out who he is, and what I can do to get rid of him.’
