by Dawn Doyle
“Yeah, I’ve got plans for you, retweet,” he said in the tone that drove me wild. It didn’t matter what he said, his tone always managed to exude sex and sin, and I was loving being on the receiving end of that. “And judging by the way your skin is flushing—” he reached over with his free hand and ran his finger down my neck to my aching breasts—“we’re on the same page.”
I leaned closer, licking my lips. “You have to show me first, and I’ll tell you if we are.” He’d already shown me in his shower, pinning me up against the cold tiles while he entered me from behind, gripping my hips and driving into me over and over, releasing one hand to cover my mouth when I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I hadn’t gotten out of a house so fast in my damn life, whereas Blaine stepped casually out of the door, waving to his mom before he closed it behind him.
He lifted the corner of his lips and growled like an animal. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, and when we get back to your place later, I’m going to show your couch what else it’s used for.”
I opened my mouth to reply when the door opened, and my jaw dropped. Luca grinned, moving out from behind the door, revealing her light-blue sweater and skinny jeans covering her killer figure. Her long blonde waves fell over her shoulders, reflecting a golden glow from the overhead lights.
“Hi!” she greeted us, her beaming smile impossibly wide as she looked between us. “Blaine, I’m so happy you made it.” She gestured for us to go inside, and the moment we did, she wrapped her arms around Blaine’s waist, hugging him tightly. “Robyn, it’s so good to meet you properly.” She pulled me in too, and before she released me, she whispered, “You’re so good for him.” When she pulled back, it was as though she hadn’t said a thing. “Come on through, the others got here a few minutes ago. We ordered Chinese, I hope that’s okay?”
“Feed me, woman, I’m wasting away,” Blaine said, running his hand over his stomach.
Luca snorted and rolled her eyes. “Dramatic much? I swear, Robyn, you’ve got your hands full with this one.” She pointed at Blaine and led the way through an arched doorway, her bare feet making soft slaps against the white tiles.
“Did you hear that? I’m a handful,” Blaine said, pumping his brows. “But you and I both know the truth, don’t we?”
I sure did. There was a hell of a lot of Blaine I could get my hands full with. I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and made a point of dropping my gaze to his crotch. “I might need a visual.”
He chuckled. “I’d drop my pants for you right now, but I wouldn’t want to make the guys jealous.”
The living room was gorgeous. Two dark couches sat perpendicular to each other, and a huge comfortable chair that could easily sit two people sat opposite, the colors complementing, yet striking against the light walls. Tumblers and beer bottles were already on coasters in the middle of the glass coffee table, their owners all sitting down and staring… At me.
“This is Robyn,” Blaine said, gently squeezing my hand. “And, yeah, we’re together, so don’t try anything funny.”
My head whipped to him but found his serious tone contradicting his humor-filled expression.
“Hey, Robyn, it’s good to meet you,” a guy said, his silver eyes striking against his dark hair. He smiled, showing two boyish dimples. “I’m Lucian.”
He looked a lot different than on the photos. A hell of a lot more bulk, taller, and happier. When he looked at Luca, I knew why. He was her fiancé.
Blaine pointed to each of the other guys I recognized, and they waved in turn. “This is Brady, you already met Charlie, and that’s Nate.”
Nate stood, the time for him to rise to full height seeming to take forever. “Nice to finally meet you,” he said, his voice deep, but there was an underlying tone to it, a cold edge that sent a shiver down my spine, and it wasn’t good. His eyes snapped to Blaine, a darkness crossing his features, then back to me. “We’ve learned a lot about you.”
Oh fuck.
What the hell did he know? Panic spread through me, my hands shaking and my heart rate picking up speed so fast the sound of my pulse resonated in my ears with each thump of my heart.
“Don’t scare her, ass, she literally just got here,” Charlie said, swatting him with the back of his hand. He turned to me. “Don’t mind him, he’s just fucking with you. We take a little getting used to, but you will. Just ask Luca.”
She lifted her hands up. “There’s far too much crazy to unleash on you just yet. Baby steps.”
I nodded, but while Luca beamed at Lucian, I saw a look pass between them. A mutual understanding, a certain memory they shared, or maybe an experience they’d gone through together.
Blaine led me to the couch next to us, and sat, pulling me close to him and draping his arm over my shoulders. “It’s a long, painful story,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to my temple, his kiss relaxing me, the stroke of his fingers over my arm calming the galloping inside my chest. “If you stick around, I’ll tell you everything.”
Why does he keep thinking I’m going to leave him?
Luca and Lucian got up and left the room, only to return with two boxes full of delicious smelling food. My stomach rumbled, complaining that my energy had been taken up not long ago in the best way possible.
Conversations picked up while we ate as though I wasn’t the new person in the room and that I’d always been there. I hadn’t felt so comfortable with strangers in my life, and there I was, in a house with Blaine’s friends and being made to feel like I belonged. The conversations soon turned to ribbing, and when it was aimed at Blaine, I stiffened at the mean edge it took. It was as though they took delight in jabbing that little bit harder when it came to his turn to be made fun of.
“You know it’s true,” Brady said about Blaine not getting his way while laughing around a mouthful of food. “There’s only so much you can take before you go off in a sulk.”
Blaine’s jaw ticked. “Hey, it works, doesn’t it? I throw a fit, you come running to cheer me up. Brady, we all know you have a soft spot for me, just accept that nothing can happen between us.” He placed his hand on his chest. “I’m spoken for.” He pulled me close, held my chin and kissed my lips, right in front of his friends. My mouth hung open in shock. He spoke to Brady again. “Please don’t cry about it, bro—it’s not a good look for you.”
Brady laughed again and threw a noodle at him. Blaine caught it in his mouth, chewing it in triumph. “You’re such a dick.”
Blaine shrugged. “Insults are only thrown because of pain.”
I stared at Brady, then a movement to my right caught my eye, and I turned to see Nate staring right at me. No smile, no emotion in his eyes… Nothing.
I swallowed, then turned back to whatever I’d missed.
“Hey, Robyn, I’m gonna grab some more drinks from the kitchen, wanna help?” Luca asked as Lucian and Nate gathered up empty bottles and food cartons.
I glanced to Blaine and back to her. “Sure.”
Blaine squeezed my hand again, holding me tight for a few seconds before he released me.
The kitchen was amazing. Gray marble tops, white counters… Just the size of the room was bigger than my entire apartment I was sure.
She walked over to a huge double fridge and began pulling out green bottles, then popped the caps. “How’re things going between you?” she asked, resting her hands down on the top of the huge center island.
“Good,” I replied, nodding. It was the truth. I was never happier than I was when I was with him, and just thinking that brought a lump to my throat and heat to rise up my neck into my face. “He’s a great guy.”
Luca moved to stand right next to me while Lucian and Nate were deep in conversation as they disposed of the food containers. “He is. Robyn, has Blaine told you anything about us—about Lucian?”
I shook my head. “Only that you were crazy about each other.”
Luca beamed and sighed. “Yeah, I love him more than anything.” She swept a lock of
blonde hair over her ear while she gazed lovingly at him, then back to me. “I can see you’re crazy about Blaine, too. It’s not hard to see that by how you are with each other.”
“Is it that obvious?” I whispered, hoping to hell that Blaine couldn’t hear us.
“Pretty much. Listen…” She moved closer. “There’s a lot of things about us you don’t know, but I’m sure Blaine will tell you eventually, and that’s okay. If he trusts you enough, then so do I. Just know that he’s special to me, and if he gets hurt…” Her lower lids brimmed with tears, her eyes twitching as though she was fighting to keep them from falling—a tactic I’d used many times over the years.
“I won’t hurt him," I assured her. “Believe me, Luca, I have no intention of doing anything that would cause him pain.”
My shoulders dropped with my honesty, the truth falling my mouth with ease. I didn’t want to do that to Blaine, but I was afraid he would do that very thing to me.
“Good, because I don’t forgive easily, Robyn, especially when somebody hurts my family, and Blaine is our family.”
I longed to be a part of that too, with Blaine, and that thought caused a wave of ice to crash through me.
“You have nothing to worry about.”
Luca smiled, then picked up four beers and walked ahead, leaving me to grab the other two. I hadn’t lifted the first bottle when a huge body stood in front of me.
“We need to have a chat.”
My head slowly tipped back, my eyes rising over a navy-blue T-shirt to meet the dark pools that belonged to Nate. “We do?”
He folded his arms across his body, the thick muscular limbs tensing as he did. “Blaine doesn’t need your shit dragging him down,” he said flatly, and I took a step back.
“What?”
Nate got up in my space again, dipping his head and glaring at me. “I know everything, little bird, right down to the last twenty-four cents at the end of your fine.”
My stomach bottomed out, rolling over and over as it fell, taking the use of my knees with it. I gripped onto the counter as I fought for my breath, my lungs burning as my throat tightened.
“No,” I squeaked.
“Oh, yes. You see, your actions have consequences on other people, and right now, those consequences will affect Blaine.”
I shook my head. “They won’t. Not unless you tell him.”
He snorted, the corner of his mouth turning up into a snarl. “But they will, and they do,” he stated. “Being associated with you could get certain people looking a little too closely at him, and if they do that, you’re both fucked.”
“Why? What are you talking about?” He made no sense whatsoever.
“You being with him can fuck everything up. Your friend already tried getting dirt on him, and that was just out of jealousy. What do you think would happen if your probation officer decided to check up on your new circle of friends?”
He was right, though it was unlikely it would happen. If Derek thought I was at risk, then sure, he had that power to pull whatever strings he had to look into someone.
“I-I don’t u-understand,” I stammered, shaking my head, the intimidating guy looming over me, making me curl into myself. No guy had ever made me feel threatened—I would never allow it— except for right then because I had no control over it. “Blaine’s got nothing to worry about.”
Nate’s emotionless expression shifted, his smile stretching wide but not reaching his eyes. “But he does, little bird. He has to worry about you. His job at Blacklocks could go up in smoke, too. You wouldn’t want that to happen now, would you?” I knew that place. It was a dealership that sold high-end cars that I drooled over every tie I went past. He straightened, then turned toward the doorway, pausing to look back. “Tell him before it’s too late, or I will.”
Right at that moment, Blaine rushed into the room. “Robyn?” he asked, his voice high and anxious. When he saw me, his face twisted with fury. “What the fuck did you say to her?” he yelled at Nate, his head slightly above his as he rushed him.
“Nothing that she didn’t already know,” he replied.
“I will fucking break your goddamn neck!” Blaine roared, shoving Nate backward into the counter, his body colliding with a thump.
Fists began to fly, knuckles cracked against bones, voices were raised, and names were screamed. I could do nothing because I was frozen with shock and fear, every part of my body unable to move.
More bodies raced into the room, and before I had a chance to comprehend what the fuck was going on around me, Lucian had Blaine in some complicated arm lock, and Brady did the same to Nate. Blood oozed from a cut to Nate’s brow, crimson beginning to stream down the side of his face.
Then I saw Blaine. In a split-second, I was unstuck, racing over to him and cradling his jaw in my hands, his blood seeping onto my skin from the corner of his mouth.
His blazing eyes turned to me, softening when he searched my face. “Are you okay? Did he say something to hurt you?” He struggled in Lucian’s hold. “Let me go, Loosh, I’m done.”
“I’m staying right here,” he said as he released his grip on Blaine, then pointed to the ground.
Blaine pulled me into his chest, enveloping me in his big arms, and ran his hand down the back of my head, stroking my loose hair. “I can’t believe they left you alone with him,” he whispered. “That dick has gone too far in trying to fuck with me.”
“He wasn’t,” I sobbed, surprised to find I’d been crying this whole time. My eyes burned with tears, hot tracks streaming down my face. “He was trying to protect you.”
Blaine paused, then pulled back, holding me still. “From what?”
I sniffled. “From me.”
“Don’t fucking fight me, Nate, just move your fucking ass,” Lucian spat as Brady and Charlie marched Nate out of the kitchen, Nate’s stormy gaze penetrating me as he headed toward the doorway. “My fucking house, dude, what the hell?”
“I’m going,” Nate mumbled, still staring at Blaine and me. “I said all I needed to.”
Once they’d left us alone, Blaine jumped right in. “What the hell are you talking about, Robyn?” He gestured in the direction they’d gone. “Why would Nate need to protect me from you?”
I swiped at my tears. “Please, Blaine, I just wanna go home,” I pleaded, desperate to get out of the house and away from the shit show that had just happened. My whole world had begun to come crashing down, and right when I thought I was in the home run, almost passed the last base where I would be safe.
Blaine shook his head and jammed a hand in his hair. “Talk to me, baby. I wanna help you. Whatever it is, I’m here, okay?”
I shook my head, my tears flowing faster with the movement. “You won’t be.” I swiped at my face. “I wanna go home.”
*****
The second the door shut, Blaine turned the locks, then wasted no time in stopping me from escaping him. We hadn’t spoken on the ride home from Luca and Lucian’s place in West Norton, and I’d gone through countless scenario’s in my head for how I was going to lay everything out there. It all came down to one conclusion. Blaine would find out exactly what had gone down almost four years ago, who was with me, and why I’d been booked for illegal activity and destruction of private property at only eighteen years old and fresh out of high school.
And I was terrified of how he would react, which was made a hell of a lot worse by Nate confronting me. Another question was, why would my mistakes fuck us?
“Robyn, talk to me,” he said into my ear as I tried to break his hands from around me. “I need to know what Nate said to you so I can make it better.”
I finally got him to slacken his grip, wriggled my way out of his hold, then backed away. I couldn’t see much because of the unshed tears, courtesy of my mind running away with me and a vision of Blaine shaking his head right before he closed the door behind him.
But, I had to tell him; I’d let it go on for far too long. He had a right to know what he’d got
ten himself into, and respect his choice if he wanted to get out, no matter how much it would tear my heart into tiny pieces.
“Babe.” He took a step toward me, then paused when I raised my hand.
“Just… I’ll tell you,” I said finally, my voice thick and rough. Blaine’s eyes darkened, and I knew he loved how I spoke, the sound my voice made when it rasped, especially when we we're in bed together. But it wasn’t the time for thinking about how we affected each other, it was time to come clean to the man I’d given my heart to. “Sit down.”
He did, slowly, his eyes never leaving me. His usually happy face was stern, his brows pinched as though waiting to be told something that could potentially cause him to seek out his supposed friend and continue where he left off.
I took a deep breath. “I love racing,” I began, choosing to start there. I didn’t know why, so I hoped my fucked up head knew where this was going.
“I know,” Blaine replied. “Speed is your thing.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand, Blaine. I love racing—I used to race.” This time, his expression never changed, he never spoke, and just waited for me to continue. I began to pace, wringing my hands as I walked back and forth, my palms becoming clammy as I broke out in a sweat. “I was living my life race-to-race, waiting for the signal to meet, line up our cars, and tear up the ground under our tires, images of trees and fencing passing us by at top speeds.” I sighed. “That’s how I met Aaron—on the racing circuit.”
My insides dropped mentioning his name, and when I met Blaine’s eyes, they’d narrowed.
“So, who’s he?” he asked.
“My ex. We broke up right after I got arrested.”
Blaine shot up, almost leaping to his feet. “You were arrested?” he asked, his voice rising. “Why the fuck were you arrested?”
