One Knight Stand: Blaine

by Kayce Kyle

  “Just calm down. Let me do something for you, huh? You can go outside afterward and rub against some trees or something,” I tease, lathering the soap over his slick, smooth and sculpted pecs.

  “God. What or who have I turned into?” I feel my lips curl up into a grin as I wash circles over him while listening to his commentary. He grabs a hold of my wrists and my eyes hastily shoot up to his. What did I do? “Tara. I’m not good at expressing my emotions considering I shut them down years ago.” His eyes soften and give me that same vulnerable look from earlier. “Don’t do this unless you’re really willing to take this risk. Please. I don’t use that word often, but for some reason still unknown to me, I’m willing to gamble with my heart where you’re concerned. It seems ridiculous for me to do this, but…”

  Cutting his words off with mine, I press my lips against his hand that still holds my wrist. “Blaine, this is real to me. I can’t explain it either. But I’m here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

  He releases my wrists. “Tara, you will have to tie up loose ends back home. You might despise that fucking prick you were with, but you’ve got to end it. What about your parents? How will they feel about this? What about the rest of your family?”

  He’s right. I need to properly face Preston and end things once and for all. My parents will probably die on the spot from heart attacks. My sister, too. But Carmen? She’ll be the only one who supports me. My old friends? Fuck them. They’re all fake and only care about the latest fashion trends and gossip within our circle. “They’ve called and texted. And you’re right. I need to inform everyone. I expect nothing less than their scrutiny and shock. They’ll probably disown me, but Blaine, I don’t care. This isn’t some experiment for me. I’ve been done with what’s-his-face emotionally and physically for a while now. At the end of the day, they’re all willing to see me live a loveless life to keep up appearances. They don’t truly care about my happiness, because if they did, they’d want what I want. And what I want is to give this a real shot. My little sister is a lost cause. She’s ten years younger than me. So, she didn’t witness the earlier years in my parents’ marriage when all they did was argue over my father’s numerous infidelities.”

  “Wait. You have a sister?” he questions me, sounding shocked.

  I feel a brow arch. “Is that a problem? You like younger women or something?” I feel my insecurity crawl in unexpectedly and rear its ugly head. I’m not a jealous person by nature, but Preston did a number on me.

  He shakes his head. “No. Fuck no. I guess we’re still learning about each other.” He chuckles. “It’s safe to say we’re doing this completely backwards.”

  I cup his face, forcing his unsure, beautiful aqua eyes to meet mine. “Who says this isn’t how we’re supposed to do it? This is our story. We decide how we tell it and define it. I’m tired of predictable, boring ‘normal’ shit. Blaine, I like how this is unfolding. I like us.” I lean forward, gently pressing my lips to his before he wraps his arm around the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my wet hair.

  Our kiss is rough as we both fight to steal the oxygen from one another while exchanging it back and forth. Mumbled voices only growing louder by the second catch us off-guard as they echo around us outside the bathroom.

  “Tara! Tara Elizabeth Billings, I know you’re in here!”

  I feel my eyes grow large as my heart thunders inside my chest when I realize it’s my mother’s voice followed by my father’s.

  “Your folks?” Blaine scrubs his face with his hands as I nod. “Fuck. I left the backdoor unlocked.”

  I fumble out of the shower and dress myself quickly as they continue to call out for me. I know they’ve seen my car in the back. Blaine scrambles to step into his jeans and pull his shirt over his head. “I-I’ll go out first,” I tell him, and am met with immediate displeasure etched on his face.

  “I don’t fucking think so. You think I’m gonna let you go out there by yourself and let them run over you?” He opens the door before I can answer.

  I follow closely behind him, but my nerves invoke waves of nausea. “You must be Tara’s mom and dad?” Blaine approaches them from behind as they scan the stairway and Blaine’s side. My mother jumps and my father abruptly swings around and the color in both of their faces drain.

  They dissect Blaine visually in disgust and ignore him completely before turning to me. My mother races past Blaine and pulls me into her. “Tara, darling! You’re okay! We have been worried sick.”

  “Please, Tara. Tell me you haven’t done anything here you’ll live to regret? Katherine call Preston and tell to pull over. We’re taking our daughter out of this disgusting place. She needs to be seen by a doctor.” My father walks past Blaine but intentionally bumps shoulders with him.

  Blaine snaps. “Watch it, old man! Don’t forget you’re an uninvited guest at this point. Now, you can speak with your daughter with some respect, or leave. I won’t ask again.”

  My father ignores him long enough to slide my mother aside and he grips my arm tightly, causing me to wince out in pain. “Ouch, Daddy!”

  BLAINE

  Everything from this point on seems to happen at warp speed. Instantly, I wrap my arm around the back of her father’s neck and squeeze. He claws and pulls at my arm, but I can’t seem to let go. He just hurt Tara. Both women are screaming, begging me to stop and once I drag him far enough away from Tara, I release him. He turns around and takes a swing, but I lean back, and he misses. “You don’t want this, old man. I promise. Leave. Now!”

  Tara stands in place as her eyes go back and forth between her parents and me while her mother rushes to her father to check on him. I walk back over to Tara to check on her. “You okay?”

  She folds her arms over her chest. “Did you really have to hurt him?” She avoids looking at me, leaving me baffled and pissed.

  Her father turns around. “Are you spreading your legs for this piece of trash? You have a man like Preston Hallister, and you’re out here shacking up with this filth?”

  My blood boils and begs my temper to erupt volcanically at his words, but I glance at Tara and watch her eyes go dark and cold. She begins to approach him, and I stay close by her, but another unfamiliar voice booms throughout the room, stopping us both.

  “She’s what?” A blonde haired preppy boy wearing slacks and a button-up covered by a cardigan appears. That’s it. If this motherfucker says one wrong word, I’ll drop him where he stands. Instinctively, I step in front of Tara. She grips the back of my shirt. “Tara, lovebug. What are you doing out here and at this dump?” He steps closer and reaches for her, but I can feel her bury her face into my back.

  “Stop right there, you preppy prick. Ask the old man over there,” I warn, watching his every move, ready for anything.

  He chuckles at my words. “Get your filthy hands off my girlfriend, trash. She’s not yours, she belongs to me.” I can feel my veins constrict and my fists ball up at this motherfucker’s declaration.

  “Who the fuck are these people?” Emmit’s voice roars throughout the bar. Behind him are Sharla, and my ma.

  “Uninvited is what they are. They’re just leaving,” I tell my brother.

  Tara lets go and pulls away from me, stepping beside me. Emmit and Sharla stand out of the way, but to the side of Tara’s family and us. My ma walks up to Tara. “You okay, honey?”

  Tara doesn’t answer, her eyes are firmly locked onto this Preston character. I can feel her body tremble next to mine. “Everybody shut the fuck up!” The entire bar goes silent in shock. She turns to her parents. “Mom, I know you can’t help that you are who you are. So, I’ll forgive you for choosing money over your happiness. That’s your choice, but it isn’t and will never be mine. And Daddy? You’re a disgusting pig! You’ve been having affairs since I can remember! Not to mention you hold it over Mom’s head any chance you get. So, how dare you come in here and judge one fucking thing I’ve done! What? You think I don’t know?”

&
nbsp; “Tara Elizabeth! You don’t sound very ladylike right now!” her mother admonishes her unexpected behavior.

  “Oh please, Mom! Is it ladylike to spread your legs for a man after he openly cheats in your face simply because you don’t want to lose the material things you have? Or, God forbid your reputation in a society filled with complete hypocrites who are living and doing the same damn thing?”

  “She’s either on drugs, or needs to be committed,” her father says, turning to her mother. Pointing his finger at me, he says, “this isn’t over. I’ll ruin you. Every last one of you!” He casts his menacing gaze at each of us. “Come on, Katherine.” He grabs Tara’s mom by the arm as tears spill from her eyes and pulls her out of the bar.

  “If I never see you again it will be too soon!” Tara screams with balled tight fists at her side.

  “Lovebug?” I can feel my eyes as they narrow at this shithead’s tone and term of endearment as he begs for Tara’s attention. “You’re tired. Let’s get you back home and have a proper doctor look you over. These people aren’t your kind, Tara. You’re better than this. Now let’s go,” he says, lunging toward her, and immediately I place her back behind me.

  “Oh hell no, you prissy fuck! I will kick your ass!” Sharla roars and charges toward him but Emmit quickly wraps his arms around her as she squeals and tries to break free.

  Tara steps back beside me defiantly, and it infuriates me. This bastard doesn’t deserve to even set eyes on her, let alone have any chance at getting his hands on her. I will kill him. I know this is her moment. Her time to unleash on him everything she’s been holding in, so I’ll allow her that. Hopefully this asshole knows his place and keeps his hands and derogatory comments to himself.

  Tara steps closer to him and I stay so close to her our arms touch. “I’m not your fucking lovebug! You’re right, I probably am tired considering all I’ve done since being here is fuck his brains out.” She shifts quickly and grabs my face, pulling me to her and firmly presses her lips to mine. For a fleeting moment I feel myself beginning to lose control as I fall under the spell of her taste, but she pulls away and we both look back to a speechless Preston. I’m not sure if I feel a sense of pride or like I’ve just been used. Either way, she can claim my lips with hers any damn time. In fact, if this is what being used feels like, I’ll welcome it all fucking day long. “Don’t look so surprised, asshole. I only wish I’d known of your infidelities sooner, so I could’ve found Blaine earlier. At first, I was distraught and heartbroken. Little did I know you did me a favor. We’re done, and we’ve been done. Oh, and you’re right. These aren’t my people! I honestly don’t feel I deserve the friendship and hospitality they’ve shown me. I’ve never met a group, a family, of nicer people than these right here.” She points around the room at us.

  “You can’t be serious, Tara? Your sister was a one-time thing. It didn’t mean shit to me,” he tells her, shifting his feet as he pleads with her.

  Her fist connects with his nose before I can blink, and instantly I wrap my arms around her, turning her away from his front and my back toward him. I don’t know this fucker’s temperament and I can’t chance him laying a single finger on her. She squirms and hollers as she tries to break free. “Sharla! Ma! Take her upstairs, now!”

  “Fuck you, Preston! The only trash in here is you! Get the fuck out! Forget I exist!” she screams as my ma and Sharla take each of her arms and escort her upstairs.

  “Bitch broke my nose!” this prick declares, shocked as he holds his nose and blood pours from it, dripping onto his fucking ugly ass princess-pink cardigan.

  “Now you’re really gonna need a plastic surgeon!” I roar, before balling my fist and landing a shot of my own, knocking him backward and onto his ass.

  “Blaine! Chill!” Emmit jumps in front of me. “This asshole doesn’t deserve any more of your energy, brother.”

  “Get up, fucker! You heard Tara. Get the fuck out before this gets any worse!” I step closer, but Emmit places his palm on my chest.

  He stumbles several times and it takes all the willpower inside of me not to beat this motherfucker within an inch of his life. “Fucking bunch of thugs! White trash, thugs! You’ve messed with the wrong people,” he warns as he finds his feet and begins to walk away.

  “Your threats don’t scare me, punk! Whatever you think you can do to me, I promise I will do back ten times worse!” I growl loudly, while my brother approaches me, encouraging me to calm down. I run behind the bar and grab my gun.

  “Blaine, no! Fuck!” Emmit hollers, as I chase after Preston.

  When I make it to the back parking lot, he’s already driving off and I fire off a warning shot, purposely missing his vehicle entirely. But, I feel the grin tug at the corner of my lips as I watch his pansy ass duck inside his little sports car. “Piece of shit!” I spit out.

  Chapter Seven

  TARA

  My sister? Pacing the floor of Blaine’s room, I clutch my sore hand. Damn that hurt but felt so good. If only I could do it twenty more times.

  The loud echo of a gun being fired off startles us all and we simultaneously rush to the door trying to get through.

  Sharla grabs my shoulders. “Tara, stay right here. That’s exactly what Blaine would want. You know I’m right. And I know the sound of that weapon. It’s Blaine’s gun he keeps with him behind the bar. Ma, they’re both fine. Promise. Keep an eye on her while I go get some ice for her hand and double check everyone,” Sharla tells both Margaret and I, before turning on her heel, exiting the room.

  I hear her words, but my heart sinks at the thought of anything happening to Blaine. I finally have a real chance at happiness and the thought of it being yanked away makes me feel weak in the knees. “Sit, dear.” Margaret ushers me over to Blaine’s bed where I sit. He better be okay because I can’t bear the negative thoughts flooding my mind. In this moment, I feel like I could quite possibly go full-on homicidal if something’s happened to him. And nothing in this moment will fulfill my need for vengeance where my ex is concerned except for beating the snot out of him and my sister. “Can you believe that shit? I knew about his slutty secretary. But, my own sister?” I look at Margaret who looks back at me with sympathetic eyes.

  Margaret takes one of my hands into hers. “Tara, sweetie. We haven’t really had enough time to get to know one another, but I’m so sorry. Sometimes it’s our own family, our blood that betrays us the most. I can’t imagine how that sort of betrayal in particular would feel, but you’re better than them. That much I can tell. There will come a day that your sister will get her comeuppance and the same goes for that ex of yours.” She gently pats my hand.

  “Tara!” Blaine rushes into his room, and I stand before he scoops me into his arms. I nuzzle my face into his chest as tears of relief and rage build inside me before I allow them to spill down my cheeks. He squeezes me tightly while stroking my hair. “He’s gone. Here, let me look at your hand.” I pull out of his embrace and he wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumb before he lifts my now swollen and bruising hand. “Let’s get this ice on it. Sharla gave it to me. Ma?” He turns around to her. “Can we get a moment alone, please?” he asks, while lowering the ice pack onto the top of my knuckles and I wince out at how tender they are.

  She nods. “I’ll be downstairs with your brother and Sharla. Let me know if you two need anything.”

  “Thank you, Margaret,” I reply to her generous offer.

  “Sugar, I said to call me Ma. Now, you’re starting to offend me. Can you just oblige an elderly woman this once?” She grins at me.

  “Sure. Thank you…Ma,” I honor her request although it does feel a bit odd. She turns and walks back down the stairs. Carmen. Oh, I wish Carmen were here. What will she think of me after all of this?

  “Blaine is…” I begin, but he stifles my words.

  “Is pretty boy shot? No. In need of a plastic surgeon, yes.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear before walking to his dresser drawers, retrievi
ng some medication. “Here. Take a few of these ibuprofen for the pain and swelling. I’ll go grab you a bottled water.”

  As I sit in here by my lonesome, I think of everything that just transpired. It’s too much. I’m relieved to be away from my family and especially Preston, but it still stings. Have they no shame whatsoever? Foolishly I suppose I allowed myself to believe that none of them could stoop any lower.

  “Here you go, fancy pants.” Blaine hands me a bottle of water. My heart swells inside my chest when he calls me that. I open it and take the pills he gave me. “I know now is not the ideal time for food, but as far as I remember you haven’t eaten today. So, while I won’t exactly force you to eat yet, just know that you will be getting some calories in at some point today.”

  My eyes begin to water, summoning tears and one by one, they roll down my cheeks. Blaine sits down beside me, wrapping his arm around me. I lean into him. “I just want to rest right now. I’m emotionally and mentally exhausted from all the madness earlier. I’ll be okay. I just feel like a nap right now.”

  He presses his lips to the top of my head as he softly speaks into my hair, “Rest for now. I’ll lay here with you if you want?”

  I reciprocate by placing a kiss on his cheek. “Please?”

  He helps get me comfortable on his bed before curling up into my body from behind. The gentle caress of his fingers through my hair lulls me into a peaceful slumber.

  BLAINE

  Once I know Tara’s drifted off, I tuck the covers in and around her small frame before heading downstairs. Sharla and Em are sharing a beer at the bar. I glide my hand across the wooden countertop as I make my way to them and plop down on a stool next to my brother.