Love is Blind

by Shayna B

  I smiled and leaned my face into his hand. “Then you’ll be with me. You’re the only one that I can talk to freely about everything. Jared and Liam coddle me too much sometimes, though I know they mean well.”

  He gave me a light kiss. “So you’ll be my girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

  “You’ll probably regret it at some point.”

  I laughed. “You’re probably right,” I agreed teasingly.

  He leaned in to kiss me again, but a throat clearing interrupted us. I turned my head and saw my uncle standing in the doorway, one eyebrow raised. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked.

  “Yeah, you are actually,” I replied with a cheeky smile.

  Liam chuckled and shook his head. “And here I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about you dating. Now I’m definitely going to get gray hair because of you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Liam, you’re thirty-five. If you get gray hair then it won’t be because of me.”

  “I’ll just have to start dying it if that happens I guess. Anyways, I came in here for a reason. It’s Grace’s night off so we’ll be going out for dinner, since I’ll end up burning the kitchen down if I cook. Where do you want to go?”

  Blake spoke up. “Actually, I was going to see if she wanted to go out for dinner with me.”

  I looked up at him. “You were?”

  “Yeah. I figure if we’re going to be together, I should probably take you out on a date.”

  I smiled. “I’d like that,” I told him.

  “Well, you kids have fun then. Maybe I’ll just order takeout or something for myself.”

  I frowned at him. “Why don’t you just go with Jared?”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “He’s going out with Laurel and I really don’t want to be a third wheel with those two,” he said with a shudder.

  I chuckled. “I can understand that. I think we need to find you a girl, Liam.”

  He gave me a flat look. “Remember the last time you tried to set me up with someone?”

  I gave him a sheepish look. “What? She didn’t look like an ex-con…”

  “You set your uncle up with an ex-con?” Blake asked incredulously.

  “I said she didn’t look like one. And it’s not like she really did anything too bad. Just computer hacking or something like that.”

  “Yes well, we won’t be repeating that experience,” Liam said warningly.

  “Fine. But you should really find someone to go out with. I mean, Jared has Laurel and now I kind of have Blake…”

  “What do you mean kind of?” Blake asked with a furrowed brow.

  “Sorry, it’s just that this is so new. It’ll take a while to get used to being with someone again,” I told him.

  “Hmm, you’re right. I haven’t had a girlfriend since the accident, so I might be a little rusty at the whole relationship thing.”

  I patted his cheek lightly. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. I’ll let you know if you mess up.”

  “I have no doubt that you will. Do you want to get going now?”

  I looked at my uncle and chewed on my lip. I felt bad about leaving him by himself, but I really wanted to go out with Blake on a date. Liam must have read my expression, because he quickly spoke up. “You two go have fun. Maybe I’ll call someone and see if they want to go out.”

  I smiled. “Good. Then I’ll see you later tonight?”

  “Sure thing kiddo. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “You do realize that leaves me open to do pretty much anything, right?”

  He froze in the act of walking out and cursed quietly. “That’s true. In that case, just don’t do anything too stupid.”

  “No promises,” I responded with a grin. He left the room, muttering about disrespectful kids these days. I chuckled quietly as I pulled back from Blake and took his hand. “What do you want to do with Abby? Do you want to leave her here? Or we can drop her off at your place before we go if you want.”

  “Actually, let’s bring her with us.”

  I looked at him in shock. “Seriously? But you don’t like bringing her in public because of all the attention it brings you.”

  He shrugged. “Well, I’ll be walking into the restaurant with a gorgeous girl on my arm. Maybe I want all the attention on me.”

  “That was really sweet,” I informed him.

  “Don’t get too used to it. I’m not really into all that mushy crap.”

  “I think I’d have a heart attack if you turned completely sweet all of a sudden.”

  “You probably would. Let’s get going; I’m starting to get hungry.”

  When we got to the restaurant, I found a parking space quickly. Blake and I both climbed out of the car, and Abby hopped out behind Blake. She was wearing her harness and the blanket that said she was a service dog. Blake gripped her harness and she stood at attention by his side.

  I walked around the car and took Blake’s free hand. “I feel like I should have brought Tonto as well, so that the dogs could have had a date as well.”

  Blake chuckled as we headed to the front door of the restaurant. “Only you would think of setting our dogs up on a date.”

  “What? Don’t they deserve to be happy too?”

  “I guess. Maybe we can arrange something once so that they can come on a date with us.”

  “Good,” I replied as I opened the door. We walked in and stopped at the hostess’s stand. “Think they’ll try to give us grief because of Abby?”

  “They can try. But they can’t ask us to leave, since she’s a service dog.”

  “I know that. But not everyone does.”

  Just then, the hostess approached us. Her eyes widened when she saw Abby and her eyes flicked to Blake quickly. He was wearing his sunglasses, so she quickly put two and two together and she offered me a polite smile. “Table for two?” Her eyes flickered to Abby again. “Or should I say, three?”

  I laughed. “Two is fine. Abby here likes to lie on the floor so she can catch any food that falls to the ground.”

  “Or to eat the veggies you sneak to her,” Blake said dryly.

  “Well, I don’t like broccoli and neither does Tonto. Abby is the perfect solution when you’re over for dinner.”

  “Uh huh. Let’s just go sit down.”

  I turned to the hostess again. “A table for two will work, thanks.”

  “Follow me then,” she said and then she headed into the dining area.

  I kept a hold of Blake’s hand as we followed her. Abby trotted along happily, her nose twitching as she inhaled all the new scents. Some of the other people in the restaurant did a double take when they saw us, but to my surprise no one started to stare.

  Once we got to the table, Blake and I sat across from each other, with Abby settling herself on the floor by Blake’s chair. The hostess handed me a menu, and then hesitated for a moment, obviously unsure if she should give one to Blake as well. “Don’t worry, we can just share one menu,” I reassured her.

  She blushed a little. “Sorry, I just didn’t know if he needed one or not.”

  “No problem. Blake just prefers it when I read the menu to him. I think he just likes the sound of my voice,” I told her with a wink.

  She chuckled a little. “I’m sure he does. Your waitress will be here shortly.” And with that, she fled.

  I sat back with a smirk. “That was fun.”

  “You like to screw with people, don’t you?” Blake inquired as he removed his sunglasses.

  “I admit it can be amusing sometimes.” I then proceeded to tell him the layout of the table and he familiarized himself with it quickly.

  Our waitress appeared a moment later, and she was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, green eyes and a figure most girls would kill for. “Hello, I’m Melanie. I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you with something to drink?”

  We gave her our drink order and she left
to get them. I let out a breath when she was gone. “I’m actually kind of glad that you’re blind right now,” I told Blake.

  He frowned. “Why?”

  “Because our waitress is gorgeous and you’d be ogling her all night if you weren’t,” I replied.

  He let out a soft chuckle. “I doubt that, Hailey.”

  “I don’t. Hell, I’m straight and even I’m checking her out a little.”

  He laughed outright at that. “You really are strange,” he mused.

  “And proud of it,” I said with a grin.

  He reached his hand across the table carefully and found mine. “Thanks for being you.”

  “Well, who else would I be?”

  He shook his head with a wry smile. “No one,” he said. “Do me a favor? Describe the setting of the restaurant and the people in it, will you?”

  “Okay,” I answered. I turned to scan the restaurant. “Well, you said you used to come here sometimes before the accident, so you know what the general area looks like. The lights are a little dim, so it’s kind of romantic. Some of the tables have groups of people, but for the most part it’s couples like us.” I paused as the waitress came back with our drinks. “Crap, we haven’t even looked at the menu yet. Can you come back for our order in a few minutes?”

  Melanie smiled at both of us. “Sure. I’ll be back in a bit.”

  When she left, I quickly read the menu to Blake. After he chose what he wanted, Melanie came back. We ordered and then I returned my attention to the room around us. “Right, I was describing the people. Well, like I said, it’s mostly couples. A few of them keep looking over here, likely because they see Abby. There’s an older couple sitting two tables away, and I’d guess they’re celebrating an anniversary or something. There are a few people our age- Oh crap,” I muttered.

  Blake straightened in his chair. “What?”

  “Rachel and David just walked in. And now they’ve spotted us. They’re coming over here.”

  “Great,” he muttered.

  “Hailey! What are you doing here?” Rachel asked as she bounced up to the table, David trailing behind her.

  “Um, eating dinner?” I replied.

  She laughed. “Of course, silly me.” Her eyes suddenly zeroed in on my hand, which was still in Blake’s. “Are you two on a date?” she asked incredulously.

  I was taken aback by her tone. “Um…”

  “Actually, Hailey and I have been having an affair for the past month,” Blake interrupted.

  All three of our gazes snapped to his. “Blake!” I exclaimed.

  “What?” he asked innocently.

  Rachel’s eyes looked they were about to pop out of her head and I couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s kidding, Rachel. This is our first date.”

  Abby chose that moment to sit up from where she’d been lying, and both Rachel and David jumped a little. Then Rachel’s eyes lit up. “Puppy!”

  David grabbed her arm before she could move. “No Rachel, leave the puppy alone,” he said sternly.

  Blake chuckled. “It’s okay David; she can pet her if she wants to.”

  David was obviously shocked that Blake had addressed him, but he recovered quickly. “No, if I let her pet the dog then she’ll never leave. And we need to get to our own table. Thanks though.”

  “No problem,” Blake replied.

  Rachel turned to look at me. “We’ll see you on Monday.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, see you both then.”

  “Okay. Bye guys.”

  After they had left, I looked at Blake. “You surprised David, you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you talked to him directly, he looked shocked. Maybe you should give him another chance,” I said.

  He frowned. “Why?”

  “Because when I piss you off, you’ll need a guy friend to whine about me to.”

  His expression cleared. “You have a good point,” he agreed.

  “So will you try talking to him again?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s good enough for me. Think we can get through the rest of our date without anyone else interrupting us?”

  “Knowing us? Not likely.”

  I grinned. “Ah well, at least we’ll have an interesting relationship.”

  Blake chuckled. “I have no doubts about that.”

  Chapter sixteen

  The rest of the date actually went fairly smoothly. When I drove him home, he invited me in for a bit. I wasn’t ready for the night to end, so I was more than happy to accept his invitation. We went into his room and he put some music on for us to listen to.

  He walked over to his bed, but instead of sitting on it, he slid to the floor and used the bed as a backrest. I sat down next to him and he slipped his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder and smiled. “Did you have fun at dinner?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it was pretty nice. Did you have a good time?”

  “I had a great time. It was nice going out with you,” I told him.

  His fingers started playing with my hair lightly. “So am I allowed to kiss you again?”

  I lifted my head and looked at him. “You’re allowed to kiss me whenever you want.”

  “Good,” he replied before taking my face gently in his hands and pressing his lips to mine.

  The kiss was gentle and tender, and it made my heart melt a little. He didn’t try and deepen it; he just kept it nice and soft. When he pulled away, I was smiling. “You’re good at that,” I told him.

  He chuckled quietly. “I’m glad you think so, considering I’m out of practice.”

  I put my head back on his shoulder and his arm went back around me, holding me firmly to his side. When the song Country Girl came on, my eyes lit up. I got to my feet and tugged on Blake’s hands until he stood up as well. I started dancing around, still holding his hands, but he just stood still. “Come on Blake, dance with me.”

  “I am not dancing Hailey.”

  I pouted a little. “Why not?”

  “I’ll look like an idiot.”

  I stared at him for a minute to see if he was serious. When I realized he was, I shook my head. “You seriously think that I care what you look like when you dance? I look like a moron, but I don’t care.”

  “Well, I can’t exactly see you,” he replied sarcastically.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be an ass. You’re dancing with me.”

  “No I’m not,” he said stubbornly.

  I frowned. How was I going to get him to dance? Suddenly, an idea came to me and I grinned wickedly. I sidled closer to him and slid my arms around his neck. He automatically put his arms around me, so I moved closer to him until our bodies were pressed lightly together. “Please dance with me,” I whispered into his ear.

  I felt him shiver and his arms tightened around me. “No,” he said, but there wasn’t as much conviction in his voice this time.

  I placed a soft kiss on the side of his neck, and I was pleased when I heard him inhale sharply. “But I want to dance with you,” I said cajolingly. “It’ll be fun.” I started moving my hips a little to the beat of the song.

  He remained still for another moment before letting out a long breath and moving with me a little. I smiled in triumph, but I didn’t say anything. We continued to dance until the song ended, and then he tried to pull away. But I just tightened my arms and kissed him lightly. “Thank you,” I murmured.

  “You’re welcome. I can’t believe you made me dance,” he muttered.

  “The art of female persuasion is amazing, isn’t it?” I teased him.

  He let out a short laugh. “Yeah. Somehow I think I’m going to have trouble saying no to you from now on.”

  I nodded. “The quicker you learn that, the better. I’ll always try to get what I want. And I’m not afraid to play dirty either.”

  He grinned. “Are you trying to say that you’re a dirty girl?”

  I was momentarily shocked, but I quickly recovered an
d burst out laughing. “Who knew that there was a pervert hidden in you?” I mused.

  He gave me a dry look. “I am a guy, Hailey. Of course I’m a pervert.”

  I kissed him again. “Well, I’m kind of glad. I thought I was going to have to rob you of your innocence or something.”

  Before I could process what was happening, he had me spun around and pressed up against the wall. His lips hovered over mine. “Trust me, I am anything but innocent,” he said, before crushing his lips to mine.

  This kiss was different. It was more demanding and a little possessive. My body was alive with energy as he nipped lightly at my bottom lip, demanding entrance. I complied eagerly, more than happy to let him take control.

  When he pulled back a few minutes later, neither of us was breathing steadily. He put his forehead against mine as he dragged in a ragged breath. “We may end up killing each other before this is over,” he informed me.

  I chuckled. “You might be right. But it’ll definitely be worth it.”

  “Hell yeah,” he said. He lifted his head and kissed me gently. “I didn’t hurt your back when I pressed you against the wall, did I?”

  “No, but I wouldn’t say no to a massage anyways.”

  He chuckled and pulled away, grabbing my hand and leading me to the bed. He pushed me lightly until I was lying on my stomach, and then he sat beside me. He pushed my shirt up and then trailed his fingers over my back, causing me to get goose bumps. When he started rubbing my muscles, I sighed in relaxation. Jared was good at massages since it was part of his job, but he didn’t compare to how Blake’s hands felt on me.

  Blake massaged me for fifteen minutes and then leaned down to kiss my right shoulder blade. “Relaxed?” he asked me.

  I murmured in agreement, finding that it was too much effort to actually talk. Blake kissed my shoulder again and then trailed his lips up to my ear. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”

  That snapped me out of my relaxation. “Blake…” I said.

  “I didn’t mean it like that, Hailey. I’m not going to rush into anything with you; I want to do things right. But I also know that you’ve been having trouble sleeping, so maybe I can help you.”