Blaine

by Katie Dowe

  “Are you sure?” he asked her.

  “I'm sure.” She kissed him softly on the lips.!

  “Hurry on home.”

  Chapter 9

  He was in the living room watching a game when she came home. She'd spent the next hour at the party chafing for it to finish so she could get home and be with him. It was the most romantic day in the year and she wanted—no needed—to be with him. She let herself into the apartment quietly and, taking off her coat, she hung it on the peg along with the one he'd worn outdoors.

  “Hey.” He patted a space next to him on the sofa. “How was it after I left?’

  She kicked off her shoes and came over to sit next to him. He muted the television and pulled himself up on the cushions.

  “Boring.” She ran had hand over his muscled chest clad in the fitted merino. “I missed you.”

  “Yeah?” he lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. “I like that.”

  “You're growing on me, Mallory, and it kinda scares me,” she admitted.

  “You've grown on me and I'm not scared at all,” he told her with a grin.

  “Not even a little bit?”

  “Maybe just a little, but I can deal.”

  “Scoot over,” she told him. He did so and she went into his arms. “So the party was a success.”

  “I figured it was.” He closed his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “So when is the next one?”

  She laughed softly. “Not for another few months. I have to recover from this one.” She turned into his arms. “I've never gotten flowers and chocolates from a guy before.”

  His brows lifted. “Have you been dating monsters?”

  “Maybe.” Her eyes wandered over his handsome face and the cleft in his strong chin. “I think you've spoiled me when it comes to dating and relationships.”

  “I would like to think that it ends with me.” His dark green eyes met hers and held. “I know that it ends with you.”

  She leaned in and kissed his lips, pulling the bottom one into her mouth and loving that he shuddered against her as she sucked on his lip. “About that marriage proposal.”

  “Yeah?” he said hoarsely.

  “I kind of like the idea of becoming Mrs. Mallory.”

  “I kind of love that too.” He dug into the pocket of the sweatpants he was wearing and brought out a box, which he opened. Skylar stared at the dazzling diamond and sapphire engagement ring in surprise. She looked up at him. “When?”

  “I got it a few weeks ago,” he said with a grin. “I was hoping you would say yes.”

  “So what are you waiting for?”

  “Oh,” he plucked the ring out and took her left hand. “Skylar Gina Buchanan, will you marry me?”

  She stared at the ring which, was a perfect fit, and forgot to answer.

  “Well?”

  “What?” she looked up at him dazedly.

  “Sky?”

  “Oh, I thought it was pretty obvious that the answer was yes,” she said with a laugh.

  “I want to hear it.”

  “Well then: Blaine Maurice Mallory I would love nothing more than becoming your wife.”

  “Thank God!” he gave a heartfelt sigh. “I laid here pretending to watch the game but in reality I was worried sick. What if she says no, what will I do with this highly expensive ring?”

  “You know I would still keep the ring, right?” she asked him with a straight face.

  He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Would you, now?”

  “But there was no chance of me saying no. As I said before, you've grown on me.”

  “The night isn't over yet,” he told her.

  “More?”

  “Much more. This is the very first time I'm proposing so I kinda went all out.” He nudged her and she moved.

  “Blaine, what did you do?” she asked as she got up with him.

  “You'll see.” He took her hand and they went into the bedroom. Her eyes widened at the string of rose petals starting just outside the bedroom and not stopping until they reached the bed. A huge white teddy bear was in the middle and on the bedside table was a bottle of champagne in a bucket.

  “You did all this?” she asked in wonder.

  “I had a little help.” He reached over and touched the bear’s belly and the strain of Luther Vandross’ ‘Here and Now’ song came from it.

  Skylar turned to him, her eyes bright. “You overwhelm me,” she whispered huskily.

  “I hope, in a good way.”

  “Totally.” She stepped into his arms. “You're the best,” she murmured as she closed her eyes.

  “I've found the best,” he murmured. “I was thinking that we should drink champagne in bed tonight. Just lie here and drink the bottle of champagne, not saying anything, not even making love even though I'm as hard as hell. But just be here and cuddle. What do you say?”

  She stepped back and looked up at him. “Are you sure we can manage that?”

  “We can try,” he murmured.

  “Okay. Get in mister,” she said. “I'm going to change into the totally scandalous red lingerie that I bought for this occasion.”

  He groaned. “No. At least put a robe on over it.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked innocently. She turned and went into her underwear drawer and took out a skimpy outrageous teddy and held it up. He stared at her for a long time.

  “Put it on,” he said hoarsely. “And leave off the robe. We can cuddle when we're too old to do anything else.”

  *****

  “Delia! I'm so happy you could make it.” Blaine got to his feet and hugged the woman briefly before pulling out her chair for her. He noticed in wry amusement that she was dressed in a very expensive red silk dress and that her thick dark hair was scooped back in an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. Diamonds glittered at her lobes and around her neck . A white fur coat was carefully placed on the seat next to her.

  “I was surprised you called.” She looked up at the waiter and ordered soup and a glass of lemon water.

  “A burger for me, Nate,” Blaine told the man with a smile. He saw the look the woman gave him and smiled. “A friend owns the place.”

  She looked around the elegant restaurant in appreciation. “Do you have shares in it?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe a little bit of input.”

  “You're quite a man aren’t you? I saw you that first time when my daughter brought you over and I knew you were quite a catch. Did she tell you that I had her when I was eighteen?” she asked.

  He nodded and she continued. “I was so scared and confused. I was in love with Eric and he ran as far away as he could when he heard that I was pregnant.” She shook her head and placed her napkin on her lap. The conversation ceased as their order was brought over. “Skylar isn't the easiest person to be with as I'm sure you've discovered by now. She's rigid and unforgiving. She's my daughter but as you noticed we've never had a real relationship and she never had children. She can be cold and unapproachable at times, as I'm sure you have discovered.”

  Blaine willed the anger away as he stared at the woman who was soon to be his mother-in-law. No wonder Skylar stayed away, and he should have discussed this with her before he came. “I've asked Sky to marry me,” he said, forcing himself to be civil when all he wanted to do was to lash out at her for talking about the woman he loved that way. “I gave her a ring and she said yes. I asked you to lunch so that I could do the right thing and ask for your blessing but I realize now that that was a mistake.” He pushed away his unfinished burger. “Skylar is the smartest, most amazing and loving woman I've ever met and I'm honored to be with her. In spite of her past and abandonment she's managed to move past that and build a life of her own.” He signaled for the waiter and he came over. Blaine pulled out some bills from his wallet and handed it to him. “Nate please tell Billy that I had to leave and I'll see him another time.” He waited until the man had left. “Please stay and enjoy your meal.”

  “I did
n't mea—” She reached out to touch his arm and stopped when he pulled away.

  “I'm sure you did.” He started to get up too suddenly when he felt the pull of his bad knee and had to stay for a minute.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him.

  “I'm fine.” He gritted his teeth and slowly got to his feet. “You have a beautiful daughter, Delia, and it's not too late for you to ask her for forgiveness.”

  He made his way slowly out of the restaurant and got into the jeep, his knee throbbing by then. He placed his head on the steering wheel as he waited out the pain. He'd made a mistake by coming and he was going to have to tell Sky. With a groan, he reached for the phone. “Michael are you busy? Okay good, I'm on my way.”

  *****

  “It’s called Viscosupplementation and it will help with the pain,” Michael told him as soon as he'd made him comfortable. “I'm afraid you're going to have to sit this out for about half an hour and I wouldn't suggest you do any driving for the rest of the day.” He looked at his friend. “You drove yourself here?”

  Blaine nodded. “I can take a cab and have someone pick up the jeep.”

  “Good.” Michael nodded. “This is just a temporary solution, Blaine. I was thinking about stem cell therapy. It’s a non-surgical procedure and only takes a day.”

  Blaine winced as the needle hit his bone. “It sounds like a plan. How soon?”

  “A week or maybe more.”

  “I'm getting married.”

  Michael looked up at him with a smile. “So she said yes.”

  “She said yes,” he told the man with a grin. “We're both mature adults so we kinda want to stay away from the flashy wedding.”

  “When's the wedding?”

  “Sometime in June. I'd like you to be my best man.”

  “I would be honored to. Don’t forget we have the cancer walk in April. You've always participated in that.”

  “Are you sure I'll be able to do it this year?” Blaine asked him.

  “With the procedure I told you about, you'll be able to.” The doctor got to his feet.

  “I'd like you and Miriam to meet her.”

  “We would love to meet the woman who finally has you saying yes to marriage,” Michael said with a grin. “We'll call you with the dinner details.”

  *****

  “Blaine?”

  “In here!” he called out.

  He looked up as she stood there framed inside the doorway of the kitchen. She'd taken off her boots and coat and was in her stockings. She'd worn a long black skirt and a chic white blouse to work this morning. “You're wearing an apron and you're cooking.”

  “Yes.” He stirred the pot of soup. “It’s vegetable soup.”

  “You don’t cook,” she said slowly. “You specifically told me that cooking was not your thing.”

  “I asked Siri for a recipe for vegetable soup. I think it tastes pretty good but you be the judge.”

  Okay,” she started to come in and he stopped her.

  “Just go and take a shower and I'll have everything ready by the time you come out.”

  She stared at him. “You don’t want me to do anything?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “I want to do it all. I bought French bread to go with it as well as strawberry mousse for dessert.” He smiled at the look on her face. “Go.”

  “Okay, I'm going.”

  He set the table and brought the food out. He had also put a bottle of Cabernet to chill for when they were sitting in front of the fire in the living room. He would break the news to her then. He just needed them to have a wonderful dinner that he'd managed not to screw up before he told her what he'd done.

  He looked up as she came into the dining room smelling like raspberries with her hair brushed and twisted into a loose knot on top of her head. She had on one of his white t-shirts and he suspected nothing else.

  Her brows lifted as he dashed forward to pullout a chair for her.

  He waited anxiously while she tasted the soup.

  “Well?”

  “Don’t rush me,” she told him mildly. “Allow me to swallow first and digest.”

  “Baby, you are killing me here,” he told her wryly. He hadn't touched his soup yet.

  “These things take time,” she murmured.

  “Sky!”

  “Okay,” she said with a grin. “It might just be the most delicious vegetable soup I've ever tasted.”

  He sighed with relief. “You're not just saying that?”

  “You ever known me to just say something?” she asked with lifted brows.

  “No,” he said with a slow smile. “Thank you.”

  “You're welcome,” she said with a nod.

  “So tell me about work.”

  “You want to know about work?”

  “Yes, I do. What happened at the store today?”

  She looked at him for a moment and then shrugged. “Okay.” She thought for a moment. “The day was a bit slow until Mrs. Bernard came in. She's a longtime customer who is determined to spend all the money her husband left her on clothes. And believe me when I tell you it's a substantial amount of money. And get this: she's seeing someone.”

  “Good for her.”

  “That’s what I said too when she told me, but not after she told me the age of the man she's seeing,” Skylar said with a twinkle in her dark brown eyes. “Mrs. Bernard is eighty years old and she is not young eighty either. Guess how old the guy is?”

  He frowned a little as he thought. “Sixty?”

  Skylar laughed at that. “I would somehow understand if he was, but the guy is forty-six, babes! He's almost half her age. He is definitely into her for her money.”

  “Are they having sex?”

  She stared at him and then burst out laughing. “I wanted to ask that but I couldn't bring myself to do so. I wanted to also tell her that he was just using her but it was none of my business and you know what? She looks happy so who are we to judge?”

  “You're right.” He noticed that her bowl was empty. “You want more?”

  “I was just about to go and get some. Damn babes, you certainly outdid yourself.”

  “I'll get it.” He jumped up and went to get her bowl.

  “Okay.” Her eyes followed him quizzically even though she did not say anything when he came back. “Thanks.”

  “Anything for you.”

  She waited until they were in the living room and he'd poured her a glass of wine before she asked. “Okay what gives? Not that I'm complaining about this royal treatment because let’s face it, a girl could get used to it, but you do know that I'm not the kind of girl who expects this, right?”

  He nodded and swirled the wine in his glass as he avoided her eyes. “I saw your mother today.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly as she sipped her wine and waited for him to continue.

  “I wanted to ask her blessing on our engagement.” He looked over at her. “I should have discussed it with you first.”

  “She said some pretty nasty things about me. She was careful not to make it sound outright derogatory because that’s what she does,” Skylar said lightly.

  “How did you—”

  “Because I know her and because she called and apologized—in tears—that she didn't mean to say anything bad about me. She told me that you told her how amazing and wonderful I was.” Her tapered brows lifted. “She also told me that you said you're honored to be with me?”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Sorry for the things you said about me?”

  “Sorry for doing this on my own.”

  Skylar put away the glass and came over to sit on his lap. She took the glass away from him and put it on the table before putting her arms around his neck. “You thought you were doing a good thing, and in fact you were. No one has ever stood up for me like that before except for my grandma and aunt. You're quite a wonderful man aren’t you?”

  “You're not upset?” he asked her uncertainly.

  “You came
home early and even though you don’t cook you went out of your way and prepared a meal for me. You didn't allow me to lift a finger and you catered to me.” Her voice had lowered and was husky as she continued. “You did all that because you wanted to somehow make up for something that you considered a mistake. How can I be upset, Blaine?” She used her hands to cup his face. “I told you that you've grown on me but it's much more than that. You said that we're different from the couples around us and our parents and you were right. We have this amazing connection and I would never want to miss out on spending a single day with you. For the first time since I met you, Blaine Mallory, I'm happy that we won't have children because I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me.”

  He felt a shudder going through him as he stared at her. “I want that too,” he said hoarsely. “I love you, Skylar. I never thought it possible for me to ever utter those words to anyone and then I met you. I thought I would go through life just being alone and never knowing what it was like to have someone care about me and then I met you,” he placed his forehead against hers and breathed in slowly before looking at her. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, darling,” she whispered, blinking at the tears in her eyes. “You will never have to ask if I do. You will never doubt the way I feel about you. I want to be enough for you for the rest of our lives.”

  “You are,” he said earnestly. “You will be.” He took her lips in his in a slow and erotic kiss that caused her heart to stutter inside her chest. Her arms came around his neck and he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss between them. She moaned as he used one hand to creep up underneath the t-shirt she was wearing. She parted her legs and trembled when he felt for her bare flesh. A moan escaped her lips and was lost inside his mouth as he ran his thumb over her protruding flesh. As he'd suspected she hadn't bothered to put on underwear and he was so grateful.

  A finger dipped inside her and was joined by another one as she moved restlessly against him. The movement was slow, the thrusts measured as his mouth moved over hers urgently. He pulled his fingers out of her and broke the kiss but only so he could pull the shirt over her head. He eased up and took off the loose pants he had put on to reveal that he hadn't bothered to put underwear on either. His erection sprang free and Skylar wasted no time in climbing over him and sinking down onto it, a sigh escaping her as she started moving. He gripped her hips and guided her movements, his fingers biting into her flesh as he gave her everything he had.