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When Brooke walked into her apartment, accompanied by Blake, she stuck her hands on her hips and grinned at the bustle of activity. In the center of the chaos was Alyssa, directing traffic like a drill sergeant, while Jaime and a couple of APS associates were breaking down Brooke’s portable artist board and packing her supplies.
“Homeslice.” Not pausing in what she was doing, Alyssa glowered at her best friend over her shoulder. “After we get you and your shit over to Blake’s and organized, I am going to kick your ass from here to Tampa. What thefuckwere you thinking, hiding this kind of crap from your girls? Kelly told meeverything.”
Brooke stuck up her middle finger at Alyssa. “I wasthinkingthere was no need to worry any of you since you couldn’t do jack shit about the situation anyway.”
“Not only that,” Alyssa slammed her hands on her own hips as she turned around, shifted into second gear, and continued her tirade, “I find out from Jaim you’re all freaked out about being in your apartment alone because of that fucker The Candyman.And you didn’t say anything to anyone. Again, my bitch: What. In. The. Actual.Fuck? Tell me exactly why I shouldn’t open up a can of whoop-ass on you?”
Blake, who had moved next to Jaime to help her break down the artist board, snickered. “I guess this is where I start making book on the APS femme midnight wrestling extravaganza coming our way,” she observed with a smirk.
“Seibert, you are such an asshole.” Jaime couldn’t prevent the twitching of her lips.
“Stay out of this, Blake!” both femmes yelled at the same time. The head of Utopia held up her hands before going back to what she had been doing, while Jaime shook her head, clearly fighting to keep the amusement off her face as the other two associates chuckled outright.
Alyssa shook her finger at Brooke. “You don’t hide shit from your girls, Marino. Even if there isn’t a goddamn thing we can do, you at least come to us andtalkabout it. We can drink wine and plot the best methods for creative ballsac removal.” She shrugged as everyone burst out laughing.
Marching over to her best friend, Alyssa hugged her before leaning back, still gripping Brooke’s shoulders. “No more, sister. I can’t promise you Piper and Nova still won’t smack you senseless, but Delaney and Rowan think the femmes should meet at the Wendy House this week instead of Seashells like we usually do. More privacy that way to talk about what’s been going on, considering the details behind this clusterfuck don’t sound like they need to be overheard.”
Brooke shook her head. “No, they don’t. And you’re right, I need to come clean with you all…but you need to understand, I don’t want my girls anywhere near these fuckers, Lys. I have a huge feeling the Armstrong twins and the Seven are going to dig out some pretty scary shit going on around them. Plus, I was still trying to figure things out myself.”
Going back to what she was doing, Alyssa said, “Our first order of business right now is to get you safely tucked away in Blake’s apartment, then we’ll worry about the rest of it.” The corner of her mouth lifted. “And you had better believe I feel damn sorry for these dudes. Pissing off the APS management team isnotthe best way to ensure maximum health.”
“That’s right. I’ve already asked you once whose ass I had to kick for upsetting you, tigress.” Blake leveled her gaze at a disconcerted Brooke as she picked up one end of the portableartist table. “Something tells me Reflex Rebranding is about to find out the hard way what happens when you mess with what is ours.
“And make no mistake about it, baby. You belong to APS, and tome. Those four motherfuckers have absolutely no idea what kind of beast they’re messing with…but they’re about to learn.”
Chapter 5
Brooke sat next to Blake on her couch, her legs curled under her, as she rested her head on the APS team lead’s shoulder. By the time the crew had gotten to Blake’s house, unloaded Brooke’s belongings, and temporarily organized her artist table and supplies in the second office—Blake giving her a couple of dresser drawers and room in one of the closets in her bedroom for Brooke to put her clothes away—it had been well past dinnertime, and they were both extremely hungry.
Since it was too late to cook anything, Blake had arranged for Wade at the Pier House Grill and his staff to deliver a substantial meal: a medium-rare ribeye and roasted broccoli for Blake and pasta primavera with a light lemon sauce for Brooke. When their dinner had arrived, the two of them ate at Blake’s small table, chatting about inconsequential things. After they were done and had cleaned up, Blake pulled Brooke down next to her on the couch and laid her head on her shoulder, saying they would relax for a little while before they took showers and went to bed.
Nervously, Brooke decided to address the subject uppermost on her mind head-on. “You act as though my staying with you for a while is permanent instead of something temporary, Blake.” She pulled in a deep breath before she plunged on. “I’m not going to lie and pretend I’ve never had feelings for you, because you know I always have. But…but…we have never had the first discussion about anything beyond friendship and…and I’ve kept my distance for a reason.
“The girls have been giving me shit for ages about you and me being together, even though I’ve always pushed back andtold them to stop being a bunch of bitches. And now,” she heaved in a second, shakier breath, “it’s like ever since I broke down with you about Sabine and what she had been hiding from Casey, I’m struggling to keep those walls up. Dealing with that on top of dealing with this bullshit from Reflex has my mind in a tailspin. I don’t know what to do about it because I don’t know if anything permanent can even work between us.”
Lifting Brooke onto her lap, Blake banded her arms snugly around her femme. “I’ll tell you exactly what it means, tigress,” she said softly, her sunlit green eyes intent. “I have known since the beginning of grade school that you were meant to be mine someday. While I’ll never deny there have been a lot of women in my life—because the APS management team has always been highly sexual and I am no exception—neverhas there been any other femme who has owned my heart and soul the way you have, Brooke Marino.” Tears began to drip down Brooke’s face.
“You are the essence of who I think the perfect femme for me should be. Passionate, honest, fearless, ferocious when it comes to injustice…and unwilling to take anybody’s shit, especially mine. Everything I have always wanted, my entire life. I have loved you forever.” Brooke was crying now. “We already know I will drive you out of your fucking mind because that’s what I do witheveryone. But you are also a woman who will kick my ass so fast when I need it, it will make my head spin.
“You’re mine, tigress. You’re mine and I’m yours, and I willneverlet you go. Despite your worries, despite your fears, itwillwork between us…because we have always been meant to be together. Forever.” Then Blake kissed her.
Brooke’s senses reeled. Still crying, she kissed Blake back fiercely, feeling as though she was finally exactly where she belonged. A deep, abiding sense of joy came over her, an otherworldly sense that her belovednonnohad reached down from heaven and touched them both with his blessing. After asmall amount of time had passed, Blake pulled back and rested her forehead against Brooke’s.
“As much as I want to make you mine in all ways, baby, I know it’s too soon. You aren’t ready yet to let me have you. That being the case, we will shut everything down, go take showers, then get into bed where I can hold you in my arms all night long, just like I’ve always dreamed of.
“Andyou, tigress, are going to sleep in a place where you know you will be safe, warm, and protected. Where you understand there is nothing in this world that can get to you, not unless it goes through me first. Let’s go and do what we need to do so that you’re finally in my bed where you belong.” Heat filled Blake’s eyes. “And that means naked, skin-to-skin, with nothing between us.” Brooke blushed.
After making sure everything was locked up and secured while Brooke took a shower, Blake sent a few fast texts, going into the bedroom just as her femme came out of the bathroom in a simple nightgown with her dirty clothes in one hand. “Where can I put these?” she asked, fidgeting a bit. Blake took them from her and threw them in her dirty clothes hamper, then turned back the bed sheets and comforter.
“Get in bed, baby. We can take care of the nightgown situation,” she gestured at Brooke, who rolled her eyes a bit, “after I’m done taking my shower. I’ll be out in less than ten minutes.” When she came out of the bathroom with her own dirty clothes in hand, clad only in shorts and a T-shirt, she saw that Brooke was sitting up in bed on her phone, her back against the headboard. “Ready?” she asked, pausing by her nightstand as Brooke nodded and put her phone on her own nightstand.
Turning off all the lights, Blake stripped out of her clothes and crawled into bed, then reached over to gently pull Brooke’s nightgown over her head in the dark. “I suspected you would be more comfortable without the lights on tonight, baby. One thingI don’t want is for you toeverfeel I’m expecting you to give me something you’re not ready to give. Being shy is one thing. Feeling coerced but not telling me how you really feel and just giving in is a really fast way to get the spanking of your life.”
“I would never do that!” Brooke protested.
“I truly doubted that you would, but I still wanted to make sure things were perfectly clear between us.” Blake lay Brooke down beside her, then turned Brooke’s body so her head was pillowed on Blake’s shoulder. Brooke lifted one of her legs and drew it up so it was lying across Blake’s hard thigh as the APS team lead wrapped her in her arms.
