From the island, my brother groans like he’s going to be sick, which makes Eric break out into a fit of laughter. “Trust me, Cap, they’ve done far worse. At least out in the open they’ll be forced to keep their clothes on, unlike that camping trip. Eh, Taylor?”
He laughs like he just made the most hilarious joke anyone’s ever heard, but no one else thinks it’s funny. Levi’s spine has gone ram-rod straight, and Blake’s muscles go taut underneath me—not in the fun way—as if he’s waiting to be punched in the face. Rafael rises slightly, ready to catch Levi before he can get to us, anger radiating off his warm brown skin. He’s not scared to stand up to my brother, then; that’s good. Great, even. I’m glad Blake has someone willing to literally fight for him, protect him like he protects everyone else.
“Right! Haha!” I say sweetly. “Kind of like you and Mandy Trekker when you got caught in the greenhouses. Remind me, was that before or after Levi dumped her? Before, right?”
Yeah. I’ve been sitting on that one for awhile.
Eric’s eyes are big as saucers as they shoot to me and then back at Levi. To my brother’s credit, he doesn’t immediately deck him. Still, the look on his face must be terrifying, because Eric makes a break for it until the front door closes with a bang.
Levi places both hands on the counter, refusing to look at either of us as he manages, “Is what he said true?”
“Yes,” Blake says flatly, taking my hand underneath the table. “But if you’re going to be a baby about it, leave Alexis out of it.Icame ontoher.”
Not true—very, very not true. Well, not entirely, anyway. Blake has been flirty and suggestive since the start, but that’s just who he is. He’s always kept it at a comfortable, take-it-or-leave-it level. It wasn’t until I reciprocated that things got real between us. The first time he ate me out? Well, a case could be made for either of us. But our first time having sex? That was me all the way.
Even from behind I can see the muscle twitch in Levi’s jaw. “Lex, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Alissa’s words ring through my mind.To live your life to the fullest and truly be happy, you have to learn to be selfish.
“Nope, not when you’re like this. I have a date to get ready for.” I rise, Blake’s hand clutched in mine as I lead him towards the stairs. I know some kind of talk is in our future—it’s inevitable, and exactly what I was trying to avoid this whole time. But I plan to put it off for as long as I can, and I definitely don’t plan on having it while he’s in such a childish mood.
“Taylor?” Levi says in the same tone, but Blake just shrugs.
“Sorry man, I can’t.” And as if he can’t stop himself from irking my brother more, a shit-eating grin spreads on his face. “I have to get Alexis ready for our date.”
I siton a bench at the edge of the frozen pond, trying to work up the courage to join the others on the ice.
The others shoot me dirty looks, like they think I’m too stuck-up to join in on the second-to-last date of the contest. In truth, I’m just too much of a coward to get onto the ice.
Blake is skating around, stomping his feet along the edges to prove the ice is sturdy enough to hold us all. He looks so handsome bundled up in his big coat and scarf. I might even say cute, but that word feels wrong when used on someone built like a house. Cute is what you call a kitten or a puppy or two otters holding hands. A tall, jacked hockey player?Smokin’ Hotcomes closer.
“The ice is rock-solid, I promise.” Blake halts at my feet, extending both hands to help me up.
I hesitate. “What if I fall and bring you down with me? What if either of us breaks something? Your coach would kill me if I took out his star player.”
“Please. Like I would ever let you fall,” Blake says. He takes my hands, holding them tight while he skates backward, forcing me onto the ice. I press my eyes shut, preparing for the plunge into the ice-cold water. It doesn’t come.
I raise a brow, forcing myself to look at him as I question, “Never? Not even fall in love?”
The ice cracks and wheezes beneath my skates, but it doesn’t break. Still, I try not to look at it, hoping that as long as I can’t see it I can pretend we’re on solid ground.
Blake pulls me closer, closing the gap between our bodies until I’m pressed flush against his chest. “Falling implies pain. When it comes to you, I prefer a controlled descent.”
I place my palm on the hard planes of his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart even through his coat. “A controlled descent? Controlled by who?”
“You. Always you.”
With a laugh I grab a fistful of his scarf and pull it down, bringing his face closer to mine.
“Well you better be prepared to catch me, Blake, ‘cause I’m already falling,” I breathe with a smile, and brush my lips against his until the frustration gets the better of him and he kisses me, hard and rough and wanting.
I let myself get lost in his kiss, pushing anything not related to the two of us out of my mind. There are years of longing between us, years of stolen glances and little touches, and Blake kisses like he’s making up for every one of them.
To be honest, I half-expected Levi to show up here and intimidate Blake into keeping his hands off me. I have never seen him so needlessly angry, especially over something as trivial and childish as this.
I’m an adult, fully capable of making my own choices. Levi knowingly and willingly set me up with a hot, strapping athlete with the intention of us faking a relationship and making it lookreal. What did he expect would happen? That I was going to be a celibate nun? Please. He and Lis might as well have shoved us into a candle-lit hotel room and handed us a box of condoms.
That sounds pretty good, actually.
