Chapter TWENTY
I was standing on the balcony when I heard Nan’s voice from inside. “Where are you?” she called out. She wasn’t happy about being here. Good. She really wasn’t going to be happy about it when I was done with her.
I walked inside as she came into the living room wearing her tennis skirt and looking pissed off. I was expecting her to be angry, but it pissed me off that she thought she had the right to be. After the way she had treated Blaire, did she think I wouldn’t call her out on it?
“You ruined my plans. This better be good,” she snapped.
I set my coffee cup down on the nearest table and turned to look at my sister. “Let me get something straight, because you must need reminding. Unless you want to get a job and pay for all your shit, then I have a say in how you act. I’ve let you act like a brat most of your life because I love you. I know that life with Mom was unfair for you. But I will not . . .” I paused and took a step toward her and leveled my gaze on her so she could see just how serious I was. “I will not allow you to hurt Blaire. Ever. She has done nothing to you. You blame her for the sorry excuse for a father you have. Blaire is a victim of that man just as much as you are. So do not speak to her like you did today ever again. I swear, Nan, I love you, but I won’t let you hurt her. Do not test me.”
Nan’s eyes went wide with surprise, and the fake tears I was used to her springing on me immediately glistened in her eyes. “You’re choosing her over me. Are you . . . are you f*cking her? That’s it, isn’t it? That little slut!”
I was in her face so fast that she stumbled backward. I reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling and jerked her back up. “Don’t you say it. I swear to God, Nan, you are going to push me too far. Think before you speak.”
She sniffled and let the tears she could turn on like a damn faucet roll down her face. I hated making her cry. The sick knot I got in my stomach when someone hurt Nan was forming. “I’m . . . I’m your sister. How could you do this to me? I was . . . You know what she did? Who she is? She kept him from me! My father, Rush. I’ve lived this life because I didn’t have him.” She was sobbing now and shaking her head, as if she couldn’t believe I could forget all this.
She would never see the truth. She was determined to blame and hate someone, but she refused to hate the person who deserved it the most. “Blaire was a child. She did nothing to you. She couldn’t help that she was born. She had no clue you even existed. Why can’t you see that? Why can’t you see the kind, honest, giving, hardworking person your sister is? No one can hate her! She’s f*cking perfect!”
“Don’t you . . .” She pointed her finger at me, with horror on her face. “Do not call her my sister!” she screamed hysterically.
Sighing, I sat down on the sofa and held my head in my hands. Nan was so stubborn. “Nan, you share a father. That makes her your sister,” I reminded her.
“No. I don’t care. I do not care. I hate her. She’s manipulative, and she’s fake. She’s using sex to control you.”
I shot back up out of my seat. “I haven’t f*cked her, so don’t say that! Stop accusing her of shit you know nothing about. Blaire isn’t a whore. She’s a virgin, Nan. A virgin. You want to know why she’s a virgin? Because she spent her teen years taking care of her sick mother while running the household and going to school. She had no time to be a kid. She had no time to sow any wild oats. She was abandoned by her father for you. So if anyone should hate someone, she should hate you.”
Nan straightened her spine, her tears now dry. Which made this easier on me. I was all Nan had in the world, and I knew that. I didn’t want her thinking I had abandoned her. She was always going to be my little sister. But she was an adult now, and it was time she started acting like one. “And you. She should hate you, too,” Nan said, then turned and headed for the door. I didn’t call her back. I was too exhausted to deal with her any more today. I trusted she would leave Blaire alone for now.
I spent the rest of the day pushing Nan’s words from my head. I focused on getting Blaire a phone and then buying the things that I needed to make her a meal. A good one. Something to impress her and get her to talk to me. To forgive me for completely shutting down on her last night.
I knew she wouldn’t accept the phone from me, so I left a note in her truck telling her it was from her dad. I hated giving that stupid f*cker any credit, but I wanted Blaire to take the phone. I needed her to have a phone for my sanity. If I was going to keep her safe, then she needed it.
Glancing at the time, I realized she was more than likely in her truck by now. I picked up my phone and pressed her number, which I had saved in my phone.
“Hello,” she said softly. I could hear the confusion in her voice. Had she not read the note?
“I see you got the phone. Do you like it?” I asked.
“Yes, it’s really nice. But why did Dad want me to have it?” she asked. That was why she was confused. She didn’t expect the selfish bastard to do anything for her like this. She wasn’t an idiot.
“Safety measure. All females need a phone. Especially ones who drive vehicles older than they are. You could break down at any moment,” I replied, deciding that I would tell her why I wanted her to have a phone instead.
“I have a gun,” she said, with determination in her voice.
She was so sure she could take care of herself. “Yeah, you do, badass. But a gun can’t tow your truck.” There, let her argue with that. “Are you coming home?” I asked. I hadn’t thought about the fact that she might have plans tonight when I’d decided to cook her a meal and set up a seduction scene.
“Yes, if that’s OK. I can go do something else if you need me to stay away,” she replied. She still didn’t get it. She thought I wanted her to stay away. That there was anything else in the world I would rather do than be near her.
“No. I want you here. I cooked,” I said.
She paused, and I heard a surprised little intake of breath that made me smile. “Oh. OK. Well, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“See you soon,” I said, and I ended the call before she heard me laugh from pure f*cking happiness. She was coming home. Here. To spend the night with me. I was fixing this. I was going to find a way to make her understand. I couldn’t lose her.
I went back to my food preparation. I didn’t cook for people often. Mostly just myself, when I really wanted something. Being able to cook something for Blaire was different. I enjoyed every damn minute of it.
She wasn’t used to being taken care of or pampered, and that was a damn shame. Blaire was the kind of female who should be cherished. I opened the fridge, pulled out a Corona and opened it, then sliced a lime and put it on the rim. Most girls I knew liked lime with their Coronas. I wasn’t sure Blaire was going to like beer, but I was making Mexican food, and you had to have a Corona with this meal.
I fixed the cheese, chicken, and vegetable mixture inside the flour tortillas, then placed them on the hot skillet.
“Smells good.” Blaire’s voice broke into my thoughts.
I glanced over my shoulder to see her dressed in the server uniform from the club. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but there was a small smile tugging on her lips. She’d caught me humming along to one of my dad’s newest songs.
“It is,” I assured her, then wiped my hands on a towel and went to pick up the Corona I had fixed for her. “Here, drink up. The enchiladas are almost finished. I need to flip the quesadillas, and they need a few more minutes. We should be ready to eat soon.”
She took the beer and slowly put it to her lips. This was her first time with beer. She didn’t spit it out, which was a good sign.
“I’m hoping you eat Mexican,” I said, as I pulled the enchiladas out of the oven. What I really hoped was that this was good. I hadn’t made enchiladas in a while. I even had to Google some recipes to make sure I got it right.
“I love Mexican food,” she said, still smiling. “I will admit I’m really impressed that you can cook it.”
Good. I wanted to impress her tonight. Convince her that I wasn’t an a*shole. I looked up at her and winked. “I got all kinds of talents that would blow your mind.”
Her cheeks flushed, and she took a larger gulp of the Corona. I was making her nervous. I didn’t mean to do that. It was easy to forget that Blaire wasn’t used to flirting.
“Easy, girl. You gotta eat something, too. When I said drink up, I didn’t mean for you to gulp it down,” I told her, not wanting her to get drunk or sick.
She nodded and wiped the drop of beer that had clung to her lips.
All I could think about was licking it off for her. How plump and smooth her bottom lip felt under my tongue. I had to look away. My food was going to f*cking burn.
I had already made the tacos and burritos, so I moved the quesadillas to the platter I had put the others on. There was no way we were going to eat all this. I’d gone overboard, but I wasn’t sure what she liked, and I wanted her to enjoy her meal. My need to watch her eat was quickly feeling like an addiction.
“Everything else is on the table already. Grab me a Corona out of the fridge, and follow me,” I told her, moving to the table with the platter. I headed for the balcony outside. At first, I had disliked this idea, because she’d seen me out here once before on a date, and I didn’t want that image in her head. But the waves and the Gulf breeze made everything seem more intimate. I just hoped she wasn’t thinking about me f*cking another woman the whole time we were out here.
“Sit. I’ll fix your plate,” I said.
She nodded and sat on the chair nearest to the door. I could see the surprise in her eyes, and I liked that this wasn’t something she expected. I wanted her thoughts on us. No one else. My past was just that—my past. Besides, if she only knew just who I’d been fantasizing about that night when I’d been on this porch with Anya . . .
I fixed her plate and set it down in front of her. Then I leaned down to her ear so I could smell her, because it was driving me crazy . “Can I get you another drink?” I asked, needing a reason for inhaling her neck.
She shook her head no.
I forced myself to move to the other side of the table. I fixed my plate and looked up at her. “If you hate it, don’t tell me. My ego can’t handle it.”
She took a bite of the enchilada. The flicker in her eyes told me she was pleased. I felt like sighing in relief. I hadn’t f*cked it up. “It’s delicious, and I can’t say I’m surprised,” she told me.
I decided to try it out myself. Grinning, I started eating and watched as she relaxed and took another drink of her beer before eating some more. Each time she took a bite, I fought the urge to stop and watch. It was sick, really. She was just f*cking eating. Why was I so completely obsessed with her eating? It had to be the peanut butter’s fault. I wasn’t going to get over that anytime soon.
We ate in silence. I didn’t want to interrupt her, since she looked like she was enjoying herself. When she leaned back and took a long drink from her bottle, then set it down, I knew she was finished.
“I’m sorry about how Nan treated you today,” I told her. It wasn’t enough. Nan owed her an apology, but nothing I could do would get her an apology from Nan.
“How did you know about that?” Blaire asked, shifting nervously in her seat.
“Woods called me. He was warning me that Nan would be asked to leave the next time she was rude to an employee,” I explained. I hated making him look like a damn hero, but it was the truth, and I wasn’t going to add any lies to the ones already between us.
Blaire nodded. She didn’t seem overly impressed, which was good. I didn’t like her having any feelings at all where Woods was concerned.
“She shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I’ve had a talk with her. She promised me it wouldn’t happen again. But if it does somewhere else, then please come tell me,” I told her, which wasn’t the exact truth. Nan had promised me nothing. But my warning had been enough. I knew that.
Disappointment flashed in Blaire’s eyes, and she stood up. “Thank you. I appreciate the gesture. It was very nice of you. I assure you that I don’t intend to tattle to Woods if Nan is rude to me in the future. He just happened to witness it firsthand today.” She picked up her drink. “Dinner was lovely. Nice to have after a long day at work. Thank you so much.” She wouldn’t look at me as she turned and hurried inside.
Shit. What did I say wrong? I stood up and followed her inside. Tonight was not ending like this. I was going crazy. Blaire had to stop throwing me so completely off my tracks. I did this as an apology because of my a*shole behavior last night and because I wanted to do something for her. Take care of her.
She was washing off her plate in the sink, and the slump in her shoulders broke me.
“Blaire,” I said, caging her body against the counter. Her smell filled my head, and I had to close my eyes to keep from getting light-headed. F*ck, that was good. “This wasn’t an attempt to apologize for Nan. It was an attempt to apologize for me. I’m sorry about last night. I lay in bed all night wishing you were there with me. Wishing I hadn’t pushed you away. I push people away, Blaire. It’s a protective mechanism for me. But I don’t want to push you away.” I didn’t know how else to explain this to her.
She leaned back against me some, and I took that as my green light.
I moved away the hair brushing her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the warm, soft skin there. “Please. Forgive me. One more chance, Blaire. I want this. I want you.”
She let out a deep breath, then turned to face me. Her arms went up and wrapped around my neck. Those beautiful blue eyes of her locked on mine. “I’ll forgive you on one condition,” she said softly.
“OK,” I said. I’d give her f*cking anything.
“I want to be with you tonight. No more flirting. No more waiting.”
Not what I had been expecting, but yes. That was what I wanted. “Hell, yes,” I said, and pulled her up against me so I could soak her in. This was it for me.
Blaire was going to be mine after this. I would fight hell for her if I had to.