“Holy Shit!” Ember says as we sit in the grass chugging bottles of water.
“What?” I ask her.
“What do you mean what? My brother, that’s what,” she says, smirking.
“Which one?” I ask, playing dumb. I know she can see right through me. Ember is like Leah and I in so many ways. The more time I’m around her, the more excited I get about living with her.
“Pretend all you want, roomie, but I know you know what I’m talking about,” she laughs.
Instead of responding, I twist the lid off my water and sip slowly. I feel her watching me. Ember clears her throat and taps her finger on her leg, waiting impatiently for me to admit there was something going on out on the field between Blaise and me. I can’t admit it. I have no f*cking clue what was happening out there. My mind is still trying to piece together the puzzle.
Ember releases a sigh, like I’m inconveniencing her by not telling her what’s going on between us, but there is no us. I’m just as clueless as she is.
“Really,” I tell her. “I have no idea.”
“Well I do. My brother wants you. He had his hands all over you,” she laughs. “I have to hand it to him; he gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘touch football’.”
I can’t help but join in her laughter. Part of it is because I’m at a loss for words, and the other part is the thought of an Adonis like Blaise wanting me is rather hilarious.
“I’m going to run to the restroom. You need anything?” Ember asks.
“Actually, I think I’ll go with you. I need to wash my hands,” I say, showing her my dirt covered digits.
Ember leads me into the house and up the stairs. “I’ll use the one in my bedroom; you can use the one down the hall. Second door on the right.”
“Thanks,” I say as I continue down the hall. I stop in front of the second door on the right. I reach for the handle, but the door swings open, causing me to lose my balance. I’m mentally prepared for the fall, but strong arms wrap around me.
“You okay, sweets?” a deep timbre asks me.
I look up and find silver eyes watching me. Blaise. He has one arm around me, his hand resting on my back and the other hand resting on my hip, holding me tight against him.
Oh. My.
“Yes, sorry. I wasn’t expecting you,” I tell him. Fighting to keep my voice from revealing that he is leaving me breathless being this close to him, his hands on me.
Blaise studies me for what seems like a lifetime; in reality, it’s only mere seconds. He bends down and places his lips next to my ear. “I wasn’t expecting you either,” he whispers.
I can feel the blush cross my cheeks. Blaise notices because his smile gets bigger.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and place my hands on his chest to push him away. His chest is tight and ripped. This does nothing to tone down the blush, which I’m now sure covers my entire upper body.
Blaise chuckles, moves his other hand to my hip, and turns me so I’m now in the bathroom and he’s standing in the hallway. “Great game,” he says with a wink before he releases me, turns and walks away.
I quickly shut the door and lock it. I brace my hands against the sink and bow my head. My heart is racing. I turn on the faucet and wash my hands. I then turn the water to cold and splash my face. I need to get myself together. Blaise, as tempting as he is, is not what I need right now. I need to focus on my job and my new home. With Ember, Blaise’s sister. I briefly re-think my decision to move in with her, but quickly squash it. I need to learn to resist temptation. Josh has put me off men for a while, even sexy walking sin like Blaise.
Walking out of the bathroom, I see Ember standing in the hall waiting for me. “Did I hear you scream?” she asks me.
Shit. I must have screamed when Blaise opened the door. I was too entranced to even notice.
“Um, yeah. When I went to open the bathroom door, it opened on its own,” I tell her. I’m purposely being evasive, although Ember is too much like Leah and me. I know she’s going to pry it out of me.
“And? I grew up in this house, so I know it’s not haunted. Who was it?” she questions.
“Blaise,” I say as casually as I possibly can.
Her only reply is to laugh.
I follow her back down the stairs and outside. Grace and Asher, along with Leah, Brent and Jackson, are all sitting on the deck. We join them. Grace suggests we play battle of the sexes, but we need one more player. Before anyone else can make a suggestion, Asher has his phone to his ear.
“Bro, meet us on the back deck; we need another for battle of the sexes,” he says into the phone. I can only assume from the “bro” comment that he’s talking to Blaise. “Me, Gracie, Ember, Jackson, Leah, Brent and Tatum.” He pauses. “Cool,” he says and hangs up.
“Blaise is in,” he tells us.
Ember jumps up from her chair. “I’ll go get the game. Ladies on one side, guys on the other,” she says over her shoulder.
Asher called to tell me they needed another player for battle of the sexes. I was about to bow out until he listed the other players.
Tatum.
As soon as I heard she was involved, I stopped and headed back toward the house. My long legs make my trip short and sweet. I climb the stairs to the deck and plop down beside Asher. Ember comes out and starts setting up the game. Behind her is Tatum. She’s carrying drinks. She hands everyone a beer. I watch her as her eyes fall on the only empty seat around the table. The guys have assembled on one side and the girls on the other. The table is made to seat four comfortably so we are all sitting close. The only remaining chair is the one right next to me. I can’t contain the broad smile taking over my face. This is turning out even better than I could have imagined.
“Let’s go, girl, time’s a wasting,” Ember scolds Tatum.
I watch as her shoulders drop in defeat and she rounds the table, taking the seat next to me. My southern hospitality gets the best of me and I reach over and pull the chair back for her. She offers me a shy smile and a soft “thank you.”
I nod my head; no words are needed at this point. Tatum takes the seat and I slide her in. Her sweet smell wraps around me and I take a deep breath. That smell, it’s like vanilla and sweet honey all wrapped into one. Sweet.
The game starts, and we’re all laughing and having a great time. Well, I am for sure. Tatum and I are sitting so close we are constantly bumping our legs into one another and touching arms while reaching for the same thing. We’ve all taken turns going and getting another round of beer, and by this point, the ladies are all starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. I have a slight buzz, but it would take several more for me to reach their state of drunkenness.
Tatum, when’s she’s relaxed, is a hell of a lot of fun. Her green eyes sparkle, and it’s taking great effort on my part not to just make her the center of my attention.
“Okay, time for a bathroom break,” Ember says, jumping up. Leah, Tatum, and Grace stand to follow her. Jackson, Brent, Asher, and I stay behind. It takes them longer than it does us. Besides, we can walk to the side of the house if we need to.
Asher leans back in his chair and takes a long swig of his beer. “She’s nice, bro,” he says to me. It still unnerves me sometimes how well my twin brother and I can read each other’s thoughts. I shrug my shoulders, not committing to anything.