5. Blake
CHAPTER FIVE
blake
D ELANEY FELL ASLEEP ON the short trip from her apartment to mine, a natural result of how much wine she drank and her long-standing ability to pass out in any kind of moving vehicle.
She left me alone with my thoughts, alone to face the slow-sinking realization of our situation.
I needed to get a fucking grip. I needed to make a firm distinction in my head between the role I had just signed up to play for the next year and reality, which was that Delaney was my best friend , and nothing between us had changed or was going to change. The last thing I needed was for this fake marriage to go to my fucking head.
But clearly, it already had. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be carrying a sleeping Delaney in my arms as I maneuvered my way into my apartment. She’d only squirmed once when I picked her up out of the car, and maybe, just maybe, I could get her into my guest bedroom before she woke. That way, I could avoid saying any more shit tonight that would reveal too much about the reality of my thoughts and how they differed from the reality of our arrangement.
God, I wasn’t going to make it through the next year.
“What’s happening?”
Shit .
I could hear the fuzzy confusion in Delaney’s voice and sighed at how my chest ached when I looked down at her.
“You fell asleep in the car. Like you always do.”
The words came out sharper than I intended, but only because I was upset with myself. With the situation. With how much I liked the situation when I shouldn’t. Specifically our current situation, with her curled in my arms.
“Sorry,” Delaney muttered, a bit sheepish. Her cheeks flushed as she rubbed her eyes and glanced up at me. “You can put me down.”
That would be a good idea.
A very good idea.
But I had the undeniable urge to clarify to Delaney that I wasn’t upset with her . I wasn’t really sure how to be upset at Delaney. So I flashed her the best grin I could muster, considering the circumstances, and walked her through the apartment to the guest bedroom.
“But I’m carrying my bride over the threshold.”
She laughed the way I’d been hoping she would. “I think you’re supposed to wait to do that until after the wedding.”
I shrugged. “We’re a bit nontraditional, aren’t we?”
“Very true.” She glanced around the room, which was tragically basic but clean and tidy. The only person who had ever stayed in this room before was my niece, Chloe, who was probably the most pragmatic nine-year-old to ever exist. When I asked her what color throw pillows I should get for the bed, she replied they should be black to match the rest of my lifeless style. “Nontraditional, like having two separate beds,” Delaney added. “I’m assuming this isn’t your room, otherwise you really need some decor, Blake.”
“It’s the guest room that you can have,” I said, but the words scraped my throat as they emerged. “I think nontraditional will work out best for you, considering I…snore.”
“Really?”
No, not really. I didn’t snore.
“Why do you sound surprised?” I shrugged. “It’s not like we’ve slept together before.”
The minute the sentence was out, I regretted it. Heat licked its way up my body as I tried desperately to keep my thoughts in check and not let them linger on my words—on the idea of sleeping with Delaney.
“Well, no. Not in the same room.” Thankfully, she brushed off the comment without another thought. Not surprising since I was sure that Delaney, for one, had never once thought about sleeping with me. “But you’re you .”
“I’m me ?”
“All pretty and annoyingly perfect.”
“I’ll take perfect, but never call me pretty ever again.”
“ Annoyingly perfect,” she clarified.
“ So many compliments today, Lane,” I mused, which caused Delaney to smack me in the chest.
Her hand lingered there, fingers drumming on the buttons of my dress shirt before she demanded, “Put me down, you annoying man.”
I nodded and tipped her feet toward the ground. Delaney dragged her fingers up my chest before wrapping her arms around my neck, holding on for balance as I released her. The result was her body slithering down mine as she found her way to the floor, and I gritted my teeth so hard that my jaw twinged with pain.
I should have immediately tossed her on the bed when we’d walked in so I wouldn’t have to endure whatever this torturous dismount was. It wouldn’t have been terribly out of character for us; harmless pranks were our sense of humor, and I was sure she would have just huffed with fake indignance and then laughed.
But as Delaney kept reminding me, I was a gentleman tonight.
Too bad the thoughts running through my mind at the feel of her curves pressed against me were not getting that fucking hint.
Jesus Christ.
Delaney seemed oblivious, looking around the room with an impressed expression. I swallowed a feeling of pride as she said, “No wonder you recoiled at the sight of my apartment. This place is nice, Blake.”
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat. “Feel free to have a look around. I’ll go get the rest of your things from the car.”
Delaney opened her mouth to protest, but I was gone before she could say anything.
I needed to get my fucking shit together, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to do it while standing in a room with Delaney Delacroix and a bed. My head needed to be clear, nothing in it before I fell asleep. I didn’t need any dreams tonight. Not about Delaney. And certainly not about any of my other demons.
Moving to the coast, just miles away from the ocean, had brought back nightmares I hadn’t had for a long, long time. And the last thing I needed was for my best friend and future wife to know about their return.
“What’s with the emergency boxing date? It’s fucking early.”
Noah groaned as though he wasn’t a professional athlete who basically signed up for a lifetime of waking up early to work out. Although, now my younger brother was not just a professional athlete. He was also a dad to a newborn baby.
Which was exactly why we were here this morning.
Well, sorta.
I slipped my hand into my glove and pulled the wrist strap tight until it was exactly right. Then I gave it a little slap for extra measure and turned to the next glove.
“We’re here this early because I have patients later,” I replied, trying to hide that it also felt too early for me, considering how little sleep I got last night with Delaney staying down the hall. “Gemma said it would be good for you to get out of the house, and Gemma knows best.”
I’d needed to get out, too. I’d walked into the one bathroom in my apartment this morning to the overwhelming smell of Delaney’s perfume. Her soap. Her… everything.
Noah watched me warily, like he could sense there was something I wasn’t saying. His green eyes flicked from the boxing gym around us to the gloves on my fists.
“Gemma does know best,” he admitted. “Gemma will also kick your ass if you mess up my pretty face.”
“You should be more concerned about your hands than your face. Those are your moneymakers,” I chuckled, facing him once my gloves were both in place. “Don’t worry, we’ll skip sparring and stick to the bags. Focus more on footwork and agility. Wouldn’t want to fuck up your knuckles too bad before the season starts.”
Noah rolled his eyes, a bit of competitive spark in them. “Look, I know you’ve gotten all buff and shit lately, but you’re not made of goddamn rock. And I’m not fragile . I think my bones can handle giving you a few punches.”
“I know you’re not fragile,” I admitted. As much as I liked to give him shit, Noah had grit. He played hard in every single one of his football games. He’d built a legacy playing for the Knights the past seven seasons. “I’ve seen you get tackled more times than any quarterback really should. Any chance they drafted you some new offensive guards?”
“Nah,” Noah replied before picking up the gloves I pointed him toward. He cleared his throat and gave me a look. “What’s up with you today? You’re extra…I don’t even know how to describe it.”
I sighed and gave him a bullshit excuse. “Work’s been a bit much lately, that’s all. Entering into a field that you’ve been training to do for the past ten years shouldn’t be so fucking stressful, but it is.”
Noah seemed stumped by my words. “I know the job is new, but haven’t you been a cardiologist for, like, years now?”
“No, man.” I laughed at his expression. “The three years at Mayo were my fellowship in cardiology. It wasn’t the same.” I gave him a tight smile. “There was a different kind of weight on my shoulders.” Noah raised a brow, but before he could say anything, I added, “That’s why I’m here. Gotta work off some steam.”
I turned away from him and focused on a hanging bag, intending to give it a good punch.
And then Noah’s words stopped me.
“You sure it’s not because Delaney Delacroix is in Boston?”
“How the fuck?—”
I whirled around to find Noah giving me a shit-eating grin.
Fucking hell.
“Gemma turned back to ask you something yesterday and saw you having quite the, uh, conversation with another doctor, and I knew immediately who it was. You, smile at work? Not a chance. Not unless it was?—”
“Fuck off, Noah.”
Noah’s eyes practically fucking glowed with glee as he ignored me. “I told you I saw her, remember? The day Delilah was born. She passed by our hospital room. You and Nat told me I was imagining things. But I showed Gemma a picture of her last night, and she confirmed it. So don’t bother lying, Blake.”
Shit, I’d forgotten about that. Noah had texted something in the blur of all his other anxious messages about Delilah’s birth. I’d just blown it off since he’d clearly been on the verge of a new-dad mental breakdown.
“Well, I figured she would have told me if she moved out here,” I said, feeling defeated at the reminder that she hadn’t. “Guess I was wrong.”
“Damn,” Noah said with a wince as if he felt my pain. “Still engaged, then, too?”
“Actually, no,” I said tentatively, fighting to hide my reaction to that and the roller coaster of emotions his words evoked. Immediate irritation that Delaney had been engaged, followed by instant relief as I remembered it had been fake, and then, of course, annoyance that I hadn’t known it was fake.
And then there was the little reminder of who she was engaged to now.
Me .
That sparked a whole different set of emotions.
“Oh?” Noah’s lips spread in a sly smirk. “So, that means…”
I hadn’t precisely thought I’d be broaching this topic with Noah when I’d texted him to meet up; otherwise, I probably would have thought my next words through a little more. But as it were, I simply spit out the truth.
“So, that means she’s currently sleeping in my bed.”
Noah’s jaw dropped before he recovered and let out a celebratory whoop that drew the attention of the few other people in the gym. It wasn’t a big space, just big enough for a few rings and a slew of bags for practice. I liked it because it was low-key, designed for people who loved the sport but weren’t overly competitive. So no one really seemed to give a shit about the hollers my brother just let out.
“I can’t believe you actually got yourself together and made a move,” Noah laughed. “I’ve never been prouder to be your brother.” Then his grin instantly fell as another realization hit him. “Wait—I take that back. Why the hell are you here , then?”
I focused my attention on my gloves, adjusting the straps with my teeth as I tried to figure out what to say. I fucking hated lying to Noah. However, I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. She was in my bed, just not the one I slept in last night. And I did make a move, just not in the way he thought. And Noah’s next assumption wasn’t necessarily untrue, either.
“Come on, man. Don’t fucking run away from your feelings now, not again.” Noah grabbed my hands, undoing the straps on my gloves and shucking them off. I’d be annoyed if I didn’t know how well-intentioned he was. “It’s not too late. Just go grab some coffee, maybe some of her favorite flowers, and?—”
“Noah,” I sighed, bending to pick up my gloves again.
His brows pulled together as he watched me. “I mean, if you don’t know her favorite flowers, anything will?—”
“Tulips. She loves tulips.”
“Good. Okay.” Noah nodded with satisfaction. “Maybe you can still make it back before she wakes up. Is she an early riser?”
I shook my head, deciding to just let Noah work this through unnecessarily. “She sleeps as long as she physically can. When we had early mornings on rotations, I’d always call her to make sure she was awake for them.”
“Perfect.” When I didn’t move, Noah urged me with a little push. “Well, get the fuck out of here, then.”
“You did hear me say she sleeps as long as physically possible, right?” I checked my watch. “Give me at least twenty minutes to work up a sweat.”
“Didn’t work up enough of one last night?” Noah asked with a smirk.
I gave him a light shove to avoid answering, my body going rigid with the thought. I didn’t bother correcting him, though. If I was going to convince my family that Delaney and I had eloped, then I might as well start now by letting my brother think things about our relationship that weren’t true.
Things that would never be true.
Delaney was already married to her work. She had no interest in a real relationship with anyone. I had a feeling it stemmed from her emotionally stunted parents, combined with the need to prove herself and provide for her brother, but still. It was what she had always said she wanted, and I respected her as a friend enough not to push it. And I respected our friendship enough not to risk changing it or try to bring anything else into it.
Like the sex that Noah thought we’d had last night.
My brother relented enough about Delaney to let us get in a quick workout, and then he was pushing me out the door again. I wished we’d had more time, maybe a chance to actually talk about how he was doing, but Noah was right about one thing: it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave Delaney for too long, even if I had put a note on the counter before heading out the door earlier.
Vowing to check in with my brother again soon, I walked back through the Boston streets, making two quick stops on the way back to my place.
A quiet calm permeated the air when I entered the apartment, which was a good sign. I put the tulips I got for Delaney in a drinking glass because I was a grown-ass man who didn’t own a vase and then put her coffee on the counter next to the flowers, hoping she’d see it.
My next stop was the shower, but before I could even make it to the bathroom, I ran right into Delaney as she popped out of the bedroom, looking exactly as I imagined she would in the morning: sleepy-eyed and fucking gorgeous. Her blonde hair was slipping out of the messiest bun I’d ever seen, a huge scrunchie tied haphazardly around her hair. Sapphire eyes blinked up at me as surprise slowly spread over her features. Soft fingers were wrapped around my arm from bumping into me, and they stayed there like a grasp on reality as it came back to her.
Seeing me at work yesterday. Dinner last night. Our trip to her apartment. Me bringing her back here. I could practically see it running through her mind like a movie, and it was slightly adorable.
“Morning, Lane,” I said, trying to keep my amusement to myself but failing. A smile slid onto my face.
She rubbed at her eyes before shooting me an accusatory look that likely would have had me backing down if it weren’t for the way her bun flopped from one side of her head to the other when she moved.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said, biting down on my grin. “Absolutely nothing is funny.” She narrowed her eyes, and I interrupted her interrogation by adding, “I got you a coffee. It’s on the kitchen counter.”
She snapped out of it at the mention of coffee, smiling. This girl was a glutton for caffeine, almost to a concerning degree. It paralleled her love of wine and my own caffeine addiction.
Delaney let go of my arm as she turned toward the kitchen, looking down at her fingers in a melting sort of confusion. Her gaze then snagged on my outfit, seeming to realize for the first time that I was fully dressed, shoes still on my feet.
“You’re all sweaty ,” she said, her nose wrinkling.
I winced because, well, she was right. And now my sweat was all over her fingers.
“I went to the gym,” I said apologetically, but Delaney didn’t appear to be listening. Instead, her gaze was hooked on me, trailing over my body. I felt it, hot and acute, and it made my breath hitch. Her attention lingered on my biceps as though realizing I had biceps for the very first time. I mean, in her defense, they’d definitely gotten bigger lately. But still, they’d always been there.
“Would it make you feel better to know that I’m about to take a shower?” I asked, drawing her out of her intense study.
“A shower?” A fierce blush suddenly erupted on her cheeks for a reason I couldn’t quite figure out. The morning sun filtered through her bedroom, hitting her face in a way that made sure I could see every shade of red. And for that, I was fucking grateful. The flush spread up her face, highlighting her cheekbones. “Oh, I, um, yeah. Sure, a shower is a good idea.”
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before flashing a soft smile and sidestepping her way toward the kitchen. “I think I need some coffee.”
Delaney disappeared down the hallway, and I released a breath of relief.
She needed a coffee, and I needed a fucking cold shower. An icy one. It would be a shock to my system, but I needed to get used to it. I had a pretty good feeling I’d be taking a lot of them from here on out.
Because in a matter of days, I’d be married to my best friend—the same woman who I hadn’t been able to get out of my head since the day I met her.