Chapter Thirty-Five Blake
Chapter Thirty-Five
Blake
I could hear voices when I went down to the kitchen.
Nerves were pinballing around in me, but I paused going through the living room before entering.
Marshall was sitting on the counter, a piece of toast in his hand, and he was swinging his legs to hit the backs of his heels against the cupboard beneath him lightly.
The scene was eerily similar to the other night.
Heath was making something at the oven. Palma was in a chair at the table.
The exception was that Levi was in the other chair across from Palma, and he was grinning widely as I entered. The others all ceased talking, but it wasn’t because of me. Their eyes, almost as if they were one person, slid behind me to Creighton, who followed me.
I stood in the silence, taking in the rest of the room.
The coffeepot was gurgling again. The orange juice had been pulled out, along with a carton of almond milk. A full plate of French toast was on the table along with a bowl of scrambled eggs. I glanced at what Heath was making. Sausages.
He coughed, holding up his fork. “You want one?”
My stomach gurgled, and I winced. “Uh. I think I’m good. We have more toast?”
Palma was blatantly staring at Creighton, who had remained in the doorway.
I already knew there was no reaction on his face, so I didn’t turn around.
Marshall jerked out of his reverie. “Uh. Yeah. I just put some in the toaster. You can help yourself.” He held out the one in his hand.
Rueful. “I’ve not stopped eating since I woke up. ”
A chair scraped against the floor. Palma shoved it back and extended her hand, bypassing me. “Hi,” she said brightly, a wide smile strained around the edges on her face. “We’ve not officially met. I’m Palma, Blake’s roommate.” She waited, her hand out.
Creighton only stared at her.
Levi started laughing.
She shot him a look.
He shut up, or tried, grabbing a piece of French toast and bending over it, his big shoulders still shaking.
Marshall cleared his throat as he held his free hand up in the air. “Uh. I’m Marshall.” His eyebrows pulled low, motioning to me with the last little bit of his toast that was left. “Blake’s housemate . . .” He trailed off.
Creighton didn’t respond to him either. He barely flicked Heath a look, who was watching the exchange, or nonexchange.
Heath coughed but readjusted so his back was turned to Creighton.
“Uh.” Palma met my gaze, confused.
“If you’re dating our roommate, you don’t have to be a dic—” Marshall started to say, heated, but he stopped when Creighton looked his way. He visibly swallowed before popping the last of his toast in his mouth.
Levi was still chuckling. “Mom and Dad. Kissing in a tree. K-I-S-S—”
Creighton went around me, stopping just in front. “Shut up.”
Levi just kept laughing. “It’s a fucking riot and gross. Do we have to see that?” The last came from him as Creighton lifted a finger under my chin, tipping it up. He gave me a quick, but gentle kiss.
He shifted his hand to the side of my head, his fingers sliding through my hair as he shot Levi another glare. When he looked my way, his eyes softened.
He didn’t say anything. Nor did I.
He went to the back door, and taking out his phone, he had just unlocked the screen when the door swung open from the outside. One of his men was there. No, a few of his men were there. Each nodded to him as he stepped out. They fell in line around him.
Levi hopped up to shut the door, flicking the lock. He gave the basement door a brief glance before returning to his chair and eating another bite of his French toast.
It was quiet for a second in Creighton’s aftermath.
“Well.” Palma shakily laughed. “He was more pleasant than at the diner.”
Levi started laughing again.
“Dude. Can you, like, stuff it for a second? Not everything is funny this morning.” Marshall shot him a testy look.
“Says you. I think this morning has been hilarious.”
“Why are you here? To get in Palm’s pants?”
Levi idly scratched at the side of his face before throwing Palma a smirk. “I mean, I wouldn’t be averse to that.” He winked at her.
Her cheeks pinked, but she was more focused on me. “You’re good?” Her question was quiet.
I felt everyone’s attention and jerked my head up and down. “Uh. Yeah.” I coughed before motioning around the room. “Except for you know, this being slightly awkward.”
“Is he going to be around more?”
The question came from Heath, who was peering at me. He didn’t look upset, more curious.
Levi’s laughter caught.
I went to Heath’s other side where the toast just popped up and busied myself, buttering two slices for myself. “Uh. Yeah. I think so.”
“Great.”
“Marsh, stow it,” Palma reprimanded.
“What? He’s a barrel of fun, can’t you tell?” He threw his arms wide, sitting up straighter. “I’m sorry, but am I the only one with their head still on their body or something? That guy is a criminal—”
“Watch it,” Levi warned.
Marshall looked his way, but continued, “—and he’s dangerous. And now what? He’s dating our roommate? I’m not okay with him being here.”
I wanted to shrink, right then and there. I wanted to disappear. “Look. I told you the situation—”
“The situation has changed, hasn’t it? Were you fucking before?”
“Marshall!” Palma yelled.
“You’re going to watch your tone,” Levi said lowly.
Heath hit the side of the pan with his metal fork. “Marshall.”
He quieted under their protests but shrugged and shook his head. He flicked his eyes in defiance. “I’m not okay with him being here.”
I put the toast down on a small plate and faced him. “So you want me to leave, then?”
For the first time, uncertainty flickered over him. “I didn’t say that.”
“Dude.” Levi was shaking his head.
Marshall shot him another dark look.
“I told you everything last night. If you’re not okay with Creighton being here, then that means you’re not okay with me being here.”
“I—” Marshall scraped a hand over his jaw. Torn now. “I mean, why can’t he just not come around?”
Levi began chuckling again.
“Dude, I am warning you.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Palma ignored the slight exchange between Levi and Marshall.
“What doesn’t?” Marshall shrugged again, exaggerating the motion. He widened his eyes and spread his legs out farther.
He was settling in for a fight.
“They have a complicated and long history,” Palma started, trying to be patient.
Marshall grunted, shaking his head. “This is our house. We should be able to say who can come and who can’t—”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Creighton.
Eight: Do you need me to come back?
Me: Why would you ask that?
Eight: Levi said your roommate has an issue with me. He’s your housemate. You decide. Do you want me to handle him?
Me: Of course not.
Eight: So you’ll handle him? If he’s making you feel bad, it’s a problem. No one hurts you, Blake. In any way.
I scowled at Levi, who’d been watching me on the phone. He flinched. “Sorry.”
The conversation that had continued now quieted in the kitchen. Attention went from Levi to me.
“What?” Marshall bit out.
I held back a sigh.
Me: He doesn’t understand, but don’t harm him in any way. I mean it.
Eight: Then he needs to shut up.
Me: Eight.
Eight: Quokka.
I couldn’t suppress a growl.
Me: I’ll handle him, but promise me you won’t harm Marshall.
His response didn’t come right away.
They were all watching me, and I picked up my toast, slipping into a chair on the other side of Levi when my phone buzzed. I hit the screen.
Eight: No one is allowed to make you feel bad. No. One.
“He’s not wrong, you know.” Levi had read it over my shoulder.
“Get back.”
“Who’s not wrong? Is that your boyfriend? What’s he not wrong about?” Marshall raised his voice. There was an ugliness to him this morning.
Creighton was the alpha of all alphas, and sometimes guys who weren’t used to being shut down so effectively and put in their place as swiftly as Creighton’s mere presence tended to do, sometimes they didn’t react the best way. Was that what was going on?
I caught the time and cursed. “I have to go if I’m going to make my class on time.”
“You need a ride?”
I gave Levi a considering look. “Did he tell you to be another guard for me?”
“Guard?” Marshall echoed.
Levi happily beamed at me, fluttering his eyelashes a couple times. “Not officially, but he told me to stick around, and I don’t mind giving you a ride.”
“Your truck is here?”
“Uh. A vehicle is here. I don’t know if it’s my particular truck or not, but you know as well as I do that one of Creight’s guys has some kind of vehicle close by.”
One of. That meant there was more than the one usual watcher Creighton had assigned to me. Levi was here. How many others? I shook my head at Levi. “No. I’m good without a ride considering campus is just on the other side of the building.”
“What?” He stared at me, blankly.
Palma snickered. “We live on campus.”
“Oh.” Levi considered that before grunting. “Good to know.”
I really had to go. Creighton had brought my backpack down with him, and I spotted it on the floor in the living room. I went to grab it. As I returned through the kitchen, Heath held out a thermos for me. “Coffee.”
I grabbed it. “Thanks.” I tossed him a grin over my shoulder.
He gave me a small nod, before jerking his head in Marshall’s direction, who was now glowering down at his hands that were in his lap. He’d gone back to lightly kicking against the counter underneath him. Heath commented, “I’ll talk to him.”
“Huh?” Marshall’s head jerked up.
I only lifted up a shoulder in my response. “If you want, or I’ll try again later.”
I didn’t catch what Heath’s reaction was, instead being distracted as Palma stood up abruptly.
She had been chewing on her top lip. “I have to go for a meeting this morning. I’ll walk with you.
Uh, one second though. I need to grab my stuff.
You can wait for me outside, if you want.
I won’t be long.” She took off, pounding up the stairs a second later.
Marshall had gone back to glowering at his lap. Heath resumed cooking. And Levi was unabashedly watching me. He waved another piece of French toast at me. “I’ll watch over these idiots. I’ll let you know if Boss comes to, you know, shoot him.”
Marshall’s look skewered him. “You’re enjoying this too much.”
Levi only tipped his head back, his grin never diminishing. “You’re a delight.”
Footsteps pounded back down the stairs and Palma rushed into the kitchen, her cheeks red and her eyes a little frantic. “I’m here. I’m ready. Let’s go.” She breezed right past me, opening the door first and stepping outside.
I shared one last look with Levi, who waved at me. “I got it covered here. Don’t worry.”
That did not reassure me.
I had just pulled the door shut before Palma pounced. “I think I made a big mistake.”