Chapter Ten
Shane Blake
My blood is boiling but I don’t have the luxury of losing my mind right now. I watch as Mercy goes paler than I have ever seen her right before she sinks to the hallway floor. We were supposed to be able to enjoy this moment and now it’s been ruined by some fucking idiot.
Dropping the brick, I stride forward, scoop her up into my arms, and carry her to her bedroom. I gently put her down on the bed before scanning the room.
“What are you looking for?” she asks, her voice hollow.
“A suitcase.”
I throw open her closet doors and start rummaging inside.
“Where exactly do you think I’m going?”
“You’re coming to stay with me,” I say in frustration, still not finding what I am looking for.
“What?” she yells. She jumps off the bed with a glare, her hands planted on her hips. “You can’t be serious!”
Stopping my search, I face her. She is the most beautiful, stubborn woman I have ever met. And seeing her long legs sticking out beneath my t-shirt is just the cherry on the cake.
“Babe,” I say, taking a deep breath. “I need to make sure you are safe. I have no fucking idea what the hell is going on or who could be doing this, but I can’t protect you here.”
She stares at me with her mouth hanging open. “I won’t be chased out of my own home,” she finally says.
“If I could stay with you I would.” I run a hand down my face in frustration. “But your yard isn’t enclosed, and I won’t leave Zeus alone. So, we are going to my place.”
“And you think because you just had your dick inside me you get to make decisions for me?” she asks as she walks right up to me, challenging me.
It has always been like this. Neither of us is ever willing to back down, both of us waiting for the other to bend.
“No. I think I get to make decisions because you aren’t thinking clearly. Because your life is in danger. And because I love you and want to keep you safe.” Shock flits across her features. “Getting to fuck you is just a bonus.”
“You’re an asshole, Shane Blake,” she hisses.
“I have never pretended otherwise.” I chuckle. “Where are the suitcases?”
She glares at me before pointing at a cupboard in the hallway.
“Great.” I smirk as I retrieve a large black and purple one with wheels. “Let’s get you packed. I’m going to organize someone to board up the window and then we can go to lunch at my brother’s house.”
It’s the one tradition we didn’t change after our mother passed. On Saturday afternoon we all meet at Wesley’s place for a family meal. The rest of the week is simply too busy and for the most part, one or all of us are hungover on Sundays. Mercy knows about the tradition because it’s been that way since I can remember.
“Shit!”
I wonder if she forgot. I turn to look at her and find Mercy blushing red. It takes me a moment to realize what the problem is but when I do I burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” She throws a bright yellow pillow at my head.
“Babe, people are bound to find out about us. We do live in a small town.”
“I would prefer not to have to face your brother and Karmen after screaming your name like a damn banshee.”
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” I ask, trying to give her an out.
I’m not the least bit embarrassed but I want her to be comfortable as well. And if that means missing Saturday lunch with my brothers, so be it.
“Are you crazy?” She throws another pillow at my head, and I catch it. “I will not be responsible for you bucking tradition. We are going to lunch.”
Throwing the pillow on the floor I walk to her, tangle my fingers in her dark hair, and kiss the shit out of her. When I finally pull away, she looks slightly dazed.
“Stop throwing shit at me,” I murmur.
“You bring out my crazy.” She smiles.
“I love your crazy. But we need to get you packed up and showered before we head next door.” I step away from her. “And seeing you half naked and fiery is just making me want to bend you over and make you scream again.”
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
Mercy backs away from me slowly, watching me like a hawk. A deep chuckle escapes me.
“There will be time for that later. Now we need to get shit done.”
****
Mercy West
It’s like stepping back into my childhood. After I shower and get some clean clothes on, we toss my suitcase in the car and walk next door. Now we are inside the house that was like a second home to me for most of my life, and I feel like I never left.
The furniture is the same, as is the wallpaper. All along the hallway are framed photographs of all the boys and some of me and Karmen. Even the smells coming from the kitchen have nostalgia rushing through my veins.
Fuck, I miss my mom.
I feel myself getting misty-eyed and take a deep breath to keep my emotions under control. For someone who rarely cries, I have done way too much of that lately. We round the corner into Wesley’s kitchen, my hand clasped tightly in Shane’s. Karmen lifts her gaze to us for a moment before putting the roast back in the oven.
“So that’s what all the yelling was about,” she says. “I thought you two were actually killing each other this time.”
“Don’t start,” Shane chides with a smile, and I feel my blush re-emerge.
“What? It’s not like I don’t know other people have sex. I just didn’t know Shane was so virile…”
“Karmen!” we both cry out together.
“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes at us. “It’s about damn time, though.”
She wipes her hands on her apron before grabbing some plates from the cupboard. “Will you please set the table?” she asks me. It was always my job.
“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a nod, glad we are finally off the topic of my sex life.
“Everyone is coming over. Adam said he would pick up Lenore.” She hands me the stack of plates before turning to the stove and stirring a dark, rich gravy. “Shane, go fetch your brother from the garage.”
“What is he doing out there?” Shane frowns.
“You’ll have to ask him. Some big secret project,” she says and shrugs. “He’s only been sleeping for a couple of hours a night.”
Nodding, Shane heads outside to fetch Wesley while I proceed to set the dining room table. It’s like I never even left. Except for this new crazy part in my life, and sleeping with Shane, most of it is the same as when I moved away all those years ago.
“You’re still doing it wrong,” a deep voice says from the doorway. “The forks go on the right.”
Turning, I face Adam, the youngest Blake brother. He’s taller than I remember and the boy has certainly grown to be an attractive young man in the years I’ve been gone.
“Stop drooling.” He chuckles before walking forward and wrapping me in his arms for a tight hug. “We missed you,” he says into my ear.
Pushing at his chest I glare at him. “What the hell do they put in the water up here? You’re huge!”
“Had a growth spurt.” Adam blushes while adjusting his glasses and he finally looks like the teenage boy he was when I left.
“Well, good for you.”
Lenore, Shane, and Wesley join us. Everyone shares hugs, talking over one another, and soon we are sitting at the table having a loud, laughter-filled lunch. And everything is like old times. Even with Mrs. Blake and my mother no longer around.
Except it isn’t.