Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
B lake sat on the opposite side of the table from Paige, who somehow managed to get stuck between Grayson and Seth. She wore only her bikini top and a sarong wrapped around her waist, and Seth’s wandering eyes bugged the hell out of Blake. Anna was on the other side of Seth and he wasn’t staring at her breasts.
He kicked his leg out and got Seth right in the shin.
Seth jerked his head around. “Ow, dude, I didn’t think you were Lukas.”
“I’m not,” Blake growled. “But I am her bodyguard this summer, and that includes keeping creeps like you away from her.” Seth wasn’t really a creep, but he did like his women.
Paige leaned into Seth, putting a hand on his arm. “I’m free to date whoever I want, and I can be the judge of what’s creepy or not.”
“He was staring at your boobs.” Blake shouldn’t have said anything, but he couldn’t help himself.
She puffed her chest out. “I can’t really blame him. They are nice looking, aren’t they?” Blake nearly choked on his beer.
Seth snorted. “I don’t know what you two have going on, but I’m not getting between that.” He gently pushed Paige’s hand off his arm. “No offense, but I only go for single girls.”
“I’m single,” Paige protested, giving Blake a glare. He knew what she was doing and he wasn’t going to take the bait.
“Nope. You’re not. I’m not an idiot. You two are sleeping together. I don’t care what you tell Lukas.” He grinned at both of them and put some distance between himself and Paige.
Anna raised her eyebrows at Blake. “Told you it was obvious.”
“We’re not sleeping together,” Paige said. Which was a lie…sort of. But Blake wasn’t about to correct her.
“Why not?” Seth asked.
Both Blake and Paige flicked their eyes toward Lukas, who sat on the opposite end of the table.
Seth snorted. “Dude, grow a pair and just tell him.”
“It’s not that simple,” Blake said. He shoved his hands into his pockets and glowered at the ground. “What if I break her heart and then he never speaks to me again.”
“Hello, I’m right here.” Paige waved a hand. “I don’t need you two Neanderthals determining my fate. But Blake, he’s right. I’m tired of not getting what I want because you are scared of Lukas. I’d rather have you break my heart than always wonder what could’ve been.”
“I like this girl, Blake. We should keep her around.” Seth grinned.
Paige nodded politely. “Thank you, Seth. If Blake doesn’t get his act together, maybe I’ll be going home with you instead.”
She smirked at Blake, and he held back his retort. She’d gotten to him, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing it.
* * *
After they all watched the fireworks together Paige and Blake headed back to Paige’s parents’ place. Paige climbed into bed, and Blake tried not to stare. Every day it was getting harder and harder to resist her. It was warmer here in Mackinac and Paige’s pajamas barely covered her.
“What’s with the sunrise thing?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s a tradition. Every trip we watch the sunrise together the last morning. It started several years ago when Hayden had an eight a.m. flight. We all got up to see him off, and a tradition was born. Now everyone basically heads home right afterward.”
“Well, don’t forget to set your alarm.”
Oh, she wasn’t getting away with that. “Me? You have to go too.”
He climbed in under his own blanket but stayed on his side of the bed.
“No, I don’t. It’s your stupid tradition.” He didn’t know how she couldn’t see that she was part of their group. They’d all embraced her.
“You’re one of us now. You have to come with.” He didn’t know how but he had every intention of making sure she was at the next fourth of July as well. He couldn’t imagine them without her.
She patted the sheets for her phone. “You might have to carry me out of here. It’s been a long couple of days.”
He gave her a grin, not able to help himself. “I won’t mind.”
She swatted his arm. “I think I left my phone downstairs. I’ll grab it.”
Blake’s head hit the pillow, and he must’ve been more tired than he thought because he was out before she got back.
* * *
“What the hell?”
Lights blinded Blake as he tried to orient himself. Paige jerked up off his chest and out of his arms. Lukas towered over the both of them.
Blake scrambled out of bed and was acutely aware that he was only wearing boxers. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
“It looks like you are in bed with my sister. I don’t know how that can look any different.”
“Oh, grow up, Lukas,” Paige shouted. That was not helpful.
“Grow up? Excuse me. I left my grown-up friend to take care of my grown-up sister and not screw her. Looks like I’m the only grown-up here who can control myself. But I’m done being a grown-up.”
If Blake had been more awake, he would’ve seen it coming, but he wasn’t, so when Lukas’s fist connected with his nose, his head snapped back.
He didn’t bother hitting back. He’d deserved it.
“Lukas!” Paige shouted. But he stormed from the room. Blake tried running after him, but Paige stopped him. “You’re bleeding and not dressed. Let me help you clean up and then we can go after him.”
Blake held a hand up to his nose. “Not we. Me. I’m the one he’s mad at, not you.”
Paige didn’t argue, for which Blake was grateful for and helped him clean his face. His nose throbbed with the pain.
“I don’t think it’s broken, but you’ll definitely have a black eye.”
That was a small price to pay. He pulled on a pair of shorts and tugged a t-shirt over his head, avoiding any contact with his face.
He’d planned on just packing up their stuff before they left for the sunrise, but depending on how long it took with Lukas, they could miss the first ferry. “Can you pack my stuff up? We’ll head home after I’m done with him.”
“What if he tries to stop you from taking me home?”
“We’re adults, remember? We don’t need his permission. But I would like his blessing.” It was time to stop playing games with Paige. He was ready to take this to the next level.
She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “And if he doesn’t give it?”
“He knows now. Blessing or not, I’m done trying to pretend I don’t have feelings for you.”
He left before her response and jogged to Lukas’s house, unsure if he was really there or not, but it was his best starting point. They were supposed to ride to the beach for the sunrise with Lukas and Tess, but he doubted Lukas headed there after their fight.
He knocked, and Tess answered the door, Jack hiding behind her legs.
“Is he here?” he asked.
Tess nodded. “Collapsed on the couch. He told me to not let you in if you showed up, but I’m on your side.” She reached over and squeezed his arm. “Come on. Let’s see if we can convince him that you and Paige belong together.”
Lukas didn’t open his eyes when Blake and Tess entered the room. Blake sat on the recliner across from the couch, and Tess sat next to Lukas. Jack crawled up into Lukas’s lap. Maybe that would prevent him from calling Blake any colorful names.
“Listen, Paige and I haven’t had sex, and we’ve only kissed once in the grocery store, and that was just to prove a point to an obnoxious pair of women.”
Lukas glared at him. “Bull. I found you in bed with her.”
“Okay. We’ve been sleeping in the same bed together for a few weeks now. Paige has nightmares. The first week I was there, she woke up screaming every night, and I went to her room and helped her calm down. You asked me to protect her, and that’s what I’m doing. After talking more about it, we don’t think she saw anyone the night she called the sheriff. That was all part of her nightmares. The accident has left scars that no one can see. One night we watched a movie together and fell asleep. That was the first night since the accident that she didn’t have a nightmare. And she hasn’t had one since.”
Lukas clenched his fists. Blake wasn’t sure he believed him.
“That was very sweet of you,” Tess said. “Paige didn’t tell me about that.”
Lukas opened and closed his fists. “Paige is fragile.”
“She’s stronger than you think,” Blake said. And she was. Sure, she was having trouble now, but she’d overcome huge obstacles.
“And that’s why you’re sleeping with her every night?” Lukas growled.
“You know,” Tess began. “We like Paige, like all the wives. I do too, but you already knew that. She’s a good addition to our group.”
Lukas didn’t respond right away.
“I haven’t seen her laugh like she has this trip in a long time,” Lukas said, staring off into space.
“Right? You know what’s changed?” Tess asked, waving her hands toward Blake.
Lukas eyed him. “Tess, you don’t think that the change is because of Blake?”
“I do. Blake has does his best to respect you, but Paige wants more. Blake is the one holding out.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“Yes. And if you weren’t blind, you’d see how she looks at him. She and Blake would make an adorable couple.”
“Tess,” Lukas warned.
“What? You don’t think so?” she huffed.
Blake was grateful he could just sit back and listen. Tess was doing his dirty work for him, and he had no problem letting her.
“She’s my sister.”
“Would you rather see her with some guy she meets in a few years that you don’t know and that you’re not sure you could trust? I’d much rather see her with Blake.”
Blake gripped the arms of the chair a little harder than necessary. The thought of some other guy putting his hands on her caused jealousy to rise in his chest. But he had no right to that jealousy. Not yet, anyway.
“No. I don’t want to see her with anyone,” Lukas said his fist clenched and staring at the fireplace.
“You want her to be unhappy?” Tess asked, her voice cracking. “That’s cruel.”
He jerked his head around, his face a mess of emotion. “That’s not what I meant. I just…I just…don’t want to see her hurt again. What happened with Emery broke her.”
“He died in a car accident.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
Tess swallowed. They knew. Blake had assumed Paige hadn’t told anyone about that.
“I’m not going to cheat on her and you know it,” Blake said.
Lukas met his eyes. “She told you.”
Blake nodded.
Tess wrapped an arm around Lukas’s waist and leaned into him. “Blake’s a good guy, right? You know he wouldn’t hurt her. Wouldn’t you rather she date him than some other schmuck that might break her heart?”
Lukas eyed Blake, but Blake didn’t say a word. He wanted to know what Lukas was about to say.
“You have a point.”
“So, will you stay out of the way and let them figure things out themselves?”
Lukas stared at him. “You and Paige are adults. I trust you far more than anyone else. I won’t stand in your way or get angry, but I reserve the right to punch you in the nose again if you hurt her.” His jaw was set. Lukas didn’t like this, but Blake would take it.
“Fair enough. Thank you.”
Blake wasn’t sure what would happen now, but he was ready to fall.