Chapter 8 #2
I go very still. “You helped me that day.” I feel like the earth is tilting on its axis. He did. He helped me. He wasn’t the one bullying me.
“I did.” His voice brings me back down to earth.
“How could I forget?”
“I forgot, too. But my wolf chose you that day. Guess it seemed so out there, my brain just couldn’t process it.”
“Out there because I was a weird-looking nerd?”
“No—because I was a dick who had girls falling—” He breaks off again, works his jaw back and forth.
“You can say it, Blake. You had girls falling all over you.”
“I guess,” he says in a low voice. “And you were not impressed by me, at all.”
I give a snort. “Because I was supposed to be?”
He sighs. “Do you have to be so darn prickly?”
“How else am I supposed to be?” I snap. My voice is even hurting my own ears. But his eyes turn… tender?
“Just yourself,” he says. “Just be your beautiful, birdy self.”
My heart pounds.
Just be myself?
I never in a million years thought I’d meet a guy who wanted me to just be myself. Let alone this ridiculously hot guy.
Blood rushes in my ears, and suddenly, my eyes are stinging.
I stagger, pass a hand across my forehead, but he’s right there, catching me.
“Elinor? Are you okay? Come on, take a seat.”
He’s leading me over to a low table, pulling a chair out and helping me sit down.
“Can’t be fragile,” I mutter. “Gotta stay strong. Don’t let them see your vulnerability.”
Oh, god, what am I saying?
Now he’s really going to think I’m a freak.
“Did I upset you?” He squats down, lays his hands on my knees and looks up into my eyes.
“No. No—you were kind.”
He gives a sigh of relief.
“Guess I’m not used to kind. I mean, from guys.”
He reaches up and swipes my hair out of my face. “I’m going to be kind to you all the time, Elinor. You’ll see. I’ll give you so much kind, you’ll get sick of it. You’ll beg me to be a dick, just for a while.”
“Not gonna happen.” I laugh and swipe at my sniffly nose.
And… while I’m distracted, he swoops in, and suddenly he’s kissing me again. Those lush lips are crushing against mine, soft but hungry. Ohh, his mouth feels so good. I should pull away, but I don’t. I just let myself fall into this bliss.
A low growl escapes his lips, and he runs his big, warm hands up my thighs.
My legs are apart, and I can feel the heat between them. I wonder if he can sense it, too. I’m aching for him. I need his touch—
A door bangs somewhere behind me.
Blake tears his mouth away from mine, leaps to his feet and straightens up. “That’s Dad,” he mutters. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
He helps me to my feet. My legs are still shaking as he leads me to the bar, where a tall, lean gray-haired man is emerging from the back.
“Hey, dad. This is Elinor, our new marketing whiz. Elinor, this is my dad—who is sorely in need of your talents.”
The older man frowns as he looks me up and down. “Blake’s told me all about you, young lady.”
Blake clicks his tongue in exasperation. “That’s right. All good things. Which is why you should be shaking her hand and begging her to name her price.”
“Don’t mind my dad,” he says to me. “He’s not one for social niceties.”
His dad growls, but when Blake continues to fix him with a fierce look, he stretches out his hand and I shake it.
“Welcome, Elinor. Glad to have you here.”
“That’s more like it.” Blake claps his father around the shoulders. “Elinor unfortunately witnessed that crazy stunt you pulled last week.”
“Oh, that.” The older wolf coughs into his fist.
“I thought it was real original,” I say, trying to be diplomatic. “But I think it’s important to put our focus on the quality of the venue, and the acts we’re hoping to attract.”
Blake flashes me a secret, grateful smile. “Elinor’s going to discuss a business plan with us later, but for now, I wanted her to see a typical night in the venue.”
Blake’s dad stays behind the bar, while Blake continues showing me around.
“You made a really good impression on him,” he says.
“I did?”
“Very.” He laughs. “Trust me, that’s dad being excitable.”
I smile, appreciating the way Blake handles his father. I can see he’s not an easy person to deal with.
Then I stop dead as something occurs to me. “You could’ve played football without going to college. You gave up on your dreams to help your dad, didn’t you?”
His chest rises as he takes a big breath in.
“Honestly, I could’ve still gone to college.
I got the grades by myself. Without bullying the other kids—” He breaks off with a mirthless laugh.
“But after what happened, I still felt like a cheat. A phony. So I didn’t go.
I stopped playing football. I drifted for a few years.
Couldn’t get my shit together. Then my dad cooked up this crazy idea, and I thought I might as well do something good for someone. ”
My breath rattles through my chest.
Drifted for a few years.
He didn’t give up his dreams to help his dad—that came later.
He gave them up because of what he—well, mostly his buddies—had done.
He atoned for what he did.
The thought burns sharp and bright inside me.
“Come on,” Blake strides off, like he wants to change the subject.
He shows me around the floor, the stage, then he takes me out the back and runs me through the schedule.
“What do you think?” he asks me, ten minutes later. There’s a hesitancy in his voice, and I shouldn’t find it as appealing as I do.
“I love it,” I say.
His eyebrows tug together. “Really? All those mean old bikers hanging around? You should see the fights that break out sometimes.”
I shrug. “So happens that I know a bunch of ex-MC shifters in Perdue, who I’m sure would be only too happy to run them out of here.
” I turn around slowly, clasping my hands.
“I think this place has so much potential. It’s real well-located to entice bands to come from out of state.
I’m going to invite Cyclopania. I did some promo for them a while back.
And SilverRun. Ooh, and Dead Fox Parade told me to get in touch if I knew of any cool up-and-coming venues.
I might be able to get them to do a secret gig here—”
I break off, because Blake’s eyes are sparkling, like he’s impressed by me?
“You’re amazing,” he says. “You know that?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
He reaches for my hand, and this time, I let him take it, envelope it in his own huge one. “You are, Elinor. “You really have no idea how special you are.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I’m ordinary.”
“That’s the last thing you are.” His expression turns real serious. “I heard you singing this morning.”
“Oh, god—” My cheeks warm. “Usually, I only sing in the shower.”
“It was beautiful. You’ve got a lovely voice. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed you were a nightingale.”
“Nope. I’m all crow.” I laugh. “My family thought the cuckoos dumped me in their nest, but, with these eyes and this hair—? There was never really any doubt.”
He’s staring at my hair again, like he’s fascinated by it. “Jet black,” he murmurs. “You would look great on stage.”
I give a kind of choked laugh. “Are you kidding?”
He frowns. “Not at all. You have these really cool, edgy looks. I can see you fronting a rock band.”
“Stop.”
“What?”
“That’s not… not for me—” I break off, because I’m getting choked up and I don’t even know why. Probably because it is my dream. A dream so big and ridiculous, I don’t even want to entertain it.
Blake gives me a long look, like he’s planning to argue with me, then his face relaxes. “If you say so,” he says softly. “Well, you’re gonna be the best promoter that ever lived.”
“Yay!” I say, too enthusiastically, trying to push back on the emotions that are threatening to spill out of me. “I can’t wait to get started.”
“You’re going to work here full-time, right?”
“I have to work at Sinner’s as well—”
“No. I need you here all the time, Elinor. Can’t you get someone to cover your shifts?”
“I-I don’t know,” I falter, taken aback by his sudden intensity. “Sinner’s is my first priority.”
His shoulders slump a little. “I’m sorry, of course it is. Maybe I can ask around. See if anyone’s looking for bar work?”
“Okay. Great.”
“Good. You can stay here, too. There’s a spare room out back.”
“No, it’s fine, I have my own place in Perdue.”
“But you’ll finish real late sometimes. It’s not safe for you to drive back. You’ll need somewhere to crash. Let me show it to you, at least.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he’s already walking toward the door at the rear of the bar.
I stare at his broad back, his big shoulders, my heart pitter-pattering.
With every step I take, I’m stepping deeper and deeper into his world…
And I don’t know if that’s going to be good for me.