3. Blake #2
On the far side of the room is a chest of drawers with a mirror on the wall and a corkboard with neatly placed images, evenly spaced and tacked on with tiny pins.
I see one of him smiling with an older man who looks just like him; they’re standing in a forest looking sweaty and proud.
Then there’s a picture of him decked out in football gear surrounded by his buddies…
and what’s that one? An image of him and some pretty girl with strawberry blonde hair and perfectly applied makeup.
She’s laughing at the camera while he kisses her cheek.
Is that his girlfriend?
My insides twist and I force my gaze away, checking out the posters on the adjacent wall. They’re framed, large images of mountains and lakes, one of a waterfall, another of the sun rising over a massive boulder.
Wow. They’re really stunning, and I stare at them, wishing I could somehow step right into those places. If only magic were real.
Grady walks back toward me, filling my view with that delectable body of his .
“Let me see.” He flicks his fingers at me, and I hold up my hand again.
His touch is delicate, his expression serious as he examines the cut, then nods and rips open a little alcohol wipe.
“Ouch,” I hiss, the burn making me wince.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, but doesn’t stop torturing me.
Once it’s clean, he gently rearranges the flap of skin back over my knuckle, then carefully wraps a Band-Aid around my finger.
Hmmm.
Who knew first aid could be so damn sexy?
I smirk, eyeing him as he throws the scraps away. When he bends down to collect the one thing he missed, I take advantage and check out his ass.
Damn.
Those cheeks look like they’re made of pure steel.
What I wouldn’t do to give them a squeeze.
A hot yearning pools between my legs, and when he stands up to look at me, I’m obviously not hiding anything because he blinks, then bites his lips together and takes a step back.
No wonder. He has a girlfriend, you little homewrecker. Stop staring at him and behave yourself!
“You good?” He swallows, not even looking at me when he says it.
Ugh. I must be making him so uncomfortable.
Putting on a bright voice, I force a smile. “Yes. Thanks for your help.”
He nods, his head bobbing erratically.
“I like your room.” I try to keep this going, because part of me is evil, another portion deranged, and I obviously like watching this unavailable man squirm. It’s too much fun to resist.
“Yep.” He looks around. “Thanks.”
With a bemused grin, I go to take a step inside, but he quickly shakes his head.
“Nope.” He holds up his hands.
“What?” I stop in the doorway.
“You can’t be coming into my room.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t have you in my room.” His voice is strained as he chokes out the words.
“Because…” I inch a little farther into his space.
“Uh-uh.” He’s shaking his head, obviously battling something as he walks toward me.
I stop, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes at him. “What is your problem? It’s not like I’m about to jump your bones. I just wanted to… look around.”
Shaking his head again, he avoids eye contact and gives me the lamest excuse ever. “I need to get started on homework.”
“Oh really?” I scoff. “I call bullshit.”
He glances up at me then, his dark gaze burning holes right through my forehead. “Call it whatever the fuck you want. But you need to get out of my room. Right now.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“It’s what it’s got to be,” he mutters under his breath, striding toward me and clamping his hands around my arms.
With one swift move, he lifts me off my feet and places me in the hallway, then gives me a polite smile before closing the door in my face .
“Are you kidding me?” I yell at the wood.
“Uh… everything okay?” A deep voice catches my attention.
I spin, looking up at Tyrell, who towers above me the same way my brother does.
Giving him a tight smile, I nod, desperately trying to play it cool as I stalk away from Grady’s closed door.
Tyrell gives me a quizzical frown, but I ignore it, brushing past him and murmuring, “Just going to get some studying done.”
He doesn’t need to know that.
And the truth is, I should be down in the kitchen helping Satch with dinner, but the thought of playing pretend right this second is too much.
I just need to hide away for a minute and pull myself together. Because I can’t walk back into Wily’s space with everything so close to the surface.
Making a beeline for the guest room, I close the door behind me and rest my back against the wood, sucking in a few short breaths.
“Check yourself,” I whisper, pulling my mask back on as best I can.
Testing out my bright smile, I feel the movement on my face and will myself to keep it there.
Grady’s rejection is a slap in the face. And a well-deserved one. He’s taken, and I have no right putting a single one of my flirty toes into his bedroom.
It doesn’t matter that he’s obviously attracted to me. He’s a loyal boyfriend.
Shit, that only makes me like him more.
Snapping my eyes shut, I groan.
What is wrong with me ?
There’s no way I can handle going downstairs. I can’t deal with the idea of letting something slip when my guard is down. Because my family can’t know what a fuckup I’ve become. It’ll break their hearts, and I’ll never get over it.
Which is why Grady not letting me in is a really good thing.
That controlled girl I used to be… she doesn’t seem to exist anymore, and I can only imagine Wily’s horror if he saw me getting it on with his teammate the way I want to.
His unavailable teammate.
Grady was right to push me out his door.
I should seriously stay away from that man. He makes me feel that addictive thrill that got me in trouble in the first place. And I can’t be that person in Nolan.
Not with Wily so close.
Not when I could get busted and have all my shit laid bare for everyone to see.