Chapter 13 Juliet
Juliet
I’m frozen. Unable to speak, unable to move.
All I can do is stare at the familiar ink covering Blake’s naked torso.
“Pixie,” he murmurs, his voice thick with desire, but also laced with pain.
Holy shit.
My heart races as I reach up and trace the tattoo above his left pec, trailing my fingers over the intricate branches that spread over his warm skin.
“Striker,” I whisper.
Swallowing, he takes a step towards me and tucks my hair behind my ear, resting his palm on my cheek. His thumb brushes over my bottom lip, and my tongue follows the path.
A soft groan falls from his lips, heating me from my head to my toes. Without realising we’re doing it, we inch closer until our breaths mingle.
“We shouldn’t…” The low tenor of his voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“No, we shouldn’t.” I don’t move away.
“You should tell me to stop.” His lips ghost over mine.
I should, but I don’t.
Instead, I slide my hand around his neck and pull him down to meet my lips in a bruising kiss. My pulse thunders in my ears as Blake backs me up until I hit the vanity, his tongue meeting mine in slow, confident strokes. I love that he’s taking control, and I submit to him.
His body presses into mine, and I whimper, desperate for more. I play with the hair at the nape of his neck as my other hand grips his waist, his skin feverish to the touch. His fingers tangle in my hair as he deepens the kiss, devouring my mouth.
I’m completely lost in his orbit, and it takes a second for me to register the clearing of a throat. Blake jerks away, dragging a hand over his face as I peek around him to find Quinn standing in the doorway, her lips tugged into a smirk.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says in a tone that says that’s exactly what she meant to do.
Blake backs away from me, snatching his shirt from the vanity. “I should, uh…” He gestures at the doorway where Quinn is still standing.
She moves out of his way, and he squeezes past her, his blue eyes meeting mine before he disappears back to the party.
I slump against the vanity, my fingers drifting over my lips, which are still tingling from his kiss.
“Excuse-moi?” she squeaks, closing the door behind her.
I roll my eyes at her basic French.
“Juliet, you just made out with your stepson’s best friend at your daughter’s birthday party.”
Groaning, I bury my face in my hands. “Can you not call him that?”
She snorts. “Sorry to break it to you, sweetie, but that’s exactly who he is. Care to share what the hell I just walked in on?”
I peek at her through my fingers. “Blake’s the guy from Euphoria.”
Quinn’s mouth drops, and it would be comical if she wasn’t right—I was just kissing my stepson’s best friend. What the hell is wrong with me?
“That’s the guy with the pierced—” She waggles her eyebrows.
The memory causes my lady parts to tingle.
“Stop, please,” I beg. “Quinn, this is serious. He’s Everett’s best friend. What the hell am I supposed to do? I wasn’t supposed to see him again.”
“I’m more intrigued to know how he ended up in here with no shirt?”
My cheeks heat. “There was blood on it from Tinsley’s knee. I offered to spot-clean it for him.”
“Spot-clean?” she deadpans. “Is that what the young ones are calling it these days?”
I shove her shoulder. “I didn’t know it was him until he took his shirt off and I saw his tattoos.”
“And he just tripped and fell on your mouth?”
“Not helping.”
“Do I need to remind you he’s your stepson’s friend? He’s like fifteen years younger than you.”
“Blake’s twenty-five.”
“Nine years then. Jules, his age doesn’t matter. I don’t think Everett would be happy if he knew you fucked his friend.”
I grimace. “Do you have to be so crude?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, what do you want to call it? Making love?”
I screw up my nose. “Ew, no.”
She sighs. “What are you going to do?”
Turning to check my reflection in the mirror, I rake my fingers through my hair. “I’m going to get the cake and sing happy birthday to my daughter.”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
My stomach sinks as I meet her concerned gaze. “I don’t know, Quinnie. We didn’t exactly have time to talk before he rushed out of here.”
She opens her arms, and I step into them, resting my cheek on her shoulder as I repeat my words from earlier. “I wasn’t supposed to see him again.”
“I know, sweetie,” she says, squeezing me tight. “But if you think about it, the universe keeps bringing the two of you together. Maybe there’s a reason.”
I pull back and force a smile. Despite my racing pulse and the ache in my chest that started the minute he walked out the door, I know things can’t be that easy. There are two massive factors—Tinsley and Everett. I’m sure the universe hasn’t taken them into consideration.
A nagging voice in the back of my head says Blake knows about Tinsley, and he kissed me anyway. Maybe it won’t be a big deal.
But it will be.
It is.
Today is Tinsley’s birthday party, and I need to go back out there and focus on my daughter. She needs to be my priority, always.
Wanting Blake doesn’t make me reckless, but acting on it does, and I don’t get to be reckless when it comes to her.
I shake my head, unwilling to think about this right now.
Moving around Quinn, I open the door, then pause. “Can we keep this between us for now?” I ask her. “Please?”
Frowning, she nods.
I breathe out a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
Squeezing her arm, I exit the bathroom and go to the kitchen to get Tinsley’s cake. My hands shake as I spread the candles evenly, and I squeeze my eyes shut, blowing out a deep breath.
You can do this, Juliet. You can walk out there as if nothing happened and celebrate your daughter’s birthday.
The moment I step out the back door, my eyes find Blake’s intense gaze, and my cheeks blaze under his scrutiny. I still recall the way he held me that night, the way his strong fingers travelled my body, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
My feet falter, and Everett rushes over to grab the cake from my hands as Quinn gathers Tinsley and her friends around the table.
What is this man doing to me?
Forcing myself to break the hold he has on me, I hurry to my daughter’s side before anyone can pick up on the awkward tension between Blake and me. I smile softly at my little girl as I light her candles. Everett starts singing Happy Birthday, and everyone else joins in.
The huge grin on Tinsley’s face warms my heart as she beams at her friends. She’s the most important person in my life. I can’t rush into anything that has the potential to hurt her.
I cast a quick glance at Blake, my stomach erupting in a fluttering mess. He looks away, and my gaze moves to Quinn, who’s watching the two of us with a calculated look, and I know she’s not going to let this go.
As the last of Tinsley’s friends leaves, I slump against the door trying to collect my thoughts. My nerves are shot, my pulse is thready, and I feel like I’m about to pass out from the overwhelming conflicting emotions coursing through my system.
The worst thing is, I don’t know what Blake’s thinking.
I caught him watching me throughout the afternoon, and each time our eyes clashed, my body reacted. He’s the forbidden fruit, and I’m Eve, desperate to take a bite.
Heaving a sigh, I push away from the door and try to ignore my traitorous hormones. The last thing I want is for Everett to notice anything going on between me and Blake. I can’t imagine he would be happy.
When I step into the backyard, I’m met with the sound of Tinsley’s giggles, and my lips tug into a smile as my eyes land on the jumping castle, where she’s bouncing around with Everett and Emily.
He’s a good brother to Tinsley, and she loves spending time with him.
I stand there watching them for a moment, marvelling at how lucky we are to have Everett in our lives after everything we went through with his father.
My smile falters because that’s exactly why I shouldn’t pursue anything with Blake.
Guilt twists in my stomach, because even though I know it’s complicated, it doesn’t stop me from wanting him. He’s woken something in me I didn’t think I’d ever feel again.
As I head over to where Quinn’s collecting the dirty paper plates and cups, tossing them in the bin, I push those thoughts down, but they don’t stay buried when I notice Blake and Rory are missing.
“Where’s Rory?” I ask, trying for casual, but knowing I’ve failed when my best friend arches her brow.
“In Tinsley’s room, helping Blake put together the dollhouse.”
I bite my bottom lip as I glance back at the house.
Quinn sighs. “Send my husband out here, and I’ll run interference.”
“You’re the best,” I murmur, squeezing her hand.
“Yeah, yeah.” She rolls her eyes. “You need to talk to him, Jules. Do you think you can keep your hands off that sexy beast for five minutes?”
“Sexy beast?” I choke out a laugh. “Why are we friends?”
“Because I’ll always have your back. Now get in there and send out my husband.”
My stomach flips as I cast one last look in my daughter’s direction, then head back inside before I can chicken out.
The murmur of voices drifts down the hallway as I approach Tinsley’s room, and I wipe my clammy palms on my dress.
I don’t know what I’m going to say to him, but Quinn’s right: we need to talk.
What happened between us was supposed to be one night between strangers, but Blake lives with Everett, and Tinsley has sleepovers there.
Our lives are entwined now, whether we planned for that or not.
I pause in the doorway, grinning at the sight of two grown men dressed as Disney princes putting together a dollhouse that’s taller than Tinsley. Lucky her bedroom is a decent size.
As if drawn to my presence, Blake looks up, and his tongue swipes over his bottom lip, causing that fluttering sensation in my stomach again.
“Quinn needs you,” I tell Rory, unable to drag my eyes off Blake.
“You good here?” my friend’s husband asks, snatching Blake’s attention from me.
He clears his throat, glancing down at the half-built dollhouse in front of them. “Yeah, no problem.”
Rory claps him on the back and smiles at me as he passes.
Taking a breath, I step into the room and close the door behind me.
“We need to talk,” I say softly, leaning against the wall. If I keep a safe distance between us, we should be able to talk about this like adults.
“Yeah, we do.” Blake places the screwdriver on the floor and sits back on his heels, running a hand through his hair. His corded muscles ripple with the movement.
I swallow.
“This… We…” I release a heavy sigh. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
His lips tug into a half-smile, but there’s a wariness behind it. “That makes two of us.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
His brow furrows. “What are you apologising for?”
My eyes sweep my daughter’s bedroom, more guilt swirling in my stomach. “I wasn’t completely honest with you.”
“About what?” He sounds genuinely confused.
“About my life. I didn’t tell you about my daughter.”
“We weren’t sharing personal details, Juliet. Neither of us knew who the other was.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better. It was reckless and irresponsible.” What was I thinking having sex with a complete stranger?
“I should go.” Blake climbs to his feet and scrubs a hand over his face. He moves towards the door, pausing when he reaches me. “For what it’s worth, we did nothing wrong. We were two consenting adults exploring a connection.”
He reaches for the handle, but I place my hand on his arm.
“This can’t go anywhere,” I murmur, forcing my gaze to meet his.
His tongue swipes over his full lips, and I release a shaky breath.
“We have Everett and Tinsley to think about.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear, his large palm cupping my cheek.
I lean into his touch.
“No one can find out—”
Blake’s mouth crashes against mine, needy and claiming.
As his tongue pushes past my lips, I let out a long, deep moan, melting into him.
All the ifs, buts, and any other questions holding me back disappear.
His free hand grips my hip as his body presses me into the wall, and my body thrums to life.