I sensed Blake standing behind me, the tingly sensations spread through my chest once again and in the most magical way. I spun myself around and fell into his open arms. I’d already cried my tears tonight and I was now content and relieved being in the arms of this man before me. In such a short amount of time, he’d shown me what love really was, but I still have to see what the outcome of all this was going to be with Jacob.
“What happened, Abby?” he whispered. His breath tickled my neck, awakening a desire so strong I didn’t want to hold back. I leant back, gazing into his green orbs, taking a deep breath. We maintained eye contact, and as I shifted closer to him, my entire body trembled with anticipation.
“I left him.” As the words left my dry mouth, a tightening enclosed my chest.
His mouth fell open. After a few seconds to take in what I’d said, he didn’t hold back but pressed his lips to mine, pulling me to him. I felt so much more of a strong connection with Blake than I ever had with Jacob. So I didn’t hold back as I returned the kiss with everything I had and savoured his flavour.
Blake flicked a spark in my heart every time I was near him. When we touched, the flame ignited and burned so hot and bright it hurt to not be with him.
He pulled back and the absence of his lips caused me to miss them immediately. “How did he take it?”
My eyes dropped along with the barrier around my soul. I allowed him to see the worry etched over my face. I didn’t know how far Jacob would go and who knew what he was capable of. He was like a lion that stalked its prey and when it was time, he would pounce when least expected.
“I’m scared, Blake. Not a little bit, but absolutely terrified for my life.” My voice caught as it trembled. I held back a fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill.
He pulled me back into his solid chest and his strong arms wrapped a safety net around me. “It will be all right, Abby. I’ll figure something out. What if—” he stopped short, not finishing his sentence.
“What if, what?” I pushed.
“What if we leave together and go start somewhere new?” The excitement in his voice was evident.
I shook my head already knowing my answer. “No, I can’t. My family is here.”
“We can tell them where we’re going?”
“They don’t even know I’ve ended things with Jacob, it only happened tonight. They don’t know what he was like with me. I’ve never discussed it with them.”
He released me, taking my hand and leading me to the lounge. We sat down, our bodies close enough to feel the electric current that flowed through us when we got close. He kept hold of my hand.
“What happened tonight? I see you have one stunning ring on that very important finger,” he asked, his words dripping with venom. I should’ve taken it off, but I got so caught up in the moment of seeing him there in the park, I just wanted him to save me.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, not sure if I was ready to dive into the drama that happened tonight. “Just promise me that you’ll keep calm,” I begged.
His face tightened. “I can’t promise anything.”
I proceeded to tell him every detail about tonight from when I came home and Jacob was there, right up until I found him at the park. His face contorted when I told him about how Jacob treated me at dinner, the way he handled me, and then all the attention so I would have to say yes when he proposed. I didn’t keep anything from Blake. I didn’t want to.
He got up and began pacing around the room for a minute, then went to the kitchen, grabbing a beer and bringing one back for me.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the cool drink from his hand. “Are you okay?” He hadn’t said a word since I finished and I was worried. What if he was mad at me for saying ‘yes.’
Oh, this is just one mess after another.
He took my hand, gently squeezing it, very unlike Jacob’s grip. “I…I don’t really know what to say. I really want to go punch him in the face or arrest him and throw him in jail.” His face lit up as though he was having a light bulb moment and had come up with a brilliant payback idea.
“What if you press charges and then I can throw him in jail? At least for a little while.”
I was already shaking my head at this ridiculous idea. “No.”
“Why not?” He was apparently shocked at my reaction.
“Because I don’t want him to have anything over me that he can come after me for.”
“Why do you think he is always going to come after you?”
Because he said I was his and no one else’s. Blake hadn’t seen the strength in his words when Jacob told me that I belonged to him. There was an awkward stale silence between us. I sat there staring at him my mind in fast forward.
Did he really just say that? He realised his mistake and went to correct it, but I cut him off. Anger began to build within me, a match had been lit. How dare he!
“How dare you! You have no idea what my life’s been like over the last six months!” my voice kept rising. “Have you even been hit, slapped, beaten blue, and made to feel like no one will ever love you? He knew the correct places to hit so it wouldn’t be obvious to everyone else. I’ve not been able to talk to my sister about any of this, but yet I talked to a stranger, who should have an idea about this kind of thing, being a cop and all.” Tears fell down my cheeks and I was unable to stop. Blake reached for me, but I recoiled from him.
“Don’t touch me,” I screamed at him. I hardly recognised my own voice.
“Abby, calm down, please. It’s me, Blake. I’m not Jacob.” Flicking my eyes to his, he saw his mistake, instantly regretting it.
“I never told you his name.”
“Ab—”
“No! How do you know him?” My body was shaking all over, unable to control its shuddering. I hopped up and started to pace. My heart was in my throat.
How did Blake know who Jacob was?
Blake looked out the window, a pained expression covered his face. Turning back to me his features were unreadable. “Do you remember me telling you about my half-brother?”
I nodded slowly, wondering where this might be going.
“Well, he is my half-brother,” he whispered so low I could hardly hear him.
Was this some kind of joke? I felt disconnected from my body. An urgent need to sit down or I would collapse came over me. Falling onto the couch, I was stunned into silence. My chest was hammering and my hands were shaking.
“What? He...are you playing some k…kind of sick joke on m...me?” I screamed at him leaping out of my seat. I was tired of the surprises that kept happening to me. I wished this day had never even begun.
Why does this crap keep happening to me? Do I wear a sign on my forehead saying, “Please everyone, come along and stuff up my life?” I seemed to only attract those who wanted to harm me or cause me pain. Why?
“No, I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you would react like this.” He ran his hands down his face, releasing a sigh of frustration.
“Do you just want me because I’m his?” A gasp escaped him. His eyes wide with shocked at my question. How could I know if that’s the only reason he wanted me? What if it was a sibling rivalry thing, a competition?
He shook his head. “Abby, remember I told you he wasn’t a nice person when I first told you about him? I stand by that.” He moves closer to me again, taking my hand in his. A part of me wanted to pull it from his grip and run. Running seemed like the better option, but his free hand reacted, cupping my cheek. I closed my eyes as my chest constricted. This crazy magical connection between us was something not even Jacob and I had at the start of our relationship. Blake’s touch made my body go crazy and I definitely wanted more from him. He lifted my chin so our eyes met, and once again, I was lost in those green eyes and that was when I realised that I should have noticed. Blake and Jacob have the same eyes…well, nearly. Blake’s are bright green and when he smiles, they have a little twinkle in them. Silly, I know, but it’s what I see. Jacob, on the other hand, his are green also, but they don’t have a spark to them. No twinkle there, only cold, hard unlovable eyes.