Page 37

BLAISE

I wake before the sun rises even though I wouldn’t mind getting a few more hours of sleep. Not that this isn’t a natural occurrence even when I’m at home or at school, but something is very different about this morning.

My body knows something's going on before my mind catches up. There's warmth pressed against my side, soft breathing that isn't mine, the faint scent of a fruity shampoo ticking my nose.

Willow.

She's tangled around me like she belongs here. One of her arms is draped across my chest while her leg is hooked over mine. In the soft gray light filtering through the hotel curtains, she looks peaceful. The fierceness I usually see in her eyes and that she wears like an armor have melted away. It leaves behind something vulnerable and beautiful that makes my heart feel things it shouldn’t.

I should move. Should put distance between us before she wakes up and realizes what we've done.

Before the reality of last night crashes down on both of us.

But I can't bring myself to disturb this moment.

Instead, I let my eyes study her, watching the way her dark hair spills across the pillow and the soft rise and fall of her breathing.

What the hell am I doing?

The question hits me like cold water. This is Knox's sister.

My best friend's little sister, who I've known since I was a freshmen and she was a senior in high school.

But she's not that girl anymore. The woman sleeping beside me is fierce and brilliant and so goddamn beautiful it hurts to look at her sometimes.

She's also stubborn and sarcastic and has a way of getting under my skin that no one else ever has.

And I think I'm falling for her. Hard.

The realization should terrify me more than it does. Should have me reaching for my phone to book the first flight back to Virginia. Instead, I find myself brushing a strand of hair away from her face and allowing my fingers to graze her cheek.

She stirs and a soft hum leaves her lips as she presses closer to me. The sound goes straight to my cock, which is already half hard from having her warm body pressed against mine.

"Mmm.” Her eyes are still closed. "What time is it?"

"Early," I whisper. "Sun's not even fully up yet."

“What’s wrong?” she asks with a sleepy smile.

Part of me wants to tell her how beautiful I find her in the morning, but I’m not sure if that’s too weird. Instead I say, “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

"You look like you're having some kind of internal crisis." Her fingers trace lazy patterns on my chest. "Very dramatic because it’s too early for this shit o’clock."

Her response makes me chuckle. "I'm not—" I start, but she cuts me off with a knowing look.

"Please. I can practically hear the gears turning in your head." She props herself up on one elbow, the sheet slipping down to reveal the curve of her breast. "Let me guess. You're spiraling about Knox, about what this means, about how we crossed some imaginary line."

The fact that she's read me so completely should be unsettling. Instead, it's oddly comforting. "Maybe."

She shifts so she's looking down at me fully and I wish I could make out every detail of her face. "Blaise, whatever this is between us...we don't have to figure it all out right now. We don't have to tell anyone anything yet."

I lean over and turn on one of the lamps because we can’t have this conversation in the dark. "You want to keep this quiet?" I ask, studying her face for any hint of regret.

"For now, yeah. This is all very new. Hell, I hated you just a few weeks ago.”

"Hated me?" I raise an eyebrow. "That's a strong word."

She rolls her eyes. "Fine. Strongly disliked. You made me want to scream into a pillow every time you spoke."

"I mean as long as I'm the reason you're screaming, that's a win."

A blush starts creeping up her cheeks. “You’re such a dick.”

“And yet, you love mine.”

Her mouth falls open. "You did not just?—"

I cut her off with a kiss, swallowing the rest of her sentence. When I pull back, she's glaring at me, but there’s no anger in her stare.

"You're impossible."

"And you're beautiful, especially when you're trying to pretend you're not affected by me."

"I'm not pretending anything. I'm just saying we should be smart about this. Keep it between us until we figure out what it is."

"Agreed." I lean up to press a soft kiss to her collarbone. "Our secret."

"Our secret," she confirms, then smirks. She lays back down on her side. "Besides, I kind of like having something that's just ours."

"Just ours," I repeat as I wrap a strand of her hair around my finger.

"We should probably get ready for the day," she says, but even though the words fell out of her mouth, she's not moving away from me.

"Probably," I agree. "What time do we have to meet the group?"

"Not for another couple of hours. I do have to head back to my room though. I’m sure Madison is probably wondering what in the ever loving fuck happened to me."

My hand drifts down and finds her waist beneath the sheet. When I start dragging my finger up and down her skin, she shivers slightly as goosebumps form. Excellent. "That's plenty of time."

She tilts her head and looks at me. "Time for what?"

Instead of answering, I roll her onto her back and she quickly accommodates me so I can rest between her thighs.

The sheet falls away, and I take a moment to drink in the sight of her in the lamplight.

Last night feels like a fever dream, but here she is, real and warm and mine for whatever time we have left.

"Blaise." My name on her lips is half warning, half invitation.

"What? You said we have time." I press a kiss to her throat. "I want to make the most of it."

"You're insatiable."

"For you? Absolutely.” I pause for a second before I say. “I really don’t think one night is going to be enough. I’m thinking we have enough time to get some day action in as well.”

That’s really why I’m okay with going along with keeping this a secret. Not to mention it also gives me time to prepare for how to address this with Knox no matter how this situation goes.

“Oh really?”

I quickly nod and take my eyes off of her to look around the room before an idea forms in my head. "Have you ever watched yourself?"

Her eyes follow my gaze to the mirror across the room. "Watched myself what?"

"Orgasm.”

“What? No.”

“Shame. But I think we can rectify that right now.” I slip out of the bed and walk over to where she’s lying. I extend my hand for her to take. She stares at it for a moment, then at my face. "Trust me," I say quietly.

Her hand lands in mine and I help her to her feet. The sheet falls away completely, and I have to force myself to take my eyes off her or there’s no way we are making it the few feet to the mirror.

With my hand on the small of her back, I guide her across the room until we're both staring at our reflections. At first we stare at each other in silence, taking in the image that we make together.

I lean down to whisper in her ear, "I want you to see what I see.” My hands slide up to cup her breasts. "How fucking beautiful you are."

Her eyes meet mine in the reflection and I can see the surprise in them. I watch her face as my thumbs brush over her nipples and see the exact moment her lips part in a soft gasp.

"Blaise—"

One of my hands drifts lower while I keep the other on her breast, making sure to give it the attention it more than deserves. The other finds her pussy as I tell her, "Just watch."

She does as I say and the intensity in her stare is like she’s afraid to blink and miss something. My fingers slide between her thighs, and I groan when I feel how wet she already is.

“Fuck, kitten,” I mutter, loving the way my nickname for her sounds on my lips. “Look at you. Listen to all those pretty sounds you’re making.”

I’m proud of her for being able to keep her eyes on me. Every time her eyes start to drift closed, it’s as if she remembers what she’s supposed to do because they spring right back open, taking in everything that I’m doing to her.

I grin when her knees buckle slightly. It means I’m doing my job, and she doesn’t react in a way that indicates she’s completely nervous about falling, so I hope that means she trust me enough to know I will catch her.

My thumb brushes over her nipple and I watch in the mirror as her body responds immediately. Her nipple hardens under my touch, and her chest begins rising and falling faster.

"Look at yourself," I say as my other hand teases her pussy. "See how responsive you are? How perfect?"

Her breathing becomes more ragged as I alternate between her breasts, rolling one nipple between my fingers and giving each one my full undivided attention. She starts squirming in my arms and I have to adjust my stance to keep her steady.

"I can't—" she starts, but the words dissolve into a moan as I pinch gently.

"You can. Keep watching." My other finger slides deeper inside her. "I want you to see what you look like when you're about to fall apart."

"Blaise, please?—"

"Please what? Tell me what you need."

"More. I need more."

I decide to throw caution to the wind and not focus on having her tell me verbatim what she wants me to do to her.

Instead, I reward her honesty by adding another finger to her pussy, making her whole body shudder.

Her hands reach back to grip my thighs and her nails slightly dig into me in order to anchor herself.

"That's it, baby. Let me hear those pretty sounds." My mouth finds the curve of her neck as my hands continue worshiping her body. "Your tits are so sensitive. I could play with them all morning."

She whimpers at my words and presses back against me. I can feel how wet she's getting just from this, and it takes everything in me not to spin her around and take her right here against the mirror.

"I can feel how close you are," I murmur, increasing my pace. "Your pussy is clenching around my fingers. You're so fucking wet for me."