Page 145 of The Illicit Play

Images of our time together flash through my head—the ease of how we got together. Everything was so uncomplicated. We never fought… not until nearer the end. We just… got along from Day One. It was comfortable.

And boring.

She said you were boring.

My mind quickly jumps to Blake—the complete opposite of boring. She’s had me on my toes from Day One. It’s been stressful… and exciting. Being in the forest with her was… magic.

“You’re obviously torn.” Zander reaches over, squeezing my shoulder. “And until you figure it out, you guys should probably cool off, you know? For Wily’s sake.”

I wince, rubbing my forehead.

“I mean, if you really love her… if this is something that you can see going long term, then I’d fight for it, man. Wily will come around. He’s got a good heart. He’s just been thunder-punched, and he needs a minute to process that. You know how protective he is of Blake. Those two are tight.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, unwilling to share just how much Blake’s been hiding from him.

But she let you in. She trusts you.

I can’t go bailing on her now. She needs me… and I want to be there for her.

Because you love her. You’re just scared to admit it.

Working my jaw to the side, I shake the thought from my mind.

I’m not scared.

I’m being cautious.

I can’t go handing my heart away only to have it broken again. What if Blake turns around and decides I’m boring too?

What if she doesn’t love me back?

“Grady?” I hear a voice in the driveway and ping to my feet.

Looking out the tinted windows of the garage, I spot Blake hovering near my Jeep. She looks fragile and cold, her face a puffy, blotchy mess.

Opening the door, I quickly beckon her into the garage. “Blake. C’mere.”

The second she spots me, her face floods with relief. Her blonde curls fly out behind her as she runs toward me, throwing herself at me.

I wrap my arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet and carrying her into Zander and Sienna’s space.

Taking a seat on the couch, I pull her onto my lap, and she burrows against me, stealing a cautious look at Sienna and Zander before softly whispering to me.

“I told him. He knows everything now.”

Shit. I know how much that cost her.

Kissing her forehead, I rub circles on her back. “How’d he take it?”

She shakes her head, gently sniffing as she nestles her forehead into the crook of my neck.

Her tears are silent—soft and slow—as she snuggles against me.

All I can be is a solid wall to hold her steady.

There are no words right now.

Just quiet pain.