Farrah’s cheeks turned the color of ripe tomatoes.
Blake chuckled. Farrah was a wildcat in bed, especially now that they’d done it a few (ok, dozens of) times, but she still got so flustered whenever he made jokes like that, he couldn’t help but tease her from time to time.
“Shhh! Someone might hear you.”
“Let ‘em. We have an awesome sex life. Maybe we’ll inspire them.”
Farrah shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things.”
“Hmm.” She stepped closer until her body was flush against Blake’s. All his blood rushed south, leaving him so hard he thought he might shatter. “So can I.”
“Careful,” Blake growled. His pulse pounded with desire. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
“I think we’ve established that I can finish.” Farrah hooked her fingers through his belt loops and pressed their hips together until his arousal nestled in the cleft between her thighs. His breath rushed in and out; his skin was so sensitive the slightest breeze caused him to jerk uncomfortably. “Me and you.”
The student had become the teacher.
Their lips touched in a sweet, warm kiss that didn’t match the dirty, unsweet thoughts racing through Blake’s mind. He tangled his hands in Farrah’s hair and deepened the embrace, letting himself get lost in the taste and touch of her. It was only the two of them—no worries, no guilt, no decisions to make about the future.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Farrah’s lips brushed against his as she spoke.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Blake rubbed his thumb over the smoothness of her cheek. “I hope you’re enjoying it.”
“This is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had. Granted, it’s the only Valentine’s Day I’ve celebrated as part of a couple, but still. It’s amazing.” Farrah’s eyes twinkled. “You did good, Blake Ryan.”
“I aim to please.” Blake smiled, but an all-too-familiar guilt wormed its way into his stomach at the love in her eyes. With help from Sammy—who got his intel from Olivia—he’d crafted the perfect Valentine’s Day celebration. By pure luck, the holiday landed on a Friday this year, so they didn’t have to worry about classes tomorrow.
Their date started with a couples’ massage after their Friday test to help them unwind from the week, followed by a chocolate-tasting and truffle-making class, a leisurely stroll in the surrounding neighborhood, and a sunset dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Bund. Now, they were at their final stop of the night: the ice-skating rink. Farrah mentioned wanting to learn how to skate every time they watched an ice-skating scene in a rom-com—turns out, there are a lot of those types of scenes—so it seemed like a fitting end to the night.
Yes, it was over-the-top (and Blake didn’t even want to check his bank account), but this could be the last Valentine’s Day they spend together in person for a while. He wanted to make it count.
If he was honest, he was also trying to make up for what happened on New Year’s with Cleo—not that he’d told Farrah yet.
The guilt expanded into a lead balloon. He should tell her. The secret was killing him inside, and she deserved to know.
It was a stupid, one-time mistake—one he didn’t even remember. Maybe she’d understand. Valentine’s Day wasn’t the best time to bring it up, though. He’d wait a week, give it enough time between today and her birthday so—
“It’s the perfect day. I’m glad things are back to normal, at least with us.”
Blake frowned. “I didn’t realize they were not normal.”
“Well.” Farrah hesitated. “You’ve been acting kind of strange recently. Like you’re here, but your mind is a thousand miles away. I thought…I don’t know. That something was up.” Her eyes searched his face. “You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”
The lead balloon grew heavier. “Yeah. I’m stressed about the bar, but it’s a bunch of technical stuff I didn’t want to bore you with. Leases, liquor licenses, permits. That sort of thing.” Blake forced a smile. “Lots to do before I go home.”
It wasn’t a total lie. He had a shit ton on his plate. Fortunately, Landon was on the ground in Austin, which made it a lot easier to scope out potential rental spaces and deal with contractors. That didn’t mean Blake was going to sit back and let his best friend do all the work.
It was his idea to open a sports bar; he needed to take ownership.
“I can imagine.” Farrah’s face cleared. “Let me know if I can help.”
“Thank you.” Blake kissed her on the forehead. “I will.”
“I was overthinking, as usual.” Farrah rested her cheek against his chest. “Now if Leo and Courtney would just make up, everything would be perfect.”
“They’re still not speaking to each other, huh?” Farrah filled him in on what happened. Blake wasn’t surprised. Courtney didn’t take well to pushback and things not going her way.