Chapter Four
Blake’s grin grew after he shut the bathroom door. Fuck, she was fun. He couldn’t remember laughing as much as he had since he found her.
He had always loved fucking women. He started at an early age and hadn’t stopped. But he couldn’t remember wanting to have a conversation or teasing one.
The first sight of her changed his way of thinking. There wasn’t anything he didn’t want to do with her, and he found that extremely bizarre.
Most of it came from the fact he’d been around few women growing up. He’d barely remember his and Graham’s mother, Annabel, because she died when he was a baby. And he was pretty young when his father had been married to Lorna, Duncan’s mother. He remembered his father’s last two wives, Nessa and Una. Especially Una. Fuck, she’d been a complete bitch, and no one had shed a tear when she was killed not long ago. His aunt Freya had been the only constant in his life, but he couldn’t ever remember having a conversation with her or having her hug him.
Now, Freya was gone, and his father had no woman in his life. He didn’t know if he ever would again since he was in a wheelchair and only stayed on the grounds, so there weren’t many opportunities to meet them.
They discovered that Freya was mentally unstable, and she had secretly loved and had been obsessed with Angus, his father, for years. They were all shocked when they found out she’d killed so many people and made his father have a stroke so he could spend more time with her. Blake guessed that what happened with Freya took away any interest he had in the opposite sex.
His father seemed happy, though. Happier than he’d ever been, and he knew Alastair’s woman, Beth, had a lot to do with it.
A lot had changed since she came into the family, all for good. Now Graham had Faith, and she added another element to the dynamics. He guessed every woman who came into the family would bring something else, and it seemed the family would grow tighter and closer together.
After showering and brushing his teeth, he pulled on a pair of boxers for Hope’s benefit since he usually slept naked, turned off the light, and walked into the bedroom to see her in the bed. Good. Hopefully, he’d be able to get some sleep tonight. Being beside her and smelling her feminine scent would slowly drive him insane, but he wouldn’t allow her to sleep anywhere else.
He sat on the side of the bed and reached to turn the bedside light off when he noticed the knife was missing from the wall. Grinning, he decided to let her have it for the time being if it made her feel secure. His only hope was that she wouldn’t end up cutting him or herself.
When he curled his body around hers, she stiffened.
“Shhh, pet. I’m only going to hold you.”
It took a moment, but then she finally relaxed, and within a few minutes, her breathing deepened.
Blake leaned in so his nose was close to her head, and then he pressed his hand to her stomach. It felt like heaven except for the fact his raging hard-on would have to be ignored, but he thought it was worth the agony just to hold her.
The light from the window woke him the next morning. He loved that his arms were filled with a sweet woman he would make his. In the past, he’d never had the urge to sleep with one, but with Hope, he knew there wouldn’t be a night they’d sleep apart from each other for the rest of their lives.
Hell, as much as he wanted to stay in bed with her, he knew he had to get up because there was a lot to do that day. He showered and dressed and made his way around the bed to see her face. After smoothing the hair away, he pressed a kiss on her forehead. Before he had gotten dressed and woke her, he sent off a text to the kitchen to send up breakfast.
At that moment, she looked like an angel. A grin crossed his face because he knew that would change the moment she woke up.
Damn, he looked forward to it. He knew he’d love the way they sparred with each other, and it showed him the passion right beneath her surface that he was eager to find and cultivate.
“Baby, you need to get up. Your sister will be coming shortly.”
She grumbled and tried to push his hand away from her stomach.
He chuckled and shook her again.
“What?” she asked belligerently and blinked a few times.
“Your sister is coming to see you, pet.”
“Oh,” she cried out and scurried off the bed.
“Easy.” He caught her before she fell to the floor. “You’ve got a bit of time. Go get dressed. I’ll get you more clothes later.”
“Okay.”
He watched her race into the bathroom, and she was out within ten minutes, making him laugh.
While she was in the bathroom, Clarice, the kitchen manager, had rolls, fruit, and coffee sent up on a tray.
“Do you want some coffee, pet?” he asked her when she came out.