Heading into the kitchen, I glance around the room, not finding Blake in here. Normally it’s the first place she goes once she’s out of bed. But normally, I’m up before her and come downstairs alongside her.
I’m about to start my way across the kitchen leading toward the other side of the house, when the one person I don’t want to see steps in.
“Oh, hey Theo,” Gillian purrs, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to look seductive.
Being a man, I don’t miss the getup she’s wearing, and if it were Blake, I wouldn’t mind slipping it upward and sliding into her warm depths. Unfortunately, the outfit is on the wrong damn woman, and my cock doesn’t even twitch at the sight of her.
Gillian struts across the kitchen, closing the distance between us, and it’s all I can do not to curl my lip in disgust. Leo told me to at least be cordial with the damn woman.
“What are you doing up this early?” I ask, watching her every move.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she quips, stopping directly in front of me. “I’m surprised you’re not with your little girlfriend,” she muses, reaching out to brush her fingers along my bare arm.
Sneering, I lean in, getting in her face. “Blake isn’t my little anything. She’s my woman, and you’ll do well to remember that.”
“Oh please, she can’t be nothing more than a pubescent child. Theo, remember, I know you, and baby, I’m sure she’s not giving you what you want or need. I’ve been in your bed. I’ve seen firsthand the way you like it—how hard you like it.” The raspy murmuring low tone she takes on as she slides her hand up my arm pisses me off.
“Gillian,” I snap, stepping out of her touch. “I’m not going to tell you again. Just because we’ve got to work together doesn’t mean a damn thing to me.” I give her a deathly glare, telling her to keep back. “You are nothing to me, and I could give a rat’s ass what you remember. What Blake and I have is none of your fucking business.”
With that, I storm off, pissed more than ever because Gillian is here. I don’t care about the shit I did with her. Hell, she wasn’t that damn good at it. No man wants to tell a woman to constantly check her teeth when giving him head, but Gillian constantly raked her teeth across my dick any time she went down on me. And so, fucking what if she let me put it in her ass whenever I wanted. It’s because she got off on that shit.
Blake and I are nothing like that. Maybe because I’ve never seen her as anything but innocent where Gillian is a whore. There’s no comparison between the two. Simple as that. My woman means everything to me. It’s why I wanted to pop the damn question to her on her birthday and have been looking for another chance at asking her but haven’t had the time. Not with avoiding her and working with Gillian on this situation with our rat.
I’m a complete asshole, and I know it. They didn’t give me the nickname Frozen for nothing. Everyone knows the only person I’m not frosty toward is Blake. She alone keeps my heart from freezing over completely.
Shaking my head in frustration, I continue in my search of finding Blake. Deciding to check her office, I make my way in that direction.
At her door, I wrap a hand around the door handle and quietly turn it while pushing open just enough to step inside. Sliding into the room, I scan the still somewhat dark room, but the sun coming up behind the trees starts to lighten it. My gaze lands on the small figure on the chaise lounge, and my heart lurches in my chest.
Without making a sound, I close the space between us and squat down next to Blake’s body. I immediately feel my gut twisting and don’t like what I’m seeing. Tears stain her face, and she looks complete and utterly miserable in her sleeping state. I also don’t like the fact my woman’s lying in a protective ball, and I’m sure it’s because of me.
Fuck.
Sighing, I lower my head and stand. I’m not going to leave her sleeping in here. It’s too damn early in the morning, and I’m still exhausted.
I bend at the waist and scoop Blake into my arms. She doesn’t even budge as I adjust her in my arms. Without jostling my woman, I carry her out of the office, across the house to where our room is, and up the stairs. Once we’re in our space, I climb onto the bed, not letting Blake go. Reaching over her, I snatch the covers and place them over her sleeping form.
Knowing she’s in my arms, I tighten my arms around her, close my eyes, and think of how to handle what’s going on in her little head. I know the mind is a dangerous thing, and Blake’s is no exception. She’s always wanted to be a writer, which is good because some of the shit she comes up with makes me wonder.
It’s okay, though, because I’m making today about her. Everything else can wait.
ChapterFive
BLAKE
Waking up to the warmth surrounding me, I crack open an eye to confirm my suspicions. I’m in my bed, but I don’t remember how I got here. But I know the arm holding me against the heated body behind me belongs to Theo.
I start to relax into his strong embrace when images of him and Gillian pop into my head, and I remember seeing them in the kitchen. The closeness of the two of them together.
No, I can’t be here right now. Not with the sight of them so fresh in my mind or the smell of the perfume still lingering on him. God, I’m a fool for even thinking a man like him would want me in the first place. I could never be enough.
Slowly, I pull at his arm holding me close away from my waist. I barely move it when it tightens further.
“Where you think you’re going, Snowflake?”
I shiver at the feeling of his breath against the shell of my ear. My heart starts beating rapidly against my chest, and I swear I stop breathing at the husky rasp of his voice. Swallowing my nerves, I lick my suddenly dry lips.
“To the bathroom,” I lie, not wanting to get into it with him.