Blake Ch. 10

The memories of our time together were becoming less painful after his confession, but the problem that now lingered was whether we could go on or if I even wanted to. There had been so much damage done, it seemed irreparable. The emotional toll this had all taken on me was definitely a deterrent. By the time I went to move out, I still hadn't made up my mind.

"Here's the last box and the key to the storage unit," I said, giving the last of my possessions to Vance. He was the only friend I had anymore and was happy to help me move out.

"Okay. Don't forget to text me the name of the hotel that you're staying in."

"Or since you guys have already fucked, she can stay with you. Oh wait, she wasn't good enough for a repeat performance was she?" Desiree had found it appropriate to sit on the couch and torture the movers, Vance, and myself as I was moving out. She was still bitter about my leaving and believed I told Blake about her cheating ways.

"Did anyone ever tell you how much of an insufferable bitch you are?" Vance said, coming to my defense. I had insisted her ignore her, but Vance wasn't the type of guy who could keep his mouth shut when asked. He had to have the last word.

"And you see why I am moving out," I mumbled.

"You just have never been able to deal with the fact that I am more desirable than you and that no sober man would want to fuck you, Kaitlin. That's really why you're moving out."

Vance brought his finger to his chin, pretending to be thinking.

"That's weird. I've slept with her, but you couldn't pay me enough to touch you, let alone fuck you."

"Do you hear how insane you sound, Desiree?" She was really grasping for shit now.

"I'm perfectly sane. You're just jealous of Blake and me."

Vance burst into an uncontrollable laughter. I had to punch him in his side to shut him up. I was leaving and would most likely never see Desiree again. As much fun as it would be, I didn't want to ignite a war by telling her I had slept with her boyfriend.

"There's nothing to be jealous of, Desiree."

"Daddy told me he's planning to marry me, so I'd say that is something to be jealous of."

She was really stupid. After the fucked up sex we walked in on, she really believed Blake would marry her? It must be fun to be delusional.

"Why don't you just sit there quietly?" I asked. "I'll be gone in five minutes."

"This is my apartment, not yours. I can do whatever the hell I want."

There was no point to continue to fight with her. The more I did, the longer I would be stuck here. I turned my attention back to Vance.

"Let me know when you get there."

"Will do. See you later, Katie." He turned to address Desiree. "Goodbye, dumb bitch!"

"That's Mrs. Taylor to you, asshole," she retorted as he left. I could hear him laughing as he moved down the hall and I couldn't help but share his amusement. Desiree was insane.

I was focused on getting the last of my things into my purse when I heard Vance say something from the hall. When I turned to tell him to repeat himself, I saw he wasn't talking to me.

Coming down the hallway was Blake. He had cleaned up a little bit since I last saw him. The bags under his eyes weren't as deep and purple, although the shiner was now more visible. His eyes were no longer bloodshot and some of the vibrancy of his eye color had returned. He had shaved and showered as well. His hair was its usual messy, but sexy style. He was wearing a grey t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. My breath caught in my throat for a moment when I looked at him. Even after everything, he still had the ability to make me weak just by existing.

"Blakey-bear!" I heard Desiree shriek, pulling me from my daze. Desiree bounded off the couch and ran towards him. Blake's gaze was focused on me, even as she neared. She threw her arms around his neck. He didn't return her embrace, but removed her arms from him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. I guess she assumed that he would be fucking her by now. She was oblivious!

"Desiree, we need to talk."

She grabbed his hand and led him to the couch, where she sat. He took the chair next to her. I decided to pull my focus away from them and finish packing. I didn't think I could watch them, but that didn't stop me from listening.

"Blake, I'm sorry for what happened Friday. I had been missing you all week and I was so lonely. It was a one-time thing, I swear."

I couldn't help, but snicker at her false confession. She glared at me with a threatening look. I wasn't intimidated.

"Des, you, me, and whole goddamn apartment building know you've been cheating on him since the beginning of the relationship. I'm pretty sure you've had more sex with other men than you have with him."

Desiree was about lash out at me for ratting her out, when Blake grabbed her arm, gaining her attention. She turned back to him, giving him a sweet, coy smile.

"I'm not here to talk about that."

"Oh my god," she said, bringing her hands to her face. He eyes were alight with anticipation and excitement. I assumed she was excited for a proposal. She was really dense to think that was still on the table. I didn't have a chance to address her stupidity before Blake said something both Desiree and I didn't expect.

"Desiree, I've been cheating on you."

Everything just stopped. I couldn't believe what he had said. Why was he doing this? He didn't have to say anything. All he had to do was breakup with her. Now he was purposely putting himself in the line of fire. What was he thinking?

"What. The. FUCK?!?!" Desiree yelled, yanking her hand away from him.

"It started not long after we began dating."

"How the fuck could you do this to me? Who is she?"

He gave me a quick, pained glance before returning to Desiree. She didn't seem to notice.

"Does it matter?"

"It's Cindy isn't it? I knew she couldn't keep her claws out of you. Wait until I see her, the dumb bitch."

"It wasn't Cindy."

"You're a real piece of shit, Blake. I loved you, cared about, attended to your every need, and this is how you repay me? I bent backwards for you to make you happy..."

Desiree really started to dig into him, attacking his character, appearance, sexual ability, anything she could. She was thrown into a rage like I had never seen before. The entire time she ranted and raved, Blake sat there silently, taking every hit.

I couldn't watch this. Everything that was coming out of her mouth was absolutely untrue. Yes, he had done some awful things, but now I was seeing that it wasn't who he really was. Most of his character was built to protect his secret. I couldn't let him do this anymore. He didn't deserve it, especially when she had cheated as well. I wasn't going to let him do this alone.

"It was me," I shouted. Instantly, Desiree was silent. She turned to me, like she didn't know what I had said. I looked at Blake who was shocked by admission. He was shaking his head, urging me not to confess, but I wasn't going to listen.

"I was the other woman," I continued, looking right at Desiree. Her face was distorted into disgusted rage, but I wasn't backing down.

"You've got to be joking. You? What is so great about you?"

"I don't treat people like shit. You think you're better than everyone else in the world; that you get to live by a different set of rules. You don't. You cheated on him, too, so you have no right to throw that in his face. You don't love him, you love yourself."

"And what the hell do you know about loving someone?"

"A hell of a lot more than you. I love him."

"No one loves you!" she spat.

"I love her." Blake was now beside me. He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes, a gentle smile on his face. It was a look I loved to see. I couldn't help but return the smile. I wanted to throw myself into his arms and let him hold me, but we didn't have the opportunity.

"Well, isn't that fucking great," Desiree interrupted. She looked furious as she saw us together, truly together for the first time. "Both of you get the fuck out here, NOW!"

She was enraged and grabbed the first thing she could, I think it was a TV remote, and threw it. She was in a full-blown temper tantrum in seconds, screaming, throwing things, and thrashing her body around. I grabbed my purse as Blake pulled me out of the apartment. I couldn't help but chuckle as she raved. It was nice to finally put her in her place.

***

Once we were outside, we couldn't stop there. Desiree had opened a window and was throwing things out onto the street. Thank God her aim was shitty. I knew it was only a matter of time until the cops showed up, but we weren't going to wait around for that. Blake was pulling me down the street. About two blocks down, he pulled me around the corner and we finally stopped.

He stood in front of me, gazing down into my eyes.

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"That you loved me?"

"Of course I did," I admitted. It was my turn to be honest. "I knew I loved you after our romantic night in California. I wanted to tell you then, but I didn't know how you would react. I thought I might be taking things too far."

Blake grabbed my other hand, his eyes burning into mine. My heart was racing as the feelings for him I fought to suppress were returning. It was so natural to react this way to him, to love him. Why was I denying it?

"I wish I'd known. I would have confessed to loving you then. I would have taken Arthur's way out to be with you."

His gaze fell to our hands and he looked distraught. Instinctively, my hand traveled to his cheek and lifted his face to look into my eyes.

"Blake, I still love you. I tried to hate you for what you did to me, but I couldn't. As angry as I was for the lies and the secrecy, I couldn't stop loving you."

"What's that mean for us then?"

"Desiree is gone? Permanently?"

"Yes. If you still want me, I'm all yours."

"I do still want you, but I think we need to slow it down until I can trust you again."

Blake smiled and his eyes lit up.

"I'll take you anyway I can have you, Kaitlin."

Blake took me into his arms, pulling my head flush against his chest. For the first time in days, I was relaxed. This is where I belonged, in his arms. It felt so right, so perfect.

He made no move to kiss me, but continued to hold me. He was keeping to his word: he was taking me any way he could and right now, he wasn't trying to force anything more than a hug. It was a great first step on our long road to recovery.

"So, can I give you a ride to your new place?" he asked as he pulled away. "Saves money on a cab."

"Okay." I wasn't about to pass up a free ride now that I was homeless and unemployed.

Blake turned around and opened his car door.

"Why did you park so far away?"

"Desiree struck me as the type that throws things. I didn't want her hitting the car."

I couldn't help but laugh as I slid into the car. Blake slipped into the driver's side and quickly pulled out into traffic.

"You know you didn't have to tell her. You could have just broken up with her on the basis of what you saw Friday and avoided that entire explosion."

Blake shrugged.

"I could've, but I was so tired of all the lying and secrecy. I just wanted to be clear of it all." He looked over at me. "You didn't have to tell her it was you."

"I couldn't watch her yelling at you like that. It drove me crazy."

He reached down and grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. His touch was electric and my pulse sped up in response.

"Thank you. It meant a lot to me."

I gave him a weak smile and he returned his attention to the road. We sat in silence for a few minutes and it was uncomfortable. It was awkward starting over after everything we had done, but it was the only chance we had. I couldn't deny that a large part of me ached for him, but I had to suppress that part.

"So where am I taking you?"

"The Overbrook Hotel."

"You don't have a place yet?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

"I visited a place yesterday, but it had roaches. I have another place I'm checking tomorrow, so I need a place temporarily."

"Do you have a job yet?"

"Not yet." It's kinda hard to plan ahead for breaking up with your roommate's boyfriend.

Concern fully engulfed Blake's face as stared at the road in silence. He looked over at me a few times, contemplating what to say next.

"Why don't you stay at my apartment?"

"Blake, that isn't exactly taking it slow."

He gave a light chuckle.

"You misunderstand. You can stay at my apartment until you find your own place. I'll stay at the Windmore. It doesn't make sense for you to blow through your savings."

I weighed my options for a moment. I had enough in my savings to stay at a hotel for a week without a job. After that, I wouldn't be able to survive much longer and I'd be forced to return home to my mother's house. At 28 years old, I didn't want to do that, especially after I had accomplished so much in my career. Blake wouldn't be there, so there was really no harm and I wasn't in a position to pass up help.

"Okay. Thank you!'

"No problem. I'll help you get settled in, grab some stuff, and head out."

Minutes later, we pulled up to a lavish apartment complex. He opened the door and helped me out of the car, taking my bag like a gentleman. Leading me to the door, we were greeted by the doorman.

"Mr. Taylor, how are you today?"

"Better, Peter. This is Kaitlin Stevens. She's going to be staying here for a few days."

Peter looked surprised, glancing back and forth from Blake and myself. His mouth hung agape for a moment before he corrected himself and became more professional.

"Hello, Miss Stevens. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Blake pulled me into the building and we quickly slipped into the elevator.

"Sorry for the awkwardness with Peter. He's never seen me with a woman in the five years I've lived here."

"Never?" I was shocked.

"I like to keep my home private."

The elevator opened near the top of the building. His was the only apartment on the entire floor. When he opened the front door, I couldn't believe my eyes. We walked into the grand room that was decorated with basic black furniture. Everything was sleek and expensive. The view from the wall high windows showed the city skyline perfectly. Standing in this room, I wondered why Blake ever stayed at my shitty apartment.

Blake headed towards a door near the windows, taking my bag with him.

"Make yourself at home. You're welcome to stay in the master bedroom. The bed is more comfortable."

The master bedroom was similar in style to the grand room. All the furnishings were black, however there was a splash of color offered by the sheets on his bed. I couldn't help but smirk when I saw that they were crimson, the same color as the dress Blake had bought me.

"Since I saw you in that dress, it's become my favorite color," Blake confessed, standing next to me.

"What did it used to be?"

"Green. Like your eyes." He gave me a quick smile before heading to his closet.

Blake was such a romantic smooth talker. It was easy to see why I loved him in the first place, that is when I saw the glimpses of the real him. That was rare in our relationship. I tried to push the past aside and focus on the now. This was a fresh start. I needed to judge Blake on the man he was in front of me, not the man who was tied to a lie.

"Where did you go over the weekend?" Blake asked when he returned. He headed to his dresser, duffel bag in hand. I looked puzzled at his sudden topic shift.

"I know it's a random question, but it has been bugging me."

"I stayed at my mother's house," I said as I explored the room.

"I bet she was concerned."

"A little, but she didn't stick around long. She's on a cruise with her new boyfriend."

Blake looked at me and frowned a little.

"So what did you do?"

"I spent the first night crying. Then distracted myself with random things the rest of the time. Except when Vance and Arthur showed up looking for you."

"Arthur told me you were the one who found me." He threw his duffel bag on the bed and returned to his closet, retrieving a pair of shoes.

"Why did you go into hiding?"

Blake stopped packing, but didn't look up from the bag.

"I wanted to be alone. I was devastated that I had lost you again and I was trying to work through it all. I was drinking myself to death in the bar when they found me."

I reached over and touched his hand. His head shot up to look at me, surprised by our contact.

"Arthur was worried. And so was Vance. Believe it or not, he thinks of you as a brother."

Blake straightened and his face dropped to our hands. He was still ashamed of everything.

"He told me, right after he punched me in the face for hurting you."

I drew his face up, staring into his ice blue eyes. The pain still existed as he remembered his lonely weekend. I gently traced the bruise under his left eye. He winced slightly, but as I continued to touch him, he relaxed. Even with the bruise, he was still gorgeous.

"I wondered where you got the shiner," I finally said.

"Yea, he hit me and then hugged me. I deserved worse for what I did to you."

I hated seeing him beat himself up over this. After everything I learned, and after much thought believed to be true, it wasn't entirely his fault. It wasn't anyone's fault really. I was an unexpected variable in their plan. Blake did what he thought was best at the time, even if it turned out to be wrong.

I continued to trace his eye in silence for a moment. I wasn't entirely sure what possessed me to do it, but I leaned in and kissed his bruise gently. He winced, so I moved closer to the edge of the mark and down to his cheek and kissed him lightly again. I continued to kiss down his cheek to his jawline, eventually finding my way to his lips.

They second our lips touched, a fire deep inside of me ignited. My kisses became more urgent and impassioned. Blake parted his lips to breath and I slid my tongue inside his mouth, massage his with mine. My arms snaked around to his neck and I pulled him in closer. My fingers ran through the hair on the back of his head, playing with the strands.

Blake hesitated for a moment before finally wrapping his arms around my waist. He met my urgency and his tongue was intertwining with mine. I moaned against his sweet lips, loving the taste that had become so familiar and I had missed.

I took a moment to breath and Blake pulled away. He looked into my eyes, concerned and puzzled by behavior.

"Kaitlin, as much as I love this, I thought you wanted to take things slowly."

I said nothing as I pushed him into a sitting position on the bed. I pushed his duffel bag to the floor as I climbed on top of him, straddling his lap. I didn't have to think about what I was doing. This was what I wanted. This felt right. Blake had shown me that he loved me by confessing our affair to Desiree. He wasn't hiding anymore and I wasn't going to hide that I loved him. In spite of all the pain he caused, while unintentional, I loved him and wanted to be with him.

My lips returned to their proper place on his. I slid my tongue back into his mouth and explored every inch of it. I groaned when my tongue collided with his. My hands were pressed against his chest. Even though his t-shirt, I could still feel every defined muscle. My hands slid down the length of his torso until I reached the hem of his shirt. I ripped it up over his head, breaking our kiss for only a moment, before pushing my lips back against his.

My fingers quickly unbuttoned my blouse and I tossed it aside, followed by my black lace bra. I pushed my body against his, loving the skin on skin contact. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. My hips started grinding against him and I could feel he was rock hard beneath me. I wanted him so badly.