We drive through long stretches of Hollow Brook in all its fall glory with leaves already steeped in shades of gold and fiery auburns. I dip my hand in my purse and sag dejected a moment. It's so rare that I leave the dorm without my camera, but I was in such a hurry to get out the door this afternoon. Marley had her longtime boyfriend, William, stop by. He's attending school in Virginia and drove down for the long weekend. They didn't seem to have any problem giving an expressive display of affection while I was in the room with them. Prior to his arrival, Marley shared an entire sexual list of demands she plans on giving Will this weekend. She claims it's all in the name of research for her upcoming articles-wink, wink. She also showed me a pair of velvet handcuffs she plans on gifting him-utilizing, both. I have a feeling I'll need to sanitize the room with a hot mop and bleach once he leaves. The thought of someone having sex in what amounts to my bedroom weirds me out a bit. But I'll admit it made me feel like I was missing something in my life. The way Marley continually speaks of him makes it feel as if I've known William for ages. William is tall, on the basketball team for good reason, sinewy like a biker, and has a squared-off face and wire rimmed glasses. He's undeniably handsome with his sharp almond eyes, but something about the way his gaze lingers on the girls in the common room doesn't sit well with me.
Blake drives us up a narrow path that extends past the Witch's Cauldron, past the narrow river that Baya almost drowned in last year, and a mean shiver runs through me when I see it. I can't imagine how scary that must have been for her. Being submerged in icy waters, floating downstream like a twig. The girl who pushed her in, some idiot named Aubree, is sitting in Danbury prison right now. Laney keeps referring to it as camp cupcake.
Blake drives up what feels like a sheer cliff side until we hit a clearing, and he finds a bare spot to park the truck. He hops out and helps me down, taking my hand and not letting go. It's freezing out-like North Pole freezing-like the Ice Bar freezing, but I suppose that's to be expected when you're at the highest peak in a fifty-mile radius. The Ice Bar is one of the three bars my brothers and I took over from my father. It's my least favorite for the very reason I hate being cold, but somehow being cold with Blake doesn't seem so bad. His fingers fold over mine, warm and assuring, but mostly strong, and I marvel at their girth. I have to admit it took my breath away that first night he took me by the hand when we crossed the street. I'm plenty used to people treating me like a child, but somehow that made me feel anything but childlike. In a strange way, it felt like he was treating me like a woman.
I pull out my phone. You don't have to hold my hand. I promise I won't run away. After I show him the text it occurs to me that sarcasm doesn't translate so well in the written form. Great. Now he's going to think I'm repulsed by him. Good going.
His head inches back as he holds in a laugh. "You're funny." He pulls the stray hairs from my eyes. "And beautiful." The moment grows all too serious. Blake carefully lays my hand by my side again as he taps something into his phone. But I wasn't holding onto you because I thought you might run away. He licks his lips looking past me a moment unable to finish his thought.
I've never had a boy tell me how they feel before, not that I expect any feelings from someone I've known less than a week.
The phone shakes as I hold it to him. I don't know why I said that. I like it. I like holding your hand. His brows furrow as if this confused him on some level. I fumble with my phone. I'm guessing you usually bypass the handholding phase. My lips curve to the side. I get it. And, for the record, I am not on that playing field. Sorry to disappoint you. Holding hands is about as racy as this girl gets.
He lets out a laugh so loud it vibrates over me like a ray of sunlight in this icy terrain. Blake has perfect teeth, a clean smile with no flaws. He could be in a dental ad with that radiant grin, those stunning green eyes. He's going to make some girl very happy someday, and my heart sinks to my feet because I very much doubt it will be me.
So you've never been kissed? He slings his arm around my shoulders as we walk over to the lookout.
I shake my head. That's about as far as I go with that answer. There's no way I'm committing that to an electronic device. Deleting it just wouldn't be enough.
We walk to the edge, and the breath is knocked right out of me. I press my hand to my chest at the majesty of what lies beneath us. All of Hollow Brook, all of Jepson, sprawls out before us like a miniature Dickens village at Christmas. Blake points to the left at the endless fields of birch and maples, the oaks in all their yellow and orange fury. The earth is crowned with their glory. It's beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a more spectacular view.
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing this with me.
His eyes smile first. His lips are slow to follow. "You're welcome." The warmth of his body against mine enlivens the entire left side of me as his subtle cologne tingles my senses.
I type into my phone hoping he won't notice the fact I'm shaking from his touch. I feel like a fool for leaving my camera behind today. This would have made for some amazing shots.
"We'll come back." Blake steps in front of me as his arms find a home around my waist, and every last cell in my body begs to detonate. "A lot."
A fire rips through me when he says the word we. I'm sure it means very little but something about there being a "we" makes me giddy and frightened all at the same time.
My heart pulsates like a jackrabbit about to have its ears lopped off, and I sway on my feet at the thought of Blake coming in for a kiss. I wouldn't fight it. Bryson and Holt blink through my mind, and I bat them away like rabid dogs. Down brothers. This one is mine.
Blake picks up a stray evergreen branch and dusts off the bench behind us. We take a seat facing one another as the icy breeze slices through our clothes. The wind sweeps back his thick, dark hair, and his open face smiles wide at me. He is unmistakably gorgeous. Blake Daniels is a god among men, and he's all but hauled me to his mountaintop to ravage me with those amber eyes, his devil-is-in-the-details grin. Okay, so there's a slim chance of ravishing, but a girl can dream.
Blake penetrates me with his gaze. He's seeing me, really seeing me. I glance down, embarrassed by the moment. I'm not sure how he feels about all this silence. To me it's normal, comforting on some level, but to someone like him, someone surrounded by girls, by loud music, and who knows what else, I'm sure it's heavy as the forest behind him. As soothing as silence can be, it can be deafeningly loud, and the irony isn't lost on me.
Blake tucks his finger under my chin and gently lifts my face until I'm looking right at him again.
"What are you thinking?"
A small moan vibrates in my throat, and I secretly hate he got that out of me. Just watching his mouth move, the way his lips curve over every letter makes me fall that much deeper into this strange abyss.
"It's silly," I mouth.
"I promise not to laugh."
I click into my phone. I was just wondering if all this awkward silence was strange to you. You know, uncomfortable. I swallow hard waiting for his reply. I don't ever remember having a conversation like this with anyone before, except maybe Marley after we moved in together, and that ended in a laugh fest. But nothing about this feels funny. It feels deathly serious, and it scares me in a new way. It's as if so much more rode on his answer than simply his discomfort.
"Not at all." He leans in, his eyes still seared over mine. Blake scoots in until I can feel the warmth of his body, and his head edges ever so close to mine. "Tell me about those books you read."
I swallow hard, my heart knocking against my chest as if it wants to be let out.
Shit. I thought that was it. That the big one was coming, and I was finally going to test out exactly how soft Blake's lips were at last.
"The books?" I mouth. Okay, I'll admit he threw me for a loop. What do you want to know?
I went to the library and looked into a few romance novels. His smile defuses as he holds out his phone. They weren't as sweet and innocent as I thought they would be.
My chest bucks with a laugh as I bury my face in my hands. I come up for air, and he tweaks his brows seductively. They're dark and broad, and I want nothing more than to trace them out with my finger. As wild as some of the novels I've read are, I'm sure Blake has lived out ten times that much and more. Just the thought makes me uneasy.