Pieces of Broken Time (27 page)

Drew was hot on their heels, barking, jumping, and wanting in on the action.

“Stay, Drew,” he commanded.

When they got outside, Sam released and pushed him away.

He staggered and felt as if his head might explode any second.

“C’mon, take your best shot.” Sam moved into a fighting stance.

Without a word and not much planning, Blake swung a right hand in an attempted jab, followed by a left. He hit a whole lot of nothing.

Sam taunted him, gesturing for him to take another stab. “You’re a lousy drunk, and an even worse friend. You’ve broken her heart.”

“Fuck you! To hell with your charity, and I don’t want her pity. I can do without those in my life.” He landed a mean right hook on Sam’s chin and sneered.

“You happy now?” His friend touched his jaw, looking more pissed. “You want a fight? Here I am, someone who won’t take your shit.”

Sam bounced up and down and bobbed side to side, and Blake struggled to keep up. When Blake took another swing, Sam blocked him and landed a punch to his gut.

Falling to his knees, Blake clutched his stomach while his wretched head continued to pound.

“This is what you wanted, right?” Sam spoke from behind.

“Yes . . .” Blake tried to get up, but the hit was pretty solid. Coupled with the alcohol that still had his head spinning, Blake knew he was beaten when he got teary-eyed and choked up with emotion. “I . . . think I messed up, my man.” Sam’s hand appeared in his line of vision and Blake took it.

“Sometimes, the best lessons we learn are when we’re drowning.” His friend helped him to his feet and dragged his sorry ass into one of the lounge chairs.

“I’m going to call things as I see them. Not going to sugarcoat it for you, brother. You’re lucky to be alive, whether you believe it or not. You’re not alone in that jungle you’ve been thrust into. But you’re the only one who will dictate where you want your life to be. You’ve been dealt a lousy hand, but I expect that bluffer in you to mock fate and say, ‘bring it.’ Let the soldier in you fight ’til death, and until that last breath is taken. The fight, I think, is very much alive.”

“Are you fuckin’ done?” Blake asked in a hoarse voice.

“Yep. I’m good to go.” Sam chuckled.

One of the things about Sam that Blake had always appreciated was that the guy didn’t hold grudges.

Blake leaned on the chair and wiped the miserable tears away. Among the things that Sam said, one had shaken him to the core.

“The fight is very much alive.”

Chapter 23

The days following Jennifer’s abrupt exit from Blake’s life and the whirlwind move into a rented loft in LA had left her winded and bereft. Thankfully, Jennifer had been left with little time to think about him. Meetings every day for weeks to discuss projects and familiarize herself with her team of seamstresses and shoppers might have been hectic, but she was finally feeling settled both at work and home.

Jennifer had fallen into a pattern of getting up in the morning and working out at the gym, followed by showing up at work for a few hours and then continuing her work at home. Even during the weekends, she buried herself in fabrics and sketches. She had taken to phoning Mr. Smith on several occasions to water her plants and gather her mail rather than make the drive back to Lancaster. Jennifer had convinced herself it was more about getting caught up on her new job and less about getting caught by a certain nearby neighbor.

Waking up on a Sunday morning three months after she had left, Jennifer felt sluggish and decided to stay in bed for the rest of the day. It was close to supper by the time she struggled out of bed to fix a bowl of soup.

Jennifer sat in her little dining area, deep in thought, and stared at the twinkling lights of the high-rise buildings that surrounded her apartment. It dawned on her what the culprit of the lethargy and rollercoaster emotions could be, and she shook her head in denial. She rushed into the bathroom and lifted her shirt, examining her body in the mirror. Even without an apparent baby bump, the answer had been there all along. If it hadn’t been for her irregular schedule, she would’ve suspected even sooner.

The night in the shower.

A burst of fear gripped her while she stroked her still-flat stomach. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this,” she murmured, and patted the unnoticeable bump. She stood in the middle of the bathroom staring and let reality sink in.

For the next couple of days, Jennifer worked like a madwoman to take her mind off her discovery. Focusing her energy on her drawings, she visualized each woman wearing her creations. She concentrated on the vibrant colors, intricate embroideries, and the different designs for complementing everyone from the smallest figure to the larger.

While work made it possible to keep her mind focused on anything other than Blake, it was during the night that she lay in bed thinking about what could’ve been. If Blake hadn’t been so stubborn, Jennifer could imagine better things between them. But at this point, she had to focus her energy on the life inside her.

Her phone rang.

“Hey! I’ve missed you. We need to get together soon,” Coleen said, sounding as excited as ever.

“Hey, for sure. Do you want to come over?”

She had been in constant contact with Coleen. Their nightly calls helped her pass the time after dinner, when all her chores had been finished and she was left with nothing but the quiet and her thoughts. She had given Coleen a rundown of her brief relationship with Blake, but left out the part where their union created another life. It was the result of a bittersweet memory she wanted to keep to herself for a little longer.

“You have to come down this coming weekend for my baby shower.”

“Oh my. Is it that time already?” With all the things that had been happening in her life, it had slipped her mind.

“Yes. Are you going to be able to get away?”

“Let me check my social calendar—” Jennifer paused for dramatic effect. “Why, yes. There is no way I’m missing your baby shower.” She laughed despite the persistent sadness she often wrestled.

“Great! I’ll have the guest room ready for you. I want you to stay the weekend so we have more gossip time.”

With the following weekend all planned, Jennifer felt a bit better knowing she wouldn’t have a chance to dwell on matters of the heart and might find the chance to break the news to her friend.

A quick call to Mr. Smith confirmed he didn’t mind checking on the house and the sprinklers, and she politely listened as he caught her up on all the news. Although she missed the peace and quiet the small town offered, knowing that Blake was close by made going home a bit difficult to swallow.

“Do you want me to stop?” Jennifer asked, her voice husky, while her hand traced the scars along the side of his face and made him feel whole again.

“No.” Blake moaned and shook his head. He wanted the pleasure Jennifer gave him. He inched closer until their foreheads were touching.

“I don’t want to stop either. I want this . . . I want y—”

He seized her soft lips and tasted the goodness she was offering him. Her mouth was a soft fluff of clouds, and her breath was like a warm breeze. He felt her smile against his mouth, and he deepened his kiss into one that showed his need, his hunger.

With slow strokes of his tongue inside her welcoming mouth, she returned his ardent probing with fervor. He felt her shudder when she closed the gap between their bodies, tangling her legs with his. Even with their clothes on, he could feel her overheated desire that matched his own.

Blake knew where they headed, and he was okay with it. In fact, he ached for it. The inhibition was absent. The embarrassment took a leave, and all that remained was their desire to taste heaven.

Jennifer ran her fingers through his hair. “Are you sure?” she asked when their mouths broke apart. Her eyes twinkled in the soft glow coming from the lamp.

“I don’t think anything can stop me now.” Blake’s voice dipped lower while he positioned his body on top of hers.

The mattress groaned under their collective weight when he shifted his body. He trapped her legs with his, and he let his fingers drift to the buttons of her blouse. One by one, he plucked each free. With eagerness he hadn’t felt in a long time, he collected himself by taking deep breaths.

“Oh, Blake.” Jennifer moaned when he pried her blouse apart to expose her breasts. Pink nipples greeted him, the perky pair he wanted to tease with his tongue and mounds he wanted to sink his face into, but instead of diving in, he captured her lips instead.

Blake was a sucker for a little foreplay even if his body was already prepping for the bigger prize. His shaft was primed to enter her now, but like a good boy he’d provide her pleasure first. Withdrawing from their kiss, he ran his lips on the side of her face and started raining kisses along her neck. He found the base of her throat and let his finger trace her collarbone where he burrowed his face into her soft skin. A jolt of pleasure swept over him.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deep, breathing her sweet scent. She moaned again, and he realized there was a real possibility that he might not last as long as he’d hoped. The woman had the power to bring him to his knees and beg for love.

Is this real?

He opened his eye and raised his head to find Jennifer smiling at him. It was real, all right.

“I’m afraid I can’t wait any longer,” she whispered.

Swallowing hard, Blake nodded, not trusting himself to speak for fear of ruining the moment.

Jennifer didn’t waste any time in showing her eagerness. She let her hands glide to the hem of his T-shirt.

He held her hand and pointed to his face. “The scars underneath the shirt are worse.”

Jennifer didn’t answer, but he saw tenderness in her eyes. “I don’t care what you look like. All I see is the loving guy inside and a man who makes me feel like I’m the center of his world.” To prove her point, she pressed her exposed breasts on his chest, and captured his mouth for a passionate kiss. The tips of her taut nipples brushed against the material of his shirt.

He wanted nothing more than to be out of his clothes. He didn’t care. Only a fool would let this woman beg. If she was willing to take him for whatever he had to offer, he wasn’t going to make her wait a second longer.

Jennifer must’ve sensed his need. She raised his shirt and freed him from the confines of the fabric that separated them. She glanced down to his scarred body, and not once did he see her flinch.

With renewed confidence, he cupped her lush swell to taste it. While he flicked the tip of her nipple with his tongue, he let one hand play with the other breast, filling his palm like it had been made for him.

Her body undulated under his spell and her breath came in ragged spurts.

Blake lifted his face, and in the buttery glow of light, he saw the burning desire in her eyes, begging him to stop teasing and show her what he had in store for her. He slid her jeans down her legs, her dainty bikini the one thing keeping him from taking her, and he let his forefinger trace the material before he freed her body from it.

“Woman,” he murmured. Her creamy skin looked like milk he could drink forever, and the gratifying prize between her legs was calling his name.

“What?” she asked, her voice demure.

“Is this what you want?” When her head bobbed several times, Blake removed his own pants before reclaiming his position on top of her.

Her body rocked upward to meet his.

“I’m not going to be gentle, Jennifer. It has been a long time—”

She placed her finger to his lips. “You can do anything that pleases you.”

Sliding a hand underneath her body, he pressed his taut shaft against her belly.

Jennifer gasped and then smiled.

“You do that to me,” he whispered.

“I want you now. Now . . .” She moaned and her fingers wrapped around him, stroking up and down. She caressed the tender skin around his balls until he was fully aroused. It was unhurried, deliberate, and so taking him over the edge. “I’m so wet. Please. I can’t wait a second longer.”

Those were the sweetest words, and ignoring the intended foreplay, he spread her legs apart and pressed himself into her welcoming body. He filled every inch of her, and her cries of pleasure made his chest puff with pride.