Beautifully Unbroken (25 page)

“It’s important to me that you do this and you do it right, do you understand?” I heard him say.

I slowly retreated so I could listen to Blake without him knowing that I was there.

“I don’t know how you plan on doing it, but you make it as discreet as possible. I need her safe while I’m away, but I do not want you mentioning any of this to her or anything that you are doing for me, do you understand?” Blake said firmly. “I don’t want Jo finding out about this until I have to tell her. She’s under a lot of stress at the moment, and with me going away on Monday she’s pretending that she is going to be fine, but I know her, and I know that underneath she really isn’t okay.”

I didn’t know what he was doing, but I did know that whatever it was, he was doing it to protect me while he wasn’t able to.

The floor beneath me creaked, and the noise vibrated through the apartment.

“Look, I gotta go,” Blake said quietly. “Send me the details when you have them, okay? And make it quick.”

I rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen as though I hadn’t just heard everything that had been said. Blake looked breathtaking, but seeing him standing there making me breakfast only brought back the memories of the nightmare that I had experienced the previous night.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Blake placed the hot pan back onto the stove before walking over to me and wrapping me in the warmth of his arms.

“Hi,” I managed to say.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay.”

“Do you want me to call my parents and rearrange?”

“No,” I said quickly. “No. We need this; I need this. Is that okay?” I snuggled up to him.

“Of course.” I felt him smile. “I was gonna make these wraps to go,” he said, gesturing to the stove. “I didn’t know how you would be feeling about food this morning.”

“I feel hungry,” I said, surprised by myself. One time I was never hungry was breakfast time.

“You’re hungry for breakfast?” Blake asked, shocked. “Sit yourself down, then; I’ll plate it up and bring you some tea. I am not gonna miss this opportunity.” As he left me, my eyes welled and tears starting streaming down my face. I let out a small sob.

“Hey.” Blake was back by my side within seconds, comforting me. “It’s okay; it was just a bad dream, that’s all. Whatever it was is never going to happen, I promise you,” he said, kissing me gently on my head.

“You were dead.” I said this so quietly I wasn’t sure whether Blake heard me. “It had started off so nice, a really nice dream. We had children; they were playing in the garden. We were happy; everyone was so happy. Even my mum and dad were there. I remember feeling happy, standing there watching everyone feeling so much happiness.” I sobbed as my voice rose with the panic. “Then a storm came, a real violent storm, but only I seemed to notice it. Then everyone disappeared, everyone except for me and you, but then you fell. You fell, and you were bleeding, and I couldn’t get to you because I was being held back,” I cried.

“He wouldn’t lose me. He kept on telling me that it was all my fault; that because I ran from him I deserved all of it. I tried to get to you, I really did, but he held me so hard that I couldn’t move,” I sobbed.

“Shh, it’s okay, come on.” Blake’s smooth voice was barely audible through the loud sobs that just kept on coming. I couldn’t stop; nothing Blake said could help me stop.

“I can’t live without you, Blake, I can’t,” I sobbed. “If something happens to you …”

“Hey.” Blake placed his fingers under my chin and lifted my face to meet his gaze. “Nothing”, he said, “is going to happen to either me or you; how many times do I have to tell you that we are going to grow old together?” A small smile met his lips before he placed his lips to mine, his kiss lingering as my tears slowly subsided and calmness overcame me.

“I love you so much,” I said.

“We are going to get through this next two weeks just fine. It’s going to be hard on the both of us, but we’re gonna be okay,” he said firmly.

“Blake?” I asked quietly.

“Hm?” Blake replied as he gently wiped the remaining tears away from my face.

“Can I move in with you when you get back from Miami?”

Relief flooded Blake’s face instantly. “There is nothing that I want any more than for you to come live with me; you know that.” He smiled before kissing me so hard it took my breath away. “Thank you.”

The drive to Blake’s parents took just under two and a half hours.

As soon as the madness of New York was behind us, I finally felt myself begin to relax.

It had been only three weeks since Blake had stopped me from getting on the plane to London, and in that three weeks I had felt my life change considerably. I was happy that Blake had turned up, and when I thought about it now, had I got on that plane, my life would be so different now; different and miserable and worthless. In two weeks I was going to be moving in with Blake, and we would be starting a new life together. I had everything to look forward to, and with Blake by my side, I was finally beginning to believe that I could be happy without the pain.

“You’re quiet over there,” Blake said as we entered the small village that was home to Blake’s parents.

“Just thinking.” I smiled as I turned to face him.

“You nervous?” he asked.

“A little,” I admitted. “I’m just glad to be out of New York. I feel relaxed already.”

“Good,” he said, reaching over and squeezing my knee. “This is it.” Blake nodded to the house as we approached from the long driveway.

“It’s beautiful,” I said in awe. It reminded me a lot of the house that I had grown up in. It was very traditional and oozed family and love, and that was just what I could see from the outside. The garden at the front was surrounded by majestic white pines and every seasonal flower that was imaginable; I imagined that Blake’s parents would spend a lot of time out here keeping it just perfect.

Julia and Marti were standing at the doorway waiting for us as we climbed out of Blake’s Range Rover.

“Here they are,” Julia said with a huge smile as she walked down the steps to greet us. Bypassing Blake, she headed straight for me and wrapped me into her arms tightly. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Jo,” she said, releasing me and holding me at arm’s length. “We’ve heard so much about you.”

“It’s lovely to meet you too, MRS Mackenzie.”

“Please,” she said, “you call me Julia. I can’t be doing with being called missus; makes me feel old.” She winked.

“Okay.” I nodded nervously. “It’s nice to meet you, Julia.”

“And this is Marti,” she said, gesturing to Blake’s dad. “Isn’t she beautiful, Marti?” Julia grinned.

“Stunning,” he said in his gravelly voice. “Good to meet ya.” He took my hand before pulling me in for a bear hug.

Marti was exactly how I imagined Blake would look in thirty years. He had aged well, and he still looked like he kept in shape. His hair was glossy and silver, which made his blue eyes shine out just as Blake’s always did.

Julia was very glamorous; her blonde hair sat in an immaculate bob, and she wore her make-up subtly. Her clothes were modern, and I could see that she spent a lot of time looking after her appearance. Her eyes were a deep brown, and they were big, just like Blake’s. I could also see that he had inherited his dazzling smile from his mum.

“Okay, Dad, don’t suffocate the guest,” Blake teased.

“Protective of the girlfriend,” Marti said, releasing me, “I like that.” He winked.

“Let’s get you both inside,” Julia said excitedly. “Follow me, Jo.” She started walking, and I followed quickly behind. “Marti, help Blake with the bags,” she yelled back as she led me up the steps and into the house.

“Yes, boss,” Marti teased, giving Julia a small salute as he headed to the boot with Blake to retrieve our bags.

I loved them both already; they were exactly as I had imagined, and I could tell that we were going to get along just fine. I could see why Blake was such a loving, caring person; it oozed from every single pore on Julia and Marti’s bodies.

Julia and I entered the large foyer first; I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The staircase sat in the middle of the room with the first floor visible above us. It was like something out of a film; it was breathtaking. The floors were solid oak and very well looked after. The walls were filled with hundreds of photos and portraits of each family member, as well as people I was yet to meet but were obviously related to Blake, as they all had that same look – piercing blue eyes and a jawline to die for.

“I have a pot roast cooking for dinner.” Julia smiled, but her smile turned to a frown as she realized something. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you, dear?” she asked in horror.

I smiled. “No. I’m not a vegetarian, and pot roast sounds perfect.”

“Jo actually cooked us one a few weeks back,” Blake teased as he entered the house carrying the bags with Marti close behind, “didn’t you, Jo?” He set the bags down and placed his arm around me, kissing my cheek.

“Lets’ just say I had a go.” I smiled as I turned my head and threw Blake a death stare.

“Well that’s a relief,” she sighed with a smile. “I never even thought to ask whether or not you eat meat,” she said, shaking her head at herself. “Now,” she said, smiling again, “why don’t you both go get freshened up, and then we can enjoy a drink out in the sunshine before dinner is ready, and we can really get to know this lovely young lady.”

Blake’s bedroom wasn’t anything that I had imagined it to be. There were no sports posters or topless women gracing the walls, just bumper-to-bumper film posters – horror films, thrillers, and action films filled every inch, along with a life-size cardboard cut-out of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator which sat in the corner of the room.

“So you always knew you wouldn’t follow your dad’s footsteps then,” I said, nodding to the walls as Blake placed our bags down onto the bed and sat next to them.

Blake laughed as he recalled. “I was hopeless at baseball – all sports, in fact. My dad was horrified when I told him I wanted to go to drama school.” He shook his head, amused. “He sat me down one day not long after and actually asked me if I was gay.”

I couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from me. “You couldn’t be any less gay,” I admitted.

“I know, right?” He laughed. “He knew I was hopeless at sports, but once he knew what I wanted to do, he made it his mission to train me. I was a hopeless cause, yet he would have me out in that yard every second of every day teaching me, but I just couldn’t hit a ball. Catch? No problem. But hitting the damn thing – I just couldn’t do it. Finally he gave up, so I got my way and started studying drama. That’s where I met Marcus. He was as driven as me, really wanted to be a successful actor. We spent a lot of time together, became really close friends. Then, when I told him who my father was, he would ask me every weekend if he could come home with me and meet the legend that was Marti Mackenzie. You know where this is going, right?”

“Marcus is gay,” I stated, shaking my head.

“I couldn’t help myself,” he said, amused. “I brought Marcus here to meet Mom and Dad. You should have seen Dad’s face.”

“That’s cruel,” I said, shaking my head.

“Obviously, Marcus being as gay as he is, it was too easy to resist,” Blake said defensively.

“Poor Marcus.” I shook my head but couldn’t help being amused as I started unloading the bags. “And your poor dad, too.”

“Yeah well, it taught him a lesson,” he laughed.

I started to unpack the bags as Blake sat and watched every move I made.

“You doing okay?” Blake asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Sure?”

“I’m fine. Now get up and start helping me with these things.”

“In a minute,” he said huskily. “Come here.” He tugged at my arm, and my body fell on top of his. “Blake, no,” I said, trying to release myself from his grip. “Your parents could walk in at any moment,” I scolded.

“Don’t you want me now we’re here?” he teased.

“I do, yes,” I said, kissing the corner of his mouth. “Just not right now; we’ve only just got here,” I said, still trying to release myself from his grip. “And if one of your parents were to walk in right now, you would be putting these bags back into the car and taking me back to New York,” I said firmly.

“I love it when you get angry,” Blake teased as I continued to squirm.

“You will see angry if you don’t let me go,” I said before he leaned up and took my mouth in his. His hand worked its way up my T-shirt and under my bra. He took my breast and started squeezing and rubbing.

“Blake,” I gasped against his mouth, wanting so much for him to do it but feeling how wrong it was at the same time, “we shouldn’t; someone could walk in.”

But he continued, and I made no attempt to stop him. Lifting my skirt to my waist he pressed his thigh between my legs and started to rub, slowly relieving some of the pressure that I could feel building. Needing more from him, I started rubbing against the pressure. It felt so good. His denim rubbing roughly against the thin material of my knickers was hot; it would take only seconds before I would come all over him.

“Can I come in?” A gentle tap at the door was like a bucket of ice-cold water being poured over us both. Blake released me quickly as we both jumped off the bed frantically. My clothes were a mess, and I could feel how flushed my skin had become from my arousal. I pushed my skirt down quickly and grabbed my toiletries bag before rushing into the en-suite bathroom while Blake attempted to look as though he were taking clothes out of the bag while hiding the obvious erection that was pressing against his jeans.

“Your father is useless,” I heard Julia say as she walked into the room. “I gave him one job, just one job, and he couldn’t even do that,” she muttered.

I re-entered the room and tried my hardest to look as though I hadn’t just almost come while Blake and I dry humped on his teenage bed.

“Here are some fresh towels for you both,” Julia said. “Sorry they weren’t in here when you arrived. Men.”

“That’s no problem at all.” I took the towels from Julia. “Thank you.”

“I’ll let you two carry on doing what you’re doing.” I heard Blake cough as laughter erupted from him. “Don’t be too long, though.” She winked before heading out of the room.

I exhaled the huge breath that I had been holding the whole time while Blake laughed.

“Wow,” Blake breathed out. “I was about two minutes away from having to pack these bags back into the car and take you back to New York.” He laughed as he flopped down onto the bed.

“And that is why it won’t be happening again,” I replied. “It’s not funny.”

“It was kind of funny,” Blake said casually.

“Your mum walking into this room and finding me dry humping her son two minutes after we met is not my idea of fun.”

“Come on, she didn’t see anything. You have got to see the funny side,” he laughed.

“I most certainly do not see the funny side,” I said feeling frustrated.

“You are so British.” He shook his head in amusement.

“And you’re an arse,” I replied.

“Someone’s feeling frustrated,” he said as he lay back, placed his hands behind his head, and studied me. “Need me to sort something out for you?”

I threw the dress I was holding at him and walked off to freshen up. The truth was, I was feeling frustrated, and yes, I really wanted Blake to sort it out for me, but Blake’s mum walking in and catching us was enough to drown my libido for now.

I stood at Blake’s window looking out to the huge garden beneath me while Blake sang to himself in the bathroom after finally giving up trying to seduce me and agreeing to get ready for dinner.

I loved Blake’s parents’ house and adored the garden even more. There was a large kidney-shaped swimming pool with sun loungers and sun umbrellas, with a volleyball net in the middle. To the right of the pool was a full-size tennis court that made Centre Court at Wimbledon look amateurish.

Before the pool and tennis court was a large pristine lawn and a decking area which I imagined was great for entertaining, judging by the size of the gas barbecue that was also present.

This was what I wanted: a home that oozed family and love, somewhere private that we could bring up our children in peace.

Shaking my head, I smiled at myself for allowing those thoughts to enter my mind.

So far I was still adamant that with happiness there came a price, Blake was still trying to prove my theory wrong, but as yet I was right; and I always would be, as far as I was concerned. Maybe dreaming of that future was a nice option, but at what cost would it come?

Blake’s phone began to vibrate on the bedside table. I left the window and headed over to answer it but stalled when I saw that it was Christina.

Why was Christina calling Blake? What could she possibly have to say to Blake that would be of interest? The phone stopped vibrating but started again immediately.

“Christina,” I said casually, “what can we do for you?”

I heard Christina gasp with shock at the sound of my voice. “Jo, hi, how are you?”

“Fine. What can I do for you?” I said in a clipped tone.

“Is Blake there? I need to speak to him.”

“He’s kind of indisposed at the moment. I’m sure I can help you.”

“Can you ask him to call me, please?”

“Is Alex ok?”

“Of course, why?”

“I’m just trying to work out why it’s so important for you to speak to Blake while were away, that’s all.”