Page 12 of Blake

“Here you go.” He handed her the tablets before rushing to get her some water to take them with. He watched her swallow and then took the frozen sweetcorn away and pushed a cushion towards her.

“Every hour I need you to give ten big deep breaths to make sure your lungs open fully. Use the cushion in case it makes you cough,” he said as he sat on the edge of the couch.

“Why are you helping me all of a sudden?”

He didn’t know how to answer her question. Would he do this for anyone else? Maybe, but then perhaps not. Pax had woken a protective feeling the minute he saw her bruised and battered.

“Because someone hurt you and that shit won’t stand.” He cupped her chin with his hand and closed the distance. He saw her breathing hitch slightly and knew she wouldn’t stop him if he kissed her, but she wouldn’t forgive him for taking advantage of her vulnerability either. So he kissed her forehead and then stood. “I’m going to go check your cupboards and then go shopping. We need to eat and then we’ll talk.” The firm tone he used brooked no argument. He was also going to call Jack and give him a heads up, but Pax didn’t need to know that.

He was a little perturbed when she didn’t argue, but after looking at her relaxed face and closed eyes, he realised she had fallen asleep. He leaned over and stroked her face, anger burning through him that someone had done this to her, and he swore they would pay for touching her.

Chapter Six

Pax woke to the sound of her front door closing and sat forward too fast making her cry out in pain. Blake was beside her in a second as he dropped the bags he was carrying at his feet.

“Hey, steady on. You shouldn’t move so fast.” Pax shot him a furious look. “There she is.” His grin was wide. She’d obviously amused him with her displeasure.

Pax glanced at the bags and realised he had been shopping. “What’s that?”

“Now, Pax, I know the subject of groceries is a bit foreign to you if your kitchen cupboards are anything to go by…”

“Hardy ha ha,” she snapped fighting the warm feeling that he had been shopping for her.

His face went serious for a moment. “We both need to eat, and I figured you wouldn’t want word getting around about this.” He circled his finger in front of her face indicating her bruises. Her hand came up as she remembered her face. “This way we can eat and talk and decide the next step.” He collected the bags and moved towards her kitchen as she followed slowly behind him.

“It is very nice of you and all, but this isn’t your concern.”

The pain of being turned down still festered. Pax leaned against the counter knowing that getting her ass on a bar stool would require more wiggling and couldn’t face it.

Blake, who was in the process of unpacking eggs, bacon, bread, salad stuff, cereal, milk, and God knew what else, stilled. He turned to her slowly and she almost stepped back at the predatory look in his eyes. He moved until they were almost touching hip to chest. “It is my concern.”

Pax fought the shiver his closeness instilled and looked up at him. “No, Blake, it isn’t.” Her voice was whisper soft and she wondered where the strong woman she normally was had gone.

Blake ran a finger down her throat, the movement so soft it was like a ghost touched her. “I made it my concern when you opened the door looking like you had done ten rounds with Anthony Joshua. Nobody puts their hands on you in violence. Not ever. So although I had come over to say I had changed my mind and was going to help you if you still wanted it. I’m now telling you I am going to help, and you don’t get to say no.”

Pax’s mouth fell open at the intensity of his words, and she couldn’t think of anything to say in response. His eyes fell to her mouth and she flicked her tongue to her suddenly dry lips. Blake’s eyes darkened and she felt the electricity in the room fizzle with sexual tension.

“You can’t just boss me around, Calvin Blake,” she said using his full name.

“You like it when I boss you around, Grace Paxton,” he replied also using her real name.

She found she liked the way her name sounded on his lips and despite the hot denial she was about to utter, there was something decidedly sexy about a man when he took charge and Blake was all man.

“Do not.” She didn’t care if she sounded like a five-year-old.

Blake ran his eyes over her body slowly before his eyes came back to her face. “Tell that to your body, honey,” he replied and turned to start pulling pans from the drawers.

Face aflame, Pax looked down and saw her nipples were poking through the thin fabric of her top begging for attention. “Pig.”

She turned and moved towards the stairs to try and find something more substantial to put between her and Blake. She heard his low, deep chuckle as she made her way upstairs and bit back the scream of frustration. Part sexual and part just annoying man-induced.

“Brunch will be in twenty minutes.”

Pax slammed the door and swore she heard him laugh although that was improbable. Moving to the bathroom she surveyed her face and decided that there really was nothing to be done about it and opted for a quick wash before she braided her long hair down the side and let it hang across her left breast. She grabbed a white floaty skirt that came to just above her knees and a short navy camisole with a hidden shelf bra already in it. It wouldn’t offer much of a barrier between her and Blake, but it was cool, and it was clothing not nightwear. It made her feel better at least.

Pax bit her lip as pain assailed her when she lifted her arm to pull the top on. Although she wasn’t a seasoned warrior like the other girls, she wasn’t a wimp either. That made her think of Roz and the bullshit she had fed her this morning about a tummy bug.

She felt a frisson of guilt but shoved it away. Roz didn’t handle sickness well and since becoming a mom to two girls she’d had more sickness than she’d bargained for and she tried to minimise it as best she could. It only bought her a few days though and then she would have to come up with another excuse.