Page 31 of Discerning Blake

He must be joking. He’s Ethan’s best friend.

He leans toward me, his lips hover over my ear, sending goosebumps down my back.

“I’m not joking, Amelia. Say the word, and I’ll bend you over this counter right now.”

A jolt of desire shoots through my body, settling between my legs.

“Right now might not be such a good idea.” It’s the only thing I can think of saying. “People might stare.”

“Whenever you want. We can go to my apartment.” His voice is growly, and it brings heat to my core. “Get Luke’s butt shape out of my mattress.”

My cheeks feel like they’re on fire, and I laugh nervously.

Bryce comes back, and we chat for a few minutes before I excuse myself, unable to look at Blake directly when I say goodbye.

Chapter Eight

Amelia

I can’t stop thinking about Blake’s words.

I’ll bend you over this counter right now.

It makes it hard to turn my brain off at night. I wake up groggy and confused.

But today is Friday. The day I get to pick Chase up from school and have him to myself for a week. That thought helps to get me out of bed and into the shower.

But first, I have to work.

I meet up with Claudia and her group in the big parking lot where the bus is waiting for them. Today they’re doing a tour of three breweries in the area. After chatting a little with the bus driver, I make sure Claudia has everything she needs, then I wish them a fun day and leave.

I drag my feet on my way to the agency, but I can't avoid Ethan forever. And I have work to do.

Ethan is in his office when I arrive. I go into the back room to make myself a cup of coffee and find two huge suitcases. Both of them mine.

I try to stop the tears from coming out as I barge into his office.

“You packed up my stuff?”

He nods. “You win.”

I want to laugh. Nothing about this feels like winning.

“I’m giving you my half of the agency in exchange for your half of the house. I’ve already contacted Stewart.” Stewart is our accountant. “He can meet with us on Wednesday next week. He said the paperwork should be fairly straight forward.”

I don’t know whether to cheer or cry. I’m excited about running the agency on my own, but I’m nostalgic about never going home again. “I’ll pick up the rest of my stuff when the papers are signed. We’ll have to decide who gets what.”

“I’d like to keep most of the furniture,” Ethan says, “but if there’s something you really want…”

“I’ll think about it. It’s not like I have anywhere to put it.”

“Once the house is mine, you’ll be solely responsible for paying the rent on your studio.”

It’s strange how easy it now seems to unravel our lives into separate strands.

“I’ll finish my shift today,” he says, leaning back in his chair as he looks at me. We’d agreed that whoever doesn’t have Chase that week works until closing time. “And I can stop by Monday and Tuesday to finish up some things and get the last of my stuff.”

“Sure. What are you finishing up?”