Page 67 of Trusting Blake
“Does Blake know?” Tori asks. “That you’re leaving in the morning?”
“Not yet—” I begin, but then over Savannah’s shoulder, Blake himself appears. I immediately cut off the conversation and straighten up. “Heeeey!”
“Hi, Miss Mila,” Blake says with a gorgeous, slightly nervous smile. He’s been off talking logistics with the tech guys for the past fifteen minutes, and he seems even more jittery now than he did before he left. He pulls me into a brief hug and behind his back, I fire Savannah and Tori a quick throat-slashing gesture to signal that the topic of my LA homecoming is over. “You guys good?”
“Yup! We just can’t wait for your set to start.” I pull back from his embrace and run my hand down his red flannel shirt, undoing the top button to reveal his chain necklace. “Mmm.”
“Mmm,” Blake echoes, biting his lip seductively and bringing his forehead to mine.
“Hi, we exist, by the way!” Tori interjects, and Blake and I break our intense eye contact with sheepish laughter.
He throws his arm over my shoulder and wiggles his eyebrows at Savannah and Tori. “Do you guys mind if I borrow Mila for a sec?”
“No, go ahead! Take her!” Savannah says, enthusiastically waving us off.
I slide off the barstool and let Blake guide me away from the table, snaking our way through the crowd. A lot of Blake’s friends are already up on the dance floor, standing around yelling in each other’s ears over the blaring music, and several of them fist-bump him and wish him good luck as we pass.
“Why are we going outside?” I wonder as Blake leads me to the door.
“Because,” he says, “I need fresh air.”
Even though it’s a Monday, Broadway in Nashville is alive with tourists. The sky is a clear, dim blue, the sun starting to dip, and electric neon signs strung along the street are ready to light up as the day fades. Live music can be heard on each block as performances spill out from bars, and when I steal a peek at Blake, I notice him wiping a trickle of sweat from his brow. As his own live set draws closer, his nerves continue to heighten.
“You aren’t chickening out, are you?” I ask when we dip down a side street toward the parking lot where we left his truck. Blake has waited what I think may be his whole life for this moment. There’s no way he’s going to abandon the opportunity and make a quick getaway.
“No!” he says, managing a laugh. “I just wanted a minute alone with you.”
Through the packed parking lot, we weave around vehicles until we reach his truck. He lowers the tailgate, then before I can process what he’s doing, he clasps my waist and sets me down on the truck. My legs dangle over the edge of the tailgate and Blake stands directly in front of me, his body pressed against my knees. He is tense.
“Breathe,” I tell him soothingly. “Did you hear back from your dad yet? Is he going to make it?”
“No, he had to work late, so he wasn’t going to make it here in time,” he says. I can tell he’s disappointed, but he’s keeping his spirits deliberately high. I feel for him; it would have meant a lot if Jason had been here to watch him perform. I know Blake would’ve trusted his opinion above all others.
I push his hair back off his forehead and then let my hands fall to his jaw, where I hold his face steady as I gaze into his eyes. “You’re going to kill it.”
“Mila,” he says, running his hands over my thighs. “Just kiss me already.”
Beneath the shifting colors of the sky, I press my lips to his. The kiss is passionate and blinding, his hands moving to my waist to pull me closer against him. If we weren’t in the middle of a parking lot right now, I’d burst those buttons of his shirt straight open. His touch leaves me breathless, and as he pulls away, he runs his thumb over my bottom lip.
“I think we should continue this after your set,” I whisper.
“Yeah, I think we should,” he agrees, desire sparking in his eyes, and then he slides his hands beneath my thighs, running them up to my butt as he lifts me off the tailgate.
There are only ten minutes to go until he’s scheduled to be on stage, so we race back to Honky Tonk Central. Savannah and Tori both raise a curious, teasing eyebrow as I return to the table, and Blake pulls out the stool for me. He tucks my hair behind my ear and leans in close, his breath tickling my neck.
“I better make my final guitar checks,” he murmurs, and I nod. I don’t need to wish him luck as he walks away – honestly, he is so talented that he doesn’t need it.
“Well, that was kind of hot,” Tori says with a dreamy sigh. “Whispering in your ear like that. You guys are very. . . touchy-feely.”
“Yeah,” Savannah agrees, watching me inquisitively. “Way more so than usual. What happened when you slept over at Blake’s on Saturday, Mila? Care to share?”
I nearly choke on my own saliva. Embarrassed, I grab my soda and start sipping at my straw, drinking for so long that it answers the question without the need for words. Savannah exchanges a giddy look of surprise with Tori, and I know Savannah is going to ask a thousand questions while Tori makes teasing comments, so I cut them off before they can even begin.
“We better move up front!” I say, finishing off my drink and jumping to my feet. Blake wants me to be front and center, cheering the loudest, so that’s exactly where I’ll be and what I’ll do. The dance floor is already busy, so we better stake out our position.
“That, Savannah, is called tactical avoidance,” Tori mutters in Savannah’s ear, both their eyes following me, and I laugh, unabashed, and blow them a kiss. I do not want to discuss the events of Saturday night, especially not with Savannah, Blake’scousin.
I move freely through the bar area as the two of them follow close on my heels, edging our way around the bodies on the dance floor toward the small stage. The current performer is wrapping up her set, and we find ourselves a nice spot just in front of the stage, right next to the amps, so I prepare myself for the ringing in my ears I’ll probably suffer for the next two days.
