Page 91 of The Forever Rule

I looked between the two of them, and I didn’t want to listen. However, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. A whole weekend with Blakely. In the mountains. Just the two of us.

It was a dangerous temptation. One that wasn’t going to end well. Because what we had between the two of us wasn’t serious, it was just beginning.

The Cages didn’t make serious work. I knew that. The family knew that.

But maybe I could take a weekend.

Chapter Twelve

ASTON

Rule #5: Never let the world see.

I still couldn’t quite believethat we were in my SUV, driving up the winding roads to our mountain town. It wasn’t fully in the mountains like Vail or Aspen, but it was enough that the altitude could affect some people. Although, I knew visitors to just the mile-high city sometimes had to take oxygen because of the change in elevation.

I had been born and raised in the two parts of Colorado that called me home. So, of course, this was just home.

Now, the surprising part might’ve been the fact that I was taking a weekend off when all I wanted to do was bury myself in work, so I didn’t have to think of reality. But that was only part of it. No, the other part was all about who was sitting next to me.

Blakely hummed along to the popular song playing on the radio, her sunglasses perched on her nose as she tilted her face up to the sunlight. She was so damn beautiful. It sometimes hit me, and it should probably worry me a little bit more than it did. Because it was hard to think when she was around sometimes. I still didn’t understand why this was happening, or why she was by my side, but for some reason, my brother’s little niggling of a recommendation via taunting had settled in, and I couldn’t go back. When dinner had ended, however abruptly, I had immediately pulled out my phone to text Blakely.

Me:

So, what are you doing?

Blakely:

I almost feel like you should ask what I’m wearing.

Blakely:

Is everything okay? I thought you were at dinner tonight.

I had rubbed the back of my neck, annoyed with myself with even doing this. But maybe my brother had been right.

Me:

Dinner is not working out. Can I come see you?

I should just go home. I should ignore whatever was rising inside of me. Blakely was a complication. I knew that, she knew that.

Blakely:

Of course. Although I’m having girl dinner.

Me:

Do I want to know?

Blakely:

I have rotisserie chicken, a baguette, some bread, grapes, and a handful of mini-Oreos. You make the decision.

Me:

It sounds delicious. Do you have enough for two? I can pick something up.

Blakely:

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