Page 103 of The Secrets We Built Together

Xander

Iled Blake down the path behind the cottage, my heart pounding so hard I was sure she could hear it. We walked in comfortable silence, hand in hand, until we approached the storage barn. It was probably less than a minute from the house. There was a clear view of it from the kitchen window, which had definitely made the last few days an anxiety-ridden nightmare.

"Why are we going to the old storage barn?" Blake asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

I stopped in front of the door, turning to face her. "Do you remember what you told me about your studio at Books and Beans? How it was the peace you needed to put a piece of yourself onto the canvas?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes."

"I wanted to give you that feeling again." I pushed open the door, revealing the transformed space inside.

Blake stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide as she took in the studio. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound cameout as she stepped inside, moving through the space with an expression of wonder.

"Xander," she finally whispered, turning to me with tears shimmering in her eyes. "You did this? For me?"

I moved to stand in front of her, taking both her hands in mine. "I did it because I love you, Blake," I said, my voice steady despite the thundering of my heart. "I love the way you see the world. I love how you make me laugh. I love watching you with Amelia. I love who I am when I'm with you."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and I brushed it away with my thumb.

"What started as an arrangement—a convenient solution—has become the most real thing in my life," I continued, my voice growing husky with emotion. "You and Amelia are my family, my home. I want this forever. All of it, the three of us. But not the way we are now. I don’t want you in a room across the hall. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms, I want your beautiful face to be the first thing I see in the morning. If you’re not ready for that yet, that’s okay. I’ll wait as long as you need. I think I’d wait forever if that was what you asked of me. But I need you to know that I am in this with everything I have. Every single part of my being."

Blake's hands tightened around mine. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice breaking. "And I want that too. I want it all, but you said it so much better than I think I can." She hiccuped a soft laugh, hand coming up my cheek as she stared into my eyes. “How did I ever get so lucky to find a guy like you? Sometimes I wake up in the morning and think it was all a dream, that it couldn’t possibly be real."

"Then wake up next to me, and I’ll show you every morning just how real this is," I promised.

I pulled her close, capturing her lips with mine. She melted against me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she kissed me back with an intensity that took my breath away.

When we finally broke apart, Blake looked around the studio again, her eyes lingering on each carefully chosen detail.

"How did you know exactly what I needed?" she asked, running her fingers over the easel, the perfectly arranged supplies, the framed blanket on the wall.

"I've been paying attention," I said simply. "To the way you work, the things you talk about needing. I wanted this to be perfect for you."

She shook her head in amazement. "It is. It's absolutely perfect."

She turned back to me, her eyes full of emotion. "I can't believe you did all this without me knowing."

"I had help," I admitted. "Everyone pitched in—Booker, Dex, Reece, Delaney, Trace. They all wanted to be part of it."

Blake laughed softly. "So that's why Delaney was so insistent on our shopping trip yesterday." Her smile faded into something more tender. "I can't believe you did all this for me."

"I'd do anything for you."

She stepped into my arms again, and this time when our mouths met, there was no hesitation. The kiss deepened instantly, tongues tangling, hands exploring. Blake's fingers threaded through my hair as she pressed herself flush against me.

Something primal and desperate stirred between us, a need that had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long. I walked her backward until her legs bumped against the couch pushed against the far wall. She sat, pulling me with her, and I came down on top of her, my hands braced on either side of her head.

"Are you sure?" I whispered against her lips, my voice thick with need.

"Yes. God, yes."

My mouth found her neck, trailing kisses along the sensitive skin as her hands pulled at the hem of my shirt. I let her tug it over my head before diving back in, claiming her mouth again as I started to undress her with reverent urgency.

Each layer of clothing we shed made the air feel hotter, heavier. When I finally had her bare beneath me, I took a moment just to look. Her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, her lips swollen from our kisses, her eyes burning with heat and trust.

"You're so beautiful," I said, trailing my fingers down the curve of her waist, making her shiver.

I grabbed my wallet from the floor where my jeans had fallen, retrieving a condom and tearing it open with shaking fingers. Blake watched me, eyes dark with anticipation. When I rolled it on, she pulled me back to her with a gasp.

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