Page 394 of The First Time
Chapter Thirty-Four
No limo today. Blake drives a black sports car. It's spotless inside and out. It matches him perfectly.
Supposedly, he wanted to give Jordan the week off.
But I don't buy that story.
I think he wanted privacy.
I'd bet good money that no one has ever seen Blake cry, not as an adult, at least.
The drive is quiet.
This late, the roads are empty. Everything is a blur of asphalt and sky.
I rest my head against the passenger-side door and watch the stars fly by. The farther we get from the city, the brighter they are.
The suburbs sneak up on me. I blink, and we're parked in front of Meryl's house.
It's funny. This place is the picture of idyllic perfection. It's not the kind of place where someone dies.
Blake insists on carrying my suitcase. I let him.
The gesture is sweet. I need the warmth of it.
We move into the house quietly. There's a light in the kitchen and a nurse sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. He nods to Blake like they know each other.
"Miss Sterling is resting," the nurse says. "She asked not to be disturbed until eight tomorrow."
"Thank you." Blake sets our suitcase at the base of the stairs. He turns to me. "You're staying in Fiona's room tonight. Last one on the right."
"What about Fiona?" I ask.
"She's coming up in the morning." He brushes the hair from my eyes. "You can stay in my room when she arrives."
I swallow hard. Sharing a bed with Blake is tempting. And dangerous. That's a quick trip to feelings-ville, that awful place where I'm crazy about him and he cares about me.
"I can't kick you out of your room." I slide my hands into my pockets.
"I insist." He nods to the bedrooms upstairs. "Let me put these away."
I take a seat at the table next to the nurse and offer my hand to shake. "I'm Kat."
"Vincent." He shakes.
"How are things? Is she okay?"
"I can't talk about that."
"Of course." Doctor-patient confidentiality. I know that. "You any good at chess?"
"Not at all."
"Me either. I might have a chance to win a game without a handicap."
Vincent checks his watch. "You're on."
I find the game and set it up on the table. I even give him white.
