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I panic and start thinking about how to leave with two plates of food and two cups of coffee without drawing questions. That's not something I thought of when I came to get Blake breakfast in bed. Suddenly the thought of him wanting to keep things between us a secret fills me with dread.
"You okay, honey?" Lisa asks, bringing me out of my inner turmoil.
I peer over my shoulder to see a look of concern on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good." I go about fixing my coffee.
“Mornin’.” Blake’s sleep-filled rumble fills the room, and I stop breathing.
"Morning, Blake," Lisa's cheery voice greets. "You hungry?"
"Starved," he tells her.
My hands begin to shake, and I feel like my heart will beat out of my chest. How do I act? What should I say?Play it cool, Ember.I give myself an inner pep talk. But that pep talk flies right out the window when Blake walks up behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses my neck. "Mornin', Vita Mia."
"Morning," I squeeze out.
"You get coffee, and I'll get the food, baby."
Unable to trust my voice, I nod.
Behind me, I hear Lisa comment, "How wonderful."
I turn on shaky legs to see Blake holding two plates piled with food, looking relaxed like what just transpired is a regular, everyday occurrence. Meanwhile, Lisa looks at the two of us like she could burst into tears any moment.
I sit beside Blake, who has already begun stuffing his face. Under the table, a foot kicks my shin. I look up from my plate to see Lisa giving me the goofiest grin, and I lift my mug to my lips to hide my smile.
Luckily, the awkwardness is broken when Grey speaks. "Talked to Prez this mornin', and he should be rollin' up any minute."
I turn to Blake. "How is Bellamy? I should go check on her." I scoot my chair, but a hand on my legs halts me.
"I looked at her when I got up. She's still asleep."
"Sleep is good, but she'll need to eat soon," Doc says, looking down at his watch. "I also talked to Emerson last night; she'll be over this morning to check over the girl."
"Appreciate ya, brother."
"I'll take her some breakfast when Jake gets here," I offer.
He squeezes my thigh. "Thanks, baby."
Just then, Jake walks into the kitchen. He stops, and I watch his eyes ping between us, Blake's hand on my thigh and my body turned into his. A ghost of a smile touches Jake’s lips before it's gone.
Blake downs what's left of his coffee and stands. "I need to take care of a few things before the rest of the men arrive. Check on Bellamy for me?"
"I'll make sure she's taken care of."
Fifteen minutes later, I knock on Blake's bedroom door before opening it. I smile, seeing Bellamy sitting up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. "Morning, sweetie."
She blinks away her sleepiness and gives me a shy smile. "Hi."
"I thought you might be hungry." I hold up the plate. "Lisa made some eggs, bacon, and toast. I got you a bottle of orange juice too. I hope that's okay. If you don't like eggs and bacon, I can make you something else." I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed. Bellamy takes the plate from me and immediately starts digging in. "I love eggs," Bellamy says, taking a bite of bacon.
"I can see that." I giggle. "So, how did you sleep? I know how weird it can be in a strange place."
"I slept great. Better than I have in a long time." Bellamy sets her toast down and twists the cap off the bottle of juice. She takes a sip and looks unsure of what to say next.
"Look, honey, I know you don't know us, and being here might seem a little scary, especially with all the big burly men you'll meet soon, but you are safe here. Nobody will hurt you. Your brother is a good man, one of the best men I know."
Bellamy folds into herself, wrapping her arms around her middle. "I feel safe here. I don't know my brother, but he wouldn't hurt me." She looks away. "I know what bad is." She looks back at me. "Blake's not bad."
