Page 18 of Blake

“The biker one please.”

There was no way she was telling him she had an unhealthy attraction to the main character because he reminded her of him. Blake grinned and hit play on the last episode of this season. Pax was relieved to hear there were eight more for her to binge on when she was ready.

She sat through the first episode noticing that Blake was leaving all the big cakey bits for her to eat and smiled.

He motioned to the near-empty tub. “You done?”

“Yeah, I’m fit to burst.” She patted her belly as she leaned back on the sofa.

“Ready for season two?”

“I need to get another drink first.”

Standing, she felt happy that she had managed to go longer without the pain killers. She got herself a cold glass of water and grabbed him a beer from the fridge before moving to sit back down. She felt Blake’s eyes on her and turned to look at him. “What?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Just impressed with how you’re recovering from such a nasty attack,” he said as he studied her.

“Yeah, well, I can’t take credit for that. I guess I just heal quickly,” she replied with a shrug.

“I meant mentally. You seem to have taken it in stride.”

She felt him slide his arm along the back of the sofa and became acutely aware that he would only need to move his hand an inch and he would be touching her. Her instinct was to tell him that she was unaffected by the attack and that she didn’t think about it and relive it but that would be a lie. The truth was, she was affected. She did relive it, but she wasn’t afraid and that was because of him. Because Blake hadn’t left her side since he’d arrived two days ago.

She slept easy knowing that Blake stood between her and anyone who wished to harm her. He had become her protector, her constant.

“I’m stronger than I look but mostly it’s because it’s hard to feel afraid when you have someone willing to stand between you and those that want to harm you.” She knew he deserved her honesty.

“I think it has more to do with you than me. You’re much stronger than you realise. I don’t think that it’s training either. I think you have an inner strength.”

“Roz has taught me a lot. I owe her more than I can ever thank her for.”

“How did you end up with her and Zenobi?” His finger began to trace a line from her shoulder down her arm. It was an innocent touch, in no way meant to be sexual, but it was driving her insane.

She tried to ignore it and answer his question. “When I left my parent’s home, I had five hundred dollars in my checking account and a suitcase full of big dreams and not much else. I was determined to prove to my father I didn’t need or want his money. Within two days I’d had my suitcase stolen and was staying in a pay by the hour motel off the highway. I ran out of money pretty quickly and was down to my last cent when I heard shouting outside my motel room door. I was terrified but I’ve always been one of those people that was too curious for her own good.”

Blake lifted a brow and she laughed softly. “Well, you can guess what happened next. I opened the door. I shouldn’t have, I know it was foolish. I cringe every time I think about what could have happened.”

“What did happen?”

“I found Roz slumped by my door barely conscious. She was bleeding from a knife wound to her leg and had taken a pretty nasty beating.”

“What did you do?”

“I dragged her inside and cleaned her up. I was so proud of myself for helping her but when she came around, she went nuts. Reamed me out for being a stupid little girl and opening the door to a stranger. Told me I was lucky I hadn’t gotten raped or murdered.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her,” he said with a chuckle. “It obviously worked out though because you work for her now.”

Pax thought back to that time with a smile. “It did. I stood up to her despite her terrifying me at the time. I may have lived in a gilded cage most of my life, but I have my grandmother’s red hair and her spirit. I think Roz respected that. She stayed with me until she was healed and then kind of adopted me. I’d always been an organiser and she needed that.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

Pax was a little shocked by his question. Nobody ever asked her if she was happy in her work. She had to think for a second before she nodded. “I do, yes. I get to do what I’m good at and play a part in making the world safer for innocents. I know I’m not as important as Bebe or Mustique—”

“Hey, no, don’t do that.” His hand went to the side of her neck. “You’re just as important, if not more so. The lives of those girls that do the actual missions are in your hands and you’re integral to their safety and success. A mission without planning and direction is a recipe for failure. Why do you do that?”

Pax thought about what he was saying. Maybe he was right, perhaps she was more important than she was willing to believe but she never felt that way. All the girls had done things as part of Zenobi, but they had always protected her from the genuinely gritty stuff or killing. She was definitely a behind-the-scenes woman and she was okay with that. Or was she? “I don’t know,” she said dropping her head.

Blake caught her chin in his hand and lifted her head to his. “Such beautiful eyes and so expressive.”