Page 47 of Split You Open

The careful mask she put in place slips away. The expression on her face is pure, unadulterated exhaustion. The emotional turmoil on top of the physical exertion she’s gone through is so clearly written on her face right now that I just want to pick her up, tuck her into my chest, and carry her to bed.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Blair, I⁠—”

She steps back, letting her hands fall and forcing my arms to drop. Just as I open my mouth to beg her not to leave me, the corner of one side of her mouth curls up into a tired smile.

“Dinner’s burning.”

“Shit!”

I leap to my feet, turn and find smoke coming out of the oven. As fast as I can, I remove the pizza from the oven. It’s not too bad. There’s definitely a bit of a char on it, though. I turn around ready to go back to our conversation only to find Blair right behind me.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she whispers. “I still love you, Wes.”

My knees wobble as my head spins.

Blair loves me.

She loves me even though I couldn’t protect her from Ledger’s insanity. Despite my shitty past.

I swoop her up into my arms and twirl her around just as Santi had done when he’d gotten his hands on her. She giggles as I place her on her feet. But the sound is cut off as I bend down and kiss her. Her arms come around my neck and my tongue dives into her mouth.

There’s nothing more I want right now than to consume this woman in front of me. I need to make up for lost time, and then worship the ground she walks on for the rest of my life.

I walk her backward until her back hits the island. Not bothering to break the kiss, I grab her hips and hike her up so that she’s sitting on the counter. My heart is beating fast and my dick is so hard it’s nearly painful. I reach up to cup her face but as I do, I notice the subtle tremor shaking Blair’s body.

When my hands fall back to her hips, I clock the weight loss.

I might be ravenous for this woman before me, but not enough to push aside her needs. With a great deal of difficulty, I break our kiss and pull away. Blair’s lashes flutter as she looks up into my face. Those dark circles under her eyes only confirm that holding off on this is the right answer.

“Go upstairs,” I tell her. “Lay down in my bed. I’ll bring you some food.”

“But—”

“Upstairs, baby girl. You’re dead on your feet. Don’t make me tell you again.”

Blair gives me a cheeky smile, but it’s short-lived as she hops down and does as she’s told. I watch as she disappears. It’s only when she’s out of sight that I start moving. I cut the pizza, plate it, grab a glass of water, and then pull out the batch of brownies I stress-baked earlier tonight and cut her off a square.

I make a quick stop in the upstairs bathroom before I head for my room. When I get there, I find Blair there, sitting crossed legged in the middle of the bed dressed in one of my shirts. Her discarded pajamas are neatly folded on the long dresser on the other side of the room. My shirt is massive on her, so much so that the neckline drapes over one of her shoulders. She looks good in it. The sight of her in my shirt feeds into some deep-seated, primal possessiveness in me.

Blair smiles as I kick the door shut behind me and scooches further back so I can join her on the bed. Her eyes narrow on the plastic package on the plate as I cross the room.

“What’s that?”

“Apparently, at some point, Santi ordered a year's supply of birth control. It showed up the day after you and Rhett took off,” I explain. “So, I’m taking advantage of his enthusiasm.”

Blair laughs .

“Looks like a daily pill—you ok with this? I can always grab a condom if⁠—”

Blair holds up a hand. “No, that’s fine. I want to feel you all cum inside of me so I’m more than happy to take it. Someone will have to remind me though.”

My brain barely processes anything after “I want to feel you all cum inside of me”.

Could Blair be any more perfect?

“I appreciate the dinner,” she says, taking the plate I offer her and the glass of water. As she tears into the birth control packet and takes the first pill she adds, “But there’s something I want more.”