Chapter Eleven
The song that the band played had a heavy beat that Toby began to instantly move to. Blake laughed and began moving with him. Toby grabbed her hand and spun her around and her laughter increased as the spinning got faster and faster while her hair flew around her.
He stopped and grinned at her. They danced together, their hips swiveling and their arms flying everywhere in time to the music.
The girl at the microphone let her voice ring loud and clear and the bass player grinned wickedly as he picked up the pace, his fingers moving deftly over the neck of his guitar.
Finally the song stopped to a loud, raucous applause. Toby grinned over at Blake, then his eyes smiled at someone behind her shoulder.
She turned and fell into Curtis Redfern's broad, muscular chest. His arms wrapped around her waist to steady her and the eyes that looked down into her upturned face were deep and fathomless. "Sorry Toby," he called to his friend, letting go of Blake's waist and allowing her to step away. "This dance is mine."
Toby held his hands up in surrender and shook his head then moved through the crowd to talk to some of his other friends. Blake looked up at Curtis to see if he was serious.
He was. He had seen Toby and Blake dancing together. He had been unable to take his eyes off her graceful body as she moved with the music as if it ran through her blood. He had been dying to snatch her away from Toby as soon as they had disappeared to the bar together and the easy and relaxed way they had been dancing together had made his stomach turn.
Blake herself was now not so much at ease. In fact, she uncomfortable and unsure and painfully aware of her heart as it began to beat faster.
Her dismay was topped off when the next song began slow and softly. Curtis kept his eyes locked on hers as he pulled her close and took her hands to place behind his neck. His own went to where they had been not more than five seconds before around her waist.
They began to move in time to the music as they vampire behind the microphone began to sing softly.
You're only just a dreamboat,
Sailing in my head.
You swim my secret oceans,
Of coral, blue and red.
You're smell is incense burning,
Your touch is silk and yet,
It reaches through me skin,
I'm moving from within
As it clutches at my back…
Blake rested her forehead on Curtis' shoulder to hide her face and to hide the feeling of overwhelming happiness and excitement at being in his arms again.
Curtis reached up to tilt her head back to look into her eyes. He didn't know what he was doing. All he knew was that it felt right and that he liked it.
Blake could see a look in his eyes. It was as if he was trying to say, 'look, can't you see that it's meant to be like this? We're meant to be together.'
She swallowed and closed her eyes involuntarily. Curtis' arms tightened around her and she thought he would kiss her but he didn't. He just touched her cheek and smiled tightly. He knew that she wasn't ready.
She felt disappointment and relief at once. Disappointment because she knew then that she loved Curtis and that it was a love that wouldn't die and that she couldn't run from. Relief because she knew that that love could be the ruin of her and distract her from her goal.
He bent his head down to her ear. "I love you, Blake Starling. Don't you know that?" he whispered, his breath tickling her and sending a shiver down her spine. "I love you but it's not enough. You have to let me love you." His voice was soft and full of emotion. It was like he knew she was holding herself back and he wanted her to just surrender to what was happening between them.
Surrendering would have been so easy. So dangerously easy.
Blake swallowed and felt tears well up in his eyes. Why was it that whenever she was around this boy she felt like crying?
"Don't Curtis," she begged quietly. "Please don't. Just leave it be okay? It will never work and I'll just hurt you and you'll hurt me."
Curtis made her look up at him. His expression was serious. "Look into my eyes Blake and say that again. You know and I know that I would never hurt you."
Blake shook her head and looked down, her black hair falling to curtain her face.
Suddenly Curtis pulled her close and wrapped an arm around shoulders and nestled her head in his chest. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair as she let some of her tears fall onto his shirt.
"God Blake," he swore. "Why can't you just talk to me? There can't be anything you've got to say that could be any worse than the things I've done in my time. You're perfect. You're strong and determined and sassy. You're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire long life. I want you to say that you're mine before Toby or another one of those guys that have been staring at you all night snatch you away from me."
Blake's shoulders shook as she laughed. She looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head. "I'm not going to be snatched away," she said.
"So can I say that you're mine?" he asked softly, teasingly.
She looked up and smiled into his eyes. "I'm not going to let you label my foot with your name."
He returned the smile. "I bet you have beautiful feet," he whispered through veiled eyes.
She felt her heart began to hammer and it took all her effort to pull away from him. She held his shoulders as she took a step back and was able to see the hurt in his eyes and the puzzlement. She squeezed his shoulders and smiled unsteadily, shaking her hair back then released him.
"I think I should go," she said slowly. "I want to be awake and alert for tomorrow."
Curtis sighed and averted his eyes from her own. He dug his hands into the pockets of jeans and shrugged his shoulders. When he turned back to her his midnight eyes were dark again and unreadable.
His voice when he spoke was cool and even. "Whatever you say Blake. I'll call you okay?" He pushed his way through the crowd and headed back to the table. She took a deep breath to calm herself and followed him to pick up her jacket.
When she reached the table, she took her jacket from the chair and glanced at him. He was sprawled back lazily in a chair, his muscular body leaning into it in a relaxed kind of way. He tucked a lock of dark hair behind his ear and refused to look at her. Instead he spoke to Mason.
Blake swallowed and left.