Chapter 31 Unlocking the Heart
Olivia: POV
I suddenly realized I'd blocked Blake. My eyes widened with shock as his words sank in.
"Blacklist? Oh shit—" I fumbled with my phone, frantically navigating through the settings. Sure enough, there was Blake's name in my blocked contacts list, looking back at me accusingly. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot I did that."
I quickly unblocked him, and within seconds, notifications flooded in—dozens of missed calls, unread texts, and even emails from the past month.
"I didn't mean to..." I trailed off, scrolling through the messages with growing guilt. The most recent ones showed genuine concern: Are you okay? Just let me know you're safe.
Blake was watching me, his expression unreadable. Those dark eyes seemed to pierce right through my flimsy excuse before I even voiced it. I cleared my throat and lied through my teeth. "I must have blocked you by accident. I was trying to block a spam caller."
One of his eyebrows arched skeptically, and I caught the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth—not quite a smile, more like suppressed disbelief. "You accidentally blocked just me? Not your other contacts?"
"These things happen," I said lamely, putting my phone away and avoiding his penetrating stare. "Technology, you know?"
"Right." His tone made it clear he wasn't buying it for a second. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, a gesture I'd noticed he did when he was trying to control his temper.
The paramedics had finally cleared out of Jason's apartment, and the police were finishing their statements. I was desperate to get out of there, away from the lingering smell of Jason's cologne and the memory of his hands on me.
"Well," Blake said, standing up and offering his hand with that careful politeness he used when he was angry but trying not to show it, "since you've had a scare, let me drive you home."
I hesitated, studying his face. After what had just happened, the thought of being alone wasn't appealing. "Fine. But only because I'm still a little woozy from whatever Jason put in my coffee."
Blake nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Good choice. You shouldn't be driving right now anyway."
The cool night air felt amazing after the stuffiness of Jason's apartment. Blake's Range Rover was parked illegally on the curb, a fact the officers had politely ignored—probably because Blake had that commanding presence that made people bend rules without even realizing it.
Once inside, I leaned back against the leather seat, suddenly exhausted. The events of the evening—Jason's drugging attempt, Blake's rescue, my adrenaline-fueled fight—all crashed down on me at once.
"You're safe now," Blake said quietly as he started the engine, his voice gentler than it had been all evening.
I nodded gratefully, too tired to maintain my usual defenses.
As we pulled away from the curb, Blake glanced at me directly. "So... a month of radio silence? That's quite a disappearing act."
"I needed space," I admitted, eyes still closed. "Things were getting... complicated."
"Complicated how?" he asked, his voice careful. When I peeked at him, I saw his knuckles had gone white on the steering wheel.
I didn't answer, and he didn't press. The city lights streaked past in blurred patterns behind my eyelids as Blake drove carefully through the night traffic.
When we stopped at a red light, I opened my eyes and noticed my seatbelt had twisted uncomfortably across my chest. I reached up to adjust it at the same moment Blake turned to check on me, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Your seatbelt looks—" he started, reaching across me with those long fingers.
Our hands collided as we both tried to fix the twisted strap. I jerked back in surprise, but the sudden movement made me lose my balance. Blake instinctively reached out to steady me, his hand catching my shoulder just as I turned toward him.
The momentum brought our faces together in a rush. Our lips met completely by accident—a collision neither of us had intended.
For one breathless moment, time stopped. The kiss was soft, unexpected, and sent shockwaves through my entire body.
His lips were warm and surprisingly gentle, and I could smell that familiar scent of his cologne mixed with something uniquely Blake. I was back in that dream—the heat, the desire, the rightness of it all.
I felt his sharp intake of breath, saw his eyes widen in shock before they fluttered closed for just a second. His hand on my shoulder tightened almost imperceptibly.
Then reality crashed in. I jerked back simultaneously, eyes wide with shock.
"Oh God, I'm sorry," I stammered, my face burning hot enough to power a small city. I could feel my cheeks flaming red as I pressed my fingertips to my lips. "I didn't mean to—"
"No, that was my fault," Blake said quickly, his voice rough and deeper than usual. His own face had flushed, and he was staring at me with an expression I couldn't quite read—surprise, confusion, and something else that made my stomach flip. "I shouldn't have—"
A honk from the car behind us broke the moment. The light had turned green.
Blake quickly returned his attention to the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. I could see a muscle in his jaw ticking as he concentrated perhaps a little too intently on driving.
I pressed myself back against the passenger seat, my heart hammering against my ribs so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken tension.
"That was..." Blake started, then stopped, running his tongue across his lower lip in a gesture that made me look away quickly.
"An accident," I finished firmly, touching my lips unconsciously. They still tingled. "Just an accident."
"Right. An accident." But his voice carried a note I couldn't identify—disappointment? Relief? I snuck a glance at his profile and caught him doing the same thing I was doing, touching his lips as if he could still feel the pressure of mine.
"You know," Blake said finally, his voice carefully neutral, "maybe we should talk about what happened that night."
My face flamed hot again. "There's nothing to talk about. I was drunk and didn't know it was you. Besides, you're interested in someone else now, remember?"
Blake's jaw tightened, and I saw his hands flex on the steering wheel. "Right. Someone else." He paused, then added quietly, "Maybe you're right. We should keep our distance."
The sudden shift in his tone left me feeling strangely hollow, like something important had just slipped through my fingers. I shifted away, pressing myself against the passenger door. "Yeah. Good idea."
The rest of the drive passed in uncomfortable silence. When we finally pulled up to my building, Blake got out first, coming around to open my door before I could do it myself—always the gentleman, even when we were both drowning in awkwardness.
As I stepped out, he stood close—too close—looking down at me with an expression I couldn't read. His eyes searched my face as if he was memorizing it.
"Thanks for the ride," I said awkwardly, wrapping my arms around myself.
"Don't mention it." He paused, then added, "And Olivia? Don't block my number again. We're friends, aren't we?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Take care of yourself," he said softly, then got back in his car.
I hurried inside without looking back, but I could hear his engine idling until the door closed behind me.