Dedicated to cassiereader21my partner in crime who encouraged me to publish my long-buried story.

I smiled at him, almost grinning. "Hey, you!"

Blake raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by my reaction. "Hey you, too."

"Life is a wonder. I keep bumping into my professor in weird places." I giggled like a schoolgirl. "Not that I'm complaining."

A smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. "Good to know."

As I twirled on my seat to face him, I let my gaze trail down to his figure. He looked so much younger in a casual outfit. And how did a person get hotter each time I saw him? I was openly checking him out, but I didn't care; my dignity could go down the drain for all I cared.

Blake's body wasn't as athletic as Dean's, but he had broader shoulders and was noticeably taller. His slim-fit dark blue shirt hugged his torso perfectly, and it matched the shade of his irises under the bar light. The sleeve fell at his mid-biceps, revealing a small part of dark curves under the hem.

"Is that" — I leaned closer to get a better look — "a tattoo?"

"Yes, it is." He pulled his sleeve higher to show his tribal armband tattoo with identical but mirroring patterns around his left biceps.

"Wow, it's beautiful!"

"Thank you," he mumbled in a husky voice.

Suddenly aware of how close I was leaning to him, I pulled back as the heat began creeping up on my face. It wasn't from the alcohol boost this time.

"I always wanted to get a tattoo," I said.

"Why haven't you?"

For a few seconds, I thought about the reply to his question, but nothing came up. "Not sure, exactly. Just haven't gotten around to doing it, I guess."

"I see. Where do you want to have it on, then?"

This time, I knew the exact answer to his question, but that made me giggle. "Nowhere to be seen when I have my clothes on."

"Oh." Blake smiled, but before he could reply, Tucker was already in front of us again.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Blake replied. "I was just on my way to Garry's room."

I raised my glass and wiggled it in Tucker's face, trying my luck. "Yes, please."

Tucker gave me a deadpan look. "Nice try," he said and walked away.

Blake shifted his eyes to Tucker and then to me. "What was that about?"

"I'm banned. I can't order any more drinks here." I moaned with annoyance.

"Why? Because you're almost wasted?"

"No. I'm not drunk. Because Lea said so, or she would cut his balls off." I huffed. "Of course, he's holding on to his balls for dear life."

"I heard that," Tucker said from the other side, but I ignored him. I grabbed my phone from the counter and slipped it back into my pocket when he added, "And you should be grabbing a table and ordering something to eat now."

"Oh, come on! I'm not a kid. Nobody's telling me what to do!" I groaned as I jumped off my seat, but the bar stool was higher than I anticipated, causing me to lose balance once my feet landed on the floor. Blake caught me by the elbow before I had a chance to hit the counter. "Thanks," I mumbled, glancing up at him. Once again, noticing how close our faces were and how sharp his eyes bored into mine, shivers ran down my spine. The soft voice in my head told me to run, but I stayed rooted to my spot.

"How much did you drink?" he asked.

"Uh, not much." I gently pulled my arm from his grip. It was getting hard to think clearly in this proximity. The air was now filled with an earthy sandalwood scent, which sent me straight to another kind of intoxication.

He stood, eyes still on me. "Why don't I believe you?"

I just shrugged, knowing better than to reply to him. I should have bid him goodnight and walked away, keeping myself out of trouble, yet I froze there like an idiot. But it was when my eyes caught a familiar figure emerging from the bar entrance.

"Shit!" I scooted and hid behind Blake, using his torso as my shield. What was Dean doing at Bailey's? Was he looking for me?

"What are you doing?" Blake looked around, searching for the source of my weird reaction.

"No, no, no! Don't look!" I whisper-shouted. "I need to get out of here. Can you cover me, please?"

He frowned for two seconds before turning around, grabbing my shoulders, and ushering me to the staff door next to the bar. His chest was pressed on my back, radiating his heat, as he mumbled into my ears, "Back door."

My heart beat so fast from the anticipation of Dean seeing me, but I giggled at the same time. I felt like a bad girl escaping the sheriff. After striding along the narrow corridor with a few doors on either side, we reached a large door at the end of the passage. It had a metal handle and a green exit sign on top.

Petrichor hit my nostrils once Blake the door was open. It was dry and sunny when I drove to the bar, but all I could see now was a dark sky and wet ground. How long had I been inside?

We stood on the small pavement with a hard plastic canopy by the exit door. I assumed it was where the bar personnel spent their break time, chilling and smoking. Since my legs were still shaky from the adrenaline rush, I leaned with my back pressed on the wall to support my weight.

I was in the classroom doing my exams, jumped to the hospital, drove home, pivoted to Bailey's, and ended up behind the bar building, watching the rain. Life was so absurd sometimes.

Blake's head snapped, surprised by my unexpected laughter. "What's so funny?" he asked, his lips curling into a faint smile while his eyes coated with curiosity.

"Nothing. It was just... fun," I said through my giggles. "Thanks, though, for taking me here."

"No problem. So, who was that you just ran from? Are you in some kind of danger?"

"Nah. It was just someone I don't wanna see." I waved my hand with a dismissive gesture.

"Okay?"

"It's family stuff."

"Oh." He nodded while leaning on the wall beside me, making me wonder why he stayed with me there. "Too drunk to be civil?"

He's such a curious cat. I see. "I'm not that drunky drunk."

"Sure." The puzzling glint still lingered in his eyes, but he didn't ask further. Not that I wanted to talk about my problem with him. Or with anyone. I just wanted to think of nothing and forget everything.

Silence crept in, slowly enveloping the air between us. I glanced up to watch the rain dancing frantically under the streetlight before it hit the ground. The constant pitter-patter became the only sound that echoed inside my fuddled mind.

What would I do from here? What should I do now? I should thank him and bid him goodnight, but why am I reluctant to leave? Is it because he's here? No. Get your shit together, Jen.

I craned my neck and looked up at Blake. He was so beautiful. His sharp jaw appeared more prominent from this angle, adorned by his five o'clock shadow. He must have skipped shaving last weekend. My finger twitched at the thought of caressing his jawline. Snap it, Jen!

"Can I..." I paused and shook my head. What did I want to ask him again? "Can I use your phone to call a cab?" I asked. "My phone died, and I can't drive home like this."

Blake glanced down. "I can drive you."

"I thought you wanted to see Garry?"

"It can wait. Nothing urgent."

"Oh."

"It's raining. You might need to wait for hours until the cab arrives, if you're lucky. Maybe no cab is available in this kind of weather. And you're still a bit tipsy," he said.

He had his points, of course. But the fluttering in my belly was not because someone was kind enough to offer me a lift. "Alright. Thank you."

The thought of being alone with him in his car forced my mind to spiral to the forbidden places. All of a sudden, I became hyper-aware of how close we stood. My shoulder touched his sleeve, almost pressing, but it was enough for his scent to envelop me. As if he could read my mind, Blake stared down at me, sending a familiar somersault in my belly, waking up a sense of courage that was never there. My heartbeat began to quicken.

I met his gaze and instantly forgot how to breathe. It felt like being drawn into a circular motion deep in the ocean; I was held captive. The sound of the rain and my jumbled mind blended, forming a blurry scene in the background, as my conscious mind was gliding closer to him, seeking his soul.

All I could see was him.

His gaze lingered on my face and his breath became heavier. Slowly, his eyes trailed down and stopped on my lips, making me feel hot yet shivery at the same time. My legs went weak under his stare, but a surge of confidence was getting even bolder inside me. That was until reasons and consequences had no more claim on me.

I wanted him. Now.

I turned to him, trapping him against the wall, then tiptoed to make myself level with his height. Our faces were now inches apart, and I could feel his warm breath on my face. Gently, I leaned in and brushed my lips against his. The contact sent electric jolts to every fiber of my body. I moaned and started moving my lips, feeling him, tasting him.

But Blake didn't return my kiss. Neither did he push me away.

Once my brain registered what was happening, I was thrown straight into a panic state. I pulled myself away and stood back on my heels. His face was unreadable, but his eyes didn't leave my lips, probably still caught by my bluntness. I closed my eyes, rejection and humiliation beginning to kick in.

"I, I'm s-sorry, I don't know what I–"

Before I could finish my line, Blake's hands were on both sides of my neck, his palms cupping my jaw, and then he closed the gap between us. The next thing I knew, his lips crashed into mine and knocked the air out of my lungs. I felt the pavement below me melt away, prompting me to hold on to his arms to prevent myself from falling.

As if he could sense my struggle for balance, he slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, securing me as our lips moved in sync, taking and giving, pressing and pulling, testing each other's limits. Yet it was nowhere near enough. I wanted more. So much more.

Blake traced his tongue along the seam of my bottom lip, asking for entrance, and I granted him my permission. Then our tongues intertwined. It was slow and tender in the beginning before it escalated into an intense and demanding battle, desperately seeking a deeper connection. I put my hands on the back of his neck to pull him even closer to me, while greedily devouring him and giving everything I had in return.

Blake growled into our kiss. His hands started to roam over my back, caressing my every curve. I whimpered when he stroked my hips, almost squeezing, urging me to press and grind my body to him.

"What are you doing to me, Jennifer?" he asked when we caught some breaths, his voice hoarse. He nibbled my lower lip gently before letting it go and resting his forehead against mine.

I opened my mouth, trying to find the word to reply to him, when a realization hit me.

I just kissed him. Shit.

I pulled away and shook my head. "This is wrong. This is wrong."

"Yeah, this can get us into trouble," he agreed, but tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me back to him.

In the next second, Blake pushed me to the wall and once again he slammed his lips into mine with urgency. We were back to savoring each other and getting lost in raging desire. I crossed the boundaries, but I couldn't stop. I was in a battle that I knew I was going to lose.

My fingers ran through his disheveled hair and curled into a fist as his lips traveled down my neck. His tongue grazed over my skin, burning every spot it touched before his lips settled in the crook of my neck. I groaned as he sucked my earlobe. All I could think about was dragging him to my car and giving in to this temptation. I would worry about the consequences later.

The consequences.

One of them was in the form of a betrayed fiancé.

My eyes shot open. "We can't... I can't," I murmured as I pushed him gently, fighting hard the urge to pull him back into me. "We need to stop. Blake!"

He froze once I called his name. It took him two seconds before pulling himself away. I squirmed when his warm body left mine, but I had to stand my ground. He leaned back on the wall beside me, groaning in the process.

We stood like that for several minutes, allowing our senses back in charge. The silence was deafening.

"Let's get you home," he finally said.

***

The trip to my place was awkward.

After entering my address on his GPS, we drove silently. The thumping sound of the rain hitting the window had never been so loud in my ears. I fixed my gaze on the street, not daring to glance at him, let alone start a conversation.

I had one word to describe what I felt right now: disgust.

I was disgusted with myself. I was the one who initiated the kiss while I knew he had Daphne. I shamefully let him go further, even after realizing what we did was wrong. I should have been able to pull a clear line that he was off-limits.

Blake had also been quiet since we left the bar; I could sense his mood had shifted. I wondered if he regretted doing what we did. Maybe he was now feeling guilty for cheating on Daphne and viewing me as no more than just an easy hookup.

Less than ten hours ago I was so disappointed with my dad after finding out he had been cheating on Mom. And here I was, doing exactly what Katherine did with him.

Who was the biggest hypocrite now?

The car stopped in my flat driveway. The rain was still pouring, but all I wanted was to get out of his car.

"Thank you for bringing me home," I said as I pulled the door handle.

"We need to talk, don't you think?" Blake's voice was calculating.

"There is nothing to talk about. It was... I was just not in the right mind. Stupid alcohol. It was a mistake. I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that. It won't happen again," I rattled off before jumping out. "Good night!" I slammed the door behind me and ran into the rain.

I heard Blake's voice muffled in the rain, calling my name, but I kept running as fast as I could. As far as my feet could take me.

I just needed to run.