by Alexa Riley
Blaze’s next taco pauses halfway to his mouth as he watches me. My face warms as I realize I just moaned again while chewing. I try and focus on my food the best I can because I hadn’t meant to make that sound. Did I make that same sound when he kissed me? It’s probably because he’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.
I can feel Blaze watching me but I keep eating, not looking back up at him and not really tasting the tacos anymore. All I can think about is Blaze. I can smell whatever body wash he uses from when he wrapped his arm around me. I remember it from when he showed up and saved me from Mike and I don’t want it to fade. I didn't get to see Mike’s reaction because I was so focused on Blaze pulling me close. Then he called me beautiful and I was lucky I didn’t explode in a cloud of glitter. I felt as though I might at his sweetness. This man is really too good to be true. I also hope that with how he’s acting, Mike gets the hint I’m taken. Not that Blaze and I are doing more than going to lunch, but having another guy around with me will hopefully steer him in another direction.
“You want more?” Blaze breaks me from my thoughts and I realize I’ve polished off my last taco.
My stomach’s full but I’m still hungry for something else—I’m pretty sure for Blaze—but I need to get back to my stupid job before too long.
“No, I’m good.” His hand comes up and then I feel his thumb swipe the side of my mouth. “Thanks.” I grab a napkin and wipe it all over so I know I got everything.
Blaze tore through his tacos and there isn't anything left on his plate or his face. He seriously left nothing behind.
“No dessert?” He nods toward an ice cream cart and I sigh.
“I wish. I need to get back.” He grabs my trash with his own and throws them away as I get to my feet. I really don’t want our lunch to be over.
“All right. I’ll take you back to work, but I get to take you for dessert later.” He puts his arm around me and tucks me close to his side as he guides me back to his truck.
“That sounds nice,” I agree. Now I really have something to look forward to and the excited butterflies are back.
He helps me up into his truck again and this time after he lifts me up, his hands linger on my hips for just a second longer than before. The heat that radiates through me from just this simple touch is almost embarrassing.
“I’ll try and stop texting you so much. I know you’re working,” he says when he gets in and begins to drive to my office building.
“No,” I rush to say, and his smile spreads. “I mean, it’s totally fine, you don’t have to stop unless you’re busy too.” Again I have to fight from turning red. Jesus, I really cannot play it cool. “I’m looking for a new job anyway. What are they going to do, fire me?” I shrug.
“You don’t like your job?” He glances over at me and his eyes soften.
I can tell Blaze loves his job and I wish I could say the same, but for the life of me I don’t know what I want. If anything, right now my mind is consumed with only Blaze. If being with him could be a full-time job, I’d apply.
“I don’t know what I want to do with my life, to be completely honest,” I admit.
“You’ll find it. Trust me, I’ve been there before.” He reaches over and takes my hand in his.
He gives it a squeeze before picking it up and kissing my knuckles. I let out a small sigh and I don’t know why but his words help me feel settled for the first time in a long time. He gives me this feeling of calm I’ve never had before.
All too soon we’re pulling up to my work and he’s jumping out to come open my door. He grabs me when I unbuckle my seatbelt and helps me out of his truck. My body slides down his as he places me on my feet and I gasp at the feeling of him pressed fully against me. I don’t have time to take it all in before he’s kissing me. It’s deep but soft and I get completely lost in it. I forget I’m standing outside my office building and people are walking all around us. To be honest, I forget what country I’m in and what my name is. And I don’t care. I push every thought away except how damn good this feels as I dig my fingers into his shirt.
“Tonight,” he says when he finally pulls back and leaves me breathless. I nod in agreement as I watch him physically force himself to take a step back from me. “Go inside before I snatch you up and take you home with me to have for dessert.”
My mouth falls open, and though it shocks me, it sounds like a wonderful and dirty idea. My face must show what I’m thinking because he gives my bottom a small smack that has me jumping and taking off toward the front door before he can snatch me away. I’m hot and excited and every part of my body tingles for that big muscled man with the baby face to come carry me away.
On the way back in I catch sight of a few of the girls standing outside watching me and I know from the looks on their faces they saw Blaze and me kissing. I hold my head up high as I walk past them and it takes everything in me not to tell them Blaze said he loves my blue hair. If anything, I should tell them thank you. If it wasn’t for their stupid prank on me I never would have met Blaze to begin with.
Chapter Ten
Blaze
I double over in my chair and try hard not to let the Coke come out of my mouth. My abs tighten and my cheeks hurt and I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard.
We’re downtown at a restaurant on the water and the sun is setting in the distance. Rosabelle looks so fucking beautiful sitting across from me with a smile on her face as she shakes her head.
“It’s true!” she cries out as she hits me with her cloth napkin. “I was so worried a watermelon would grow in my belly I stayed up for three days straight.”
I’m finally able to take a full breath and lean back in my chair. She’s wearing a black strapless dress that hugs her breasts and waist but is loose at the bottom. But when I saw her wearing pink Converse with it, my heart leapt. She’s not like any other woman I’ve ever met, and something about how she follows her heart makes me want to stand closer to her, be a part of her.
“That’s so adorable.”
“I was terrified.” She shakes her head as she sips her wine.
I’m not drinking tonight just in case I get a call. We have enough guys to cover the shifts, but one guy broke his leg earlier today and the other got called out of town for a family emergency. Plus, Chief got a stomach flu yesterday, so it seems it all happened at once. They should be fine unless something bad happens, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed it stays quiet.
“What finally made you stop worrying?”
She takes another bite of her steak and shakes her head. “No way.”
“No way what?” I smile at her and lean close. “Now I have to know.”
She rolls her eyes and covers her face. “Let’s just say I saw the evidence that they were no longer inside me.”
I burst out laughing and she throws a roll at me. I catch it and put it on my plate, shaking my head.
“If it makes you feel any better I swallowed a penny when I was eight and my parents never found it,” I say, and her eyes widen.
“Seriously?”
“For weeks my parents had to check for it.” I give her a knowing look and she laughs in delight. “Nothing; it never came out. I keep thinking one day on an X-ray someone is going to find it.”
“You’re just telling me this to make me feel better.” She looks over her glass at me and I shake my head.
“I would have given anything to have known you as a kid.”
“Me too,” she says, and a comfortable silence passes between us.
“I can’t stop looking at you.” Her eyes cut away and her cheeks flush. “I’ve never seen something that makes me ache right here before.” I put my hand over my chest and I can feel my heart grow with every beat. It’s making room for her, for everything about her.
“You say such sweet things. I wonder if this is real.” She traces the edge of the table as if to test it to see if it will disappear.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I
say without breaking eye contact, but just then my radio goes off and it’s dispatch telling me there’s a fire in the area.
“Looks like you might be,” Rosabelle says, and I shake my head as I call it in.
“Looks like we both are,” I say after I talk to them and throw some cash on the table. “Let’s go.”
I grab her hand and rush out of the restaurant with her hot on my heels. “You’re taking me with you?”
“No time to drop you off and the guys need me.” I open my driver’s side door and put her in that way to keep me from having to go all the way around. “Strap in, little unicorn. We’re breaking the speed limit.”
“Oh shit,” she whispers when I hit the siren, but I see the edge of excitement in her eyes.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” I put my hand on her thigh and she leans in to me.
“I know you won’t.”
There’s something between us that is so familiar and intimate. It’s like we’ve done this dance before and we each know the steps and which way our partner will turn. It’s so strange to just have met someone but to feel totally and completely enveloped in them. It’s like she walked up to me and gave me the keys to her heart. I can’t explain it and I’m not sure I want to try and figure it out. I just want to feel it and keep it forever.
“We’re here,” I say as I pull up on the curb and open my door. “Stay in the truck, and I’ll be back soon. You’ll be safe right here. Understand?”
“Got it,” she says with confidence and I drop down out of the seat. “Blaze!” she calls out right before I shut the door. She opens her mouth and then closes it but nothing comes.
“Yeah, beautiful?”
“Be careful.” There’s something in her eyes but I don’t have the time to read it or ask her about it.
“Anything for you.” I wink at her and the look goes away. Was she worried about me?
Her feeling anything for me puts a little pep in my step as I rush over to the truck to talk with the guys. They’ve got extra turnout gear in the truck and I suit up. They’ve already got things going and I look up to see smoke billowing from the upper stories of the building, and people are coming down the emergency escape. Once my oxygen is hooked up I start climbing the ladder to where a group of people are stuck.
It’s a long night but thankfully we get everyone out and nobody gets hurt. That’s what we want above all—to save lives.
But the best part about tonight is when it’s over, Rosabelle jumps out of the truck and leaps into my arms. She wraps herself around me and I hold her for a long time, just because I can.
Chapter Eleven
Rosabelle
“He’s like a real-life hero,” I tell Rie as we stand in the kitchen together. She’s already got her backpack on but she’s hanging on every word I tell her about Blaze. She was passed out on the sofa with her textbooks all around her when I got home last night. As much as I wanted to wake her and tell her about everything that happened, I knew she needed the sleep and it could wait. She, on the other hand, wanted to smack me when she realized I didn’t wake her up to tell her everything.
“I mean, it sucks our night was cut short, but to see him in action…” I pretend to fan myself. “So worth it.” I’d been so scared when he took off toward that building but proud at the same time. I’d fallen just a little in love with him in that moment.
“I love the look he’s putting on your face.” Rie smiles at me, truly happy. This is the first time I’ve been excited about something in a long time. That feeling of being adrift is fading and it’s like something inside of me has settled.
“He had to go back to the firehouse and do paperwork, so he dropped me off and gave me another one of those kisses.” I reach up and touch my lips. I tried to explain to Rie what it was like but there really aren’t words for them. “I didn't know kisses could be like that.”
“I think it has to be the right person.”
“Yeah,” I agree. There’s this connection between Blaze and me and it’s real. I don’t care if it’s crazy fast because I feel it bone deep and I’m trusting myself on this one.
We both turn to look at the front door when a knock sounds. “He’s taking me to work,” I tell Rie and try unsuccessfully to contain my excitement.
“Of course he is.” She walks past me and opens the door to reveal Blaze standing there in jeans and a black shirt that has his firehouse number across it.
It’s stretched tight against his broad chest and I think about how he must spend a lot of time in the gym. His body is perfection, which is crazy because I’ve seen how much he can eat. I think he could out-eat Rie and I’ve never said that about a person before in my life. Rie is tiny but she can put away a meal.
“Here to pick up our Rosabelle?” she asks Blaze, and he smirks.
“I brought food.” He holds up a bag and Rie snatches it from his hand.
“He’s a keeper!” she calls out as she walks out because she’s already running late for class. I’m sure she’ll text me later for more details.
“Thanks for the tip.” Blaze steps inside and I grab my purse.
I told him about Rie last night and we both shared about our families. Blaze’s parents sounded so wonderful but my heart hurt that he lost them. I told him Rie was my family and I couldn't be done with my parents any faster than they could have been done with me. Rie and I would be together forever, so of course I told him he’d have to win her over. The fastest way would be food and it looks like he really was listening.
“What about me?” I tease, but just then he grabs me around the waist and pulls me against him. His mouth comes down on mine and he kisses me until I’m breathless.
“Got your food in the truck.” His hand slides into mine and our fingers tangle together as we walk out of my apartment building.
“You okay?” I ask, giving his hand a squeeze.
“I’m a little tired but I’ll be fine.”
“Have you slept?” Normally I take the bus or catch a ride with Rie, but when Blaze offered to take me to work I jumped all over it. I wanted to see him as soon as I could and didn’t think about him not getting much time to rest.
“I will after I drop you off,” he reassures me as he helps me into his truck. We drive in silence but guilt nags at me.
“Are you not hungry?” He pushes the bag of food at me.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the bag but not feeling so hungry anymore. “This was really sweet of you.” Not only has he not gotten any sleep, he stopped and got both Rie and me breakfast. “I’m sorry.”
I drop my head and feel more guilt. He pulls up to the office building at my work and takes a spot. He was probably up all night doing paperwork and I was selfish enough to take him up on driving me to work.
I look up when my seatbelt unclicks and in the blink of an eye I’m in Blaze’s lap.
“What the hell are you sorry for?” he asks. “I’m the one trying to make up for our date getting side tracked.”
“I don’t care about that,” I gasp. “I could have taken the bus or rode with Rie. You should be sleeping!” It was silly for him to stay up just to take me to work, and it was greedy on my part.
“I promise you, beautiful. I would have never gotten any sleep if I knew I was missing out on having even a few minutes with you.” I melt into him. Gosh, he always says the sweetest things. This man is going to be my undoing. “I’ll sleep later,” he adds before he kisses me.
I moan as his fingers dig into my hair and I wiggle against him, letting out a gasp when I feel his hard cock press into my hip. I rock against it, wishing there were no clothes between us, wishing more than anything we were back in my apartment alone where no one and nothing could interrupt us.
“We gotta stop,” Blaze says between kisses but he doesn’t pull back. In fact, one of his hands goes to my ass to help me rock against him, making me moan again into his mouth. It isn't until I hear a car horn honk from somewhere in the distance that I jerk back f
rom the kiss. Blaze’s hair is a mess from my fingers and I’m sure mine isn't any better. My mouth feels swollen but worse is the need still throbbing between my legs that I know there’s nothing we can do about right now. Reality sneaks back in on us once again.
“I’ll pick you up after work. I got you lunch in the bag too,” he tells me before kissing my forehead and then putting me back into my seat.
“Thank you,” I manage to say and grab my purse and the bag of food. He comes around to open my door for me like he always does.
He brushes his mouth against mine once more before I head into work on wobbly knees. Once again I see the girls watching me and I inwardly groan because I have a feeling they saw what Blaze and I were doing in his truck. One of them opens their mouth and makes a comment that confirms my thoughts.
This is going to be a long day. But at least at the end of it I’ll have Blaze. I have to keep reminding myself of that because I know they are all going to give me hell.
Chapter Twelve
Blaze
I hold the flowers in front of me as I stride past the empty receptionist desk and down the hall where all the cubicles are. I couldn’t stand it anymore and thought I’d surprise Rosabelle with being a little early with flowers she could keep at her workspace. I just couldn’t wait anymore and the anticipation of getting to spend all night with her is enough to have me sitting in the parking lot for the past hour.
I’m trying to fight my smile because I want to appear cool and casual, but it’s no use. There might as well be a bag of puppies inside me just leaping to get to her.
“Ugh, why has she still got that stupid blue hair?”
The words on the other side of the cubicle have me stopping dead in my tracks. Blue hair? Are they talking about my Rosabelle?
“Tasha, you are so bad,” a woman jokes, and it doesn’t sound like she’s scolding her at all.