"Died three years ago. Liver failure." I say it matter-of-factly, but the grief is still there, buried under layers of resentment and exhaustion. "I'd been taking care of her until the end. Even when she didn't deserve it. Even when I hated her for what she put us through."
Blaze stops walking and I stop too. When I look at him, there's something fierce in his eyes.
"You're incredible," he says.
He steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. His hand comes up, cups my cheek. His palm is warm and rough, and I lean into it before I can stop myself.
"You don't have to carry the world alone, Serena. Not anymore."
My eyes sting. I blink back my tears and refuse to cry.
His thumb traces my cheekbone. "This sounds insane. I know, believe me I can hear it. But I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want to be the person who puts you first. If you'll let me."
If you'll let me.
Four words. That's all it takes to crack something open inside me.
"Blaze..." My voice breaks. "I don't know how to do this."
"Then we figure it out together." He pulls back just enough to look at me. "I'm not asking you to choose me over your job or your sister or your responsibilities. I'm just asking for a chance. We'll find a way around the rules."
"My supervisor is already watching me?—"
"Then we'll be careful."
"Blaze." I grip his wrists, holding on like he's the only solid thing in my spinning world. "It could ruin everything.”
"Or it could be the best thing that ever happened to us." He smiles, soft and certain. "I'm willing to take that risk. Are you?"
"Yes.” And I am. I’m so tired of being careful it makes me sick.
His eyes darken.
CHAPTER 8
SERENA
Blaze’s lips brush mine. The touch is feather-light at first. It’s like he’s asking for permission and I answer by fisting the front of his shirt and pulling him closer. He groans against my mouth and electricity whips through every inch of me.
His hands slide into my hair and tilt my head back as he parts my lips with his tongue. It's not gentle anymore. It's hungry and desperate. It’s everything I've been dreaming about from the moment I left him in bed.
I melt into him.
My back arches as his arm wraps around my waist. He hauls me against his chest and I can feel every hard inch of him pressed against me. The heat pooling low in my belly turns molten.
Buzz. Buzz.
“Your phone—” I start, but Blaze shrugs it off.
"They can wait. You have no idea what you do to me, Serena.”
My name is like a prayer on his lips and I’m ready to get on my knees. He walks me backward until my shoulders hit a tree. The bark is rough through my jacket. But it’s hard to care when his mouth is on my neck and fire trails down to my collarbone. Igasp and my fingers dig into his shoulders as he nips at my pulse point.
"You're so fucking beautiful." His voice is a rasp against my skin. "Every time I saw you this week, it took everything I had not to drag you into a supply closet."
"Maybe you should have."
He pulls back just enough to look at me. His pupils are blown wide, his chest heaving. "Don't say things like that unless you mean them."
