The specs grew smaller, fewer and further between, until they too, fell from his view. Blayze gulped, that single, printed word coming to mind once more—BOOM!Guaranteed, the explosion to come wouldn’t be so tame.
Chapter 10
“I’m not willing to cancel all of my appearances and go hide in some cabin, Blayze.” Sophia folded her arms in defiance as Blayze yanked the shirt he’d worn earlier from the back of a chair and shoved it into his bag.
“Too bad,” he grumbled, storming to the closet. He tugged a long-sleeved shirt from the hanger and shrugged into it before snatching a pair of folded jeans from the shelf. “I’m about to drop my shorts so I suggest you turn around and get packing your own things.”
Before Sophia could register what he said, Blayze took hold of the waistband of his gym shorts at either side.
She jerked away fast, turning to face the open doorway instead. Anger raged within her. “You said you’d be respectful of my choices. That you wouldn’t just make executive decisions with my father and Roman.”
“I’m not,” he said. “This decision wasallmine. You said the one you refused to miss was on November 4th. I’ll get you to that one. But the rest are canceled until further notice.”
“Tomorrow’s wasreallyimportant to me too. It’s second on my priority list.”
“Which is probably why this guy upped the stakes tonight,” he said. “Now get packing unless you want me to do it for you.”
A vision of Blayze recklessly tossing her makeup into its case was enough to get her moving. They definitely needed to leave the penthouse; there was no arguing that. If she could just do tomorrow’s event, she’d trade it for all the others leading up to the one on November 4th. It was one of the most well attended events of the season.
Great.Sophia shouldn’t have kissed him. How was he supposed to see her as just a client now that they’d tested the romantic sparks between them?Ignitedthem was more like it.
Even among the anger and fear—the sheer chaos of the moment—a secret thrill rumbled deep in her chest. That kiss had been something else. Well, kisses, since they’d shared an exchange that could’ve lasted the entire night long if they’d let it.
Sophia shook her head and focused on the task at hand. Twisting lids on texture cream and toothpaste. Wrapping cords around the blow dryer and straightener. A rustle sounded from the room, and she stepped back to catch a view from the bathroom to the armoire. Blayze was there, removing her wardrobe bag and laying it flat across the foot of the bed. She turned her attention back to the vanity, listening as he unzipped the bag.
“I still have to get clothes on, you know?” she hollered.
“Am I safe to assume you won’t be wearing one of your business suits?”
“Skirt suits,” she corrected. “And yes, I guess.” Irritation stirred up again. “I’m almost done in here. I’ll be there in a sec to help. Why don’t you…”
“What?” he snapped.
“Nothing.” She zipped up her makeup kit, wedged it into the large cosmetic bag, and hiked it over her shoulder. “We knew this was coming,” she said, scurrying through the bedroom to the dresser. “I don’t know what the big surprise is.” She pulled open the bottom drawer where she’d placed a pair of jeans. Bringing them had been more of an afterthought, but she was glad to have them now. She settled on a light-knit sweater and scurried back to the bathroom, closing it enough to give her privacy to change.
“You’re just going to ignore my last comment?” She stepped into the legs of her jeans and tugged them over her thighs. “Huh?”
“Sophia, I’m focused on your safety right now. I’m not purposely ignoring you. Can we please put this conversation on hold and we’ll pick up once we’re in the SUV?”
She shrugged the sweater over her head before threading her arms through the sleeves. “Fine.”
“Roman just texted me. He’s heading down to the car and wants us to meet him outside the parking elevator.
Sophia remained quiet, but inwardly she was warring with herself. She couldn’t just back down and miss out on two of the most important events on her schedule. Why should they let him win like that? It wasn’t fair.
Blayze draped the wardrobe bag over his arm, snatched the cosmetic bag she’d rested on the floor, then nodded toward her upright suitcase beside her. The words,I’m letting you carry thatwere so clear in the action he may as well have spoken them.
She didn’t argue, only glanced toward the massive wall of windows as she followed him through the penthouse and toward the entryway. A vision of that pretty package came to mind, the way it disintegrated in a flash behind the glass. In her anger, Sophia had silenced the initial fear, but as she let her eyes drift back to their spot on the couch, the untouched bottle sitting in the ice bucket, that fear came back full force. Blayze wasn’t the only one who’d been influenced by their shared time. Because in that moment, the person she feared for most was him. He’d sworn to protect her. To risk his life for her.
The burden of that promise lay thick as the elevator made its descent, bypassing the main floor and going straight into the underground parking garage. Away from all the normal people experiencing normal things like late-night cocktails at the bar.
The double doors rolled apart with a heavy whoosh. A wave of cool, musky air rushed into the space. Roman stood on the other side of the doors, his back against the SUV. A whirlwind of opening doors, tossing luggage, and slamming the hatchback ensued, and soon each of them was seated.
Yellowed light cast shadows over the garage as they wound their way toward the exit. At the mouth of the cave-like structure, Roman took a right onto Concord Street at the edge of San Bernardino.
“How many men inspected the vehicle?” Blayze asked.
“Two besides myself,” Roman said. “One who specializes in explosives.”
