Blayze's mind drifted back to matters between him and Sophia. It wasn’t that Blayze wasn’t interested in her. Heck, if anything, he was protecting their chance at a relationship when all of this was through. An act that took strength. Discipline. And a firm hope that they could truly have something special.
They’d shared a lot that day. More parts from their past. Ideas about their future. And more than ever, he found himself yearning to be part of hers. But there seemed to be an unspoken understanding; the romantic side of things should remain on hold.
The soft rustle of blankets from Sophia’s side of the room caused Blayze’s eyes to pop open in alert. There wasn’t a bathroom on this level of the cabin, and if she were heading down to the restroom he’d want to be aware. But as he watched her tip-toing across the floor, moonlight spilling over her silky pajamas, it was evident that Sophia wasn’t heading toward the stairs at all; she was moving toward him.
Blayze clenched his eyes shut as two, distinct reactions battled within him. A thrilling heat low in his belly, and an opposing resolve to keep things platonic. A resolve that—at the familiar, tropical scent of her—was growing sliver thin.
The footsteps slowed as she neared, then stopped altogether. The gentle weight of her came at the edge of his bed, telling him she’d taken a seat there. Her silky hand slid up his shoulder, curled around his bicep, just before he felt the warmth of her nearing.
Heart pounding, mind honing in on the sensations, Blayze held still, paralyzed as the tips of her velvety hair fell over his neck. Heaven help him, she was so close. So tempting.
The bed creaked as she leaned further, and suddenly her lips were on his cheek. Gently teasing his face with a kiss. Thunder—that’s what his heart would sound like in the moment. Loud, thunderous claps that heightened the feel of her heated breath as it trailed to the corner of his mouth. Would she believe he was sleeping with breaths as jagged as his had become?
At once she pressed a kiss, full and firm to his lips.
Yes.
And then he was kissing her back. Pulling her into the bed with him like a helpless slave. With a near pleading groan, Blayze savored the slick heat of her mouth, the incredible warmth of her body, and the need her closeness caused. He moved a flattened hand up the length of her back, the weight of her against him igniting a fire low in his belly.
Selfish thoughts fed into him.Mine.She’d come to his bed after all. Revealed precious, vulnerabilities he couldn’t ignore. And now… now…
He needed to stop things, if he knew what was best.
Another groan sounded from his throat. This one from regret. Dread at what he had to do. Blayze wouldn’t be like his father, taking advantage of a woman in a moment of weakness. He could wait until the timing was right. He could.
“Sophia,” he rasped, dropping his head. He cradled her elbows, working to compose his thoughts. “We need to… this wouldn’t be right.” His breaths came labored and rushed as he lifted his chin. “I really care about you…” The words got lost as Sophia turned rigid in his arms.
“But not inthat way?If that’s what you’re going to say I already know it’s a lie.” She pushed herself up where she sat on the edge of his bed. Enough light crept into the room to see that she’d folded her arms.
“No, I could never deny that. It’s definitely inthatway, of course. I just think that… with everything that’s going on, we can’t be sure that what you’re feeling isn’t just some—”
“Oh, so it’s whatI’mfeeling that you don’t trust. Since I’m just an emotional girl I need to have my feelings put in check by Mr. Calm and Collected.”
Blayze tilted his head, working to sift through what she’d said. “You’re saying that I don’t trust your feelings, which means I really didn’t communicate well. That’s not what I was saying—”
“Just stop,” Sophia snapped, climbing off the bed. “You did it, okay? You proved how strong and focused and disciplined you are. Bravo.” She stomped to the stairs and hurried down the spiral case.
Blayze kicked the covers at his feet and climbed off as well, but he stopped once he got close to the staircase. If he went down there, things would only escalate. Sophia wanted her space, and he’d give it to her. He might not get any sleep, trying to keep track of her in some other area of the home, but at least this way things would be put on hold. He just hoped that—when all this was over—she’d be able to see the events more clearly. Perhaps they both would.
He keyed in to the sound of her footsteps, mentally following as she went into the master bedroom. Despite her reaction, Blayze knew he’d done the right thing. He was glad about that. But that didn’t stop regret from stabbing into him like shrapnel. And the truth was, if he could go back, he’d take a different course.
The fact was enough to sober him in a blink. He sighed, walked over to the nightstand, and flicked on the lamp. He’d shut their personal cell phones down before heading to the cabin, even Roman’s, and activated a few disposable phones he’d had on hand. He doubted the hostile was sophisticated enough to track them through cellular pings, he’d had him pegged as more of an amateur, really. But the thing with the drone had thrown him off. It would take a certain level of skill to pinpoint the window to an exact room. Which gave way to another thought. Just how would the hostile know when to trigger that bomb in time? Perhaps there had been another drone close by, a set of watching eyes.
Blayze pulled the phone from the drawer to check that he hadn’t missed anything. He was sure the screen would be blank, but as he moved to put it back in its place, he realized there was something there after all. A message from Nicolas:
Please don’t tell Sophia, but…
Blayze groaned and rolled his eyes. Any message that started like that was one he’d rather do without. He shook his head and forced his gaze back on the message.
…but I’ve lost my lead in the campaign. Thoughts of the bomb threat got the best of Michelle Marshall. She had a panic attack before going on today, and had to ask Shantell McJenski, Sophia’s second choice, to do it for her. I think it’s best if Sophia stays off the internet while you’re there. With me losing my lead, she may do something foolish, further putting herself at risk. I’m sure things will sway back in my favor before we’re through. Thank you for your discretion.
“Great,” he hissed under his breath. “Thankyoufor putting me in a no-win situation with her.” Moments ago, Sophia had accused Blayze of distrusting her feelings. If he obeyed her father’s wishes, he’d do so in the name of that very thing: assuming her feelings would drive her to do something irrational. But if he considered things further, Nicolas wasn’t asking a whole lot. Had he asked him to hide something from Sophia regarding her safety, he wouldn’t do it. He’d show Sophia the respect she had asked him for. But this, knowing what her father’s numbers were, it wasn’t exactly classified information.
The disposable phones he’d picked up for them didn’t connect to the internet; and Blayze could easily claim the Wi-Fi was too weak in that area to connect to her laptop. Perhaps he’d make a compromise. Hold off on giving her access for a day, saying that he needed to locate the server’s password. That would keep the waters calm for a day and hopefully give the DA’s numbers a chance to bounce back up.
Blayze tore a blanket off the bed and trudged down the spiral staircase. With Sophia on the main level, he’d need to be down here too. The spare room should be more than good enough, but for whatever reason he couldn’t get himself to do it. Sleeping on the couch was a lot like sleeping in the loft. He could catch eyesight of the garage, patio, and front door with no more than a lean this way or that.
Yet, as he lay back on the massive couch, the leather cool against his back, he couldn’t help but wish he could take back what he’d done upstairs. He let himself imagine what it might be like if he walked into the master bedroom right now and apologized. She’d be angry with him, sure, but could he help her see past it—enough to sample that pretty mouth once more? Blayze knew the answer to that was unsure, but as he drifted off to sleep, he imagined her doing that very thing.
