One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “That wasn’t smooth. That was honest.”
Firelight danced across the hard lines of his face while ocean wind curled around them both. Up close, Blaze always looked overwhelmingly masculine in a way that felt impossible to ignore.
He carried himself with the kind of quiet confidence that made women instinctively trust him to keep them safe. And desire them at the same time.
That combination should have required legal supervision.
“I’m glad you came,” he said quietly.
Johanna lifted one shoulder casually, pretending his voice didn’t affect her nervous system. “I was promised snacks.”
Blaze stepped slightly closer. “I invited you because I wanted you here.”
There it was again. That direct honesty that completely disarmed her.
Blaze said exactly what he meant, every single time. No guessing. No mixed signals. No wondering where she stood.
Johanna broke eye contact first and glanced toward the firebecause too much eye contact with this man felt emotionally unsafe. When Johanna glanced back toward the bonfire, she realized the crew was pretending not to watch them.
Ryan stood near the cooler wearing a smirk big enough to require medical intervention while Michael whispered something to another firefighter that immediately made both men laugh. Across the fire, MacKenzie sipped her drink with the satisfied expression of a woman who absolutely believed she deserved credit for this entire reunion.
“Your friends are annoying,” Johanna muttered.
Blaze laughed softly beside her. “You should hear the things your sister says to me.”
Her head snapped toward him immediately. “Why are you talking to Paige?”
“She texted me earlier.”
Johanna looked genuinely horrified. “Why?”
Blaze fought a grin and failed completely. “Apparently she needed reassurance I wasn’t out here acting stupid with her sister again.”
“I’m going to strangle her.”
“That’s fair.” His grin widened. “But your little friend group might get to me first.”
Johanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What does that mean?”
Blaze took a slow sip of beer, clearly enjoying himself now.
“The Saltwater Sisters added me to a group chat.”
Her soul nearly left her body.
“No.”
“Oh, yes.” He nodded calmly. “And for the record, those women are aggressive. Tasha threatened to tie me to the fire station pole if I even thought about playing with your emotions.”
Johanna closed her eyes slowly while mentally calculating the cost of a one-way ticket to another continent.
Possibly Japan.
Definitely somewhere without Wi-Fi.
Beside her, Blaze’s grin only deepened.
That man smiling is a public safety issue.
