When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested lightlyagainst hers.
“One day at a time,” he murmured. “We don’t have to figure out forever this morning.”
The words loosened something inside her she hadn’t realized was clenched so tightly.
Maybe that was enough.
Maybe one day at a time with Blaze was already more than she’d had in years.
Outside, Sheraton Beach slowly woke beneath pale morning light. Inside, Blaze Carter held her like he had no intention of letting her go again.
And for now, that was more than enough.
* * *
Blaze eventually convinced Johanna to leave the bed.
Barely.
Mostly by bribing her with breakfast delivery and kissing her senseless every time she tried to pull away long enough to think clearly.
Which felt deeply unfair.
By the time she finally disappeared into the bathroom, Blaze was sprawled across her sheets wearing the kind of satisfied grin that belonged to a man who’d finally stopped looking for something he already had.
He lay there listening to the muted sound of water behind the bathroom door, one arm thrown behind his head while the memory of her body lingered warm against his skin.
Johanna.
Not another sleepless night replaying old conversations and wondering what would’ve happened if either of them had been brave enough sooner.
He was here in her bed. And right now, there was no other place he wanted to be.
Blaze dragged a hand down his face slowly, exhaling a rough laugh under his breath.
He was absolutely fucked because eventually he would have to come back to reality.
The bathroom door opened a second later, and every coherent thought in his head disappeared immediately.
Johanna stepped out in an oversized white T-shirt that barely covered the tops of her thighs, damp curls clinging to her shoulders, her skin flushed soft from heat and steam. She looked freshly ruined and entirely too beautiful for first thing in the morning.
Blaze sat up slowly, gaze dragging over every inch of exposed skin.
Johanna narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think about it.”
“That sounds incredibly anti-romantic.”
A reluctant laugh escaped her.
Blaze leaned back against the headboard, completely unapologetic as he looked at her.
“You walking around like that should honestly require a warning label.”
Johanna rolled her eyes and turned toward the dresser drawer. “You’re dramatic.”
“No, baby.” His voice lowered. “I’m trying very hard to behave.”
Heat crept visibly across her cheeks.
