Blaze deepened the kiss, one hand firm at her waist while the other cradled the back of her neck against the cold harbor wind.
Everything else faded into the background. The lights, water, the city moving around them, none of it mattered.
Not when being with Blaze still felt this right and he kissed her like this.
Blaze finally pulled back just enough for both of them to breathe while his forehead rested lightly against hers. A slow grin spread across his mouth.
“You know what your problem is?” he murmured.
Johanna laughed, still breathless. “You really love that question.”
“You keep giving me material.”
Her eyes rolled affectionately before Blaze kissed the corner of her mouth again. Whatever existed between them tonight felt deeper than simple chemistry or physical attraction. Comfort, ease, and years of history wrapped around them. The kind thatcame from knowing someone long enough to know exactly how they fit into your life.
Without another word, Blaze tucked her against his side and started walking again while Johanna leaned comfortably into him.
The intimacy of the gesture settled warmly between them.
“You always do that,” she murmured.
“Do what?”
“Take care of people like it’s automatic.”
Blaze glanced down at her. “You’re notpeople… baby, you’re special to me.”
The answer came so naturally that Johanna looked away before he could see how much it affected her.
Pulling her tighter to him, they wandered along the harbor, stopping inside little shops to keep warm, sharing bites of warm beignets from a New Orleans-inspired café, and laughed harder and easier than either of them expected.
Somewhere between the helicopter ride, the harbor lights, and Blaze feeding her powdered-sugar-covered pastries while looking entirely too handsome for public spaces, Johanna realized something terrifying.
This no longer felt like revisiting an old relationship. It felt like creating something entirely new. Something steadier, deeper, and built by two people who finally understood exactly what they stood to lose if they let each other go again. Which made it much more terrifying. Because now Johanna knew exactly how much of her heart was involved.
By the time they returned to the helicopter pad, the city had settled into deep night. Johanna stepped closer against Blaze as sharp wind swept across the water again.
Blaze looked down at her immediately. “You tired?”
“A little.”
His hand slid slowly along her back. “Come here.”
The tenderness in his voice wrapped around her chest immediately.
During the flight home, Johanna curled naturally against his side while Blaze kept one arm wrapped around her the entire way back to Delaware.
The helicopter lights reflected faintly across the windows while the water stretched dark beneath them.
And for the first time in years, Johanna felt completely peaceful beside him. The anxiety and uncertainty that usually followed had gone quiet tonight, leaving behind only tenderness, safety, and the steady comfort of being wrapped in Blaze’s arms again.
At one point during the flight, Blaze looked down and caught her staring at him again.
“What?” he murmured softly.
Johanna smiled faintly. “Nothing.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “You’re staring again.”
