“Maybe.”
Blaze leaned down and kissed her forehead gently before pulling her a little closer against him.
And somewhere high above the coastline between Baltimore and Sheraton Beach, Johanna realized she was already imagining what forever with Blaze Carter might actually look like.
Which was either incredibly romantic…
or the beginning of another terrible decision.
Chapter 13
After the helicopter touched down in Sheraton Beach, Blaze drove Johanna home with him. Minutes later, he ushered her inside his beach house and quietly closed the door behind them.
Outside, the ocean rolled toward shore in steady waves, the sound filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside, only a single pendant light glowed above the kitchen island, casting pools of amber light across the quartz countertops while the far corners of the room disappeared into shadows.
Johanna should have been thinking about the incredible evening they'd just shared. Instead, all she could think about was the man standing a few feet away, looking at her as if he couldn't quite believe she was there.
For several seconds, neither of them moved. The silence wasn't awkward. It felt full, weighted with things neither of them needed to say.
Then Blaze stepped closer.
His hand settled against her waist. The simple touch sent warmth spreading through her chest.
Lord.
She'd always reacted to him this way.
Blaze's gaze traveled slowly across her face, taking his time, studying her as if he were committing every detail to memory.
Johanna felt the look all the way to her toes.
"You know what this scene reminds me of?" he asked.
A smile appeared before she said, "The night my parents drove to Philadelphia for dinner."
"Exactly." His grin widened.
Johanna laughed.
"I was convinced your daddy was gonna come home early and kill me."
"He would've."
Blaze nodded. "No doubt."
The memory unfolded between them effortlessly. She could still see that night as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. A nervous teenage Blaze sneaking through the back door. The two of them standing in a kitchen not unlike this one, lingering beside the counter for hours because neither of them wanted the evening to end.
Back then, everything had felt monumental. Every touch. Every kiss.
Especially the kisses.
The butterflies had been relentless. The anticipation almost unbearable. Somehow, standing together all these years later, Blaze still had the ability to make her feel exactly the same way.
Now it was worse.
Because she knew what it felt like to lose him. And what it felt like to get him back.
Blaze reached up and caught a curl that had fallen across her cheek. His fingers slid gently through her hair before tucking it behind her ear. The gesture should have been simple. Instead, it felt achingly tender.
