by T. L Smith
He nods to Snow, then Blaze lowers his gun as the girl runs to her father. Hands touch my sides as Marcus helps me out, and when I stand, Blaze is in front of me, his hands roaming my body. I flinch when he gets to my stomach, and he lightly touches my lip where it’s bleeding. “I’m sorry,” he says. I know it’s the most genuine apology I’ve ever gotten from him.
“I need to get home,” I say as a shiver runs through me.
Blaze offers me his helmet, and I turn back to look at Marcus. Who would have thought Marcus would be the safer option, considering he plays with death for a living? “Can you take me?” I ask Marcus.
He nods, then looks to his brother, who I avoid eye contact with as I make my way to Marcus’s car and get in. My eyes stay down, even when he gets in. And even when I know a set of eyes are watching me, I don’t look up.
It’s not worth it.
None of it is.
“Fuck, are you okay?” Rochelle rushes to me as soon as we pull up to my house.
“No, I am not okay. I need a shower so I can scrub myself,” I say with a shiver. I turn to Marcus. “Thanks for bringing me home.”
He simply nods as Rochelle starts walking with her arm around me.
“Blaze was so worried,” Rochelle says, biting her lip. “I know, I know, don’t defend him. But I heard his voice when he rang Marcus. I’ve never heard Blaze be anything less than scary,” she says.
“It will never work, and tonight just cemented that fact for me.” I walk into my bathroom and start undressing.
“Oh God, you’re going to bruise.” Rochelle points to my stomach where it’s already starting to color.
“I’m sure it looks worse than it feels.” I step under the shower. The sting of the water on my lip is just bearable as Rochelle stays in the bathroom with me. I am thankful for having her here. And the fact I’m naked, well, that means nothing when you’re raised with a sister who’s close in age.
“Marcus is probably waiting for you. You should go,” I tell her, letting the water wash over me.
“No. He’s gone back home to get some things. I’m staying for the rest of the day.”
The sun is up now, and that means Annabelle is probably up.
“I’ll need to make an excuse. I can’t let Mom know,” I say, stepping out, being careful with how I dry myself so as not to put too much pressure on my face or stomach.
“Did they…” She looks over at me. “They didn’t, did they?”
“No, thank God. He just rubbed his teeny weeny penis over me through our clothes. I can tell you now that will be enough to give me nightmares,” I say while shaking my head.
“Okay, let’s go to sleep. I’m tired.” She yawns.
“You can go home, Rochelle. I’m a big girl.”
“You’ll need a buffer when Mom arrives. I can tell her you’re sleeping to give you an extra day or so. Plus, I want to stay.” Rochelle walks straight into my room as I throw on an old shirt with panties, and then climb into bed.
The front door is slammed open, making me jolt in bed, and footsteps are loud as they make their way to my room.
When I see who it is, I lay back down.
His hands are to his side, and his face is so stricken I have to look away.
“Blaze…” I take a breath. “You’re not wanted here.”
“Too bad. I’ll stay while you sleep.”
“I have Rochelle,” I say, looking at her. Her eyes bounce from me to him, but I still don’t look to him.
“And me… you have me.” Then I hear his footsteps, followed by the warmth of his body at my back. He envelops me in his warmth, and I know, I just know I am safe right now.
Blinking a few times, Rochelle lays down next to me and turns so she’s facing me. “You got this,” she says with a smile.
“Mom, she’s sleeping. Just let her be.” I hear Rochelle’s voice, and I stay where I am.
“I just want to ask her something, for goodness sake, Rochelle.” I can just imagine Mom shaking her head. “Tell her to call me later.”
“Okay, Mom.”
I hear the door shut, and when her car starts and she drives away, I sneak out to find Blaze is still here, with my daughter on his lap as she lays her head on his chest.
Rochelle looks up from my kitchen, where she’s making a coffee, and smiles. “She woke you… I take it?”
“Yes.”
“That woman doesn’t know how to be silent,” Rochelle says with a shake of her head.
I walk down to take Annabelle from Blaze and clap my hands for her to come, she looks to me then snuggles farther into his shoulder while sucking her thumb.
“Seems she likes me.” Blaze smiles.
“You don’t even like kids,” I tell him.
He looks down at Annabelle, who, little traitor she is, gives him a smile. “I like this one.”
“Annabelle, come on, hunny.” She doesn’t even turn to me.
“Here, have this.” Rochelle passes me a coffee as I study them.
Blaze has a magazine in front of him in one hand, the other arm wrapped securely around Annabelle. He flicks through the pages, not even bothered that my toddler has made herself at home on him.
“Thanks.” I take the coffee as Blaze looks up to me.
“Did you sleep well?” I ignore him and look to Rochelle.
“Mom brought her in, put her down, and she just climbed straight over on Blaze and asked him to pick her up. She hasn’t moved since,” Rochelle tells me as I look back at Annabelle.
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t. There’s nothing to talk about. Whatever this was… it’s over. It. Is. Over.”
“No, it’s not. It’s only just starting.” I shake my head at him. “You made me fall in love with you, and you’re going to break my heart,” he says as Rochelle gasps from where she’s standing.
“You don’t love me, Blaze, you love the idea of me.” I reach for Annabelle and take her, she protests and starts crying, squirming in my arms to go back to Blaze. I kind of don’t blame her, being in his arms is a very nice and safe place to be.
The bonus for me, he smells like leather and sex.
He stands so he’s at eye level with me.
“The idea of you. The feel of you. Just you.” He eyes me. “It’s pretty simple, really.” He takes Annabelle back from me. “Work is covered for tonight. Steve will be in. Fred is at home, and I’ve sent a doctor to check on him, plus supplied food. So, now it’s you and me, once your sister leaves.”
I hear a car door shut, and footsteps come up to the door.
I turn to Rochelle. “You’re leaving?” My hands are now empty, and Annabelle has stopped crying and is curled up and comfortable again in Blaze’s arms.
“I have an appointment with the doctor.” She looks down. “I can cancel it if you really need me here, but I’ll be back straight afterward.”
“No need to cancel it. She will be fine,” Blaze chimes in.
“I really hate you right now,” I say to Blaze.
“Love. Hate.” He shrugs his shoulders. “Such mixed emotions from you.” He sits back down with Annabelle and holds her, as if he’s held her forever, and it’s not his first time. I shoot daggers to him as Rochelle walks out with Marcus, who’s waiting at the front door for her.
“I’ll be back, okay. Don’t go anywhere.”
“I don’t intend to, but I want him gone,” I say, looking at Blaze. “You aren’t welcome here.”
“If you say so,” he says while smiling at Annabelle.
Rochelle waves and leaves, and I stay where I am, standing and looking at him.
“You should put some ice on your lip,” he says, taking the doll from Annabelle, which she never lets out of her sight or parts with. Only certain people are allowed to touch that doll, so the fact that he is, it’s a big gesture. She has a book in her hand, and he starts reading to her. Walking up to my bathroom, I quickly look and see my lip is swollen.
Fuck. Just w
hat I need.
Coming back down the stairs, my doorbell rings, and Blaze’s voice stops. I step over to the door, and there’s a man standing there with two bags. “Order for Blaze.”
I scrunch up my nose and take the bags as the delivery driver walks away. “You ordered food?” I ask Blaze, turning around and shutting the door.
“Figured you’d be hungry.”
“Is he dead, Blaze?” I ask.
He closes the book he was reading and looks up at me. “No. But you won’t hear from him again, I promise.”
I take him for his word.
Somehow, and in some way, I believe him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blaze
Katarina is fighting sleep as she lays on the other end of the couch next to me. A movie is playing, and Annabelle’s asleep in my arms. I text Rochelle to tell her to come by later, that she needs to rest more. She said she would be back by dinner time, and it’s almost dinner. I didn’t think she would eat what I bought for lunch, but I’m glad she did. She hasn’t really spoken to me much, though. And if she does, it’s only to do with Annabelle. Who, I might add, is very fucking special. I don’t like kids, but this one is okay in my eyes.
“It will never work, Blaze,” she says, looking back at me. “We were delusional to think otherwise. I can’t bring any harm to that little girl.” I look down at Annabelle, who is sound asleep in my arms.
“I will never let harm come to her.”
“You took that man’s daughter. Do you think your enemies won’t do the same?”
“No. They wouldn’t dare,” I tell her.
“They took me. So I damn well think they would dare.” Katarina closes her eyes and turns over on the couch, so her back is to me. I get up and walk Annabelle up to her room, laying her in her crib and covering her up. She doesn’t make a sound when I close the door and walk back down. Katarina’s back is still to me as she lies on the couch, and I walk over to her, climbing down next to her. She doesn’t protest as I push her over, so both our bodies now fit side by side.
“They regret their decision now and will forever,” I tell her. I kiss her shoulder and place my hand around her midsection, careful not to touch her stomach too tightly. Rochelle mentioned the bruise. “When I got the call, I imagined what it would be like without you in my life, and I didn’t like it. Not one bit,” I tell her. “I need you in it, and if you’ll have me, I’ll try to prove to you I’m worth it.”
She still says nothing, just lays there not moving, but I know she’s awake because I can feel her breathing, which is uneven beneath my hands.
“I’m going to tell you something, Katarina.” She sucks in a breath at the seriousness of my voice. “I’ve never loved a woman until you.” I kiss her shoulder again and hear her let out the breath she was holding. She turns to look at me and spins her body so we’re flush at the front. If she pushed me right now, I would fall off the couch.
“Those are big words you shouldn’t be playing with Blaze,” she says.
I eye her lips. Even busted up, I still want to kiss them, but I won’t. I stay where I am, watching her, letting her make the move.
“Is that what it takes, big words?” I ask her.
“No. I don’t care for words. I need action. Security. Not once in my life have I relied on a man. I can do everything without one. So, you need to show me that you make my life better, not just that you want to be with me. Because we can continue fucking, Blaze, but not in my house, and you don’t come near my daughter.”
“You want a relationship?” I ask her.
“Yes. Show me you are what fits in my family. Don’t tell me.”
“This is all very new to me,” I tell her the truth. “But I’m sure you’re worth it.” I wink, and she leans in, kissing my lips ever so softly. I hold back, not applying pressure, because if I had my way, she would be on top and I would be making her mine.
She breaks the kiss and pulls back. “Slow,” she says.
“That include no sex?” I ask her.
She giggles.
I stand, and she looks up at me, offering me her hands. I scoop her up and carry her upstairs to her bedroom, laying her on the bed. She reaches for her shirt and pulls it off, then shimmies her boxers down her legs.
“Gentle,” she says, looking up at me.
If you saw a goddess lying naked in front of you, what would you do?
Would you worship her, or run because you know you could never be good enough?
I’m not a clever man.
But I am also not stupid.
I lift my shirt over my head and kick my shoes off as I climb up her body, my lips touch hers ever so softly, being careful of her before I pull away. She goes to reach for me, but I manage to move out of her grasp before she can. My hand touches the top of her pussy, holding her as I lean down and kiss between her breasts. She moans when I blow on her pussy, then kiss it, darting my tongue out to taste her.
She’s addictive, and I’m a man with many addictions. And she’s just climbed right to the top of the list.
Tasting her, she moves, her hands go to my hair, and her hips lift and push up to meet my tongue.
There’s a knock on her front door, and I feel her body freeze. I know it’s only Rochelle, and she has a key.
“Blaze,” she says my name, warning me that we need to stop, but I won’t stop until she comes. Inserting a finger, I feel her body relax again, and her hand goes back to my hair.
“Oh fuck,” she says as I pump my finger in faster, my tongue circling her clit, licking up and down, her hips moving with each touch.
The knock on the door comes again—maybe Rochelle doesn’t have a key—but Katarina doesn’t make a move for me to stop. I know she’s close to coming because her pussy tightens around my fingers, and I pull my mouth away, blowing air on it before I go back and lick her right where my fingers start to the top. She screams and her body starts to shake.
A knock comes again, and I pull away and look down at her. Katarina’s hands are in her hair, her eyes are tightly closed, and I smile.
This is where I want to be forever.
“I’m moving in,” I tell her, and walk out to let Rochelle inside.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kat
What? I did not say he could move in. I hear his voice as he speaks to Rochelle. They both walk up while I still have nothing but the sheet over me. Blaze reaches for his shirt, pulling it over his head as Rochelle looks around and smirks.
“I have to grab a few things… I’ll be back soon.” Blaze walks over, kisses me on the forehead, and walks out.
“I think he likes me now,” Rochelle says when he’s gone, and jumps into bed next to me. “Oh God, am I sitting in sex right now?” she says, jumping straight back up.
“No, we didn’t have sex,” I tell her. She eyes me suspiciously. “We didn’t.” I smile. “But he has a really good tongue.”
“You know he doesn’t seem to want to leave?” Rochelle sits back down, but is careful to sit on the edge.
“He just said he’s moving in. That’s not happening,” I say, shaking my head.
“Well, he could be.” She bites her lip.
“What do you mean?” I ask her, confused.
“I don’t think Blaze takes things at a normal pace. He’s either all in or not.” She shrugs. “It’s one of the things Tanika liked about him.”
“Do you think he loved Tanika?” I ask Rochelle, and she should know.
“Tanika may have been falling for him, but for him, I think it was different. He didn’t look at her the way he looks at you.”
“And how does he look at me?”
“The same way Marcus looks at me, of course. As if we’re the only people on this earth that matter.” She smiles. “They don’t know love. They don’t understand it. They have never had it, Kat.” She touches my leg over the sheet. “You have to decipher their love, and I finally was able to do that for Marcus. It took me a while, but I got th
e way he loves me. And I accept it.”
“What if he can’t love me the way I want to be loved?”
“You’ve never been in love before either, Kat. So, maybe you two can discover it together.”
“He’s not moving in, though,” I say.
“Yeah, you can have that fight and keep me out of it.”
“Where’s Marcus?”
“Outside, waiting for me.”
“You can go. Honestly, you don’t have to babysit me. I’m a big girl and I can look after myself.”
She stands and looks down. “Blaze asked me to stay, and he wasn’t an ass when he asked.” She smiles. “I’m sure he likes me now, and I don’t want that to change.”
“Don’t tell Marcus that.” I laugh. “He might get jealous.”
She waves a hand at me. “That man knows I don’t care for anyone but him.”
“You got really lucky there,” I tell her. It could have ended badly as he had huge issues. Rochelle didn’t tell me everything, but the things she did tell me, I could tell were eating her up inside. She wanted him, but also didn’t want to stay with him because of his darker side. She seems to have worked that out and lives with it now.
I’m hoping I can do the same.
My mother said you fall in love slowly, like watching a leaf lose its color after it hits the ground. Slow, but sure to happen. And some loves are unexpected, others sneak up on you, and some are right in front of your face, and you didn’t even know it was there.
Blaze is a combination of all these loves.
He’s unexpected.
He snuck up on me.
And he’s in my face, and I didn’t even know.
I don’t want to tell him how I feel. The only sure thing I have loved more than life itself is my daughter. And yes, my family, but love at first sight is what a child is.
Blaze? Well, Blaze is Blaze.
Mitchell is here, ready to collect Annabelle. He hasn’t commented on my lip, just looked at it, then looked away.
