by Iona Rose
“So, is this something you do often?” I asked him. I’d never heard him mention going to the zoo, ever.
“Sometimes,” he said vaguely as we waited in line to pay for our tickets.
He wouldn’t say any more about that, so I changed the topic. “How are Jack and Amelia doing?”
“Good and back from their honeymoon. As a matter of fact, we’re invited for dinner at their place tomorrow. We’ll be their first guests,” Blaze said.
I frowned. “That sounds like such a couple thing to do and we’re not a couple.” I felt like a bitch saying it but we needed to keep the rules of our relationship at the forefront of our minds.
“They’re your friends too and that’s why they invited us Brooke,” Blaze said. “Relax. You’re becoming paranoid.”
I let out a nervous laugh. Blaze was right. I’d become too concerned about being construed as a couple that I’d even forgotten Blaze and I were best friends. We’d been invited to many places together and I’d never once given it a second thought. I needed to relax. “I’d love to go.”
“Good girl.” Blaze gave me a nod.
Minutes later, we made our way to the tiger enclosure and joined a group of people listening to the guide.
“Tigers have their own special way of communicating,” the guide was saying.
We were both entranced as we listened and stared at the powerful predators. Blaze draped his hand around my shoulders and I slipped mine around his waist. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he pulled me closer.
I’d told Blaze and myself I wasn’t interested in a relationship with him, but moments like these, I wondered. We were so in sync with each other. As if Blaze was an extension of myself.
As we strolled around the zoo, I understood why it held such an appeal to Blaze as well as other childless couples. It was simple fun.
Then it happened while we were in the Aviary. One minute, I was staring entranced at the caged birds, when watery bird crap landed on my shoulder. I stared over at the mess, and let out a cry of anguish.
“What is it?” Blaze asked before he noticed the mess on my clothes. “Oh crap.”
“Yeah, it’s crap all right,” I said, disgusted by the smear of poop on my gorgeous top. “What am I going to do?”
“Remove your top,” Blaze said. “I’ll shield you.”
“Then what will I wear? I can’t walk around in just a bra,” I said. Not to mention, I’d picked one of my naughtiest bras to wear, in anticipation of some action afterwards. I tiptoed to whisper in his ear, “Besides, it's a peephole bra!”
Blaze hissed. “Jeez, Hot Sauce and you just had to mention that now.” He adjusted his shorts. “I’m sure no one will complain about you walking in just a bra, but I had a different idea. I’ll give you my shirt.”
“Really?” I asked as sudden tears sprung to my eyes.
“Of course,” Blaze said, his fingers already popping the buttons open. He shrugged off his shirt and gestured at my top, urging me to remove it. I grabbed the hem and in one movement, I removed it, making a face at the stench of bird poop.
Blaze helped me with his shirt but by the time all the buttons were down, tears were flowing down my cheeks.
“Hey, what is it? It’s not a big deal. I’ve been pooped on by a bird before,” Blaze said.
“It’s not that.” I sniffled.
He hooked a finger under my chin. “What is it then?”
I looked into his brown eyes, blazing with kindness and love. “I’m crying because… no one’s ever done anything like that for me.”
He held my gaze. “That’s because you’ve been dating the wrong men. Come on, let’s go home, you need a shower.”
He took my hand and we left the zoo, Blaze in a white undershirt and me in his shirt. In his hand, he held my top, which he’d rolled up nicely, promising that no one would ever suspect it had been pooped on by a bird after a good wash.
I thought about the whole thing in the cab on the way home. It was easy to believe what Blaze had said about me dating the wrong men. I couldn’t think back to one past boyfriend who would give me his shirt. Only Blaze would do that for me.
I stole a glance at him and caught him staring at me.
He smiled and his dimple deepened.
My heart tumbled in my chest. Our physical attraction vibrated between us. Was I being a fool in refusing to give us a chance?
When we got home, Blaze and I made straight for the bathroom. We peeled each other’s clothes off, wordlessly. When we were completely naked, Blaze took my hands into his and held my gaze. And as we stood there taking in the sight of each other, my fears melted away.
Maybe a real relationship could work between us. Perhaps I was the woman for him, the one he needed to settle down with. I trembled as I contemplated taking that step. Opening myself up to potential heartbreak.
As if sensing the turmoil in my heart, Blaze pulled me close and slipped his hands around my waist. He kissed me softly on my lips. “I love you Brooke,” he said.
I knew he meant a different kind of love. Not the one we were both used to. A different kind. The one that brewed between a man and a woman. “I love you Blaze,” I said, my voice shaky.
His eyes widened, instinctively knowing what I meant. He brought his mouth down to mine again, and kissed me. He moved his lips from my mouth to my jaw, trailing sweet kisses as he travelled down my body. He brought his hands to my breasts and lowered his head to lick the hollow between my breasts.
“You’re exquisite,” Blaze breathed the words out, his voice husky.
He’d never left me in doubt as to what he thought about my body. He made me feel like the sexiest woman with his words and his touch. His mouth closed in on one nipple and I closed my eyes and let out a groan. Intense pleasure rumbled through me as his hand rubbed the other sensitive nipple.
Blaze’s mouth was heaven. As were his hands. After he had teased my nipples mercilessly, he continued travelling down my body until he dropped to his knees and his mouth was blowing hot air on my pussy.
The anticipation was killing me. I parted my legs as juices dripped down my thighs.
He buried his head in my pussy and when his tongue found my clit, my body jerked as if I’d been hit by an electric shock. “Blaze,” I whimpered over and over again.
My body tensed as his tongue teased my entrance and his thumb played with my clit. The coil of need in my belly grew tighter and tighter. My legs shook and as the orgasm gripped me, I fisted his hair and let out guttural moans.
“Turn around,” Blaze growled.
My pussy quivered at his commanding tone and I did as he said.
He grabbed my hips and pushed me over so my back was bent. I closed my eyes as his cock nudged my entrance. I braced myself and Blaze did not disappoint. He slammed his cock into me and a loud cry escaped my mouth.
My pussy walls tightened around his cock and he groaned in response. It didn’t take long before an orgasm built up again.
“Fuck, Brooke,” Blaze said over and over again. He thrust harder and harder, taking me closer and closer to the edge.
“I’m coming,” I cried out, knowing he was holding back his own release for me.
“Me too, Hot Sauce,” Blaze groaned, his voice thick with passion.
I rocked my hips faster, in time to his quick thrusts and moments later, I cried out as a second orgasm vibrated through me.
Blaze gripped my hips as he released hot cum into my pussy. We stayed that way for a few seconds before he gently withdrew. He led me to the shower and turned on the water. We stood under the warm water, letting it run down our sated bodies.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brooke
We spent all of Sunday in bed only getting up to eat and go to the bathroom. Something had shifted between Blaze and me. The walls that had been between us had come down and we could see each other in our entirety. There were no more secrets between us.
“I’ve never spent all day in bed with a man,�
�� I told Blaze as I lay sprawled across his body.
“How would you rate the experience?” he asked as he softly caressed my hair.
“Pretty good actually,” I replied. “It’s a shame that tomorrow’s Monday. I’d have loved a repeat to be sure of my rating.”
The sound of his laughter rumbled in his chest. “It’s also a shame that we have to get up and get ready to go to Jack and Amelia’s for dinner.”
“I’m actually looking forward to that.” I didn’t explain any further as Blaze assumed it was Jack and Amelia’s company I’d missed. I liked them but my reason for going there was to see what marriage after the honeymoon looked like. Since the previous day at the zoo, I’d started to warm up to the idea of Blaze and me as a couple.
I needed evidence though, that love worked. So Amelia and Jack were the perfect people to get it from. They had dated for a long time and were perfect for each other.
“I need to go home and get some clean clothes,” Blaze said.
“You should keep some spare clothes here,” I said and immediately froze as the meaning of the words I’d uttered hit me.
“Are you sure?” Blaze asked me quietly.
I swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Okay, I will,” he said and gently shifted me off his chest to the bed.
My heart pounded hard as I watched Blaze dress. Even without verbalizing it, we both knew we had left the safety of friends with benefit.
He sniffed his shirt. “This smells of you,” he said. “I love it.” He came over to the bed, kissed me lightly on my lips and left with a wave.
Exhaustion came over me. I needed a power nap. I reached for my phone and set an alarm for twenty minutes. As soon as I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Blaze floating in my mind.
The screech of the alarm jolted me awake, what seemed like seconds later. The temptation to sleep some more was huge but I knew if I did, I’d never wake up. I dragged myself from bed and into the shower.
As the water pounded my back, joy slowly spread through me. The night Blaze and I had spent together had been heaven. Blaze and I were a thing. I was not ready to name it but the thought of it gave me delicious trembles.
Blaze was a flirt and he loved women but since we started sleeping together, I hadn’t seen him behave in a way that would offend me. Even at the company party, he had socialized but he hadn’t flirted. Though I did notice Daphne from HR hovering around him a lot.
Blaze had been his usual friendly self and nothing more. Maybe I had misjudged him and he really was ready for a relationship. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I told myself to stop being silly. I was opening myself up to Blaze. My best friend. The man who removed his shirt to save me the embarrassment of my ruined one.
This thought was all I needed to still my nervousness. I grabbed my wash cloth and shower gel then proceeded to scrub myself from head to toe. After my shower, I padded back into the bedroom. A heavy after sex scent hung in the air, a reminder of the magic Blaze and I created together in and out of bed.
Singing softly, I went to the closet and picked my summery yellow dress and underclothes. I lathered my skin in lotion, all the while imagining it was Blaze’s big hands moving along my skin.
I rubbed lotion over my breasts and zeroed in on my nipples. I groaned softly as they grew taut with every touch. Moisture and heat gathered between my legs. In the distance, I heard the sound of a door opening before footsteps came towards my bedroom.
It could only be Blaze. I didn’t want him to find me touching myself and think sex was the only thing I thought about but I couldn’t stop. My nipples ached and the only way to relieve the ache was to touch them. I looked up under hooded eyes when he walked in.
He ground to a halt and inhaled sharply. His gaze seared my chest and my nipples became harder. “Fuck,” Blaze hissed.
I kept one hand on my breasts and the other dropped between my legs. A shiver ran through me as my fingers found my clit.
“What are you doing down there?” Blaze asked softly.
“Touching my clit, teasing it,” I said, my voice husky. Knowing Blaze watched me while getting turned on multiplied the pleasure for me. I felt like a sex goddess as I pleasured myself while he watched.
“How does it feel?” he asked, his voice almost a whisper.
“Oh God,” I moaned, unable to find the right words to describe the pure sensations enveloping me. I inserted two fingers into my pussy and used my other hand to stroke my clit.
“Are you fucking yourself?” Blaze asked almost breathlessly.
My pussy walls clenched around my fingers hugging them tightly. “I am.” My words came out like a growl.
“Fuck!” Blaze said.
I lifted one eyelid to look at him. His eyes blazed with untamed passion but when my gaze dropped, my eyes widened. The front of his pants had become an impossibly large tent and my mouth watered as I imagined what was underneath. “Take it out!” I demanded.
“We’ll be late for dinner,” Blaze said, but his voice lacked conviction.
“Do it,” I urged.
He unbuckled and unzipped his pants… all the while his gaze remained glued to the movement of my hands. Slowly, he took his cock out…
I gasped as if seeing it for the first time. So thick, long, and rock hard. I imagined how it would feel in my hand and let out a groan.
Slowly, Blaze stroked his cock in firm movements.
My thighs trembled and a gush of juices seeped from my pussy. “I need you.”
“Get on your knees,” Blaze said.
Dinner at Jack and Amelia’s was forgotten as Blaze took me from behind and my screams filled the room. His hands gripped my hips to keep me in place as thrust after thrust made every inch of me tremble.
He plowed into me as his hands dug into my skin. I knew I would pay for it later with bruises but right now, all I wanted was more. More of Blaze. More pounding. He gave it to me.
His love making carried me to another dimension where the only sensation I felt was exquisite pleasure. I screamed until my voice was hoarse. “Fuck me Blaze,” I cried urging him on. “I want all of you!”
When I came, it was feverish and almost insensible. I whimpered and called out his name as tears trickled from my eyes.
“Hot Sauce,” Blaze stated to my ear. “You’ve spoiled all women for me. Only you can ever satisfy me.”
His words sent tingles down my spine.
Jack and Amelia lived in a charming 19th century row house in West Village. Blaze and I had arrived at quarter to eight, when we should have been there forty-five minutes earlier. They had taken it in their stride and showed us in.
The place was pretty and the perfect size for a newly married couple. I still felt flustered from the rush and the amazing sex with Blaze. Every time our eyes met across the room, my face heated up. I felt as if Jack and Amelia knew the reason why we’d been late.
“Blaze said you’re okay with white wine.” Jack handed me a glass.
“I love it, thanks,” I said as I took the glass from him.
After he’d served everyone wine, Jack went and sat next to his wife on the couch. He placed a hand on her knee as naturally as if she was an extension of him.
Amelia covered his hand with hers.
“How is life as a married couple?” I asked after a few sips of wine.
Jack and Amelia exchanged such a warm, loving look that my heart literally stopped.
“It’s everything I dreamed it would be and then some,” Amelia said.
“For me too,” Jack agreed.
I felt Blaze’s eyes on me and I turned to him. He wore the same look Jack had for Amelia. Emotion grabbed me by the throat. It really was time to stop fighting us. It could be possible that we were meant to be together.
“How is it going with the renovation?” Jack asked.
Blaze looked at his brother sheepishly. “It’s going.”
I stifled a giggle. At the rate
we were going, we had two options. Either buckle down and get to work or hire a contractor to finish it off. We were spending too much time in bed which was good for our sex lives, but bad for Blaze’s apartment.
Amelia and I got a chance to have some girl talk as I helped her set the table and serve dinner. It was nice to see them so in love with each other. Watching them gave me hope that just maybe it could work for Blaze and me.
“So, what’s going on with you two?” Jack asked us later as we relaxed at the dining table, sipping on chilled wine.
Blaze looked over at me.
The ball was in my court. My lips felt dry and I licked them. “We’re taking it slowly. Very slowly.”
Jack nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
Amelia frowned. “You two have known each other forever. Plus, the chemistry between you could light a freakin’ bonfire. Oh, and you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“That’s precisely the problem,” Blaze stated, his tone dry. “We think we know each other too well. Never a good thing.”
It had to be a dig at me and later when we were in the cab on the way home I poked his ribs.
“It wasn’t really a dig at you,” Blaze protested. “It was about both of us. I’m guilty of the same thing. I think I know everything about you but you often surprise me.”
Warmth spread through me. I liked the idea of surprising him. “Really?”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Really. Why do you think I call you Hot Sauce?”
“Because you love my body?” I whispered.
Blaze grinned. “Yeah and you’re unpredictable, especially between the sheets.”
“Hush,” I said and gestured at the cab driver.
Blaze took my hand and sandwiched it between his, a gesture I’d come to love. It made me feel safe. Protected. Loved.
“Did you really mean what you said to Jack?” he asked, sounding vulnerable.
I nodded, touched that us having a real relationship meant so much to him. “Yes. I want to give us a chance but I want us to move very slowly.”
