“Here,” Julie put a bottle into her hand.
“Water,” Roxy sniffed.
“And here.” She handed Roxy a couple of tissues. “Now,” she sat down next to Roxy, “have a good hard cry and then replenish your lost fluids with the water. It’s important to rehydrate. Then you need to dry your eyes with the tissues and we can have a good talk.”
“Rehydrate!” Roxy choked out a laugh. Tears still rolled down her cheeks. Damn these waterworks.
“Yup, whatever it is, it can’t be so bad.”
Roxy blew her nose. “I’m not even sure why I’m so upset. I shouldn’t be. I’m disappointed but it shouldn’t have affected me this badly.” Another tear slipped out and she wiped it away.
“Have some water,” Julie pointed at the bottle.
Roxy forced a smile and did as Julie said. She did feel a bit better after a couple of good glugs.
“Now. What did he say to you? I’m going to assume that Blaze is the cause of all this.”
“You were right about the mate talk. He wanted to talk to me about us and our future.”
“Let me guess. He came on too strong?” Julie pulled a face. “Shifters can be so overbearing. I’m sure he wanted to hit you over the head and drag you to his bed. I’m sure he mentioned that he wants kids right away… that you’re starting right now. They are so emotional, so—”
“Please stop,” her lip wobbled. “I wish that’s what had happened. It was the total opposite.”
Julie frowned. “He wants to send you home? That can’t be right. He’s definitely showing mating behavior both in public and behind closed doors. I don’t think that Coal was even as hectic as Blaze.” Her frown deepened. “I can’t believe he would send you away.”
“He’s not sending me away. It’s worse actually.”
“Worse?” Even her voice was laced with confusion. “What could be worse?”
“He wants us to be friends.”
“That can’t be right,” Julie shook her head. “The guy can’t keep his hands off of you. That’s not friend-on-friend behavior.”
Roxy blew her nose again. “No, it’s not. Blaze told me that he could see a future for us.”
“Well that’s great.”
“You would think. He said that I would make a great queen and mother,” she sniffed.
Julie pulled her legs underneath herself on the couch. “Yeah, I’m not understanding what friendship has to do with this.”
“It was like he was reading a contract or something. Like he was trying to convince me of a business deal. He said that he would be a good mate to me, that he wanted respect and honesty between us…”
“That’s important.”
“He also said that…” She felt her lip tremble. Roxy took a deep breath and paused for a few seconds. “He said…” she tried again, sounding better this time, “that he put his kingdom and his people first. The only reason he was taking a mate was for heirs.”
Julie leaned forward as much as her growing belly would allow. “He. Did. Not.”
“Yes, he did. He said that we could be friends… best friends…” Roxy mock laughed. “Can you believe that? He told me that he didn’t do love or romance. That if I wanted those things then this relationship wouldn’t work.”
“Oh shit!” Julie whispered, almost to herself. “The idiot. Why am I not surprised?”
“He asked me to think things through. He said that I needed to agree to his terms if we were to continue.”
“The no love or romance terms?”
Roxy nodded. “He asked me to think about it.”
“Please tell me you agreed.” Her whole expression was animated.
“I shouldn’t have.” She felt angry all over again. What a jerk. “I did by default. I was too upset to talk,” Roxy swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to cry in front of him so I agreed to think it over and ran.”
“Good,” Julie rubbed her neck. Roxy could see that she was deep in thought. “You do know that he’s full of shit?”
“I think the situation is full of shit. I think his proposal is full of shit. I don’t really know what to make of him or this situation.” She pulled in another deep breath, trying not to cry. “I guess I’m just really disappointed. I really thought… it doesn’t matter. I’m thankful he told me this now before I had a chance to… invest more of myself. I’m going to go and pack. I’m sure he won’t make me stay the two weeks in light of everything that’s happened.”
Julie shook her head. “You’re not packing anything. That whole thing about you not being invested yet is bullshit. Back to my earlier comment, I’ve seen the way you look at him. You may not know Blaze all that well but you’re plenty invested. That’s why you’re so upset.”
“No, I…” Was she invested? Was she already falling for Blaze? It was crazy but possible. She sighed. “I guess I’m also sad. I do have feelings for him but what good will that do me? I want a real relationship. I want to hold hands and have candlelit dinners. I want to make love and to be loved. I want it all, that’s why I’m here. I was in a relationship with a guy who didn’t really love me and it sucked.”
Julie gave a deep nod; she was smiling broadly.
“Why do you look so happy? I’m falling in love with a guy who wants to be friends. It’s awful and can only lead to heartache. I need to pack.” Roxy stood up.
“Sit,” Julie commanded. When Roxy didn’t obey, she tapped the chair. “Hear me out.”
Roxy sat back down.
“I think… no, I’m sure that Blaze has feelings for you. Feelings that go beyond friendship,” she rolled her eyes. “He’s such an idiot.” Julie locked eyes with Roxy. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you and let me just tell you, friends don’t look at each other like that.”
“It’s lust. Don’t mistake it for love.”
“I think there’s more there. The guy is so possessive. His brothers are mocking him about being smitten. There is no way in hell it’s just lust and friendship. No freaking way. Blaze is fooling himself.”
“He seemed upset with the idea of me leaving, but I still don’t buy it.”
“We need to make him fall properly in love with you if he isn’t already.” Julie rubbed her belly.
“How do you suggest I make that happen? You can’t make someone fall in love with another person.”
“No, but you can make feelings that are already there deeper. Why don’t you propose a few things as well? Tell him you want to give it a try but that there are conditions.”
Roxy narrowed her eyes. “What conditions?”
“Tell him he needs to spend time with you. Quality time. Tell him that you need to get to know each other as friends. Don’t get me wrong, you need to still have plenty of hot sex but that can’t be all you do. He’s already halfway in love with you, I’m sure of it. If he gets to know you, he’ll fall properly in love with you.”
“I don’t know,” Roxy shook her head.
“You need to get him to open up, to relax and have a bit of fun.”
“If I spend time with him and get to know him, I might fall properly in love with him myself. If I leave now it’ll be hard but I’ll be okay. If I fall all the way in love with him, I’ll end up leaving with a broken heart. This might not work out.” Roxy felt adrenaline churn through her veins. “I might be worse off.”
Julie gave Roxy a sad smile. “It’s a chance you’ll have to take. Sometimes it takes risking it all to come out victorious. No one ever got anywhere by playing it safe. You need to decide if it’s worth it. I’m sure that Blaze has feelings for you. You need to make it so that it’s impossible for him to let you go and then you need to tell him how you feel. I’m sure it’ll scare the shit out of him but he’ll come around. I can only hope that it shifts that stick up his ass,” Julie grinned.
Roxy laughed. “I don’t know.” She covered her face with her hands and made a pained noise. The thought of leaving was horrible. It felt too much like giving up. The thought of staying was
“I know it’s scary; before meeting Coal, no one had ever loved me. I didn’t even know what love was.” By the look in Julie’s eyes, Roxy could see that she was deep in thought. “Not even my own parents loved me. I don’t think I ever met my father. My mother was an addict, too involved with finding her next fix to care about me. I lived in orphanages and foster homes, often one of many children. Always a number.”
“I’m so sorry,” Roxy said.
Julie folded her arms. “I’m not telling you this for sympathy. When I came here, I didn’t trust anyone, least of all Coal. I couldn’t believe he didn’t have an ulterior motive. I didn’t believe him when he said he loved me. I was afraid, so very afraid. I had to face those fears and take a chance. I was scared to death. I still am,” she whispered the last as she rubbed her belly. “I’m glad I did though. I haven’t looked back. It was the most difficult yet, the best decision of my life. Take a chance on Blaze. I think he needs you more than he knows and I think you need him right back.”
Roxy swallowed hard. She nodded. “You’re right.”
“You’ll give it a chance?”
“Yes, I will. I don’t want regrets,” Roxy smiled. She was terrified but she was also excited. This was nuts. It was crazy but she could do it.
“I’m here for you,” Julie squeezed her hand. “Let’s talk about the finer details.”
Chapter 15
Blaze breathed out the pent-up air from his lungs as he caught sight of Roxy. He sucked in a lungful of air and wrinkled his nose. His chamber scented of a fire pit. He looked about the space, expecting to see burn or smoke damage. The smell was that bad.
There was none to see. Everything was in its place.
He frowned when he took a closer look at Roxy, she was fully-clothed and half upright in the chair. She’d fallen asleep waiting up for him. He felt like a jerk for staying away.
Blaze huffed out a breath. At least she was still there. He had half expected Roxy to have left. He’d stayed away to give her plenty of time to think things through. Maybe that hadn’t been the best idea after all. He’d dropped a bomb on her… but she was a rational female, surely she would understand.
Leaning in, he carefully lifted her into his arms. Roxy stirred, making a soft snoring sound. He paused for a few seconds while she settled, and then headed for the bed. Using one arm to cradle her, he pulled the bedsheets down.
Just as he was lowering her to the mattress, her eyes opened. She blinked a couple of times as he placed her on the bed. “Blaze,” Her voice was croaky.
“Shhhh.” He pulled the covers over her. “Sleep.”
Roxy pulled herself up to a semi-reclined position. “We need to talk.” Her eyes were glazed over with sleep.
“We can talk in the morning. It’s late,” he added when it didn’t look like she was going to listen.
She shook her head. “Let’s talk now,” her voice was much clearer.
“Okay,” he sighed, flicking the light switch on the wall. He didn’t like the determination in her voice, the resolve in her eyes.
A partnership based on the terms he had put forward was not going to work for a female like Roxy. She was about to turn him down and then he would have to let her go. Truth was, he enjoyed her company. No, not her company… it was the sex. Blaze would struggle to find another female who put fire into his loins like she did.
It didn’t matter. He would deal. If she couldn’t agree, then she was gone. An uneasy feeling stirred inside him. He would make her see it his way. He would make her understand.
“Would you like something to drink? I can make you a hot chocolate or something.”
“Sounds good,” she replied as she gave her eyes a rub.
“What happened in here?” The smell of burning grew worse as he entered the kitchen and lit the gas.
Roxy walked back to the couch. “I had a bit of a cooking accident. Sorry!”
“I can’t even smell what it was you were making.” He had to smile. “You weren’t lying when you said you’re a bad cook.” He put chocolate powder into a cup and added milk.
She shrugged. “I’m terrible.” Roxy sat down. “Is it a problem? You’re not going to add cooking requirements to your terms are you?”
He wasn’t sure if she was playing with him or being sarcastic, which hinted at anger. Maybe it was a bit of both. “The no cooking thing is not a big deal.” He tried to sound relaxed but failed. There was definite tension in his voice.
Blaze busied himself with making the hot chocolate and walked over to the living room area. He placed the steaming mug on the table in front of Roxy. “Did you give it some thought?”
Roxy nodded.
“What did you decide?” Either way, he needed to know.
Roxy picked up the mug and folded both hands around it. “Actually, I thought there was more to discuss. I haven’t quite made my mind up yet.”
So it wasn’t an outright no. Good! This he could work with. He didn’t relish the thought of starting over with another female. “Okay. What would you like to talk about?” He sat down on the opposite side of the coffee table.
She blew on the contents of the cup. Her blue eyes were clouded in thought. She wore a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater. This was not a good time for his dick to wake up but damned if he could help it.
Roxy locked eyes with him. “You said that you’d like for us to be friends but we’ve barely spent any time together outside of the bedroom.”
Blaze nodded.
“We don’t even know if we could get along long-term. Hold a conversation.”
Blaze felt himself frown. “We’ve talked. I know we could be friends.”
“Deeper, faster and fuck me harder should not be misconstrued as a conversation.”
His cock gave a lurch as it went from semi to fully erect in zero point three seconds. Blaze picked up one of the couch cushions and casually held it over his lap, leaning on it like it was for comfort instead of a cover-up.
“We’ve talked at the various functions. We’ve talked after sex.”
Roxy shook her head. “We either fall asleep right away or we have to leave to go somewhere or you run off. I’m sorry I ripped your panties or let me get you a towel to clean yourself up, does not constitute a conversation either. We don’t talk at functions. Other people talk to me and you growl at them.”
His blood churned as he thought of all those single males who buzzed around Roxy. He didn’t really blame them though because she was the most beautiful female in the room. Her scent was the most intoxicating thing he had ever scented. His blood boiled none the less. “They’re a bunch of assholes with one-track minds. They’re hoping I mess up so that they can get a crack at you.”
Roxy laughed. “It’s mainly Inferno and he’s just being sweet because he knows I might end up being family.”
Blaze snorted. “Sweet, my ass. He’ll move in quicker than the blink of an eye if he thinks he can have a shot at you.”
“Be careful, I might start to think that you’re jealous and friends shouldn’t have those kinds of feelings for each other,” she raised her brows. It seemed that Roxy was telling him off for being jealous. It gave him hope that this could work out.
“I’m not. I have mating urges. They are instinctual not emotional.”
Roxy nodded. Her expression gave nothing away. If she was upset by his comments, she didn’t show it. She seemed indifferent. Good! This was moving in the right direction.
“Bottom line. I don’t want to have kids with someone I might not get along with. Like I said earlier, sex isn’t the be all and end all. I’m willing to stay on two conditions. The first being that we spend some quality time together.”
Something tightened inside him. “I told you, I don’t do long walks and candlelit dinners.”
Roxy rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say that I wanted to do lovey dovey, make a person vomit stuff, let’s do friend stuff.”
“What do friends do?” He’d never had a female friend before. He wasn’t sure what she meant.
“What do you do with your friends?” Roxy took a sip of her drink.
“We fight.” He saw her frown. “It is to hone our one-on-one skills. We go flying together. We swim in the ocean. The guys go on the stag run twice a year, they drink and rut.”
“Um, I think we’ll give that a miss.”
“I wasn’t suggesting… I was merely answering your question. I don’t think I know how to have a female friend. I don’t have many male friends for that matter. Subordinates… yes… friends… not so much. We can’t do any of the things I mentioned,” he smiled. “Vomit-inducing stuff is out so what do you suggest?”
“Let’s start with something simple. Why don’t you stay for breakfast tomorrow morning?” Roxy took another sip of the hot chocolate. “I could get up early if you need to leave early.”
“Okay, we can try that.”
She pulled a face. “I can make toast but that’s it. I can’t do pancakes or waffles. I could try boiling an egg or two, but…” She widened her eyes looking nervous… about boiling some eggs. It was adorable.
“I’ll fix the eggs and you can get the toast.”
She smiled. “See, this isn’t so hard is it?”
He shook his head. “I guess not. As long as you keep the terms in the back of your mind. We can’t let emotions get in the way. I think I like the idea of us becoming friends. That way, if one of us feels we are falling for the other, we can put a stop to the relationship before we are mated. Once we are sure that it’s working we can take the next step.”
She clasped and unclasped her hands like the thought of mating him worried her. Roxy eventually nodded. He liked her reluctance. He fucking loved that she brought her own terms to the table. She would make an excellent queen.
Then he had a bad thought, an unacceptable thought. “We do still get to have sex though, right?” The thought of not rutting Roxy made his hands feel clammy.
“After breakfast, if you have time.” She stared at him from under her lashes. He could scent that she was aroused.
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