Blitz: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantic Comedy (Blast Brothers Book 3)

by Sabrina Stark

  With an embarrassed laugh, she said, "Actually, I was pretty sure you were onto me from the start."

  Onto her.

  From the start.

  If she only knew how good that sounded.

  Now, it was time to pull my own thoughts out of the gutter. "Oh, yeah?" I teased. "So you didn't think you had me, huh?"

  "Oh, boy." She gave another embarrassed laugh. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you don't want me to answer that."

  I wasn't sure what she meant, but I liked the sound of her laughter. It made me feel warm and happy in ways that were unfamiliar – and oddly unsettling.

  Did she have any idea what she was doing to me?

  Or the things I'd been wanting to do to her?

  We were heading to the last stop of our tour – the big red barn where the festival staged hayrides for kids, families, and whoever else. I'd never been on a hayride, but I didn't feel like I'd been missing it.

  But I had been missing something, even if I hadn't known it at the time.

  And that something was Mina. She was the most genuine person I'd ever met. There was no pretense, no posing, no pretending to be something she wasn't.

  I thought of the chick in the red dress. And then, I thought of her mom, Ginger Whoever.

  I'd fucking hated them.

  In that kitchen, it was all I could do to not show it.

  Before I'd gone in for the rescue, they'd been talking plenty loud enough for me to hear, whether I'd wanted to or not. I hadn't liked what they were saying, especially those bits at the end.

  I'd wanted to storm in there and give both of them holy hell for hassling somebody who was worth more than both of them combined.

  But if I knew Mina – and by now, I was pretty sure I did – she wouldn't have liked it. She might've been embarrassed, or even worried to see me hassling a couple of women half my size.

  Nice girls were like that. Or so I'd heard.

  I'd never been with a nice girl.

  But over the past few weeks, I'd been wondering what I'd been missing.

  Already, I'd had my share of empty encounters with superficial posers like the chick in the red dress, whatever her name was.

  I thought of what she'd told Mina near the end – that someone like me would never go for the "country look" or however she'd put it.

  She'd been dead wrong.

  Yeah, maybe I hadn't gone for Mina right away, but that wasn't because she wasn't appealing. It was because I'd been sick to death of easy hookups with star-fucking strangers.

  As we continued to walk, I gave Mina a long, lingering glance. Her head was down, so I couldn’t see her face. But I could see her blonde hair shimmering in the late afternoon sun. It was still in a ponytail, but the ponytail was loose, and stray tendrils fluttered in the afternoon breeze. Every once in a while, I'd get a whiff of her shampoo, the one I'd come to associate with nobody but her.

  By now, we'd nearly reached the barn, and it wasn't lost on me that she still hadn't told me what she'd been thinking. One way or another, I decided, she would before the day was done.

  She just didn't know it yet.

  When we reached the wide double doors of the big red barn, Mina let go of my hand and fumbled in her purse, saying, "Hang on, let me get the key."

  Obviously, she meant the key to the old-fashioned steel padlock, darkened with grime and rust. The padlock was secured through a thick metal chain looped through each of the two door handles.

  When Mina pulled out the key, I held out my hand. "Here, lemme get it."

  "Why?"

  I glanced at the padlock. "Because it's dirty as hell."

  Mina laughed. "Trust me, I've seen dirtier."

  Dirtier, huh?

  Oh, man. Everything she said was getting me thinking. And nearly every thought was leading to the same place.

  It had been this way for weeks now. At first, I'd blamed it on my sexual hiatus. But then, I'd come to realize the absurdity of my own theory.

  During these same weeks, I'd been around plenty of attractive women, women who'd made it crystal clear they were available.

  I'd wanted none of them.

  None except Mina.

  And today's tour – it hadn't been needed. Rather, it had been a last-minute decision on my part, when I couldn’t stomach the thought of waiting until next week to see her.

  And yet, I hadn't asked her out.

  I wasn't even sure why.

  Was it because I'd told her up front that I wasn't interested?

  I'd been such a fucking idiot. If I were a different kind of guy, I might tell her so.

  I might even apologize.

  But that wasn't me.

  I was good at a lot of things, but apologizing wasn't one of them. I'd had no practice and didn't plan on acquiring it any time soon. But I could make it up to her.

  Now that would be fun.

  When Mina declined to hand over the key, I reluctantly stepped aside and let her give it a try. I watched for maybe thirty seconds as she struggled to turn the key in the slot. Finally, she stopped and gave me a sheepish grin. "I think it's rusted or something."

  Silently, I claimed the key and went work. Yeah, the lock was rusted, but not so bad that I couldn’t twist the key. I had the lock sprung in two seconds flat.

  When I returned the key to Mina, she smiled. "Show-off."

  "Hey, if you like that trick," I said, "I've got plenty more where that came from."

  I was talking about my way with tools, but the blush on Mina's cheeks made me wonder if I wasn't the only one having a hard time keeping everything clean.

  And I didn't mean with the lock.

  I reached out and slid open the barn doors. Beyond them, I saw a cavernous space, filled with nearly nothing.

  After we moved into the barn, I turned back and slid the doors shut behind us. And then, I gave the barn's interior a good, long look.

  There was an old-fashioned red tractor in the far corner, along with a big rustic trailer. The trailer had fence-like slats all around the perimeter, with wide gaps between them and a white wooden rail along the top.

  As we moved deeper into the cavernous space, Mina said, "And there's the tractor for the hayride."

  "Are you sure?" I teased. "I don't see any hay."

  With a laugh, she pointed up toward the ceiling. "It's up there."

  I looked up. There was no hay on the ceiling, but I got what she meant. "A hayloft, huh?" I knew they existed, but I had never seen one in person.

  On the far end of the barn, I spotted a ladder leading up to the second level. The kid in me was curious. "Care if I take a look?"

  "Why not?" she laughed. "You're the one paying for it."

  I knew what she meant. The hayride was among the many events being sponsored by Blast Tools. Technically, this was a business meeting, and I was here to see what I was getting for my money.

  But somewhere along the way, a funny thing had happened.

  I'd stopped thinking about the campaign as a business thing, and had started thinking of it as a Mina thing.

  What was that about?

  Chapter 44

  Mina

  Chase grinned. "Hang on. I'll be right back."

  I couldn’t help but laugh. "If you think you're going up there alone, forget it."

  "Oh, yeah? So you're coming with me, huh?"

  "I have to," I teased. "You know, for liability reasons."

  The truth was, I was having the time of my life. Maybe I was still giddy at the way Chase had rescued me from my tormenters. Or maybe part of me was falling for the act, the one he'd put on for Ginger and Emory.

  Even now, I could still hear the first thing he'd said when surprising us in the kitchen. "Baby. You're not gonna make me wait again, are you?"

  The way he'd said it, I'd gotten warm and tingly in all the right places. Chase had a great voice and a spectacular body. And his face – it was the kind of face I could stare at forever and never get bored.

  To my happy surpri
se, he reached out and took my hand. With a playful tug toward the far end of the barn, he said, "I'll show you liability, alright."

  I didn't even know what he meant, and maybe he didn't either. But I was laughing anyway as he led us toward the ladder. When we reached it, he let go of my hand and said, "Hang on. I'll go first."

  "Oh yeah?" I teased. "What about ladies first?"

  Slowly, he turned and looked at me. Our gazes locked, and he lifted a single eyebrow. "Well, you could go first," he said, glancing down at my skirt, "if you don't mind giving me a show."

  At the thought, my pulse quickened. Obviously, he was joking, but something made me ask, "And what if I did?"

  His gaze warmed, along with his voice as he replied, "Well, I wouldn't say no, I can tell you that."

  I bit my lip. Maybe he was teasing me. Maybe I was teasing him. Maybe we were teasing each other.

  Or maybe he was simply being nice because Ginger and Emory had been so nasty.

  A month ago, I might've laughed at the mere thought. Chase Blastoviak, nice?

  And yet, I'd seen glimpses over the past few weeks that had me thinking he wasn't all terrible. And then, there was today's rescue. He'd told Ginger and Emory that he'd been chasing me – which made me look good at his expense.

  As my thoughts swirled, I heard myself say, "Okay, you wanna know what I was thinking in the car?"

  His gaze held mine. "You know I do."

  I opened my mouth and then paused. I'd almost told him that I'd been thinking about what he'd said to me on the street, that he didn’t want to have sex with me – except he hadn't put it quite so nicely.

  And boy, had I loathed him for that.

  But now, I wasn't looking to rub his nose in it. Mostly, I just wanted to know if he still felt that way, or if his feelings had changed as much as mine.

  After all, I hadn't wanted to have sex with him in the beginning either.

  Maybe Chase still had zero interest. Maybe he was only flirting with me to cheer me up after the things Emory had said.

  This would be the safe assumption.

  Safe.

  There was that word yet again.

  Mentally, I tossed it aside and took a deep breath before saying, "I was thinking of…" Gosh, how to put this? "Well, I guess…you know how you were acting in the kitchen? Like, we were together? Earlier in the car, I was wondering what that would be like, you know, if it were real."

  In front of me, he grew very still. In a quiet voice, he said, "Oh yeah?"

  Quickly, I added, "I don't mean like us as an official couple. I just mean, like, what if we were together for a little while?" I glanced up toward the hayloft. "Like maybe even a half-hour?"

  At this, his lips curved upward, giving me the hint of a smile. "Only a half-hour, huh?"

  A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "Well, it's not like I have a stop-watch." I really was terrible at this, wasn't I? By now, my face was flaming, and I couldn’t help but wonder how Emory would have gone about such a thing.

  For her, seduction came easy. For me, not so much.

  Before the Bryce incident, she and I had been friends – or at least, sort of friends. I'd seen her operate up close. Even in high school, she'd been smooth and sophisticated when letting a guy know that she was his for the taking.

  But here I was, years later, still a bumbling, awkward mess. Of course, it's not like I'd had a ton of practice in seducing guys who weren't my boyfriend.

  Now, in the quiet barn, I held my breath and waited for Chase's reply. If he said no, I'd be totally humiliated.

  And if he said yes, well, I wouldn't be playing it safe, that's for sure.

  Finally, he flicked his head toward the ladder and said, "Ladies first."

  Chapter 45

  Chase

  The view up her skirt just about did me in, making me feel more like a teenager than a grown man as I climbed up the ladder behind her.

  Her panties were pink, and her ass – what I could see of it, anyway – looked just like it had in my dreams.

  How could I not look?

  Did she know I was getting an eyeful?

  Above me, she said, "Careful of that next rung. I think it's loose." As she said it, she turned and looked down.

  Just in time, I pulled my gaze from her ass and focused on her face.

  It was no hardship. At that moment, I swear, she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And those eyes. A guy could get lost in them if he weren't careful.

  This wasn't the first time I'd thought such a thing. And if I had my way, it wouldn't be the last.

  When she turned away and continued climbing, I took another peek up her skirt. I mean, hey, if I couldn't see her face, why not enjoy the other view?

  Above me, she stopped and said, "Careful, another loose one." I looked to her face, only to discover that she was eyeing me from above.

  Our gazes locked, and I had to smile.

  I was so busted.

  But I didn't apologize, because I wasn't sorry. And from the look on her face, neither was she. Besides, this was her idea, and hey, it wasn't for me to second-guess it.

  So instead, I gave her a shameless grin. "Nice ass."

  She snickered. "You're just saying that because you were caught."

  "No, I'm saying it because it's true."

  Her lips curved into a sexy smile. "Is that so?"

  "Hell yeah. And just so you know, I'll be taking a closer look." I winked. "Just to make sure."

  With a laugh, she reached behind her and flipped her skirt outward, giving me an all-too-brief, but very sweet view of her backside before she scurried up the remaining steps.

  And me?

  I pursued.

  When I reached the landing, she stood aside and held out a hand, as if preparing to guide me up. I didn't need the help, but I took her hand just the same. Anything to get closer.

  When my fingers closed around hers, she gave my hand a playful tug. "Come on. I've got something to show you."

  I sure as hell hoped so.

  But it wasn't what I'd expected. Instead of getting straight down to business, she led me along the narrow walkway toward the main loft area, stacked with bales of hay and loose straw all along the floor.

  She led me toward the far wall, where I saw a pair of big sliding doors, similar to the ones we'd used to enter the barn itself. Mina tugged me toward them saying, "You're gonna love this."

  I was loving it already.

  When we reached the doors, she released my hand. "Just wait." She turned and slid the doors wide open, nice and easy, like she'd done it a thousand times before. When she finished, light from the late-afternoon sun illuminated the entire loft, including Mina herself.

  She was bathed in sunshine when she turned to face me. "You've got to see this view." Her eyes brightened. "It's amazing."

  Yes, it was.

  But I wasn't looking at anything outdoors. I was looking at Mina. Her hair shimmered in the afternoon sun, and her eyes were bluer than the sky itself. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked full and sweet.

  She looked like every guy's fantasy.

  My fantasy.

  For how long, I wasn't even sure.

  Our gazes locked and held.

  As they did, my heart warmed and the world stopped spinning – like there was no past, and any promises I'd made about not getting involved were a distant memory.

  I wanted her.

  And not just for a half-hour.

  Wordlessly, I moved toward her and raised a hand to her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm, and something inside me stirred. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she leaned into my touch.

  Oh, yeah. I wanted this girl.

  I moved my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck. And then, with warm deliberation, I pulled her close. Our lips met in a kiss so sweet it felt like it could've been my first.

  But it wasn't. Unlike a teenage rookie, I knew exactly what I was doing. With both hands, I reached up and ran my fingers through
her hair, freeing the strands from her ponytail and letting the soft tendrils sift through my fingers as I kissed her like I meant it.

  I almost groaned out loud. I should've done this weeks ago.

  When she sagged against me and whimpered with need, I almost lost it then and there. This wasn't me.

  Normally, it wasn't me who lost it. No, I made other people lose it, both in and out of the bedroom. But today? Things were very different.

  I took a long moment to savor the feel of her lips and the taste of her tongue. When she yanked me closer, I did the same in return.

  By the time we pulled back, I was lost to everything but her. Normally, this might've been my cue to say something slick and clever, or maybe toss out a practiced line. But with this girl, I had no words, none except her name. "Mina."

  Her reply was a breathless whisper. "Yeah?"

  "I'm gonna kiss you again."

  Her lips parted, and I drank in the sight of her. Her chest was rising and falling, and her pupils were so dilated, I could barely see the blue. And yet, her eyes had never looked more beautiful.

  Did she have any idea how dangerous she was?

  When our lips met the second time, something squeezed at my heart, even as my jeans grew so tight, I half-wondered if the zipper would hold.

  Still, I refused to rush it.

  So instead, I savored the kiss like it was the last one I'd ever have. Her lips were soft and sweet, and her tongue tasted like honey. The scent of her shampoo blended with the scent of the hay as the springtime breeze washed over the both of us like a warm caress.

  As we stood there in the open air, I kissed her long and hard, like the world was ending.

  Maybe it was.

  As I held her close and savored the feel of her, I felt like my world was ending – meaning my old world, filled with empty hookups and girls I forgot the next day.

  Whatever this was, it felt like the start of something new, something better, something worth having and not just for the moment.

  And that's when I knew. I was in serious trouble. And if I had my way, I wouldn't be the only one.

  Chapter 46

  Mina

  Oh. My. God. Chase was the best kisser I'd ever had. That first kiss, it had nearly blown me away, only to be topped moments later by the second one.