Page 48 of Sheltered
“Harlow, I came here tonight, because I can’t hide this from you,” he started. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t make you aware of what was going on, at the very least. To that end, it wasn’t until today that any of my coworkers even knew you were in my life, so I’d like to think that’s something working in our favor, but there’s no guarantee that’s the case.”
How could it feel as though Blaze was giving me both good and bad news? Obviously, this whole scenario with someone seemingly having it out for Blaze and the men he worked with was awful. But to learn he told his coworkers about me helped to ease the blow of this unexpected and unwelcome news. “You told your coworkers about me?”
His hardened features softened as his thumb stroked gently over the back of my hand. “I did,” he confirmed quietly.
Some of the tension I’d been feeling had eased, a small smile returning to my face.
Blaze returned that smile, his thumb still stroking, and added, “I thought you had a right to know what was going on, so you could decide what you want to do. We weren’t officially working on this case until today, so I want you to know that we have every intention of getting to the bottom of it. But it doesn’t come without some risk to the people we care about if what we believe is the case is true.”
“I have to believe that’s the case if you were willing to come here to warn me before I even had the chance to walk through my front door,” I noted.
For several long moments, Blaze’s eyes roamed over my face. There was something lingering there, something that looked a lot like fear.
“What is it?” I asked.
Releasing another deep breath, Blaze said, “I signed up for this job knowing the risks it would pose to me. I don’t think it ever crossed my mind that someone I care about could be in harm’s way. For that reason, I’m confident you weren’t aware that was a possibility, either. And while the things that have happened have all been about property damage, I can’t say whether it will turn to something worse than that.” He paused a moment, and it became clear he was preparing to share something he didn’t want to share. It was as though he had just learned someone had died, and he was the one who had to tell that person’s family. When he finally spoke, I understood why that was. “I think I’ve made it clear just how important you’ve become in my life, Harlow. I would never, ever ask you to do something you weren’t comfortable with, so I’ve got to say this even as much as I wished I didn’t have to. I’ll hate every minute of it, but if you need to pull back from me to feel safe because of this, I won’t say I don’t understand why.”
He thought I wanted to walk away from him? He thought I’d be so afraid I’d be able to leave and forget the way I felt for him?
Should I have felt that way?
Granted, it wasn’t as though I’d suddenly be able to pretend I didn’t care about him. I wouldn’t forget a thing about him, and I was convinced I’d struggle to go through the motions, day in and day out, to survive.
But maybe Blaze had a point. He’d never struck me as the kind of guy who’d show up and share all of this with me if he didn’t believe there was a very real reason for needing to do so.
Should I heed his warning?
I’d taken that step recently to break out of my shell and join that dating app. It resulted in a horrible date that would have likely sent me right back to working nonstop and continuing to live that solitary life.
But I met Blaze because of that decision.
He’d been the best thing that had ever happened to me.
I was struggling, because if I knew one thing to be the truth, there was a very real threat here, and I probably should have taken the steps to protect myself.
But how could I do it?
How could I possibly walk away from Blaze, even if only briefly until things were safe again?
“I’m scared, Blaze,” I confessed.
“I know. I know. I can understand why this news might be too much for you. I want to beg you to have faith in me and trust me to keep you safe, but I know that’s not fair, so I won’t ask. Whatever you need to do, even if you need it to be just temporary until this case is resolved, I will do my best to honor that,” he promised.
Shaking my head, I explained, “I’m not afraid of what could happen if things went south with this case. Maybe that’s naïve, or maybe it’s just me wanting to prove I can handle anything. Perhaps it’s a bit of both or something else entirely. I don’t know. What I do know is that the thought of not seeing you for weeks, months, or forever, because I’m fearful of something that may or may not happen to my salon as the result of the case you’re working on, makes it difficult to breathe. Until it happened tonight, I didn’t realize how much I liked being able to kiss you the second I get home from work. I couldn’t walk away from you if I tried.”
Relief swept through him, his shoulders relaxing. Though I knew this was weighing heavily on his mind, I don’t think it was until that moment when I realized just how much it was affecting him. It felt good to know I could relieve that tension for him.
Blaze lifted his hands to frame my face, and he pressed his lips to mine. My fingers curled around his wrists, wanting to keep his hands exactly where they were as I kissed him back. When he pulled away, he tilted my chin down so he could press a soft, sweet kiss to my forehead. “I’m going to do everything I can to see to it that you don’t regret this, baby.”
“Why would I ever regret sticking by the man who’s changed my life in all the wonderful ways you have?” I questioned him.
His fingers pressed in firmly on either side of my face. “You’re a dream come true, Harlow. Do you know that?”
He was being sweet, and I couldn’t allow him to think he was the only lucky one. “I thought men like you only existed in the movies. It’s nice to know I was wrong.”
Blaze kissed me on my forehead again before he released his hold on my face and wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close for a hug. I willingly went, taking in the scent of him and loving every second of being held in his arms.
“Would I be correct to assume you haven’t had dinner?” I asked.