Page 49 of Sheltered
“You would.”
I kept my body pressed against his, but I pulled my face back and looked up at Blaze. “Would you like to stay and have dinner with me tonight?”
“If that’s what you want, I’d love nothing more,” he assured me.
I smiled at him. “That’s what I want.”
He grinned back at me.
“Would you mind it if I took a shower before I cook, though?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “As long as you don’t mind it if I sit down here imagining you naked.”
Heat hit my cheeks, and I buried my face in his chest. “Okay.”
Blaze’s arms tightened around me once more before he released his hold on me. Then I stood, so I could grab a shower. “Feel free to get yourself something to drink while I’m upstairs. I won’t be long.”
“Take all the time you need, baby. I’m not going anywhere. By the way… bookkeeper.
My brows pulled together. “What?”
“The answer to your riddle about what English word has three consecutive double letters. It’s bookkeeper.”
I shot him an unamused look and growled. “You’re like the smartest man in the world. I’m convinced I’m never going to make this happen.”
Blaze laughed.
I shook my head and walked away.
Though I might have made it seem as though I was angry, the truth was that I loved it. I loved how smart he was, and I loved the sound of his laughter following behind me as I climbed the stairs.
FIFTEEN
Harlow
“I don’t know how you do it.”
I was practically bouncing in my seat, a smile plastered on my face, as I stared at Blaze in awe.
He glanced over at me, and the amusement was written all over his face. “Do what?” he asked.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I said, “You plan these incredible dates with me that always have me so excited about what’s to come, and somehow, they always seem to be precisely what I need at that moment.”
Smiling, Blaze reached across the console. He curled his fingers around my forearm and squeezed. “I’d like to sit here and tell you I’ve got some sort of superhuman powers that make it all possible, but I’d be lying. I just have that list of yours in the back of my head and plan things accordingly. And if I’m completely honest, I don’t think it’s about the actual thing we wind up doing together. I can’t say for sure how it feels for you, but I’m guessing it might be something like it is for me.”
“And how is it for you?” I questioned him.
“I don’t think there’s anything I could come up with to do with you that wouldn’t result in me having the time of my life. Not to sound cliché, but I think this is less about what I’m doing and more about who I’m doing it with that makes it what it is. Spending time with you is never dull, and I always enjoy myself whenever I’m with you.”
So, he had a point. It was exactly for me as it was for him.
Learning that Blaze didn’t have superhuman power might have seemed a bit disappointing on the surface, but when I considered that he was just a regular guy who was responsible for making me this happy, it only made him that much more incredible in my eyes.
Plus, I couldn’t overlook just how much he cared about me. When I recalled how he’d come to my place two nights ago to bring me up to speed on the case he was working on and how it could impact my life, it was difficult not to fall a bit harder for him. I simply adored the way he looked after me and always put my needs above anything he might have wanted. And it was that realization which led me to feeling an overwhelming sense of determination to give him back just as good as he gave me. I didn’t know if I was nearly as successful at it, but from what I could gather so far, Blaze was happy with me.
Beaming at him, I declared, “I suspect that if we were traveling together and our flight got canceled twice, forcing us to be stranded at the airport for more than twenty-four hours, I’d still have the time of my life as long as I was with you.”
Blaze laughed. “Let’s hope we don’t ever have the opportunity to confirm your suspicions. And I hope you understand that has nothing to do with me not wanting to travel somewhere with you.”