Page 50 of Sheltered
“I do.”
“So, are you ready to do this?” he asked, jerking his head to the side and indicating our fun activity he’d planned for us this morning.”
I inhaled deeply, held my breath for a moment, and eventually blew it out. “I am very excited about the fun and laughs I know we’re bound to have, but I’m going to be honest and say I don’t think I’ll be very good at this at all.”
“No? Why not?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Well, not only have I never gone paintballing before, I’ve also never done anything that requires me to have good aim. No shooting, no archery. Nothing.”
Blaze laughed again. “It’ll be okay. I’m sure you’ll manage to hit me a couple of times.”
I raised a disbelieving brow. “Are you sure that’s not going to happen simply because you’ll purposely move into the line of fire, only so I don’t feel bad about myself and my lack of skills?”
“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Blaze replied. “I have faith in you, and I’m certain you’ll give me a run for my money. Of course, that might be because I’ll be too distracted by something you’ll say or the way you’ll look, and it’ll give you that advantage.”
I pressed my lips together to stifle a grin. I loved how open he was with me about the way he felt. It didn’t embarrass him to get a bit emotional with me, and it was so comforting to know he was that kind of guy. “Now I know you’re just buttering me up for something. I’m going to get blasted by paintballs this morning, aren’t I?”
Blaze sent me a look of mock horror. “I would never.”
Before I could respond, he exited the truck and rounded it to meet me on my side, where he opened my door for me.
Then the two of us made our way to the entrance, so we could spend our morning playing paintball with one another.
Admittedly, there was the part of me that wondered if I’d actually be able to enjoy myself doing something like this. Granted, I didn’t doubt Blaze or his ability to turn any situation into a good one, but there was a slight edge of nervousness about whether I’d find this enjoyable when I didn’t possess the skills to do well at it.
It didn’t take long for me to learn that my line of thinking was all wrong.
Spending the morning paintballing with Blaze was exactly what I needed, what we both needed, especially after our discussion last night. We had an absolute blast—running around, hiding, and shooting at each other—and I never stopped smiling the entire time. It was crazy to me, because every moment I spent with him somehow seemed to lead me to thinking I couldn’t remember a time when I’d laughed so much in my life.
Best of all, it was clear I wasn’t the only one who was getting something out of it. Blaze was, too. All the stress and worry he had been feeling last night seemed to have vanished, and I loved that. Even more than I could appreciate what this morning’s fun had done for me, knowing that Blaze was able to let go of his work situation meant everything to me.
When our time was over, it was safe to say I was worn out. I had more paint covering the camo jumpsuit, goggles, and helmet I had on than Blaze had on anything he was wearing, but that didn’t diminish the experience in the least.
After stripping out of the safety gear and the jumpsuit we’d put on to protect our regular clothes, I said, “I’m really surprised by how much fun I had doing this with you.”
“Yeah?” Blaze returned. “Would you want to do it again?”
“I wouldn’t mind coming here again. I’ll just want to have some target practice between now and then. Maybe I’ll have to come into Harper Security Ops and do a bit of training beforehand,” I reasoned.
Blaze took me by the hand and led me out of the building. “I’d be more than happy to do that with you whenever you want. For now, how about you let me take you out for lunch?”
“Ooh, that sounds wonderful. You sure do know the way to a girl’s heart,” I teased.
Releasing my hand once we stepped outside and into the parking lot, Blaze wrapped his arm around my back and allowed his hand to settle on my opposite shoulder. We continued to walk as he curled me slightly into his body, and he glanced down with a curious look on his face, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Is that really all it would take to get your heart? Just a Sunday afternoon lunch date?”
Though I could tell he was being playful, there was no question Blaze was looking for a legitimate answer to his question. While I was certain he didn’t believe that all I’d need was a simple lunch date, it was clear he wanted to know what it would take.
“If only it was that easy, right?” I fired back, keeping my voice just as light and flirty.
We were a matter of a few feet away from his truck when Blaze declared, “I don’t need it to be easy, baby. I just want to know what it takes.” When we came to a stop on my side of the truck, Blaze turned my body to face his. Once my eyes were locked on his, he pressed his finger right over the center of my chest and asked, “What would a man need to do to have what’s in here?”
My eyes searched his face, taking in every line etched in his curious expression. I didn’t know what was compelling me at this very second to do this, but I felt this moment was too important to waste. “I’m not sure there’s anything a man could do to get in there.”
Blaze tipped his head to the side, his brows furrowing as he frowned. “Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, a man would have to have the opportunity to get in there, and that’s just not possible, because it’s not an option for anyone else. You already have it, Blaze. You’ve already done all the work, and you continue to do it. Why would I ever give it to anyone else?”
Blaze stared at me in silence. I couldn’t read his expression, and it made me nervous. It was impossible not to feel even the smallest twinge of regret. Had I said too much?