Blaze: A Small Town, Nerdy Girl, Opposites Attract, Protector Romance (Ghost Ops Book 1)

Chapter 42

Emma was boneless.She lay on the bed, legs sprawled, an arm over her eyes, trying to catch her breath.

The bed shifted beside her as Blaze stood and went into the bathroom to get rid of the condom. She cracked an eye open to watch his very fine ass stride away from her.

Her body still tingled with the aftershocks of her orgasm as she closed her eyes and put her arm over her face. This thing between them was intense, hot, and addictive.

Sex with Blaze made her feel like she’d run a race, and also like she was more alive than she’d been in maybe ever. Which was ridiculous. She’d had plenty of amazing moments so far in her life.

Doubt gnawed at the edges of her happiness. Would they crash and burn? Fizzle out like a dying ember? Or would one of them crash while the other walked away?

That’s what she feared most. Him walking away once Simon was in custody and she no longer needed protection.

A small furry creature landed on her pillow and Emma started with a squeak.

“How did you get up here?”

Sassy merely bounced around on the pillow and then flopped against Emma, putting her head against Emma’s cheek.

“Aww,” Emma whispered, reaching up to pet Sassy with a finger.

“She climbed up the blanket that’s hanging on the floor,” Blaze said as he swaggered toward her. Sassy took the opportunity to jump up and bounce happily toward the edge of the mattress as he approached, her tiny body practically vibrating with excitement.

Me too, girl. Me too.

She could look at that body all day. Anatomy textbooks had taught her what all those glorious muscles were called, how they attached to the bones and ligaments, how they moved, and yet none showed her the perfection of a honed male body the way watching Blaze walk across a room did.

“Keep looking at me like that and we’re never making it to the Dawg tonight.”

Emma sighed and stretched, laughing as she managed to push herself onto an elbow. “As much as I’d love to take you up on that, I’m starved. I haven’t been over there in days, and Rory’s been texting me that I’d better make it tonight. They’ve got a new band. Oh, and Rory has a date.”

“A date, huh?”

“It’s not Chance. She keeps insisting that he might be hot but he’s a jerk, even if she feels guilty for hitting his arm. This guy is from Huntsville. An engineer of some sort she’s started to see. We’re crawling with engineers in northern Alabama in case you didn’t know.”

He scooped up the kitten and bent to kiss Emma. “Then I guess we’d better get dressed and get over there.”

Emma let her gaze slide down his naked chest to his hips and the half-erect penis that jutted between his legs. She loved his dick. It was big and thick and hit her nerves in just the right way as he stroked in and out of her body.

It was, in fact, the best dick she’d had. Not that she’d had all that many, but the sampling she’d experienced was severely lacking when it came to the technique and stamina Blaze Connolly was capable of. Him and his amazing dick.

“What are you thinking?” he murmured.

Her eyes snapped up to his. There was amusement in those eyes.

“Uh, nothing much. Just thinking about Anatomy 101 and average dick size.”

He snorted. Then he set the kitten on the floor and reached for his jeans where he’d shucked them beside the bed. “Nothing average about this dick, Sunshine.”

“No, definitely not.”

“Nothing average about you either.”

She warmed inside. “That’s sweet, but I know I’m not stacked in all the right places. Not like Rory.”

He stopped when his jeans were on his hips, but the fly was still open. She’d watched in fascination as he’d dragged them on without underwear.

“You’re stacked right for me, babe. I happen to be fascinated with your perfect tits and pretty ass. And your pussy?” He put a hand over his heart. “Being inside you is perfection. Eating you is perfection. It’s my favorite place in the world right now.”

Nervous laughter bubbled into her throat, but she didn’t let it out. He was serious. Serious.

She sat up and hugged her arms around her knees. “Thank you. Nobody has ever said anything like that to me before.”

“Not my fault the men before me were dumbasses.” He pointed a finger at her as if he knew what her next thought would be. “And it’s not yours either.”

“Seriously? I’m the one who chose them. I’m a little at fault.”

“Okay, so you had marginally bad taste in men. And then you met me.”

He finished that sentence with a cocky smile, and Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I met you, and you saved my life. But I didn’t want to go out with you if you remember.”

“I remember. But then you got smart, so I guess it turned out okay.”

It had definitely turned out okay. She’d had the best sex of her life, and she was ravenous for more. She didn’t remember ever feeling that way. She’d even wondered at one time if she had a low sex drive, but talking with other med students at the time had made her realize that she was simply tired. Stressed and tired like so many of them were.

And the pressure hadn’t eased in the ER, either.

Blaze dragged on a T-shirt and then a button-down shirt that he left open and untucked. God, he made her heart throb when he looked like that. She climbed from the bed, reluctantly, and padded naked into the bathroom. Blaze’s hand on her ass made her shiver with delight as he gave her a caress when she passed by.

She studied herself in the mirror. Her hair was a wild tangle on her head. She had beard burn on her neck, her lips were red and puffy from kissing, and her nipples were hard little points that still ached. She brushed her teeth, splashed some water on her face, twisted her hair into a knot—after taming it enough to do so—and then slipped into new panties and a bra.

She opted for a soft cashmere sweater in cranberry red, a pair of black jeans, and heeled booties. After she put Sassy in the bathroom with fresh food and water, she joined Blaze in the living room.

He looked her up and down with appreciation. “Damn. I’m about to stroll into the Dawg with the hottest babe around.”

She blushed again. “I don’t know why I let you make me blush, but I can’t seem to help it.”

He grinned as he took her hand and led her to the door. “You blush because you like it.”

She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. It was roughened with stubble, and it made her belly clench. He’d scraped those cheeks across her thighs earlier, and she’d loved every delicious moment of it.

Loved it because he knew exactly how much pressure and where. The combination of rough and soft had driven her over the edge much quicker than she’d wanted.

They went out the door, he locked it and checked that it held, then they walked to the Dawg. He put her between him and the buildings, and he kept both hands free in case he needed them. He was alert to everything, scanning the street, the park, the cars, until they reached the Dawg’s ancient wood and glass doors and passed inside.

It was crowded tonight, but that was to be expected because it was Friday. Theo’s prime rib special was on, and people packed the tables. Rory was behind the bar with Amber, who often helped fill drink orders when the place was hopping. There were at least five servers on duty carrying plates to and from the kitchen.

Emma loved to see the hustle. It meant Rory and Theo were doing well. When their grandfather got sick, the manager at the time hadn’t done the best job keeping the place running at a profit. Their grandmother had been too distracted by her husband’s health to dig into the operations, and they’d bled money for years. Owning the building was probably the only thing that had saved them, which neither Rory nor Theo had realized until their grandmother passed and left it to them along with the farmhouse.

Blaze ushered Emma over to the usual table that his One Shot guys occupied with a hand against the small of her back. They were all there. Alex—tall, dark, and very mysterious, with a vibe that said don’t ask questions because you won’t like the answers. Flirty Kane, serious Seth, grumpy Chance—tonight anyway—and easygoing Ethan.

She liked them all. Trusted them all. She still wasn’t sure about their late night at the range and Chance’s injuries, but their explanation was reasonable. Until somebody gave her a reason to think otherwise, she wasn’t going to question it.

The guys turned toward them as Chance called out for them to take a seat.

“Y’all order yet?” Blaze asked as he pulled a chair out for her.

She was beside Alex again and across from Blaze. It kind of annoyed her that Alex wouldn’t move over, but he showed no inclination.

“Nope, it’s been busy, and the waitress hasn’t been by yet,” Kane said. “What took you so long?”

His gaze bounced between her and Blaze, and Emma’s skin grew hot.

Blaze was unflappable. “I gave Emma that kitten I found, remember? She had to be taken care of first.”

“Oh yeah. How’s she doing?” Kane asked, turning to her.

Emma couldn’t help but smile. “She’s a bouncy little thing and so sweet. She makes me laugh. We took her for shots and deworming a few days ago. She’s about nine weeks old.”

She could see Alex out of the corner of her eye as he turned to Blaze.

Blaze shrugged.

She didn’t know what any of that was about, but it seemed like disapproval. Or maybe she was overthinking it.

Nikki came over to take their orders and then left again. The guys talked about work for a while, including her as much as possible. They told her about a woman who’d been learning to shoot and yelped every time she pulled the trigger and about a man in one of the self-defense classes who ripped his pants on a karate kick nobody had asked him to do, and they laughed about stories they had from their military days.

They were a family. And she realized, after a while, they seemed to be the only family any of them had. They didn’t talk about parents or siblings or cousins. They didn’t talk about ex-wives, children, or girlfriends either. It was the six of them, and nobody else.

Maybe that’s what made Alex wary of her. She wasn’t one of them. She was an outsider in their group. But how silly was that, because it was clear they weren’t monks. Kane was busy making eyes at Nikki every time she walked by, and she kept cutting her gaze at him and smiling.

Looked like a hookup waiting to happen. Alex didn’t seem phased by that at all.

Rory sashayed over with a tray of drinks. “Evening, gentleman. Emma Grace. Y’all come in for the prime rib?”

She started handing out beers and waters as everyone confirmed they had. She set Emma’s wine glass down and gave her the big eyes for a second.

“Haven’t seen you in days, Idgy. But you look relaxed. Bit of a glow, too,” she added.

“I have a new kitten. She makes me happy.”

“Mm-hm. Guess that kitten keeps you busy.” Rory leaned in close and whispered in Emma’s ear. “I think somebody’s been petting your kitty, babe. And petting it just right, too.”

Emma’s skin was never going to recover from all the blushing. She laughed. “Damn you, Ror,” she whispered back. “You’re incorrigible.”

“But right.”

“You could get your kitty stroked too, you know. He’s right there, pretending not to notice you.”

“Sorry, didn’t hear you.” Rory straightened, eyes bright. “Y’all got everything you need?”

They affirmed they did.

“Your food will be out shortly. Enjoy!”

She spun on her heel and marched away. Chance followed her with his eyes all the way to the bar. Emma met Blaze’s look across the table. She hadn’t even taken a sip of wine, but she felt like she’d downed the whole glass as she stared at him.

She was drunk on him, craving more. Addicted.

She wanted that feeling for Rory, too. Maybe Chance wasn’t the one, but she wanted it for her friend anyway.

Her phone buzzed with a text. She dragged her gaze from Blaze and picked it up.

Rory: OMG, he fucked you! Finally!

Emma: Guess he’s not gay after all.

She added a laughing emoji.

Rory: I’m jelly. Like really, really jelly.

Emma: It’s just sex, Ror.

She wanted it to be more, but it wasn’t.

Rory: Suuuureee. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Because I have. Looking at him right now and I can assure you he’s got it bad.

Emma glanced up. Blaze was watching her. He dropped his gaze to her phone and back up.

A question. She melted a little more as she turned her head and indicated Rory. He nodded and turned back to his conversation with Kane.

If he’d been like Simon, that silent inquiry would have made her feel differently. Sick inside. Instead, she knew he was concerned. Making sure it wasn’t something bad, like Simon sending another anonymous text. Once he knew it was Rory, he went back to what he was doing. Not hovering. Not controlling.

Protecting.

Rory: Earth to Idgy. See what I mean? Dude is obsessed. So are you.

Emma: I like him. A lot.

Rory: Damn it, gotta fill an order. Come over here and tell me everything when you get a chance. I want allll the dirty details!

Emma: I’m not telling you details! Don’t you have a date tonight?

Rory: No, sigh. He got called in. Some sort of rocket engine test at the Arsenal tonight.

Emma: Is he Vitamin D material yet?

Rory: I’m taking it slow this time. No rushing into things. Okay, really gotta go!

Emma tucked her phone into her purse. She looked over at Chance, who was staring into his beer like a country music character who’d gotten his heart broken and lost his dog all in the same day. Seth said something to him, and he looked up, pasted on a smile, and answered with a cocky tilt of his head like always.

Maybe she was wrong and he wasn’t interested in Rory at all. Maybe his arm just hurt and he was moody about it. He might have been watching Rory walk away because he was still mad at her.

It could be any of those things, or none of them. And really, she couldn’t fix her friend’s dating problems no matter how much she might want to.

The food arrived and they tucked into it. Emma had considered ordering a salad, but she was glad she got prime rib. Theo had made twice-baked potatoes, plus there was a grilled shrimp add-on for those who’d wanted it. The vegetable was grilled broccoli with bacon. Maybe not all that healthy with the bacon, but out of this world delicious.

Theo came by to check that everything was to their satisfaction once the orders had slowed down enough he could escape. He put a hand on her shoulder. Her first instinct was to shrink away because Blaze was watching.

His expression didn’t change, though. He didn’t bow up, his nostrils didn’t flare, and he didn’t glare at her. Emma covered Theo’s hand with hers and squeezed.

“Thanks, Theo. It was amazing.”

Theo bent to kiss her on top of the head, a move as natural as breathing for him. She squirmed as six sets of eyes looked on.

“Glad you enjoyed it. Y’all let Nikki know if you need anything else.”

Theo moved on to the next table, Alex got up and stalked toward the pool tables at the back where Emma thought she’d spied the sleek blonde from the other night, and Blaze moved over beside her. He dragged his chair around next to hers and slipped an arm around her. Emma leaned into him, her head on his shoulder.

“I could tell you were worried what I’d think,” he murmured in her ear.

“I was.”

“I’m not jealous of your friendship, Sunshine.”

She almost wished he was, just so she’d know where she stood, but she told herself that was ridiculous. She’d been down that path with Simon, and she never wanted to go there again.

“Thank you.”

“But I gotta tell you, if he’d kissed you the way I kiss you, I might have reacted differently.”

“I had a crush on Theo when I was a teenager. Nothing ever came of it. If he kissed me now, I think I’d be grossed out. And so would he. We’re like family, we’ve known each other so long.”

“Understood.”

His fingers moved up and down her arm. Softly. Surely.

“I don’t think Alex likes me.”

Blaze’s fingers hesitated before they kept moving. Soothing her.

“He likes you just fine. It’s me he’s worried about.”

“You?” She slipped away to look up at him. He shrugged.

“The six of us planned this business and gave up a lot to make it happen. I think maybe he’s afraid I’ll lose my focus.”

“Will you?”

“Will you fuck up patient care because of me?”

“Of course not.”

“Same. I’m committed to the job, and I’m not going to fuck it up.”

He looked troubled for a second. She put a hand on his cheek, uncaring who was watching. She liked that she was allowed to do so.

“Hey, it’s not brain surgery. Just don’t walk downrange when you’ve got a live shooter in a bay, okay?”

“It’s not my plan.”

She smiled. “Then you won’t get shot, will you? Everything else is a piece of cake compared to that.”

“Yeah, true.”

A moment later, he reached into his pocket for his phone. Seth was already on his feet. Kane popped up beside him, looking fierce.

“It’s an alert for the Sutton building,” Blaze told her as his chair scraped back.

Emma shot up too, reaching for her phone to see the alert.

“You have to stay here, Sunshine. Yo, Chance.”

Chance turned from where he’d been talking to one of the women at the next table. “Yeah?”

“Stay with Emma. We need to check the doors on her building.”

“I want to go with you,” she said.

He shook his head. “No, Emma. Let me handle this.”

She sucked in a breath, not sure whether to cry or scream. Her heart hammered.

What if Simon had come back? What if he had his gun and he was waiting for one of them to walk into the building?

“It’s okay, honey. I know what I’m doing.”

She swallowed. He did. She knew that. “Okay.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her swiftly, then turned and stalked from the building with Kane and Seth on his heels.

Chance took her elbow in a gentle hand. “Hey, Emma. Let’s sit down. Let them secure the building and they’ll be back in no time.”

Emma’s throat tightened. She feared for Blaze, which was somewhat ridiculous considering what she knew he could do, but Simon had murdered a man.

Not only murdered, but done so in a way that he’d gotten away with it for three years.

Panic danced on the edges of her vision, but she held it off by forcing herself to think logically. If Simon was planning to kill again, he wouldn’t do it by breaking into the building and waiting for her or Blaze to show up.

A sudden chill danced across her skin, skated up the back of her neck.

She whirled, peering into dark corners, looking for the source of the bad feeling. Blaze said to trust that feeling, and she did.

But Simon wasn’t there. He wasn’t.

She was imagining things because she was happy and she didn’t want it taken away from her. She squeezed her hands tight under the table and waited for the feeling to pass.

It never did.