16. Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Sixteen
Addy
My eyes flutter open to the light from the window streaming across the bed, and I take a deep breath, catching Blaze’s scent.
And that’s when I feel the warmth against my back.
Oh. My. Goodness.
As my eyes adjust, I see his hand jutting out from beneath me on the mattress. His other arm is gently wrapped around my torso. He’s taking slow and steady breaths, still fast asleep. My heart starts to pound in my chest.
Does he know what he’s doing?
Or did this happen while we were sleeping?
I can barely breathe as I feel him stir against me, his face buried in my hair.
I try not to panic.
I try to ignore the way his hand is tucked up against my upper stomach.
He’s holding me.
And there’s a part of me that wants to shout and wake him up. But there’s this other part—the one that’s been rearing its ugly head since we got here—that wants to just lie here and soak up the moment. But I’m scared I might like it too much. And he made it so clear last night that he’d never cross that line.
He apparently looks at me like I’m his … sister.
But I’m pretty sure brothers and sisters don’t cuddle like this.
For all I know, he isn’t even aware of what he’s doing…
I rub my eyes, and that’s when I notice my hands are ice cubes from the air conditioning blasting in the room.
He was probably just cold and subconsciously sought out warmth in his sleep.
Blaze stirs again, this time letting out the sweetest groan, and for a moment, his grip tightens around me, sending chills down my torso and a flutter through my stomach.
I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing, the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. His touch is both comforting and electrifying, and I struggle to make sense of it all.
But then, his arms and torso go absolutely rigid before freeing me from his grip in the most swift and violent way ever.
“I am so sorry,” he drawls, his voice groggy as I roll over.
He’s absolutely mortified. It’s etched in every line on his face, which is now reddened beneath his olive skin. He shakes his head adamantly as I try to conjure up the words to say.
“It’s okay,” I reply, my own voice tinged with sleep. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It was completely inappropriate, Addy.” He huffs. “I’m so sorry. I’ll put pillows down the center of the bed next time. I swear, I had no idea I was—”
“A cuddler?” I raise a brow.
“I’ve never shared a bed with a girl before,” he says, his voice quiet. “I…”
“Blaze.” I reach out and squeeze his forearm. “It’s totally fine. The air conditioning has been blasting all night. You were probably just cold. Let’s not make it into something it’s not.”
He watches me flip the covers back and climb out of the bed. My face feels hot as I make my way toward the dresser, pulling it open and grabbing a pair of running shorts and a tank top. I can feel his eyes on me in my thin pajama shorts, so I intentionally don’t face him as I walk to the bathroom.
I don’t want him to see how flustered I am.
That would be so embarrassing, and then… I might have to admit that I actually liked having his hands around my body. Or something. I don’t know.
When I finish up in the bathroom and step out, Blaze is in the exact same spot, staring at the wall.
“I’m going for a run,” I say. Well, a walk , but still.
He whips his head around, his expression difficult to read. “Yeah, okay. You want me to go with you?”
I wave him off. “It’s okay. You look tired. Plus, we have the rehearsal dinner tonight. I should probably check in with Aurora to see if she needs me for anything.”
He nods, his lips turning slightly upward. “Sounds good. I think I’m gonna hit the gym for a while. My head feels messed up.”
I don’t know how to take what he says, so I just smile. “I’ll let you get to it, then.” And with that, I bail right out of the room, desperate to calm my racing heart.
I spend the rest of the day helping Aurora, and every time I pass the resort gym, I spot Blaze, sweaty and pumped, working out. His biceps glisten as he focuses on lifting weights, his jaw set in determination. The man is ripped, and I can’t help but admire the way his muscles flex and bulge with each movement. So, by the time we’re at the rehearsal dinner, I’m left trying to get that image out of my head—as if I’ve never seen him work out before.
“You good?” Blaze leans over and asks me in a low voice.
I nod. “Of course. Are you?” I eye him in his slacks and dark button-up, which perfectly complements his eyes. Meanwhile, I’m wearing a light purple dress, which matches the wedding colors.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He smiles genuinely and takes a small sip of wine.
The rehearsal dinner is a lavish affair, the tables adorned with elegant centerpieces and soft candlelight casting a warm glow over the room. The ocean can be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the waves crashing gently against the shore in the distance.
Blaze grabs my hand, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm. My heart leaps into my throat as he intertwines his fingers with mine on my upper thigh. I try not to show how it affects me.
I look across the table to my sister, who’s grinning at us.
So that’s why he grabbed my hand. Got it.
“How’s your time here been?” my mom chimes, looking over at Blaze. “We haven’t seen much of the two of you.”
“Aurora said you two went surfing?” My dad asks, his gaze bouncing between Blaze and me.
“Yes. Blaze surprised me with surfing lessons. I was terrible,” I say. “Really. But it was a blast.”
“Sounds like it. Did you catch any waves?”
“I definitely crashed in some waves.” I laugh and look over to Blaze, who’s looking right at me.
He smiles and squeezes my hand, sending my heart into overdrive. “She did great.”
But does he really think that or is this part of the act, too?
He looks over to my parents, still smiling. “I’m really enjoying my time here.”
Dad returns the smile, which is shocking to me. He never smiles at my boyfriends. “Good, I’m glad. The two of you seem very happy together.”
“I can’t believe I’m getting married tomorrow,” Aurora cuts in. “It just seems like time flew by.”
“It’ll be okay,” Robert reassures her. “I think it’ll be perfect.”
“Oh, given all the effort we’ve put into it, it most certainly will be,” Mom chimes, clearly proud of herself. “It’ll be wonderful.”
I exchange a glance with Blaze, who’s staring at his glass of wine. I can’t read his expression right now, but I do wonder what he’s thinking. I know he thinks my family is a lot.
One more reason he’d never want to be more than friends with me.
I start downing my wine at the thought. Maybe it’ll chase away the memory of Blaze’s hands on me in bed this morning. And these confusing feelings.
The meal arrives, and we all finish eating as the DJ jumps up and the party commences. One thing about my sister is that everything has to be a party with dancing and all that. She lives for it.
The waiter tops off my wine glass and I take another sip.
“You might want to slow down,” Blaze leans in and whispers as everyone stands from the table to start dancing. “You’re on your fourth glass, Addy.”
I swat at him, my head spinning as I feel the urge to giggle. “I’m fine, honey .”
He raises his brows. “Honey?”
“Yeah, would you prefer baby ?” My head spins again.
Okay, maybe I do need to slow down .
“Oh my gosh, you’re drunk.”
I burst into laughter and push back from the table, my knee-length purple dress feeling swishy—like I need to dance. I lean down and bop him on the nose. “I’m going to go dance with my sister.”
Blaze grabs my hand as my finger rests against his nose. “Three songs, and then you need to get to bed. You don’t wanna be hungover for the wedding tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mr. Scrooge.” I giggle, breaking free from his hand. I kick my sandals off and head for the dance floor, skipping the whole way there. I jump in line next to my sister, finishing the macarena.
“Girl, you’ve had too much wine.” Aurora nudges me. “I’ve seriously never seen you so happy, though. It’s so cute.”
“Thank you,” I say, falling in rhythm to the music. “Blaze says I can only have three songs, and then I have to go to bed.” I giggle. “He’s always been like that, taking care of me and stuff.”
“It’s so sweet,” Aurora says. “You should tell the DJ a song you want him to play for the third one and make Blaze dance with you!”
“We don’t have a song,” I say, nearly having to shout over the music. “I don’t think so anyway.”
“Hmm,” Aurora hums. “I bet I can come up with one. Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. You just wait.”
“Okay…” I watch her as she jogs away, but she doesn’t go to the DJ like I expect her to. Instead, she runs to Blaze. My heart jumps to my throat as he glances at me as she explains something to him.
Then he gets up. But he doesn’t come to me. He heads to the DJ booth.
Aurora comes back to me, a giddy smile plastered on her face.
“He says he knows what song he wants to play for your dance,” she squeals, clapping her hands together.
I stand there, heart rattling my ribcage as Blaze chats with the DJ. Tingles roll through my body as the DJ fades out the song.
“This next song was a special request from this NHL player to his lady,” the DJ says into the mic. “Enjoy ‘Somebody to You - Reimagined’.”
The electric guitar intro starts, and I legit think I might pass out as Blaze makes his way over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into him. I can’t look at him as we start to dance.
I’m dying inside.
Even as he spins me around the dance floor, I can hardly cope with the feeling in my chest.
It has to be the wine.
“This song came out the year we met in college,” Blaze says against my ear. “But this version came out this year. Seems fitting.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as the side of his head presses to mine, and all I can feel is him . “I had the biggest crush on you in college,” I blurt out.
He stills and then leans back. “What’d you say?”
I meet his gaze, seeing something in his eyes that I don’t recognize. I quickly shake my head, remembering our conversation at the pier. “I don’t know.”
He furrows his brow as the song comes to a close and everyone cheers. “About ready to call it a night?” He lets me go but hangs onto my hand.
Still, I can’t breathe. The song replays in my head over and over.
It’s just a song. He picked it because it lines up with the ruse.
But I can’t help it. As we reach the elevator, I stop him. “Why did you pick that song? How did you know it came out when we first met in college?”
He tugs me gently into the elevator, not offering an answer. “Conversation for another night, Addy. You’re kind of drunk.”
I nod as the doors close. “Thanks for dancing with me.”
“I’ll always dance with you.”
“Even when we have walkers and wheelchairs?” I look over at him, his amber eyes focused on me.
“Especially when we have walkers and wheelchairs.” He chuckles. “By then, we’ll have perfected our dance moves. We’ll be the best there is.”
“Yeah?” I say, tilting my head. “But by then, you’ll probably be married to some exotic model, and she probably won’t like you dancing with me. You’ll be too busy dancing with her.”
He frowns. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you and I both know that we can’t be friends like this forever. That’s just not how life works.” I pull my gaze away from him, staring at the rows of buttons on the elevator wall. When the doors slide open, he steps forward, his body pressing against my back.
“Come on, Addy. Let’s get you into bed.”
I nod, and as I take the step forward into the hallway, I glance down, suddenly realizing his fingers are still interlaced with mine…
And not a soul is watching us.