Chapter 9
By the time Blaze and Johanna made it back to the party, neither of them was pretending whatever existed between them was still casual.
Not after the dancing and the kisses. And definitely not after the way Blaze was looking at her as though he'd finally reclaimed something he'd spent years convincing himself he could live without.
Johanna felt the intensity of his gaze every time it landed on her. Heat, possession, and unmistakable want lingered beneath his gaze, slipping beneath her skin and settling somewhere she couldn't quite ignore.
Blaze stepped closer beside the fire.
"You ready to go?"
Warmth rushed into her cheeks because they both understood the question beneath the question.
Are you ready to be alone with me?
Johanna swallowed, and Blaze's gaze followed the movement of her throat for a second too long before she finally nodded.
"Yes."
That one soft answer nearly destroyed what remained of his composure.
Blaze turned toward the group. “We’re heading out.”
Michael leaned back dramatically in his chair. “Wow. Abandoning your firefighter family for a woman.”
“It was a tough choice,” Blaze replied dryly.
MacKenzie pointed at Johanna. “Jo, call somebody tomorrow so we know you survived.”
Blaze pointed back. “Mind your business.”
“You are my business.”
Laughter rolled through the group again while Blaze guided Johanna toward the parking area with one hand resting low against her back.
The touch sent a familiar awareness through her. Every time Blaze touched her now, it felt intentional, steady, and protective, with just enough possessiveness to make her feel cherished rather than confined.
And honestly, that might have been the most dangerous part of all.
"I didn't drive," she said quietly as they crossed the lot. "Paige dropped me off."
"Perfect."
The walk toward his truck felt different from earlier. Not awkward, but charged. Everything simmering between them had shifted tonight. Earlier they'd circled each other carefully, still pretending caution mattered. Now the attraction between them had stopped behaving itself entirely.
Blaze opened the passenger-side door for her.
Johanna looked up at him with narrowed eyes. “You really commit to this gentleman thing.”
Blaze leaned one arm casually against the truck door, his gaze holding hers steadily. “My mother raised me better than to let a woman open her own door.”
Warmth spread unexpectedly through Johanna’s chest. “And if I wanted to open it myself?”
A grin tugged slowly at his mouth. “Then I’d let you pretend for about five seconds.”
Johanna laughed softly before climbing inside.
Blaze closed the door carefully behind her, and by the time he slid into the driver’s seat moments later, the atmosphere inside the truck already felt too intimate.
Johanna stared straight ahead through the windshield trying not to notice his hands gripping the steering wheel.
Strong, capable, and dangerously distracting hands.
“How’s your mother doing?” Johanna asked after a comfortable stretch of silence.
The question softened Blaze’s expression.
“She’s good.” He glanced toward her briefly while easing the truck onto Main Street. “Still calling me from California to ask if I’ve eaten enough vegetables.”
A smile tugged at Johanna’s lips. “I remember Ms. Loretta thinking vegetables could solve almost any problem.”
Blaze huffed out a laugh. “That woman once tried convincing me kale could cure both high blood pressure and heartbreak.”
Johanna burst out laughing. The sound seemed to surprise both of them.
Blaze’s mouth curved into a slow smile, and for a moment, neither of them seemed interested in breaking the spell. It had been a long time since something felt this easy.
“She asks about you every time I see her.”
Johanna’s smile faded. “Really?”
He nodded while making a left at the corner, one hand resting loosely against the steering wheel as a low pop song played quietly through the speakers.
“She never stopped loving you either.”
Johanna turned her attention toward the window because every second gave her too much time to think and even more time to remember, the warmth of his kiss, the rough sound he'd made when she'd touched him, and the hunger in his eyes whenever he looked at her.
It wasn't merely desire she saw there. It was the look of a man who'd finally found his way back to something he'd never stopped loving.
A shiver moved through her.
When Blaze shifted on his seat, she became painfully aware of his scent lingering throughout the truck. Warm cedarwood and clean, masculine spice wrapped around her with every breath.
Honestly, the man disturbed her peace on every possible level.
At the next red light, Blaze turned toward her.
She felt his attention. "What?" she asked softly.
His gaze drifted across her face before lingering briefly on her mouth.
"You're thinking hard again."
Johanna glanced toward him. “You always know when I’m in my head.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “That’s because your face gives you away.”
She huffed softly under her breath and looked back toward the windshield.
The man noticed entirely too much.
By the time Blaze pulled in front of her building, Main Street had settled into late-night quiet.
Boutique windows sat dark, restaurant patios were nearly empty except for a few lingering couples huddled beneath patio heaters, and the ocean wind drifted steadily between the buildings, carrying the scent of salt and the bite of February cold.
Neither of them moved right away.
The truck idled softly as silence stretched between them, weighted by everything they still hadn't said aloud.
For a moment, Johanna stared through the windshield, trying to ignore the awareness humming beneath her skin.
Eventually, she wrapped her fingers around the door handle and forced a small smile.
"I had a really good time. Thank you."
Before she could open the door, Blaze reached over and gently closed his hand around her wrist.
The touch wasn't forceful. It didn't need to be.
The simple contact sent her pulse stumbling, and when she turned toward him, she found him watching her with the same steady intensity that had been unraveling her all evening. His gaze held hers for a long moment before it drifted briefly to her mouth.
"Are you really about to walk away from me after kissing me like that on the beach?" he asked quietly.
Heat rushed through her chest. "Braxton..."
His eyes darkened the instant his name left her mouth.
"There you go again."
Johanna swallowed beneath the weight of his gaze. "You make it very difficult to think clearly."
A slow grin spread across his face, warm and undeniably male.
"Good. I'm tired of competing with your common sense."
Lord have mercy.
Before she could recover from that devastating answer, Blaze slid one hand into her hair, his fingers curling gently at the nape of her neck as he kissed her again.
This kiss felt nothing like the one outside Harbor & Vine.
That kiss had been tender, layered with emotion, and uncertainty. This one carried a different kind of intensity, fueled by weeks of restraint and a growing awareness neither of them seemed capable of denying anymore.
Johanna made a soft sound against his mouth as Blaze pulled her closer. His hand tightened instinctively at her waist while heat surged between them, stronger and more consuming than before. Whatever caution had existed earlier in the evening had all but disappeared.
Without thinking, she turned toward him, one hand sliding up his chest until her fingers curled around the collar of his shirt.
Blaze groaned softly against her mouth.
The sound sent a wave of warmth through her so quickly she nearly lost her breath.
"Jo," he murmured against her mouth. The words sounded dragged from somewhere deep inside him. "You have no idea what you do to me."
The honesty in those words unraveled the last thread of restraint she still possessed.
Johanna kissed him again as Blaze wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. When she settled against him, he released a slow breath, as though he'd finally gotten hold of something he'd wanted all night.
Maybe longer than that.
His hand drifted along her back beneath her sweater, his fingertips grazing the warm skin above her jeans. The subtle touch sent a shiver through her, and Blaze noticed.
A look of satisfaction crossed his face before he lowered his mouth to hers once more, slower this time. More deliberate.
As though he wanted to savor every second rather than risk losing himself in it.
That somehow felt even more intimate.
For the first time, Johanna became aware of the restraint beneath every touch. Blaze held her securely without demanding anything from her, never pushing, never taking more than she willingly offered. He wasn't acting like a man trying to get something from her.
He acted like a man overwhelmed by finally having her close again.
The realization softened something deep inside her, and that frightened her more than she wanted to admit. Trusting Blaze again meant risking the same heartbreak twice.
Eventually Blaze pulled back just enough to look at her.
Her lips felt swollen from kissing him. Wind-tousled curls framed her flushed cheeks while the soft glow from the dashboard painted warm shadows across his face.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Something tender flickered in his eyes as he brushed his thumb along her jaw.
"Baby," he said quietly, his voice rough with restraint, "if we keep going like this, I'm following you upstairs."
Johanna blinked, still slightly dazed. "Why does that sound like a threat?"
A laugh escaped him before he rested his forehead briefly against hers.
"Because you don't understand how hard I'm trying to behave."