Chapter 2
BLAZE
My career requires me to be reckless. I’ve jumped out of planes. I’ve crawled through enemy territory with nothing but a knife and a prayer. Hell, I let my buddies talk me into a tattoo at three in the morning in a country I can't even spell.
But walking Serena back to her apartment might be the most dangerous thing I've ever done.
She's sweet, too sweet for me and she’s been smiling at me all night. She’s listened to my stories like I’m the most interesting person she’s ever met. The way she’s clinging to my hand now like I’m her favorite person cracks my chest wide open.
We switched to water hours ago. She’s sober and steady on her own feet, but she leans into me anyway. It’s like her body knows it belongs to me and it’s acting before her brain has a chance to catch up.
I don't know what came over me when I saw her sitting at the bar.
My reaction was visceral. Every muscle in my body tensed. It isn’t like me. I don't chase women. I’ve never needed to be honest. They come to me. It's fine. Easy… Forgettable.
But there’s nothing forgettable about Serena.
The way she laughs at my terrible jokes. The way she throws her head back. The way it exposes her throat. The way her curves are burned into my mind is criminal. She’s all full hips, round thighs, and breasts that would overflow my hands in the best possible way.
She's not some delicate little thing. She's built like a woman who could take everything I want to give her. And I want to give her everything.
Serena’s mine and she doesn’t even know it. It's wild given I've known her for three hours. But my body doesn't care about logic. My body knows what it wants.
"This is me," she says, stopping in front of a door on the second floor.
Her keys jingle in her hand, and she's looking up at me with those big brown eyes. I can practically see the war happening behind them. Stay. Go. Stay. Go.
I should make it easy for her. Should say goodnight like a gentleman and walk away. I should forget her name by morning.
But instead, I step closer.
"Serena."
She sucks in a breath. "Blaze—"
"Tell me to leave." I lift my hand, brush a strand of hair from her face. My fingers graze her cheek, and she shivers. "Tell me this is a bad idea, and I'll go. No questions. No pressure."
She's quiet for a long moment. I can hear her heartbeat. Or maybe that's mine.
"It's a terrible idea," she whispers. “I don’t do things like this, ever. There are no one night stories for me.”
"I know." I brush a strand of hair from her face.
"I don't even know your last name."
"Reynolds." I lean in, my lips brushing her ear. "Blaze Reynolds. I'm thirty-one. I grew up in Oregon. I like black coffee, old trucks, and the way you've been looking at me all night like you're trying to talk yourself out of something."
She laughs, but it's breathless. Shaky. "And if I can't talk myself out of it? Even if it is only one night."
I pull back just enough to look her in the eyes. "Then invite me in."
The silence stretches between us. One second. Two… She unlocks the door.
She became mine the second she looked at me across that bar.
The moment we're inside, everything changes.
I don't rush her or push my way inside. Instead, I just stand there in her tiny living room and let her set the pace. Something tells me Serena doesn't let herself have things very often. Tonight I’m going to make sure she has everything she wants.
"Blaze." She says my name like she's still deciding. Like she's standing at the edge of a cliff.
"I'm right here." I close the distance between us slowly. Giving her time. "I'm not going anywhere."
Her hands come up to my chest, and I stop breathing. She traces the lines of my shoulders and then runs her fingertips across my arms.
"You're… Not real. I mean, who looks like this." She shakes her head and lets out a laugh. "This is crazy."
"Yeah." I cup her face in my hands, tilting her chin up. "Best kind of crazy."
“I like it.”
And then I kiss her.
It’s slow and soft at first. My mouth on hers is a question, not a demand. Is this okay? Is this what you want?
Serena answers by fisting her hands in my shirt and pulling me closer. That’s all it takes. Something inside of me ignites. I walk her backward until her shoulders hit the wall. I cage her in with my arms.
"Blaze." My name is a moan on her lips, and it's the best thing I've ever heard. "Please."
"Please what?" I drag my mouth down her neck, tasting her pulse. It's racing. "Tell me what you want, sweetheart. I'll give you anything."
"You." Her fingers find the hem of my shirt, tugging. "I want you."
I've never moved so fast in my life.
My shirt hits the floor in an instant, hers follows. When I see her standing there in the low light something in me comes undone. She’s all soft curves and smooth skin. Her eyes look up at me like I'm something worth wanting—
I'm done for.
I lift her and her legs wrap around my waist. She fits perfectly against me like she belongs there. I grasp her thigh and she gasps against my mouth. I swallow the sound then carry her down the hall until I find her bedroom.