Chapter 10
BLAZE
The medical tent is small. When we enter, Serena points to a cot in the corner.
"Okay, sit and take your shirt off.”
I raise an eyebrow. "Usually I like a little foreplay first."
"Blaze." Her voice is strained and she cuts her eyes at me. "Please. Just... let me do my job."
The desperation in her tone cuts through my bravado. I sit on the cot and pull my shirt over my head, wincing as the movement aggravates my shoulder.
Serena doesn't look at my chest the way she did last time I peeled my clothing off for her. Her eyes don’t wander over my scars or the muscles I know she remembers touching. She's laser-focused on my arm. Then without a word, she gathers supplies from her kit with quick, efficient movements.
"This is going to sting," she warns.
"I can handle it."
She cleans the wound with antiseptic, and I barely flinch. I've had worse. But having her hands on me and her face inches from my skin is a different kind of torture. Her breath is warm against my arm and there’s comfort in her touch that seeps through my body.
"You were distracted out there," she says quietly, threading a needle. "I saw you miss that handhold."
I watch her work, mesmerized by the steadiness of her fingers. "Hard not to be when you're standing there looking like that."
"Looking like what? I'm in scrubs." She pauses and lets out a giggle as the needle hovers over my skin. "That doesn't even make sense."
"Sure it does. Besides, all I’m thinking about is what's underneath." I catch her wrist gently before she can start stitching.
Her breath hitches and she lowers her voice. "We're not alone. Anyone could walk in.”
"I’m not scared.”
She pulls free. "I am." She starts stitching, her movements jerky now. "I'm scared of losing my job. I'm scared of letting you in. I'm scared of wanting something this much and having it disappear."
"I'm not going to disappear on you." The words rip out of my throat.
"Maybe not on purpose, but you're military. Going places is literally your job."
"Then I'll come back." I reach up with my good arm and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Every time. No matter what. I will always come back to you."
She blinks rapidly, turning back to my arm. "You can't promise that."
"Watch me."
She finishes the stitches in silence until four neat, precise lines hold my skin together. Then she sets down the needle and looks at my shoulder.
"I need to check your range of motion." Her voice is steadier now, but I can hear the cracks underneath. "This might hurt."
"Okay.”
She positions herself in front of me and puts her hands on my shoulder. She slowly rotates the joint and tests the movement. I grit my teeth against the pain, but I don't look away from her face.
She's so close. It takes everything in me not to kiss her.
"Blaze…" Her hands have stopped moving. She's just holding me now, her palms flat against my bare skin. Her chest swells with each inhale.
I tilt my chin up. Our lips are almost touching. I can feel the heat of her, the want of her, the—
"Nurse Logan? You in there?"
We spring apart like we've been electrocuted.
Serena's on her feet in an instant, smoothing her scrubs, composing her face. "Yes! Just finishing up with Instructor Reynolds."
The tent flap rustles, and one of the recruits pokes his head in. "Sergeant Cruz is asking for a status update."
"He's fine." Serena's voice is impressively steady. "Minor laceration, no significant shoulder damage. He should rest for the remainder of the day, but he can return to light duty tomorrow."
The recruit nods and disappears. “I’ll let him know.”
Serena turns back to me, and her professional mask is firmly in place. But her hands are trembling, and there's a flush on her cheeks that has nothing to do with the weather.
"You should go," she says. "And make sure you rest up. No superhero stuff.”
"Serena—"
"Not here." She shakes her head. "Not now. But Blaze..." She hesitates, then crosses to me quickly, pressing something into my hand. A folded piece of paper. "When you're feeling better."
As soon as I'm done for the day, I unfold the note. Her phone number. A step in the right direction. I press the paper to my chest like it's a lifeline, then don't waste a single minute.
Our texts stretch into the night. Each time those three dots appear, my heart skips a beat like I'm a damn kid on Christmas morning. Serena has my whole heart for my whole life, whether she wants it or not. That's a risk I'm willing to take.
I fall asleep with my phone in my hand and a smile on my face.