Chapter 12
SERENA
Itry to avoid Blaze and it lasts exactly one long, agonizing day.
The last thing I want to do is leave him without clarification about why I’ve got to put distance between us. The problem is I can’t bring myself to break both of our hearts. So when he corners me in the parking lot, I know I don’t have a choice of delaying it any further.
I'm walking to my car after the longest shift of my life with my keys in hand. I see a shadow fall across my path and I already know it’s him. When I look up at Blaze, his arms are crossed, his jaw is tight, and his eyes are filled with hurt.
"We need to talk."
"Blaze, I can't—"
He steps closer, lowering his voice. "No text back, no call, and you won't even look at me from across the yard. What the hell happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"Bullshit." His voice is gruff, but he's not angry. He sounds worried. "Something changed. I need to know what. I can’t do this half in half out thing with you. I know what I want. I want you and I’m all in here."
I glance around the parking lot. There are a few people in the distance, but no one close enough to hear. Still, my heart hammers in my chest.
"There are rumors about us," I say quietly. "My supervisor called me in yesterday and gave me a warning. They’re watching. Everything I have is in jeopardy.” My breath hitches on the last part of my sentence.
His expression shifts. The frustration fades and is replaced by something softer. "Serena..." He reaches for me, but I pull away.
"I can't lose this job, Blaze." My voice cracks. "It's all I have. It's the only thing I've ever done right. If I get fired—”
"You're not going to get fired."
"You don't know that." I shake my head. "You don't understand.
I've spent my entire life holding everything together.
Now I'm standing in a parking lot with a man I'm not supposed to want and risking everything I've built.
The worst part is, I don't know how to stop.
" Quiet tears spill from the corners of my eyes.
He's quiet for a moment. "Then don't stop. Fall apart and let me hold you together."
Then he reaches out and takes my hand. Blaze’s grip is firm and when I try to wiggle away, he only holds tighter. I stop fighting him and give in to the warmth of his hand on mine. There’s a security in his touch that feels like an exhale I can’t get enough of.
"Blaze—" My throat is tight, but a calm rushes over me.
"Listen to me." His thumb traces circles on my palm.
"I'm not going to pressure you. I'm not going to push.
If you tell me right now that this is over and that you need me to walk away, I'll do it. It'll kill me, but I'll do it. But I don’t think that’s what you want and I sure as hell don’t want it.
So, instead I'll wait." He squeezes my hand.
“Wait for what?”
"For you. I’m not a patient man, but for you I’ll figure it out. I’ll bide my time for however long it takes. I’ll be whatever you need between now and then. I'll be right here, Serena. I’m not going anywhere."
“Thank you.” I close my eyes. Let myself lean into his touch. My heart rate slows down. “I believe you.”
And I do.
He’s telling the truth. Even if it doesn’t change anything, this incredible, sexy man is on my side. More than that, he wants to lighten my load, not add to it. It’s a gift I don’t want to take for granted.
“No one has ever been in my corner like this before, Blaze. You’re amazing.”
“Serena, I’ll wait forever if you need me to. I know you well enough to know that’s your way of getting through this. But there’s another way to handle this too. My way. Let’s call it plan B.”
There’s a glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he runs a hand across my lower back.
He continues, “The plan is… Fuck them.”
“What?” His plan startles a jagged laugh out of me and I look up at him.
A cocky smile rests on his lips. “You heard me. That’s the plan. Fuck them. They don’t get to stand between this. Me and you are fire, they can’t touch us. So I’ll put in my transfer today.”
“No—” I step away from him.
“Yes. I’m not asking, I’m telling you. I will do whatever it takes for me to end up with you at the end of the day. So let them see us together. If there are consequences, that’s on me, not you.”
How can he be confident? So untouchable? This is his whole life we’re talking about.
“And if they get rid of both of us?”
He closes the distance between us. “Then I’ll knock down the door of every hospital in the state until we get you a new position. I'm not asking you to choose me over your career. I'm asking you to let me stay beside you while you figure this out. I just want to love you."
His words hit me like a tidal wave and steal my breath. We stand there in the fading sunlight, breathing each other in. His hand is warm on my cheek. His heartbeat is steady against my palm where it rests on his chest.
“Love me.” The words feel foreign on my tongue.
“Love you. I love you Serena and I’d risk everything to prove that to you.” He wraps his arms around me and his embrace feels like a warm blanket wrapping around me on a cold day. “You don’t have to say it back. I don’t expect—”
“I love you Blaze. I love you so damn much.” The words come out easier than I expected. It’s like they've been sitting on my tongue for weeks, just waiting for permission. Tears spill down my cheeks, but my mouth tugs up into a smile that I can’t hold back.
“Sweetheart it’s you and me from now on.”
“From now on.”
“Serena I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure that’s a choice you’ll never forget.”
And then he kisses me.
Blaze's mouth moves over mine slowly and thoroughly. It’s like he's memorizing the shape of me. His hands slide back into my hair and tilt my head back. His tongue parts my lips and a sigh comes from somewhere deep in my chest.
He’s soft and gentle with his touch. His mouth on mine feels like a promise. But I kiss him back with reckless abandon. It's desperate and hungry. It’s full of all the fear and relief. His fingers tangle in my hair. I lose myself in him and the rush of all the longing I've been holding back.
For one perfect moment, the whole world disappears around us.
Nothing else exists. There are no rumors, no regulations, and no fear.
It’s just his lips on mine and his arms around me.
It’s the feeling that maybe, I don't have to carry everything alone. It’s the start of the rest of my life with the man of my dreams.
Blaze pulls me toward his truck and opens the door. “Come on sweetheart, we’re heading out to my cabin. I don’t need to hide you, but I want you all to myself.”