Page 73 of The Masks We Break

He leans back, a grin pulling the edge of his lips up, and he tugs me toward the couch. “Should I be nervous?”

“Oh, Blaze. You wouldn’t freakin’ believe it! I-I…”

There’s always been a blank space on Blaze’s wall. A spot so annoying he never fails to mention it when we watch a movie and face that way. Or when he finishes his schoolwork before me, and his eyes linger over the void.

But not anymore. Now there’s a dark walnut, floor-to-ceiling bookcase filling the space, and there are books on every shelf.

My head whips around to see Blaze leaning on the side of his couch, hands casually in his sweat’s pockets like there isn’t a full bookcase in the middle of his living room.

“What on earth is this?” I gesture to the beautiful stand and don’t stop my feet from pushing me toward it. “Where did…”

The books aren’t random. They’re from a to-be-read list I’ve added onto over the years. From the looks of it, he bought every single one. “Are you serious?”

“Spencer sent me the list a couple weeks ago.”

I spin on my heels, my words catching in my throat. “Blaze, this is...”Romantic.But I don’t say that. Instead, I let the word fill my heart to the brim, hope and possibility becoming a reality.

Whether he understands it or not, this is an act of love.

It’s one I’ve never run across in any romance novels I’ve read, and Beauty and the Beast doesn’t count since the library was already there.

I walk back to him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

He shrugs, popping me lightly on the butt as I flop down on the couch. “It’s a scheme to keep you here longer.”

While I’m sure it’s not a complete lie, it’s definitely not the only reason. “You never cease to amaze me. Thank you, baby.”

Heat flares in my face instantly, the realization of what I’ve just said hitting me. It’s the first time I’ve used it, and while it shouldn’t be a big deal, it feels like it. And it seems like it means something to him too.

His gaze is hooded, the blue eye darkening to match his shimmering gray. The nerve in his jaw tics as he leans over, the heat of his breath coasting along my neck, sprouting goose bumps in its wake. “Careful, puppet. We’ve only just scratched the surface of the things I want to do to you.”

My throat bobs with an audible swallow, my core pulsing at his promises.

“What’s all this?” I gesture to the coffee table littered with papers, a frail attempt to take the attention away from my arousal.

In an instant, Blaze’s lips pull into a grim line as he runs a hand through his hair. Suddenly, I feel like a brat for interrupting him.

“It was my first contract for Clean Source. My dad slipped some additional clauses in the middle, and...” He drifts off, his jaw clenching six times as he takes a heavy breath. “Basically, he fucked me over, along with this nice couple, out of half a million.”

My eyes rove over the pages, sadness creeping in the once light space.What a dick.I bet him and my father would get along swell.

“Mind if I take a look?”

He shrugs, gesturing to the pile. “Be my guest,baby.”

I narrow my eyes playfully and have a seat, combing through the file. After a while, I notice a spot with no signature and a name here that sounds spine chillingly familiar—Embros Hearts.

“I’m no expert or anything, but how is a contract valid without signatures?” I glance up and see Blaze eyeing me. His expression is impassive as always, but his eyes are soft.

It’s intimate, and my pulse skips every other beat as the butterflies take flight.

Finally, without taking his eyes off me, he points to the papers. “On the last page, puppet.”

I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out higher. “Oh, okay, and unless I’m not seeing this right, this charity right here is a cover for a cartel on the coast. I saw it while tutoring Amora in a case for one of her criminal justice classes freshman year.”

His eyebrows furrow and at last he looks down at the sheets under my finger. Rotating them to face him, his eyes dart across the print, widening as he reads. “A cartel? How were they never shut down?”

Chewing on the inside of my lip, I try to think back. “If I’m not mistaken, they paid the right people, and since they do most of their ‘work’ ten hours away from here, no one really talks about them. But they definitely existed at the time of her project. It’s been taken out of that curriculum since though, which I always thought was weird.”

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