Page 15 of Marked By Blaze

I've always felt undesirable. No one has ever been able overlook my face long enough to see the rest of me, so I hide. Maybe I convinced myself I was undesirable before Blaze touched me. Then the emotional impact of that touch made me freak out on him and start crying before running off into the night.

God, it couldn't have gone worse than that.

I withdraw my hand like it's been burned. Rinsing off the soap, I quickly step out of the shower and wrap a towel around my body. I walk to the closet, and it's not until I'm reaching inside that I remember I don't need to pat around in the dark looking for something to wear anymore.

Someone—the landlord, of course—fixed my light. I flip it on and search and stand for a moment, trying to decide what to wear, but nothing feels right. It's too cold for just a T-shirt and too hot for my favorite fleece pajamas.

His jacket.

“Don't be insane.” I chuckle without mirth as I head back to the front door where I left everything. I pick up the jacket covered in the club patches and slide it on. Immediately, I'm overwhelmed by his warmth and scent.

Earthy, warm, and rich.

I pad back to my room and crawl into bed and under the covers. My damp hair sticks to the pillow, and I probably should follow the advice I offer my clients about hair maintenance, but tonight, I don't have the energy to do any of it.

I tell myself it doesn’t matter. I won’t sleep anyway. Not when I'm this restless and my heart so heavy. My mind is racing with thoughts and memories that refuse to settle. I close my eyes, promising myself that I’ll just lie here for a moment, letting the exhaustion wash over me.

Suddenly, I’m jolted awake by the shrill ringing of my phone, a sound that cuts through the fog of sleep like a knife. My heart races as I blink into the dim light of the room, disoriented and confused.

Morning? How did I fall asleep? And with all those horrible dreams. I glance at my alarm clock on my nightstand, eyes widening in surprise. Jesus, it's already seven. The phone is ringing loudly, and I realize with a start that I left it by the door when I stumbled in last night. Still groggy, I push the covers off and swing my legs over the side of the bed, my feet meeting the cool floor. Sleep lingers in my mind, but I am brought fully awake by the urgency of the ringing phone.

I shuffle toward the entrance, my body still heavy with sleep. I tug the jacket closed over my naked body and cross my arms, fighting the chill as I go to grab my phone.

I can’t believe I actually dozed off, I think as I grab my phone. I don't bother checking the caller ID before taking the call.

“Hello?” I say with a yawn.

“Ingrid, oh thank God. You’re okay!” A panicked voice slices through my groggy brain. “I was so worried when you left the cookout without saying anything.”

Jade. My eyes are wide as the events of last night flood back in like a tidal wave. The cookout, excusing myself to go to the bathroom, and then running into Blaze and...

“I'm sorry,” I whisper, running a hand through my hair, wincing when I find it tangled. Serves me right. Sleeping with damp hair was a terrible idea. I don't have to look in the mirror to know it’s a tangled mess.

“What happened?” Jade's voice is soft, and for the first time, I want to open up. About my fears and insecurities. About everything.

I was scared, I want to say.

When Blaze kissed me on the very mark that seems to freak everyone else out, I was scared to hope and believe that someone could like that part of me as much as the rest of me. My own mother tried to fix me. Hours, weeks, and months spent going from one dermatologist to another. Poking and prodding at my face, trying brand after brand of makeup, looking for ways to get rid of, or at least hide my flaws.

And then he kissed them.

I reach up and caress the dark mark. He called it a beauty mark and then kissed it.

“I'm sorry I left early; I was just exhausted. I didn't want to disrupt you when you were having so much fun,” I say instead, pushing it down like I always do.

“Are you sure?”

“I'm fine, I promise,” I assure her. “I had fun last night, Jade, thanks for inviting me.”

“Oh, we're going to have even more fun at the bridal shower. You are going to stay after you do my makeup, right?”

I freeze at her words. Jesus, how could I have forgotten that her bridal shower is going to be on Thursday. “Will be at the...clubhouse?”

Will I seehim?

Am I ready to see him after what happened?

“Yeah. Saint can be a little...protective,” she says, I imagine with an eye roll, but I can hear the smile in her voice. “He says he wants me somewhere he knows I'll be safe.”

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