Page 31 of Blazing Desires
“I’m so full.”
I tip my head back against the sofa and rub my stomach, not used to eating so much in one day. I wanted to make the most of it, unsure my father is aware that Blaze is jumping through a loophole right now to order my favourite food.
I hope he never finds out.
“Good. There’s no way I could have eaten all of that chocolate cake by myself.”
Blaze sits next to me on the large sofa, close enough that his knee is touching my thigh. I should want to move away, but I find myself staying where I am, turning my head to show him my grin.
“Liar. You would have polished off the whole thing if I hadn’t said I wanted some!”
His laughter makes his eyes crinkle and I love watching it play over his features. His right arm rests on the back of the sofa while his fingers play with a few strands of my hair. My eyelids flutter shut, and I pretend that this is my life, that he isn’t my bodyguard but my boyfriend. Someone to laugh with, sharecomfort with, and be loved by. It might not be real, but I can fantasise for a second that it is.
“What are you thinking about, love?”
I peek at him through my lashes, the setting sun casting a soft, warm glow over his face. He looks ethereal in this light. I want to carve his beauty into the walls of my mind where I can see him forever.
“You.”
His face turns serious, and the atmosphere changes in an instant, from light to thick. His fingers never stop playing with my hair as he stares at me hard, as if that might make all my thoughts spill out of me. It shouldn’t turn me on, but heat pools low in my belly at the intensity of his gaze.
“Interesting.”The hand resting on his leg moves to tracing my thigh with a feather-light touch. “And what exactly are you thinking about me?”
I swallow and my heart beats so loud I’m sure he can hear it. “I was thinking…”
“Yes?” he whispers.
His face moves closer to mine, I find myself tipping my chin to follow his movement and keeping our lips aligned.
Kiss me.
“I was thinking about how it sometimes hurts to look at you, you’re so pretty.”
His face is as close to mine as it can be without us touching. My eyes flick between his and his mouth while I wait for him to make a move. Time seems to slow as his warm scent invades my space and fills my lungs. It’s intoxicating.
“You’re too kind, Mea Divina.”
Our voices are quiet as we speak, neither of us wanting to break the moment. I’ve never wanted to be kissed more in my life than I have at this moment. It’s physically painful to hold myself back.
A buzzing sound fills the room and I startle, but it’s just his phone going off. It’s the second time the damn thing has interrupted us, and I want to wrestle it from those tight-ass trousers and launch it at a wall to make it stop. I don’t though, and Blaze is already pulling away.
The loss of his warmth, smell and touch is immediately noticeable by the coldness that sweeps in and makes me shiver. Maybe it’s for the best—crossing that line will be dangerous for both of us and if it goes wrong, I’m not sure I’ll survive another person leaving me behind.
Blaze pulls his phone out and takes the call, standing and walking away so I can’t hear the person on the other end. Another reason that I should be cautious—he’s got secrets, and I don’t know him.
I let out a heavy sigh and sit up straight. I need a nice long soak in a bubble bath to ease the tension in my body. I stand as he wraps up his phone call with whoever is on the other end.
“Sorry about that.”
“Oh, it’s fine, you don’t need to apologise.” I shrug. “I’m going to take a bath.”
I point to the bathroom before silently scolding myself for being awkward. Of course he already knows where the bathroom is. I head in that direction when he only nods at me and takes a seat, still on his phone.
Once in the bathroom, I lock the door behind me and lean back against it. Once my heart has stopped racing, I pad over to the massive clawfoot tub in front of the wall of glass that overlooks the grounds. The privacy glass allows me to see out, but nobody can see in. I love taking baths and taking in the view—it’s the only bit of peace I have here aside from my books.
I run the hot water and take out my favourite bubble bath from the cabinet under the sink, shutting the cabinet gently so as not to take away from the relaxing sound of the running water.I uncap the lid on the bottle and inhale the scent, almond and vanilla filling my lungs. It’s so delicious I want to eat it.
I shake my head at the thought and pour with a heavy hand. The scent swirls around with the water, filling the room with the sweet fragrance and relaxing me a little more. While I wait for the tub to fill, I put the bottle back in the cupboard and stare at myself in the mirror. The bruising has softened to yellow hues from where my father hit me, thanks to the ice pack Blaze got for me.
