Page 9 of Betting on Blaze


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“Don’t sound so excited, Blaze,” she said. “This changes nothing between us. Yes, my brother is living with me until his leg heels. He works on an offshore oil rig, and he took a fall at work. He doesn’t have a home base, since he’s usually at work and living there. When he comes back home, he usually crashes on my couch or at a friend’s place until his next contract. He showed up around a week ago and asked to stay on my couch and I couldn’t tell him no.”

“Of course, you couldn’t,” Blaze agreed. “You’re a good person.”

She barked out her laugh, “And a few minutes ago, you thought that I had jumped into bed with a new man. How could you think that about me?” she asked.

“Because I’m an ass,” he said.

“You are,” she agreed.

“I’m sorry, Blair,” he breathed. “Joker told me that he saw you with some guy and that he was sure that the guy was living at your place, and I just lost my mind. I fucked up, and I shouldn’t have accused you of jumping into bed with another man so soon after we broke up. I meant everything that I said—I miss you and it’s making me crazy. Not that it’s an excuse for my bad behavior.”

“You’re right, it’s not,” she agreed.

“Give me a chance to make it up to you,” Blaze said.

“That’s not necessary,” she insisted. “We’re good.”

“No, we’re not. Let me take you to dinner. When is your next night off?” he asked. She should have told him that she didn’t get a night off. That she was busy, but she was also sure that Blaze wouldn’t give up asking her out. Plus, she didn’t want to tell him no—not tonight. For some reason, tonight she wanted to give him what he was asking for. Maybe it was the late hour or maybe it was hearing him admit that he missed her and still loved her, but she wanted to tell him, yes.

“I have off this Friday,” she said.

“Go out with me, on Friday,” he said. It didn’t sound like he was actually asking her—more like telling her to go out with him. It was one of the things she loved about Blaze—his bossy nature. She found it hot when he took charge.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” she asked.

“I am,” he said. “I’ll beg if necessary.”

“It’s not,” she said. “I’ll go out to dinner with you on Friday if you agree to stop stalking me at work.”

“It’s my club, Blair,” he countered. “I thought we agreed that I can come into my club if I’m okay with you working at the Smokey Bandits.” Yeah, she had made him that deal, but he had gone beyond just coming in to hang out with the guys.

“We did make that deal,” she agreed, “but, you coming in to stare at me while I work is making my skin crawl. I can’t have you watching my every move, Blaze. It’s creepy.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I’ll try to keep the staring at a minimum.”

“I appreciate that,” she said. “Well, then, you have a date Friday.” She wasn’t sure if negotiating with Blaze would end well for her, but she had to admit, she liked the idea of a little give and take between the two of them.

Blaze

Blaze wasn’t sure how he had gotten so lucky as to have Blair drive him home. Sure, he had too much to drink, but he had sobered up enough while she closed the bar to know that he couldn’t miss the chance to talk to her. He used his liquid courage to get up the nerve, to be honest with her, and spill his guts about how he felt about her.

Hearing that the guy Joker was talking about was her brother, had him hopeful for something that he shouldn’t hope for—a second chance with Blair. She pulled into his driveway and cut the engine. “This is you,” she said.

“Yep,” he breathed. It had been her place too, for a while. She practically lived with him for almost half a year. “Do you want to come in?” he asked. He felt as though he was holding his breath waiting for her to answer. He could tell that she was going to turn him down, but that damn hope didn’t seem to want to die.

“No,” she said. “I think that we need to take things slowly. How about we start with dinner and then, we’ll discuss what’s next.” He didn’t want to wait until Friday to talk about what he wanted next from her. Friday felt like it was a lifetime away, but he’d figure it all out. For now, he was going to give her the time and space she seemed to need. Then, he’d pick her up Friday for their date and they’d have a come to Jesus meeting about what he wanted next from her.

“Friday it is then,” he agreed. “I’ll pick you up at your place. How does six sound?” he asked.

“Um, six works for me,” she agreed. He opened the door and got out of her car, knowing that if he lingered, he’d end up trying to kiss her, and that wasn’t something she seemed to want or need from him right now.

“Thanks for the ride,” he said, ducking his head back into her car.

“No problem,” she said. “Do you need a ride back to the bar tomorrow?” she asked.

“No,” he said.

“How will you get your bike?” She was right—he was going to have to ask one of the guys to pick him up. If he asked her for a ride, he’d end up pushing her for more, and she made it very clear that she wanted to take things slowly this time. It was going to be quite an adjustment for him since the first time that they met, she ended up in his bed. They moved at warp speed, and maybe that’s what freaked her out so badly the first time they were together. She was giving him a second chance now, and he wasn’t about to blow it.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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