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“No,” he says, drawing the word out. “It’s been a long time, but I swear...” He cuts himself off. I can see he’s trying to figure out if I’m the same girl he knew all those years ago. No, I’m not.
I sit upright in my seat. “I assure you I know who I am,” I tell the man in my stiffest voice. This makes those wide lips of his turn up as he saunters into my small office.
The swagger of his hips as he takes three steps forward, positioning himself right in front of my desk, makes my mouth water in an unfamiliar way. I shake my head the smallest bit to try to clear it. I was in dreamland for too long — it obviously affected my brain.
His gaze caresses my face and recognition solidifies in his eyes. My heart pounds even faster. Clenching my fingers tightly together, my short nails dig into my palms. I’m not ready for this reunion, willneverbe ready for it if truth be told.
“This isn’t what I was expecting,” Blaze says with the tiniest hint of a drawl I never heard from him before. “How are you, Cori?” He leans closer.
“It’s not Cori anymore. I don’t like nicknames,” I tell him as I sit straighter in my chair. I can’t do this. No way. Not with him... or can I? The stirring in my gut tells me I still desire him. It would just be a day or two... Crap!
His hand lifts as if he wants to reach out to me, and I flinch. If he touches me, I’m afraid I’ll end up in a puddle at his feet... but is that really so bad? I can’t remember the last time I was in a puddle. His hand slowly drops as he gives me a once-over. The look in his eyes breaks my heart all over again, as he seems to find me lacking at the end of his perusal.
“Sorry, darling, but I don’t like to waste my breath and your name’s a mouthful,” he says. He gives me a wink and a crooked smile, pulling himself together more quickly than I am.
“I’m aware why you’re here, but I’m shocked it’s you,” I tell him.
This makes him pause. He looks at me with curiosity. He then pulls out the rickety chair in front of my desk, flips it around, and straddles the thing before plopping down. I eye the chair uneasily, wondering if it will hold under his weight. Blaze has changed since I last saw him. He was always good looking, but the man’s aged well, bulked up from his wide shoulders and rippling arms to his impressive thighs. I jerk my face back to his eyes and feel a blush infuse my cheeks.
“Why am I here?” he asks, making my blush deepen. I’m going to kill my siblings. Okay, maybe I won’t commit murder, but I’m going to hurt them, that’s for sure.
“My idiot siblings,” I growl. He chuckles as he keeps his gaze locked on me.
It’s more than clear that I have his full attention. I shift in my seat, wishing he’d focus anywhere other than on me. There’s an intensity in his eyes that makes me incredibly nervous. I can’t do this, I think again. I also realize Iwantto do this.
“Your siblings are smart,” he says, confusing me. This is real. They hired a gigolo for me. They don’t know my history with Blaze, so this is simply fate slapping me in the face.
“I’m not happy about this, Blaze. I don’t think I want to participate.” I want to scream at the hesitancy in my voice. I either need to commit to this or send him away. I let out a long sigh. “We should speed this along.”
“It’s been a lot of years, Cori. Maybe we should slow it down,” he counters. There’s a twinkle in his eyes that tells me he’s playing with me. I have a feeling he’s acting a lot dumber than he actually is. This intrigues me. I had one summer with the man when we both were young and carefree. We don’t really know anything about each other.
I raise an eyebrow and give him my sternest professor look — the one known to make new students squirm in their seats. Itcertainly doesn’t affect Blaze. He leans in a little closer all while continuing to smile.
“You look damn good, Cori. Time’s been your friend.” His compliment heats my body in a way I don’t want it to. I’m losing my ability to think — something else that never happens to me. It was the same way that magical summer I spent with him.
“This isn’t going to work,” I say, my voice husky. He zeroes in on it.
“There was a time you loved adventure,” he goads me.
“Times have changed.”
“I don’t think so. We might age, but that doesn’t mean we have to grow up.” He looks so relaxed sitting here, as if he doesn’t have a single care in the world. I wonder what he’s been up to for the past ten years. I wonder if he ever thought about me. I’ve certainly thought of him — a lot — not that I’m about to admit it.
“How did my siblings hire you?” I ask. I see a flash of confusion in his eyes, or I think I do, but the look’s gone so quickly, it makes me think I’m imagining things. His eyes are twinkling.
“I never reveal my sources,” he says.
“Look, Blaze, I told my siblings I don’t need them to hire a man for me. They’re idiots. However, since you’ve already been paid, I’m sort of curious about what you have planned. Why don’t you tell me, and then I’ll decide if I want to go.”
He laughs. “What’s the adventure in that?”
“I’m not an adventurous person. The girl you knew ten years ago is now a grown-up. I have responsibilities and I’m not impulsive, the reason my siblings thought this was such a great idea.”
He sees the pink envelope I foolishly tossed down on my desk. He picks it up and reads it before I can stop him. It doesn’t matter. He already knows what it says. His grin grows wider ashe sets it back down. There’s mischief in his eyes that I don’t understand. He seems to relax even more.
“I think you’re wrong. I believe you’re very adventurous; there’s a woman inside of you screaming to let go. Drop the work, come with me, and let’s have an adventure,” he says, his eyes lighting up as if his next breath waits for my decision.
The part of me that longs for tomb-raiding wants to go with him. It’s stupid though. I don’t know this man. What if he takes me out in the middle of the woods and cuts up my body? Then again, what if I’m always living in fear? I hate how boring my life is right now. This might be exactly what I need.
