Page 6 of Sheltered

Following the encounter I’d just had with Rob, maybe I should have simply thanked Blaze and gone home. For some reason, I couldn’t just walk away from him after he did what he’d done for me.

Of course, I’d conveniently used the excuse that I was already dressed up and out for a good night. In my mind, if the night could be salvaged, it was worth taking that chance.

Now that we’d just been seated and Blaze was sitting across from me, I felt compelled to thank him again for what he’d done.

“I know I already said it, but I think it needs repeating,” I started. “Thank you for doing what you did for me back there.”

Blaze smiled at me, and there was something about it that felt warm and genuine. “It really was no trouble for me. I’m just glad you didn’t have to sit through that.”

I huffed. “Yeah, tell me about it. I mean, I know it’s been a very long time that I’ve been out of the dating scene, but I didn’t expect that. Am I crazy to believe or expect that people take the time to talk and get to know one another before taking steps like that?”

“You aren’t crazy to feel that way. I won’t lie and pretend there aren’t people who get together for the sole purpose of hooking up, but I’m willing to bet both parties are aware that’s the case before heading into it,” Blaze noted.

Nodding, feeling reassured I wasn’t completely unreasonable in my line of thinking, I sighed. “Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned tonight, it’s that dating apps aren’t the thing for me.”

He cocked a brow. “Is that where you met him?”

“Yeah. Somehow, I told myself that would be the best way to meet someone I might be compatible with,” I explained. “Let me just say that he did not present as a total creep through the app.”

Following a beat of silence, Blaze asked, “Were you in a relationship?”

“With that guy?” I countered, not able to hold back my cringe.

He laughed. “No. Sorry. I meant before you decided to get on the dating app. You said you’ve been out of the dating scene a long time. I was just curious if the reason is that you were in a long-term relationship before.”

This was nice.

Talking to someone and having a real conversation where that person took the time to get to know me. This was what I’d expected I would have had tonight with Rob.

I didn’t know anything about Blaze, but I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t worried about what he might have been thinking about me.

“I wasn’t in a relationship before,” I revealed. “I’ve just had a hard time finding someone who would be interested in asking me out on a date.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, like he couldn’t believe a word I was saying, and his lips twitched. “I’d never be the kind of man to call a woman a liar without a justifiable reason to do so, but I’m having a very difficult time believing that. How long has it been since you’ve been asked out on a date?”

It had been so long; I couldn’t even remember. “Maybe ten years.”

Blaze stared at me, looking completely dumbfounded by my response. Now that I’d said it out loud, I realized how ridiculous that sounded, especially for someone at my age. So, I didn’t offer any additional information. Instead, I took the time to take Blaze in.

I’d lucked out.

He was a great-looking guy. Blaze was taller than me, which was a huge bonus. I considered myself to be on the taller side, because I was five feet nine inches tall without heels. I had them on now, and he still had at least two or three inches on me.

Blaze also had a body that he clearly took the time to keep in shape. He was wearing a plain black T-shirt which was molded to his arms and across his chest like it had been made specifically for his body. A solid chest, broad shoulders, and strong arms made up the top portion of his physique. Though I couldn’t inspect them now, I’d seen the way he filled out his jeans. The man didn’t skip leg day. He had a narrow waist, thick thighs, and a great ass.

The thing I’d been able to examine the most was his face. And there was no denying just how handsome he was. He had dark brown hair, two or three shades shy of being black and very close in color to my own. It was buzzed short on the sides and back and left longer on the top. Blaze’s eyes were a shade of brown that looked like it had been mixed with honey, and he had a full beard that had been clipped short.

If I’d been judging them based on just their looks, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind I’d have chosen Blaze every single time over Rob.

“Are you a prankster?”

“What?”

Shaking his head, a look of disbelief emblazoned in his expression, he said, “You’re telling me that in the last ten years there hasn’t been a single man who was interested in you enough to ask you on a date?”

Nodding again, I confirmed, “That’s what I’m saying.”

Blaze was still having a tough time. “I don’t understand.”

---