Page 6 of Flame Kissed

Relief tinged with terror coursed through her.

The only reason she was standing there was because of that woman.

And she couldn’t remember her name—she said it was L-something…

Adaze sighed. Maybe it was just because of how they met, but there was something magnetic about her. She hadn't felt this drawn to someone in a long time.

But she could remember how that ended.

The pain of her betrayal still stung like it was yesterday.

She shook her head. It's not like it mattered. Odds are she wouldn't ever see the woman again.

With that in mind, she waited for the all-clear from the doctors and headed to the lobby on her way out the door. To her shock, her rescuer was standing there.

When she saw her, she felt herself light up, but her heart was racing.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Her voice was calming and gentle. Her eyes were warm and brown.

“I'm fine. What are you doing here?”

She smiled. “After everything that happened, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Adaze ignored the warmth that bubbled in her chest. “And now you did.”

She expected her to leave after that. The woman had seen whatever she needed to, and Adaze couldn’t think of any other reason for her to stay.

“I’m glad. Can I drive you home?”

“What?”

“Well your car is presumably still at whatever dock you drove it to, so I thought you might want someone who could give you a lift home.”

“I can just order a car,” Adaze heard herself snap. She liked this woman. This woman had just saved her life. Why was she being her usual bitchy self?

The woman looked disappointed by her answer. Adaze winced. She hated being the reason for that expression.

“But a ride could be nice.”

It was like the clouds parted from the sun. Adaze had never seen a smile so bright. “Great! I'm Leilani, in case you forgot.”

“Adaze.”

With a strange feeling in her chest, she followed Leilani to her waiting car.

“Here we are.” She motioned to the simple silver compact car. “I’m sure it’s smaller than you’re used to, but it’ll get you home just fine.”

“It’s perfect. Let’s go!” She climbed into the car before she could get caught up in over thinking what she’d just said.

“Perfect,” Leilani echoed with an intoxicating smile on her face. The sheer warmth of it seemed to seep into Adaze’s bones like a hot cup of mulled wine on a cold fall evening. She found herself hoping to see it directed at her like this again. “Give me the address and we can hit the road!”

Adaze shook the ridiculous thoughts from her head, quickly telling her the address of her new penthouse.

Leilani was a firefighter.

Saving her was just part of her job.

Checking on her was part of her job.

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