Page 44 of Fire

She knocked. No answer.

Thinking she hadn’t heard his response over the noise of the running water, she tried the knob. Locked.

She banged harder. “Blake!”

The water shut off. Then she heard a shouted, “Yeah?”

“Your phone was ringing. I think it’s important.”

“Hang on.”

She waited a minute by the door before it opened just far enough for moist air and Blake’s arm to escape. He looked at her through the gap holding out his hand. “Thanks.”

She slid the phone into his palm, and he shut the door. She heard the click of the lock being reengaged.

Weird.

She sat on the bed to wait. He came out a while later, fully dressed in a suit with his hair slicked into place.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t meet her eyes, fiddling with the cuffs of his shirt.

He also didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t push, not wanting a reappearance of Mr. Grumpy.

“You ready?” he asked.

She had his profile as he plucked his wallet off the dresser and stuck it in the top, inside pocket of his jacket. His keys were next, shoving them in the front pocket of his slacks.

“You want me to call an Uber to come pick me up? I’m way out of your way.” She hadn’t suggested it because her feelings were hurt or to be bitchy. He lived and worked in Beverly Hills, and she lived in Studio City. It really was out of his way.

She finally got his eyes and with them a look of displeasure. “I’m not sending you home in an Uber.”

“I’m sorry. I should have thought to drive myself here.”

He walked over to her and picked up her hands, giving them a squeeze. “It’s not an inconvenience to take you home.”

“Well, technically it is, seeing as you work about five minutes away and I live thirty minutes in the opposite direction.” She smirked.

“I meant, it’s not an inconvenience tome.” He let go of one of her hands, tipped her chin back, and gave her a soft, lingering kiss.

Mr. Affectionate had entered the building.

She blinked up at him as he raised his head, and he softly chuckled at what was most likely her dazed expression. “Oh, well, okay then.”

Eyes still dancing with laughter, he said, “Okay then.”

Gwen’s week went by fast and slow in equal measures. Busy at work, chunks of time would fly by during the day, but the nights without Blake would drag.

They’d managed to coincide their schedules to have dinner twice and lunch once and had texted and called each other throughout the week. But it hadn’t been enough, and by Saturday evening, she was desperate to see him. Lucky for her, she’d get her Blake-fix in a little over an hour when she and Allie arrived at Fire.

“How do I look?” Allie appeared in Gwen’s bedroom doorway, decked out in all leather. She wore a black, women’s motorcycle vest—sans a top under it—and skin-tight, red leather pants.

Gwen raised a brow. “Well, if you’re trying to fit in with the décor, you’ve nailed it.”

Allie laughed. “A shop in Brentwood was having a sale, and I couldn’t resist.”

“What was the store, Bikers-R-Us?”

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