Page 46 of Rescuing Ember

I imagined it.

But as I head into the living room, aspirin clutched in my hand, I sense him again. He follows me. I feel the weight of his presence just behind me, his heat close enough to burn, and no matter how hard I try to block it out, my mind keeps returning to that almost-kiss.

I wish it were real, but it wasn’t.

Was it?

Aria’s eyes widen as I approach, flicking between me and Blaze, standing just a step behind me.

“You okay?” she asks softly, suspicion lacing her tone.

I nod and hand her the aspirin, my throat too tight to trust my voice. Aria’s gaze shifts between us, her expression turning far too knowing for my liking.

Great. Just what I need—Aria playing matchmaker.

I shove the thought away, forcing my mind to find anything else to focus on that doesn’t involve the man standing too close behind me.

For some reason, my mind sticks on that tattoo. I’ve seen it before. Not in the warehouse, but somewhere else. Somewhere from my past.

Blaze settles into a chair across from us, his eyes never leaving me. The intensity of his gaze makes me want to squirm, to run, to spill every secret I’ve ever kept—to him.

There’s so much I should tell him, so many pieces of the puzzle hidden in the dark corners of my mind. The auction. The tattoo. The bite mark on Bruiser… No—not that one. That memory holds too much pain.

Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and self-preservation has always been my strongest instinct.

Snitches get stitches, and anyone who breaks that cardinal rule faces violent consequences.

As Blaze leans forward, ready to begin another round of questions, I curl deeper into my chair. The tattoo nags at me, a persistent itch I can’t quite scratch. It’s important, I know it is.

But why?

I catch Aria watching me, her brow furrowed in concern. She doesn’t know me, but even she can see I’m holding something back.

And Blaze …

Blaze sees right through me.

The safehouse suddenly feels too small, its walls pressing in on me. I long for the rush of city streets, the hum of traffic, and the freedom of blending into the crowd.

Blaze stands, stretching slightly. “I’ll give you two a moment,” he says before striding out of the room.

As soon as the door closes, Aria pounces. “You have to spill. What is going on with you and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous?”

“Nothing.” Heat creeps up my neck.

Aria snorts, clearly not buying it. “Please. I’ve seen less chemistry in a high school chemistry lab. He can’t keep his eyes off you.”

“Drop it.”

She holds her hands in mock surrender, but her eyes twinkle. “Fine, fine. But when you two inevitably hook up, I expect details.”

Before I can formulate a suitably scathing response, the door opens again. Blaze enters, carrying two shopping bags.

“Thought you might want to clean up.” He keeps his voice carefully neutral. “There’s a shower down the hall and another in the master. These were dropped off for both of you.”

He hands one bag to Aria, who peers inside with poorly concealed disdain. Her nose wrinkles slightly at the sight of thediscount store labels, but when Blaze hands me the other bag, I’m frozen.

Clean clothes.

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