Page 15 of The Masks We Break

"I'm well aware of where you live. Obviously, you aren't in the best decision-making state, and I would prefer if you slept it off."

My head recoils, my brows knitting together. I'm fifteen yards from my front door. There isn't much that can happen in such a short walk, but the grimace on his face speaks to something deep inside. It warns that if I try to argue, I'll regret it.

So instead of arguing, I listen. But I do it begrudgingly.

My heart thumps in my chest as I move, and when I take my third step past him, he releases my hand, letting it fall to my side. I flop down on the couch, and it's only then he walks to the kitchen and snatches a glass from the cupboard. After popping in a few ice cubes, he grabs a sports drink and dumps it in.

Is that for me?

Yet, even as I think it, he strolls around the couch, resting the glass on the coffee table, before dropping into his oversized chair, flipping on the TV, and turning his attention to the stocks rolling across the screen.

When I don't move, his gaze flashes to me, searing the side of my cheek. "Drink it, puppet."

Well, at least the strange nickname is back, and no matter how commanding his tone, it sends a rush of relief down my spine. I decide on a tentative sip, but the moment the cool liquid meets my dry throat, I guzzle it down.

It quells the fire that still burns throughout my limbs, and when I finish, I finally lean back, suddenly feeling better. My lids grow heavy, and soon, it's hard to keep them open. Soft lights from the TV illuminate the room, and just as my eyes begin to close, humming starts.

My pulse jolts once before picking up in pace, thrumming through my body until I give in to the invisible pull forcing me to glance at him.

His dark eyes almost appear the same color, shining like black marbles as they lock on me. I squirm under his stare, heat rising in my cheeks and simmering between my legs, forcing my thighs to squeeze together.

Even though I can't place the melody, Blaze continues to hum, and I find it almost hypnotic, dragging me further into unconsciousness. My head falls deeper into the cushions, those eyes the last thing I see before I fall.

Three YearsAgo

"Blaze?"

I wait, pressing my back into the seat of the queen of Emerald Fall’s car. I'm not sure how I managed to get myself in this situation, and while I'm anxious about Spencer, I don't regret my current predicament.

Blaze Bardot has been charged with getting me home safely after an awkward conversation with Lily, the queen herself, and it's only when we pull up to my driveway that I realize he never asked for directions.

The corner of his gray eye comes into view as he looks at me from the side. "Hmm."

My fingers wring together, and as much as I try to steel my voice, I can't stop the dang stutter. "How-w did-d you know where I live-e-e?"

That’s the second time he’s made it known tonight that he knows something about me that I hadn’t explicitly told him. Like back at the party when he mentioned what my speech triggers were.

Instead of answering me, he sighs, checking his phone briefly before glancing at my house. Something is brewing deep behind his eyes, and it causes a warmth to bloom in my neck. Maybe I don't want the answer to that question either.

"Thank you-u-u for bringin-g me h-home."

A slight nod is his only response.

Awesome. I decide I've done enough of embarrassing myself for the night, but when I reach for the handle, Blaze leans over, grasping my wrist. It's a light hold, but the skin underneath burns, searing the flesh all the way up my arm.

My breath quickens, and I think my heart is crashing so loud into my ribs he might hear it.

I know I can be naïve. A little too caught up in my novels to remember what's a possibility and what's wistful desire. But the way Blaze's eyes flash to my lips as though he's going to swallow me whole has the line extremely blurred at the moment.

His thumb ghosts across my bottom lip, and I can't stop the soft moan that slips out. His lids close for a second, and I watch his mouth count to six before allowing his eyes to open again.

When he speaks, it almost doesn't sound like him. It's dark, breathy, and drives straight into my core. "If you remember anything from tonight, I want you to stay away from me, puppet. I need it to be you because I can't seem to do it anymore."

With that, he leans across my chest, narrowly missing me, and opens my door.

Before I go to sleep that night, I write it down. Because what Blaze really just said was that maybe, just maybe, he felt something.

And that something is for me.

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