Page 21 of Hot Route
Just as the music fades into a much slower, sexier song, I slow my movements and drop my head to the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her sweet skin. Her mouth drops open slightly as I slide my hands down, resting my pinky fingers dangerously close to the top of her ass. The hitch in her breath doesn’t go unnoticed. Instead of pulling back like I should, I stand straight before lowering my forehead to hers, my smile not faltering as I breathe her in before speaking.
“I missed you,” I say quietly, closing my eyes.
She’s still grinning as she pulls away just enough to look at me, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure you had plenty of fun without me this weekend. I had to stop looking at the backyard security footage after I got a notification and saw Dalton with a leggy blonde bent over the table. Can’t unsee that,” she says, giggling.
I have a sudden urge to clear the air with her. “I didn’t have any women here, I swear,” I rush out, the defensive tone I’m using painfully evident. She raises a suspicious eyebrow at me, pulling her arms from around my neck and leaning on the counter behind her. I miss her warmth as soon as she backs away.
“Blaze, this is your house. Whether I’m here or not, you’re allowed to bang whoever you want. Wherever you want. Just let me know and I’ll make myself scarce.” She shrugs, avoiding eye contact. But other than that, her reply sounds so unbothered and nonchalant. Why does that make me so upset? What was I expecting? Her to pee on my leg to mark me for all other women? Kinky, but that’s not Mads. She doesn’t want me like that. But I still don’t want her worrying that I’d ever bring someone back here while she was home.Or at all.
“I wouldn’t, Mads.” I reach out, lifting her chin with my finger as our eyes connect. “I respect you. This isour home.” The phrase comes out so easily and I realize that I never want there to be a day where I wake up and she’s not standing at the coffee maker in an oversized Blizzard t-shirt and messy bun, eyebrows furrowed because she hasn’t been caffeinated yet. I want her to be comfortable enough to stay here with me. Forever.
I continue holding her chin lightly as my body slowly leans in, my eyes locking on her mouth just as she wets her lips. I hesitate, waiting for her silent consent before I make the leap and kiss her. But apparently, I take too long because she snaps back to reality, stumbling away from me and turning back to the refrigerator.
“I’m thinking turkey burgers for dinner tonight. Is that okay?” she says on a shaky breath.
“Mads,” I say softly. When she doesn’t reply, I close some of the space between us. “Madison.” I speak louder this time. “Look at me.”
She whips herself around, glossy eyes and a fake smile plastered on her face. “Don’t say it, Blaze. It was a moment. We can keep things professional going forward. I really need this job.”
I nod my head before lifting the corner of mouth slightly in agreement, although I can do nothing to mask the look of disappointment in my eyes. And when I walk away, I try to figure out how I’m going to continue living with her like this when all I want is make her mine.
NINETEEN
MADS
“Morning, Baby Doll,”Blaze says, entering the kitchen. I turn to find him in his usual bedtime attire of low-riding sweatpants and nothing else.Fuck you very much, Blaze, for unknowingly preying on my weaknesses.How I haven’t spontaneously orgasmed during our morning briefings yet is honestly a mystery to me.
It’s been a few days since our almost kiss in the kitchen. Blaze is back to his normal, flirty self, while I’ve spent my nights laying awake trying to sort out the things I’m feeling.
God, I wanted to feel his lips on mine. More than anything. But the voice in my head kept warning me that I need to stop myself from crossing that line with him, even though that line is getting blurrier every day I’m here.
I’m learning things about Blaze that make it so hard not to imagine what it would be like if I actually gave in to what I want. Still, the fact remains that I need this job. So, I’ll have to settle for the scraps. The little moments we share, that while masked as friendship, I can’t help but pretend are more.
“Good morning,” I reply, turning back toward the bowl in front of me. I grab the whisk and mix the batter, careful not tomake a mess. I feel him step up behind me and while it should make me tense up, it does the exact opposite. All my muscles relax when his scent wafts over my shoulder.
“Mmmmm,” he says. “Pancakes. Wish I could?—”
I cut off his sentence by grabbing the box of mix and holding it up in front of his face. I catch his expression out of the corner of my eye and give him a satisfied grin as he reads.
“Pumpkin Power Cakes?” he says, excitedly. “These are my favorite! How did you know?” I can’t decipher the look in his eyes, but if I had to guess, people don’t really pay attention to the small details with Blaze. The thought makes me sad because he’s one of the most giving people I’ve ever met, and he deserves to be cared for like this.
“I saw an interview from when you were entering the draft. They asked you a bunch of stupid questions, one being what your favorite non-football part of fall was. You said it was all the pumpkin flavored foods and drinks. I figured it would be a good alternative to your morning protein shake. It’s just one small cheat,” I say, peeking around him before lowering my voice to an exaggerated whisper. “I won’t tell anyone.”
He raises a brow. “Madison Rodgers, did you Google me? Did you spend hours falling down the Blaze Beckham rabbit hole, watching every interview I’ve ever done?”
I scoff. “You wish. I just wanted to know what I got myself into here.”
“Yeah, right,” he teases. “I bet you dug deep into the archives. You spend some quiet time with those underwear ads, Baby Doll?”
I freeze for a moment before I feel his fingers dig into my sides, tickling me. “No! Blaze!” I wheeze. “Stop! I’m ticklish!”
I wiggle, trying desperately to escape his grip, but he’s too strong. Turning to face him, I shove at his chest, unable to budge him even an inch. Instead, he drops his head into the crook ofmy neck, tickling my sensitive skin with his nose. I squeal in response as he laughs, his warm breath puffing below my ear.
When he digs his fingers further into my sides, I reach behind myself, dipping my fingers into the bowl of mixed pancake batter. I swipe a thick line of it from his ear to his mouth, halting his assault on me. His jaw drops in disbelief.
“Oh, you’re in trouble now,” Blaze says, mischief dripping from his tone. As he reaches into the bowl, gripping the handle of the whisk, I take off. I make it to the other side of the island, laughing hysterically as I try to think of my next move. I’ve essentially trapped myself, the only exit to the room behind him. Deciding there’s only one option, I juke left, faking him out for a split second before running around the right side of the island. But I’m no match for him and he catches me from behind, one muscular arm wrapping tightly around my waist.
I scream loudly as I feel the whisk drag from my cheek down to my neck, leaving a trail of sticky batter in its wake. I somehow manage to drag us both back over to the counter, returning my hand to the bowl and throwing a clump of goo over my shoulder, making a direct hit to his face and hair. I turn to see my handiwork and start laughing even harder when I see that he’s completely covered in batter. He huffs an angry breath, but I know he’s not really mad.
