Page 30 of Reckless Roses
After about a year of distance, he slowly came back to us. He started helping Leo train when he was in town, going out with Everett on the weekends. I know he helped August through his final year of high school by studying with him.
Throughout all of that, he kept his distance from me.
Until he began working in crabbing and we ran into each other on a few early mornings when he’d grab a coffee before his shift. Small talk turned into deep conversation, which turned into him showing up at my door one late night after work. Some kind of current runs between us, something that dims with distance, but when sparked by the smallest connection—a glance, a brush of his hand against mine, the sound of his laugh—it’s like kindling. It takes very little to reignite our flame, and even less to have it blaze out of control, destroying everything around us.
I read enough to often find love compared to flame in the pages of my favorite romance novels. Burning, bright, warm. While all of that is beautiful, I think sometimes, we forget how destructive fire can be, how deeply a burn can scar, and how long it takes to recover when you’ve been turned to cinders.
Zach’s love is fire. His flames turned me to ash, because I think I’m more like the Earth. I’m not meant to bear his destruction, yet despite it, I can’t seem to snuff out those embers. When he’s near, all it takes is one touch to reignite that spark, and suddenly, my world is erupting again.
The worst part of it all is that I love the burn.
I climb the stairs to the third floor of our building, letting myself inside the apartment. The first thing I do is search for something to help my cramps, but I come up short when—we’re out of painkillers.Fuck. I sigh, stripping off my clothes andrunning into the kitchen to throw a kettle on the stove so I can at least brew some tea while I take a shower.
I ensure the water is extra hot as it pounds against my skin, quickly washing my face and hair. I get out and dry off before putting on my comfiest pair of sweats and my “Slut for Smut” crewneck—the one I’m no longer allowed to wear outside the house after a neighbor complained about me to my mother at the grocery store.
I heat up Rice Sock—Leo’s appropriately named rice-filled sock, which he turned into a makeshift heating pad after mine exploded—in the microwave as I pour my tea, then make my way out to the balcony to settle in and wait for Zach. Our balcony is by far my favorite aspect of the apartment. The unit is spacious, with a large living room, two massive bedrooms, each with its own ensuite, a modern kitchen, and a formal dining room Leo has allowed me to repurpose as a workspace. The windows in that room overlook the harbor.
I decorated our balcony with plush loungers and ivy that crawls up the railing. Edison lights hang from the ceiling, and dark plum, black, and cream rugs and throw pillows accent the space. It’s the perfect place to escape reality, which is exactly what I do as I settle in with the new thriller I’ve been dying to read.
A while later, I’m snapped out of the story by a distinct laugh ringing out in the distance. I stand, leaning over the railing. Zach is walking up the docks alongside a few of his crewmates. His head lifts, and a smile tugs at on his mouth when his eyes land on me.
“Fancy meetin’ you here!” he calls out from below. “Gotta shower I can borrow? I smell like crab.”
“That’s just your natural musk,” I snipe back, smirking at him.
His coworkers laugh, patting him on the back as they head through the dock gate and out into the parking lot. Zach shakes his head, shoulders bouncing with laughter. “Good thing you love my musk then, huh?”
I roll my eyes, knowing a blush is creeping up my cheeks as I step inside the apartment and shut the door behind me. A moment later, there’s a knock at the front, and I pad across the linoleum floor and through the kitchen to throw the door open. Before I have a chance to greet him, Zach’s shoving over the threshold and grasping my face, dragging his lips across my jaw and down my neck.
“What are you doing?” I damn near squeal. “I just showered!”
“Covering you in my musk, Elena.” He laughs against my throat. “I have to mark my territory, so all the other fishermen know you’re claimed.”
“You’re gross.” I laugh, shoving him off me. “Go take a shower—I need to talk to you afterward.”
Zach steps back, tilting his head at me. His brown eyes blaze with familiarity and allure—and also with curiosity and concern. “Good or bad?”
I smile, but it feels forced. “Good, I think.”
His brows narrow, but he only nods as he begins to unbuckle his waders and kick off his boots before disappearing into my bedroom.
Fifteen minutes later, his hard footsteps pound down the hallway before he appears in the kitchen, opening my fridge and shuffling through its contents. Zach has on a pair of black joggers that hang low on his hips, revealing the cut V of his stomach that I love to run my tongue across.
I bite back a purr at the way his muscles flex as he reaches into my freezer and pulls out a box of taquitos. “Do you want any of these?” he asks, holding the box up.
“No.” I shake my head, settling beneath my throw blanket and grabbing my tea. “I have cramps, so I don’t have much of an appetite.”
He frowns, glancing at me cuddled up on the couch from the kitchen. “You should eat, baby. You’re gonna feel worse with an empty stomach.”
I shrug. “I’ll eat in a bit.”
“All right.” He sighs, and a bout of butterflies spring up in my stomach at the concern in his voice. I know it’s the bare fucking minimum, but when Zach shows any kind of care toward me, I can’t help but feel like a sad puppy, desperate for an ounce of his affection.
He finishes heating up his food before he sits down next to me on the couch, kicking his feet up on the ottoman that doubles as a coffee table. The daylight is fading fast, darker than normal because of the dense fog. I reach up beside me, flicking on a lamp to cast the room in a soft, golden glow before tucking my legs underneath me and turning to face Zach.
“So…I’ve been working on something for a while, and I haven’t been sure what I wanted to do with it when I finished, but I think I finally decided. I wanted to tell you about it and see what you think.”
Zach’s eyes go wide, and he chews his food slowly before setting his plate down on the ottoman. “What is it?”
