Twenty-two

Harlow

Life could change in the blink of an eye.

It was safe to say I’d grown accustomed to a particular lifestyle over the years. And while there were moments when I longed for more, when I dreamed about what it could be like, there was no question I hadn’t anticipated it would ever be like what it had become from the moment I met Blaze.

It seemed an impossibility that one person could have such an impact, and yet, that was precisely what had happened with him. He’d changed my whole life for the better. And considering I hadn’t ever believed I was living a bad life, I thought it said a lot about the kind of man Blaze was.

No longer being in my twenties, I had foolishly thought if I ever stood the chance of finding someone to spend my life with, I’d probably have to settle. I’d convinced myself it wouldn’t be possible to find someone who’d give me even half of what Blaze had given me.

And now, more than a month after meeting him, I knew just how lucky I was that Blaze happened to be at the pub that night.

I loved him like I never knew was possible to love a man.

And there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about just how much he loved me.

Blaze was the best thing that had ever happened to me. He was the reason I hadn’t wiped the smile off my face in weeks.

Nearly another week had gone by.

It was now late afternoon on Friday, days after we’d had sex with one another for the first time, and I was beyond excited to still be at work.

I had one more appointment for the day, and while I would have loved for the person who had just walked through the door to be Blaze, it wasn’t.

It was Olive, coming in for a root touch up.

She was my last scheduled appointment today, and I was thrilled, because I could finally fill her in on all things Blaze and me. And I knew she was going to be eager to hear it all.

I had waited until today to share the news with Olive about my relationship with Blaze. Even though I could have easily called her to fill her in, I wanted to be able to share it in person and get her reaction.

When the door closed behind her, she grinned at me. “Hey, Harlow. How’s it going?”

“Wonderful. It’s been a busy day today, though,” I returned as she moved in my direction. “What’s going on with you?”

“Not much. Work has been a little crazy for me, too. I’m so glad I had this appointment today, because I’ve been dying to catch up with you,” she said.

After she sat down in the chair, I replied, “Same here. But first, let’s talk about this hair. Am I doing the same thing, or are you looking to switch it up and do something fun for summer? The first official day is fast approaching.”

Olive laughed. “As if you don’t already know the answer to that. If there’s one area of my life where I’ve been more reserved like you, it’s always been with my hair. When have I ever done anything drastic?”

“Fair point,” I noted. “But I have to say that I’m a changed woman. No more reserved Harlow.”

Her eyes narrowed on me in the mirror. “What does that mean?”

I pressed my lips together and fought against a grin.

Realization dawned in Olive’s features, her brows shooting up in surprise. “Did you and Blaze finally do the deed?”

Biting my lip, I slowly nodded my head.

“What? Oh my gosh. Tell me how it happened!” she demanded.

I had every intention of sharing how it all went down, but I figured a little of suspense would make it that much more exciting for her. “I will. I promise. But I need to go and mix your color first.”

Without waiting for a response, I spun around and moved toward the back of my salon to mix the color for Olive’s hair. By the time I made it there and glanced back at her, I couldn’t help but laugh at the look of astonishment on her face.

Sure, I’d discussed where things had gotten to for me when it came Blaze, but I don’t think Olive truly believed just how caught up he and I had gotten in one another.

By the time I’d made it back to where my best friend was sitting and waiting for me, I could see she had at least a dozen questions running through her mind.

“Okay, okay. What do you want to know?” I asked.

“When did it happen?”

“Sunday evening, after we went out for dinner with my family for my dad’s birthday,” I answered honestly.

“Wow. Did you know it was going to happen?” she questioned me.

I shook my head and started applying the color to Olive’s roots. “No. I mean, I’d been thinking about it a lot, as you know. But I didn’t know it was going to happen that night. It really was a culmination of everything leading up to that night, and then something happened inside me at dinner. I realized just how much I loved him, how much he meant to me, and how nobody would ever come close to comparing to him.”

“Holy moly. Dinner must have gone really well,” she noted.

I laughed and confirmed, “It did.”

And for the next few minutes, I went on to tell Olive about how dinner with my family and Blaze had gone. I shared how easily they welcomed him, the things my dad had said, and the effortless way in which Blaze conversed with them. Of course, I didn’t leave out how easy it seemed to be for him to talk about the way he felt for me, either.

I’d gotten all the color applied to her hair throughout the conversation about dinner, and while we waited until it could be washed out, I went on to share how it had all gone down between Blaze and me once we left dinner.

While I didn’t share any of the specific, juicy details with her, because I wanted to keep those private, I did reveal how nervous I’d been on the way home, how I’d asked him to stay with me, and how unbelievably sweet he’d been with me that night.

When I’d finally gotten through all of that, I said, “Honestly, it was the best night of my life, Olive. And I don’t know what I did to deserve him.”

My friend smiled at me. “I am so happy for you, Harlow. Not only does it thrill me to see you like this, but I’m glad Blaze made your first time so special for you. It’s not like that for a lot of people, so I’m over the moon about it for you.”

“Thanks.”

“I want to meet him sometime,” she declared. “We should plan a double date one of these days.”

I perked up. “Oh, I never even thought about that.”

“Do you think Blaze would be up for it?”

Nodding, I immediately replied, “Absolutely. When I tell you the man loves me, Olive, he loves me. All I’d have to say is that I’ve never had a double date before and that I’d like for him and me to have one with you and Ben, and he’ll make it happen.”

“Perfect. So, how have things been ever since Sunday night?” she asked.

I jerked my head toward the sink and said, “Let’s go get your hair washed, and I’ll tell you.”

As I washed her hair, I told Olive about how my week had gone. I started off by telling her how Blaze had gone to work last Saturday, so he could spend my day off with me. I went on and on about he made it a priority to see me several times throughout the week, spending a few nights at my place.

Somewhere in the middle of washing her hair, my phone rang over on the desk where my appointment book was.

“Do you want to grab that?” Olive asked.

I shook my head. “No. It’s probably Blaze, but we’ll get you finished up first. I’ll call him back after we get finished up here.”

“He won’t mind?”

“Not at all. He’s called or texted me before when I’ve been in the middle of working with a client. I always call him back when I’m finished. He probably is finishing up a little early at work or something.”

Once I got done washing Olive’s hair, we moved back over to the chair. She wasn’t getting a cut this time, so all I needed to do was dry and style her hair. While I did that, she’d filled me in on everything that had been going on in her life since we last spoke. It was nice to finally have the opportunity to talk to her in person. We’d both been so busy lately, so being able to have this time together was a real treat. There was no question I planned to ask Blaze about a double date when I called him back.

But just as I unsnapped the gown behind Olive’s neck to remove it from her body, the door to the salon opened, and I realized that wouldn’t be necessary.

My face lit up at the sight of Blaze walking toward us. “Hey,” I greeted him, completely surprised to see him there.

Blaze didn’t seem to care that anyone else was in the salon with me. He walked right up to me, kissed me, and murmured against my lips. “Hey, baby.”

I smiled, but I was instantly dazed by his kiss and the scent of him. It wasn’t until someone cleared their throat that I snapped back to reality, realized where I was, and who was there.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Blaze, I’m so glad you’re here. This is my best friend, Olive. Olive, this is my guy, Blaze.”

Blaze offered a nod and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Olive.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, looking as dazed as I felt. “You, too.”

“Olive and I were just discussing it, and I hope you’ll be up for it sometime. Can you and I go on a double date with her and Ben?”

Blaze tipped his head to the side, something I couldn’t quite read moving through his expression, and said, “If that’s what you want, Harlow, you know I’m not going to decline.”

I turned my attention to Olive and grinned at her. “See? I told you.”

She shook her head, a smile on her face, as she stood from the chair. “I didn’t doubt you for one second. But on that note, I should get going.”

“Oh, you don’t have to rush out of here,” I insisted.

Olive dug into her purse, moved toward my desk, and put more money on the counter than was necessary, even though I always told her I only ever wanted her to cover the cost of the dye. “It’s okay. I’ve got to get to Ben’s place anyway, since we’re having a quiet night in. Plus, he’s making dinner for us tonight.”

“Ooh, that sounds nice,” I said. Blaze still had his arm wrapped around me, holding me close. I looked at him and suggested, “Doesn’t a quiet night in with you cooking for me sound nice?”

Blaze let out a laugh. “Nothing could be better or make me happier.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What are your cooking skills like?”

“I can do a few things,” he assured me.

“Don’t feel bad about that,” Olive chimed in. “It’s the same with Ben. He has a handful of meals he can make, and they are so good. Or, I think they are. That might only be because I didn’t have to cook.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your night with him. And we’ll figure out a night for a double date soon. Call me sometime this weekend,” I told her.

“I will.” She slid her eyes to Blaze. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise.”

Returning her attention to me, Olive winked and said, “Talk to you later, Harlow.”

I smiled back. “Bye, babe.”

The second she walked outside, leaving me alone with Blaze, I turned fully in his arms. “This is unexpected. Nice, but unexpected.”

His arms tightened around my waist, and something changed in his expression. I couldn’t work out what it was, but I knew it wasn’t good. “What’s wrong?”

He hesitated a beat. “I called you.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was trying to finish up with Olive,” I explained. “I figured I’d just call you back once she left.”

He clenched his jaw, his eyes roaming over my face.

“Boss, you’re scaring me. Is something wrong?”

Blaze shook his head. “We had a bit of a situation late this afternoon, and I was worried about you.”

“A situation? What happened?”

He inhaled deeply before letting out a massive sigh. “You know about the case I’m working on, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, Ellery, who is involved with one of my coworkers, Kane, went out to run an errand this afternoon. When she returned to their home, she was approached by a guy who had most of his face covered, making him even more unrecognizable to her. Fortunately, she wasn’t harmed, but she was shaken up.”

A wave of horror washed over me. “What did the guy want?”

“To send a message,” he revealed. “There was a verbal message, which was that they wanted us to know they haven’t stopped and are planning their next move.”

I thought that was strange. “Why would they feel compelled to communicate that?”

“Our best guess is that this has become a game to them,” he answered.

This seemed to be getting worse. Based on the things that had already happened, these guys had caused some havoc. To think they were now prepared to play some kind of game with Blaze and his coworkers didn’t leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Especially when something else Blaze had said popped into my head. “You said these guys wanted to send a message, and that there was the verbal message they communicated through Ellery. Why do I get the feeling that’s not the only communication you believe you received?”

Nodding slowly, Blaze replied, “That’s another reason this seems to have become a game to them. It’s not what was said to Ellery that worries us the most. It’s that she was approached at home. Throughout this entire time, everything that’s been done has been to property. None of the women have been approached directly. The fact he went to Ellery and Kane’s home tells us we need to be even more vigilant.”

“Oh my God. This is awful.”

“I’m sorry, Harlow. I know this is not the way you want or should have to think about starting a relationship with someone. If I could change that, I would do it in a heartbeat,” he assured me.

Not wanting him to believe I blamed him or wasn’t confident in his capabilities, I immediately replied, “I don’t need an apology, Blaze. I don’t doubt you’re doing everything you can to get to the bottom of this case. And when you do, I’m confident we’ll be better off in the end.”

He continued to nod his acknowledgment. “I just want you to understand why I called you. After getting the whole story about what happened to Ellery, I couldn’t just pretend you weren’t the first thing on my mind. When you didn’t answer, I got worried.”

I hated to think he was so stressed about my well-being that he felt compelled to come here when I hadn’t answered the phone. “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “If I had known what was going on, I would have stopped what I was doing and taken your call.”

Blaze lifted his hand. He gently cupped the side of my face, his thumb stroking along my cheek. “It’s okay. All that matters to me is that you’re safe.”

It was at that moment my stomach growled loudly. My cheeks heated with embarrassment, and I buried my face in Blaze’s chest.

“Hungry?”

I nodded against him.

“How about you get things locked up in here, and I’ll take you back to my place, where I’ll make dinner for you tonight?”

Pulling my head back, I tipped my chin up to look at him. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

Not wanting to waste a second, I attempted to pull out of his hold so I could get everything locked up, but Blaze stopped me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Kiss me first, baby,” he said.

Realizing I wanted that more than I wanted to leave, I stepped close to him again, pressed my body tight to his, and touched my mouth to his. No sooner did I do that, Blaze took over and deepened the kiss.

I instantly melted into him.

And only after he’d gotten his fill did Blaze release me. As quickly as I could, I locked everything up.

Then Blaze and I went to his place, where he impressed me with his cooking skills in the kitchen before reminding me he could rock my world in the bedroom, too.