Page 74 of Guarding Over You
She scrolled through some more and finally found a picture at a party, Billy in the background. It was taken seven monthsago and her ex had a beer in his hand. Her teeth hurt she was grinding them so hard.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She couldn’t lie and say nothing. This was seven months ago. Before he met Tina. Maybe they met at this party and could be he’d been clean since.
Anyone could argue one beer wasn’t him falling off the wagon. She wasn’t at this party to know differently.
“That’s Billy there.”
Blaze pulled the laptop closer, brought his phone out and snapped a picture, then moved the feed up and got one of Tina.
“I want to know what they look like.”
“Why?”
“To keep an eye out around here. I mean, I know what Billy looks like but would like the reference on my phone too. Problem with it?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m so sorry, Blaze.”
He shut the top of her computer. “Don’t apologize again. Please. You’re only going to tick me off.”
“Do you ever get mad?”
He laughed. “I do. I have. I control it much better, but you should have seen me as a kid around my brothers. Someone was always beating up the other. They fought dirty too.”
She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Did you throw punches?”
“I had to. It’s the only way to defend myself. But no one really hurt the other that hard. Just boys being boys.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done. Not just today, but before. I know I’ve got complication written all over me.”
“You do. But maybe I like that. It keeps me on my toes.”
“Now you’re trying to get me to laugh.”
“It worked,” he said.
“You work. Not to lay it on thick or put the pressure there. But you, this, you coming to my rescue. Whatever words you label it, it works. And if it’s too much for you, I’ll understand.”
“It’s not. Never think otherwise. I’m not your ex.”
“No,” she said, running her hand down the side of his face. “You’re not.”
She got up and moved closer, sitting in his lap again. The position was becoming her favorite place to be.
His mouth lowered to hers, his kiss tender. Gentle.
His lips slowly brushed hers.
It wasn’t what she wanted.
It wasn’t what she needed.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.
“No. I don’t want you to. I want you to kiss me with everything you’re really feeling with us both wishing we weren’t sitting out here in the yard.”
His mouth slanted across hers, his tongue invading.
