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Blaze Within 27
I skipped working at Blue Hades the next weekend. Truthfully, I never planned to return there again. Ace didn’t have much to say about it. I’m pretty sure the guilt of what had occurred between us last time I was there still weighed heavily on his heart. I was able to pick up a couple shifts at Kiki’s to make up for the loss income, though it came nowhere close to what I made at Blue Hades. I leaned against the wall behind of Kiki’s near the backdoor on my break. Catherine stood beside me. Her and Fred had come in to eat lunch and he had left to wait for her in the car while I took my break at the smoking spot out back to talk to my friend. “So what did Ace say this time?” Catherine asked as she kicked at a cigarette butt on the ground. I hesitated as I mentally debated how much I wanted to tell her. With a sigh, I finally confessed the truth. She was my closest and most trusted friend. She was the only one who knew anything about the abuse I had suffered. “He says he never meant fo
Blaze Within 28
I sat atop my suitcase outside my apartment waiting for Alaric to pick me up. Ace was still inside asleep. He had been snoring soundly when I left, but nerves still made my legs bounce and my hands tremble. I had to get out of here before he woke up. I told him Catherine was driving me to the bus stop for my private getaway. He couldn't find out the truth. I stood up as my eyes caught sight of Alaric's black sports car heading toward me. I grabbed my suitcase and started toward the car before he was even fully parked. He quickly jumped out and ran over to me. He swept the suitcase out of my hand as I took in the sight of him in his skinny blue jeans and an old tour shirt from a rock band. Sunglasses sat atop his head as he smiled at me with his shining green eyes which traveled up and down my body with a simple, yellow sundress on. "Are you in a rush?" he chuckled in his British accent. "Sure" I breathed out in reply as he walked with me over to the passenger door. He opened it for
Blaze Within 29
I emerged over an hour later. I slid my fingers over my red dress. It had a deep v-neck which extended all the way down to the red belted waist. The red fabric beneath the belt flowed freely and openly. A large slit ran up one side to add to the sexy feature of the dress. I matched it with black, strappy heels and left my hair down in beach waves. Alaric stood in front of me openly gawking. His eyes ran over every inch of my body, burning my cheeks and tingling my insides with his inspection. “What?” I asked nervously as I looked down at my feet. “You’re gorgeous.” My eyes slowly lifted at his words, a slight smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I took in the sight of him standing in front of me as he stood star struck before me. He had on black slacks with a white, button up shirt and black suit jacket. He had on a black tie and black dress boots. His hair was slicked up and back and fell in perfect waves on either side of his face. His piercing green eyes drank in the sight of
Blaze Within 30
The quite conversations were soon interrupted by the announcement and arrival of the bridal party. They filed in, waving and dancing along the way to their table. Food was served, toasts were made, and cake was cut. The bride and groom had their first dance before the dancefloor was opened up to everyone. The band’s music was turned up as people began dancing and mingling throughout the tables. Alaric’s arm returned to the back of my chair as he leaned back in his own. I turned toward him and took in his handsome profile as he causally looked around the room. His jawline was strong and pronounced yet his face had a softness. He wet his full, red lips as he turned toward me. “Are you having a good time?” I nodded, refusing to divulge even the slightest hint of my jealousy. “It’s a beautiful wedding.” The band began the first musical bars of an infamous rock song as Alaric opened his mouth to say something but was quickly interrupted. “Alaric! Alaric!” a flock of women suddenly scre
Blaze Within 31
We drove in a nervous excitement in the car back to our cabin. Instead of going inside, Alaric suggested we sit outside near the fire ring. I nodded in agreement as he collected wood and soon had a roaring, orange fire going. I sat in one of the chairs near it as I reached my hands out toward the warmth it let off. Without the sun in the sky, the air had turned chilly and I shivered in the cold beneath the star-filled sky. "Are you cold?" Alaric asked as he walked away from the fire and toward me. I looked up at his muscular build framed by the orange glow behind him. "A little." He quickly took his black suit jacket off and took my hand, pulling me gently to my feet. He laid the jacket around my shoulders and I slid my hands through the sleeves. "Thank you," I said graciously as I wrapped it tightly closed around me. His eyes wandered over me. "You look damn good in my clothes." I laughed lightly as he sat down in the chair I had just been sitting in and he pulled me down into
Blaze Within 32
At the sound of footsteps, I lowered my eyes from the sky and saw Alaric walking back toward me. My eyes narrowed as he approached me and held out one of his hands with a pair of sweatpants. I gingerly took them from him and stepped into them. As I finished pulling them up, he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. He ran his hands up and down my arms as though trying to warm me up. I raised my eyes to his as I looked remorsefully at him, my emotions on display. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at me, his green eyes boring into mine as his hands continued moving up and down. “What happened, Stella?” I stood silent a moment, a little confused at what he meant. Had he not seen? “I stepped backwards and caught my ankle … “ “Not that,” he interrupted me, his voice a bit hard. He studied me a moment before wetting his lips and speaking again. “What happened to make you react like that when I touched you?” I slowly shook my head as that stupid lump formed in my throat again. “I can’t, Alaric,”
Blaze Within 33
The morning light shined in on my face and I moaned and rolled away. The smell of coffee wafted into my nose, waking my senses. I rolled onto my back and glanced at the empty spot Alaric had left behind. Male voices drifted in from the living room of the cabin. I slowly sat up and looked at the closed bedroom door as I tried to hear what they were saying. I couldn’t make out their words, but Alaric’s laughter rung out loud and clear. The sound put a smile on my face as I stretched and got out of bed. I used the restroom before walking over to the closed door. I grabbed the door handle but froze when I heard my name. “Stella?” I loved hearing my name in Alaric’s British accent. “How serious is it?” a male voice asked. “It is what it is” I heard Alaric reply. A couple male voices laughed. “You know Jeanie was asking about you again?” one of the male voices said. My eyebrows crushed downward, wondering who he was talking to. “What did Jeanie want?” Alaric asked with humor dancing o
Blaze Within 34
I opened the door to my apartment and held my breath as I glanced around the living space. It was empty and silence rung in my ears. I let out a sigh of relief as I tossed my suitcase down and walked over toward the futon. I sat down, laying my head back as I closed my eyes. Footsteps snapped my eyes open as I lifted my head and turned toward the kitchen. My heart pounded furiously in my chest and nearly chocked me as Ace meandered lazily from the kitchen toward me. “The spa, huh?” he drew out casually as he approached me. My entire body began to shake violently as my breath was shaky and a wave of light-headedness overcame me. Had he seen? Of course he had seen! The look of simmering rage upon his face told me the answer. He had seen Alaric drop me off. His eyes weren’t bloodshot though. He had no tell tale signs of drug use. So he wouldn’t hurt me. He never hurt me except when he was under the influence of drugs. “He paid me, Ace” I said in a weaker voice than intended. “I wanted
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