Blaze's Second Chance (The Sinclair Men)
By: Sam Crescent“I trust you, Chris, but this is not something you should be meddling in.” She stood up from the bed, not liking him towering over her.
“I have never done you wrong in the past,” Chris said.
Frustrated, Cassie hit him square in the chest. “This is not about picking out clothes, or a basket for Whiskers, Chris. This is about messing with someone’s heart and feelings. Not just mine, but also your brother’s.” She stood toe to toe with him, arguing.
“If I don’t, who will?”
That was Chris, always thinking he was right no matter what.
“Feelings are not something to be messed with. It’s not a game, and it’s not fair.” She took in a breath.
“So, I’m supposed to sit and watch two people I care about be miserable because they can’t have what they want.”
“Listen to yourself. It has been three years. People change. Feelings change. You can’t just put two people together after that long of separation and expect for them to work it out. It doesn’t work that way.” Cassie felt her insides turning to mush.
“It may have been three years, Cassie, but I’ve seen the two of you. Your feelings for each other haven’t changed. You’ve both changed in your own way, but the fact is the feelings are still there. You still love him, and he still loves you.”
Cassie scoffed. “He used me. He never loved me.”
“No. He loved you, Cassie. I watched him watch you. When you started working for him, he used to sneak into his office through the back way. He always made sure that he could see you. When you weren’t at work, he’d ask about you and go back to his usual route. When you came back there he’d be, through the front door smiling at you. You changed him. It shocked him. He wanted you, Cassie, and he respected you. Blaze wanted more than an office fling, and he thought you deserved better. So you’re wrong, Cassie. Blaze does love you, but the question is, do you still love him?” Chris asked.
She had no control of her tears. They eased out between her lashes. She hadn’t cried in some considerable time. Keeping busy so she had no spare time helped.
“Do you love him, Cassie?” he asked again.
“I don’t know.” Cassie answered as honestly as she could. She still had feelings for him. She didn’t know if she still absolutely, with all her heart, loved him. He’d hurt her deeply. Did she still, without question, love him?
She was truly afraid of that answer.
Chris sighed, turning away.
“I still have feelings for him, Chris. I just don’t know if I love him.”
“Well, you have to find out. There has to be a point where you put this all behind you. Either embrace Blaze and love, or get over it. And do yourself a favour. Do it while you stay here. You both need the time to understand your feelings and where you stand,” Chris said.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’ll leave you for now. But come down, meet almost all the family.”
She nodded turning away from him to gather her few things.
“Oh, by the way, Blaze, brought his son.” Chris left her with yet another bombshell.
****
Blaze was pacing up and down the hall waiting for his dead brother. Dead, because that was what Blaze was going to make Chris. Dead. The man couldn’t leave people alone. Cassie Walker was here in his parents’ beach house. For how long, he had no idea. She looked amazing. She’d lost some weight, but he found that he missed that weight. His woman had changed. She looked confident and happy.
Did his presence hurt her?
The moment he had seen her, his heart had raced with anticipation, wonder, and finally confusion. In his desperation to see her, he wondered if he’d managed to hallucinate. The familiarity between Cassie and his brother unnerved him a bit though. How close were they? The desire to remove his brother’s arms from her shoulders had tormented him. To control his impulse to take her from Chris he had locked his fists inside his trousers.
“Are you waiting for me or the delectable Miss Walker?” Chris asked.
Blaze reacted, grabbing his brother and pushing him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?” Blaze lost control.
“I invited Cassie. She looks amazing, doesn’t she?” Chris didn’t seem alarmed at the fact that he was pushed against the wall and his brother was all but spitting violence.
