Fear of Falling

couldn’t believe that I had once found them gorgeous and alluring. Now they just seemed icy cold.
    “Is that right?” Blaine answered flatly.
    “It is,” Kenneth shot back, making his retort sound more like “Fuck you.” He looked Blaine up and down, sizing him up. “Congrats on beating those charges, Blaine. I heard it was a tough one, but Edward Maren is one of our best attorneys. Hopefully, you won’t require his services again.”
    I looked up at Blaine with question in my eyes but bit my tongue. Kenneth was baiting him and I’d be damned if I aided in his extreme assholishness. But I knew something was up. I had never seen Blaine look at anyone so threateningly, and it both worried and thrilled me. Something inside me liked this side of him. It was dangerous and undeniably sexy.
    Blaine stared daggers right back at Kenneth before returning my gaze, his eyes instantly softening into melted chocolate. I could see his mouth troubling the metal in his mouth, and I reflexively focused on his lips, fighting the urge to still his assault with my own tongue.
    “Ahem.”
    Both our heads snapped back to Kenneth who looked like he had just experienced a drive-by colonic. “Hmmm, interesting,” he sneered. “Looks like those… special skills… aren’t going to waste after all, though I have to say, they could be put to better use. All the same, you know where to find me if you change your mind, Kamilla.” Then he slapped a hundred dollar bill on the bar along with his business card, summoned his cronies, and turned away.
    I knew that if I didn’t intervene, Blaine would fly over the bar and beat Kenneth into the hardwood. His fists were balled at his sides, and his lips were drawn so tight that they were white. I could feel the heat of rage radiating from his trembling body. He was beyond pissed and if I didn’t act fast, Kenneth would be leaving in an ambulance and Blaine in a squad car.
    So I did what any normal young woman would do when an incredibly hot man was turning her on with his bad boy charm. I pressed my hands to his chest, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed the hell out of him.
    Blaine didn’t reciprocate at first, being that I had caught him totally off guard. But once his lips started working with mine, his strong arms pulling me flush against his body, I could’ve sworn that Kenneth, his butt-buddies and the rest of the bar had fallen away, bringing us right back to our little island off the coast of Dive. It had been a while since we had been here, but now that we were, I never wanted to leave.
    Blaine let his tongue caress mine, and I felt myself melt in his hands. I wasn’t worried though. He had me. Blaine had always had me, no matter how hard I tried to fight against that fact.
    “What was that for?” he asked against my lips, our foreheads still touching.
    I touched my lips with his once more. “You’re hot when you’re mad.”
    He squeezed me tighter to him, splaying his large hand just above my backside. I could feel the front of his jeans growing stiffer by the second. “Only when I’m mad?”
    I giggled. I couldn’t help it. This guy knew he was drop-dead delicious, and something about him made me feel like a damn schoolgirl.
    Blaine stood up straight and looked over my shoulder. It was his turn to smile smugly, and I let him have his moment. With my body still fused with his, he grabbed the $100 off the bar and held it up. “Drinks on this asshole!” he said, pointing at Kenneth, who was bubbling over with fury. But he wasn’t an idiot. He knew he had his daddy’s money and power to hide behind but he wasn’t willing to suffer an epic ass whooping just to prove that theory.
    The patrons around the bar erupted into cheers, and Blaine and I reluctantly broke apart to serve bottles of beer. Many gave us knowing smiles and winks while Blaine’s fan-girls shot me obvious scowls. I had gotten used to them. They were like gnats—insignificant, annoying as hell, and impossible to get rid of. No matter how many times Blaine swatted them away, they just kept coming back.
    Once we had distributed the beers, and Kenneth had retreated with his tail between his legs, Blaine turned to me, his brown eyes smoldering. The fire that had ignited between us since the moment our lips touched was still kindling, and the way he was looking at me only fanned the flames between my thighs.
    He stepped forward, bringing his lips down to my ear. I shivered as they brushed the shell. “Care