Page 28 of The Spark Between Us

He rubbed her under her chin and kissed the top of her head before he noticed me standing there.

His eyes traced over me from head to toe and clouded with heat for a moment, but just as quickly, he blinked it away.

“You ready?” He turned toward the door, and I noticed his toned muscular arms stretching at the dark blue sleeves of his T-shirt.

I seriously needed to get a grip. I couldn’t spend the next few months ogling my roommate, no matter how benign my interest was. He wasn’t a piece of meat. I had to stop looking at him like one.

“Sure.” I cringed a tiny bit as I hoisted my purse and laptop bag over my shoulder. I wasn’t loose and pain-free yet.

Braden shook his head and reached for the straps, pulling them off my shoulder and hanging them on his own. “You’re gonna undo all the good work we did in ten minutes. Let me carry it.”

He put a hand on the small of my back and steered me toward the front door. I tried not to react to the feel of his hand, but there was no doubt he’d left a permanent heat signature burned into the fabric. Spending time with him was causing my brain cells to leach from my body.

When he dropped me at the front entrance to Lawrence Livermore Lab, I couldn’t scurry away fast enough.

“Thanks! See you later. Or not. Just...whatever. Have a great day,” I rambled. Then I hugged my stuff and bolted inside.

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