Page 56 of Due South

“But you could’ve gotten us fired.”

He shakes his head and waves his hands for emphasis. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you. I told her she could fire me, that it was all my fault.”

It was no such thing, but the fact that he poked the dragon…

I state the obvious: “You’re still here.”

“Yeah. And so are you. With a promotion and a raise and an office if you’ll stay. She said she doesn’t care.”

“She doesn’t care? Then why are those rules even there?”

“She said she hadn’t gotten around to revising the handbook yet. When I asked her about it, she started muttering something about ex-wives and Jack being a manwhore.”

I crack a smile, as I’m sure he meant me to, but my amusement is overshadowed by the crazy risk he took. “You could’ve gotten fired. You could’ve lost your job. What about your brother?”

He shrugs, making the blinking bulb of Rudolph’s nose dance on his chest. “I figured I’d still be able to get a good reference since it wasn’t performance-related.”

He promptly blushes, and I love him for it. The dirtiest man I know blushes when he makes inadvertent sex puns.

“And I told my parents I can’t help so much with my brother any more. I gave them the information on the vouchers and other programs you looked up and some contact numbers for people at the VA who should be able to help them out. I said after the holidays I’d help them sort it out, but I can’t contribute as much anymore. I want to have a real life, my own life. And I want to have it with you.”

“With me?”

“Yeah.” His smile is so bright and hopeful it puts all the other gaudy lights in here to shame. “We haven’t exactly gone about this in the most, uh, traditional of ways, but I…I like you, Lucy. And it’s not the sex. I mean, the sex is amazing, like whoa amazing…”

He makes a gesture like something is exploding out of the side of his head and it makes me giggle. “Well, yeah.”

“It’s not just that, though. You’re smart and you’re funny and you’re nice. That probably doesn’t sound like a compliment, but it is. I love that you’re a nice person. Like a genuinely good, kind person. And I know there are more things about you I’m going to like. I want to find out what those are.”

“I’d like that. Even though you spilled to India about Greg Wu.”

He turns a fiery shade of red I can see even in the glow of the Christmas lights. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. But it all worked out okay. I wouldn’t have let her take it out on you.”

“I wanted to stay anyway.”

“I know. And I’m glad you don’t hate me for meddling. I promise to be a way better secret keeper in the future. I won’t tell anyone about anything ever.”

“That seems extreme.”

“Yeah, well, I’d do it for you.”

My lips curl into a smile because he’s so freaking sweet. “Okay. You’re forgiven.”

“Then maybe after this PRA insanity is over, you’ll go on a date with me? Like a real date? Not a quickie in the copy room or a picnic dinner that ends up with us doing it on the floor or an office event where we have sex in a restroom.”

“Sure. Under two conditions.”

“Name it. Anything, it’s yours.”

“Will you teach me how to say your name? I won’t use it if you don’t want me to, but I want to know what it is and I want to say it right. Even if it’s only in my own head.”

There’s a look on his face like I’ve reached in and poked his very heart, and it hurt but maybe in a good way.

“Yeah, Luce. I can do that. I’d be happy to. Thank you for asking.”

“I tried to learn from the internet, but even they said it different ways and I don’t know which one you like best.”

And there’s that heart-poking look again. I’d like to make him look that way as many times as possible. To treat him with so much kindness and care and consideration that he doesn’t even know what to do with himself, because he deserves it and I bet he’ll make me feel the same.

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