Page 67 of Set Me On Fire

I gave her a floppy wave, but when I heard the front door click closed, I forced myself to get out of the bath. The water was cooling and the lavender was doing its thing, making me sleepy. I staggered into my bed, grabbing my phone and snuggling under the sheets, my head hitting the pillow as I checked my notifications.

Only to find I had a text.

I was tired, more tired than I could ever remember feeling, but that little green bubble had me stiffening. Noah, it said, and that’s what had me tapping on it.

Hey.I smiled at that greeting.Not trying to be a creeper, but can we talk? I pretty much know the answer.I could almost hear his voice inside my head.Knox had a chat with you.So they did compare notes. Interesting.But there’s some stuff I need to talk to you about.

So did I, I thought dimly, my grip on the phone loosening. My heart tried to fire me up, get me tapping out a response, but no amount of adrenaline would get my fingers moving. The thudof the phone on the bed, that was the last thing I remembered, and then I was out.

Chapter 33

Millie

I slept well, too damn well, as became apparent when my alarm started to blare. My head jerked up off the pillow, and for a few seconds I just stared, unable to work out what the hell that noise was. Work, my brain supplied helpfully. I had work.

And I needed to get the fuck out of bed if I was going to make it on time.

I’d slept through the first alarm, the louder, blaring klaxon of my emergency alarm the only thing to wake me up. This had me stumbling into the bathroom and surveying the mess with growing concern. I’d slept on wet hair, so it was standing up on weird angles right now. I dragged a wet brush through it, opting for a light cover of make up because that’s all I had time for. A nice blouse, already ironed and hanging in my cupboard and a skirt were dragged on, my fingers pausing over the button.

Would they get too small soon? How would I hide that? All important questions, but right now I needed to get in the car if I was to have a hope of getting to work on time. My stomach rumbled in protest at that idea, but I promised it a sausage McMuffin if I made good time. My phone was shoved into mypocket, my bag slung over my shoulder as I ran for the lift. The doors were just about to close, the cranky Mrs Smith never liking company when she took her ferocious Pomeranian, Jonesy, out for a walk. I nodded, ignoring her scowl, before striding out of the carriage the minute we hit the basement.

The McMuffin was a mistake. The minute I took possession of the bag from the person serving me, I was hit by a stench. Was this what they always smelled like? I remembered them as a sort of spicy, porky, stodgy kind of stuff, but right now the smell was nauseating. I didn’t dare yeet it out of my car in peak hour traffic, so instead, I was forced to wind my window down, sucking in the scents of petrol and exhaust as I edged closer. I rolled up to work with a couple minutes to spare, which in Dad’s eyes was late, then locked up before running across the car park towards the station. That’s when I spied the appliance bays. A siren had me jumping out the way as a truck eased out onto the road and then sped off, followed quickly by another.

“There you are!”

I spun around, sure I was about to come face to face with someone else entirely, only to find Judy standing there. “You came back, which is ten times better than the other girl Brent hired to take over from me. Not sure what she was expecting, but obviously not this.” I blinked and then forced myself to nod. “So how was your night?”

“Um… good, you?”

“Exhausted. Blue’s mum is staying with me right now while he’s on a job. She’s lovely, but…”

She regaled me with tales of her mother-in-law’s infractions as we walked into the office and then started the working day.

The morning wentby in a blur of admin, or maybe that’s because I resolutely focussed on my work. It wasn’t just toimpress Judy, but because when I did that, it stopped me from having to think about what I needed to do. Talk to the guys, tell them about the situation, and then work out a way forward. Simple, easy, and bloodless inside my head. Problem is, the more I thought about it, the more I saw Knox’s steely gaze, heard his dispassionate words. Be professional, that was about all I could focus on right now, so that’s what I did until lunchtime came.

“Time for a break!” Judy announced. “Did you bring lunch?” Her hand went to her stomach. “There’s a lovely cafe across the road and my sons are feeling like a focaccia with all of the trimmings.”

“You’re having boys?” I asked, getting to my feet.

“Not sure. Blue wanted to wait, but I…” She rubbed her belly. “A mother knows.”

Should I know? I felt like a complete idiot as my consciousness quested outwards, reaching for… what? The baby was little more than a cluster of cells at this point.

“Well, I’m sure Blue would love two little boys to raise,” I replied, “but I’ve gotta take a rain check.” I hefted the lunchbox I’d grabbed out of the fridge in my hurry. “My brothers went overboard cooking last night and I’ve got leftovers for days.”

“I’ll see you back in the office in an hour then.”

But in what state? I wondered, my heart beating way too fast as I walked into the break room.

It was full of people,of men, just like the other day, but not the right ones. I scanned the tables, looking for Noah or Charlie, even Knox, but didn’t catch sight of them.

“Looking for a seat?” Ew, definitely not him. Dave stood up and offered me a chair at his table. I went to shake my head andbrush past him, but his grin widened. “Or looking for someone, make that someones, else?”

I sat down abruptly, opening my lunchbox and staring at the pasta inside it as if all the secrets of the universe could be contained there.

“Leave her alone, Dave.”

The deep voice had me turning his way, and a man with dark brown hair and eyes the same colour shot me a sympathetic look.

---