Page 104 of Set Me On Fire

My voice cracked on the words, and Charlie rolled his eyes.

“OK, I’ve got no bloody chance of wooing you away from him now, but…” He slid in between me and Millie. “Date night tomorrow. You free?”

“Tomorrow night is drinks at work. Brent’s gonna want to celebrate Millie staying with us for a week,” Noah said.

“Even better, I get the weekend then. Whaddya say, Millie?”

“OK.”

She laughed until Charlie ducked forward, pressing a kiss to her lips. Suddenly, everything was really serious, until he pulled away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

“So, Buster?” I asked.

“His name is Buster? What kind of dog is he? I wanted a puppy so badly, but Dad always said no. Then I moved into the apartment and you’re only allowed to have little yappy things like the Pomeranian upstairs. Please tell me you don’t have a Pomeranian.”

“Nah, a Golden Retriever. Little dogs are too prone to biting.”

“Oh my god!” Her face transformed, and suddenly Buster was the best damn investment I’d ever made, other than beingmy closest companion. “I love Goldens.” She turned to peck Noah on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow?—”

“That’s not enough.”

Where the hell had the clueless guy of the Christmas party gone? He hooked his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. Watching them together felt somehow intrusive, the connection obvious. He smiled down at her and she smiled back as they traded a much more intense kiss.

Would she ever kiss me like that? It was hard not to see the connection between them as something born from a common history. I didn’t go to school with her, hadn’t shared all those experiences. I also hadn’t let her slip from my fingers, so I reached out and took her hand now. She pulled away from Noah slowly, but returned to my side. The warm weight of her body against mine was a relief.

“I’ll take your car home for you,” he offered. “Knox is dying to show you his soccer mum van.”

“Are you?”

My mouth went dry when Millie looked my way.

“Um… yeah. They put shit on me, but it's got a really good safety rating.”

“Maybe it's the hormones, but that kinda sounds sexy. Show me what you’ve got, stud.”

I wanted to. As soon as I opened her door and Millie slid in, I wanted to show her a whole lot of features, and they had nothing to do with the car. Instead, all I could do was focus on her. She caught me staring, shifting in her seat before reaching for her seat belt, but I grabbed the clip. For some reason, I needed to be the one that clipped her in.

“Safety first, right?” she said in a low voice.

Maybe, but this didn’t feel safe at all.

I’d intendedto take her shopping. Everything I read said that women got incredibly picky about the nursery, some primal nesting urge setting in. Buying shit that had her teeth grinding together was not what I wanted. Instead, we wound our way through the suburbs, away from the rush of peak hour.

“Oh wow.” She peered out the windows, taking in my street. “It’s lovely here.”

“Low crime,” I said. “Good school district. Their English and maths results are always near the top of the state. Lots of parks nearby.”

“And close to the beach.”

She stared into my eyes, but I was forced to look away as we pulled up into my driveway.

“This isn’t a new place.” Suddenly, I needed to explain everything, every choice I’d made. “But I redid the inside. Gutted the genuine 1970s kitchen and put in new bathrooms, but if you don’t like it…”

Her hand landed on my arm and I stared at it as I killed the engine.

“Maybe just show me first? Let me make up my own mind.”

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