Page 21 of Set Me On Fire

Chapter 13

Noah

Go in there, that need beat furiously in my heart.Kiss her.It was the same desperate impulse that rose when we arrived at a fire. No, more intense now, because seconds ago, I felt a brief flare of hope.

Millie’s eyes dropped down. They studied my lips like they were a page in the science textbook we were always forced to share. Her pupils dilated, her breath coming in faster, which was great, because it felt like mine was a noisy rasp in my chest. I was right there, back under the tree, at the party, about to kiss the one girl I wanted, but instead of Millie’s brothers turning up to make clear what a mistake it would be to make a move on their sister, Charlie interrupted.

I stared at him now, wondering how the prick didn’t spontaneously combust with the heat I was throwing. He just smirked, that shit-eating grin telling me he knew exactly what he was doing.

But why?

When he put Millie in my gear, when he talked me up, I thought he was trying to do me a favour. If he was, he wouldn’t have interrupted like that.

“So, ready to eat too much food and drink too much alcohol, all in the name of Christmas cheer?” he asked. “Or are you hanging around here, looking for a totally different kind of festive experience?”

My jaw flexed because my lips were moving, ready to tell him exactly what I wanted. That cute little dress had given me glimpses of what lay beneath it, but wet? It revealed every damn curve. I’d conjured the shape of her body in my head a million times, stroking my cock to the dreams of it, erupting all over my stomach. That rush of shame and desire, the two feelings too tangled up in each other to separate, they were just a trickle of water compared to the fierce blast of now. Breasts that begged to be cupped by my hands, I had to clench them to keep them by my side. Nipples beading against the fabric, my mouth watering for a taste. It was only Millie’s shiver that broke the spell I was under.

“Someone’s gotta finish the tour, bring her back to the conference room,” I said.

His eyebrow jerked upwards at the raspy sound of my voice, but Charlie just nodded.

“Conference room is that way.” He pointed down the corridor, as if somehow I’d forgotten. “But bunks are up there.” I followed his finger as it pointed to the ceiling, the bunks on the first floor. “Send me a text if you need me to stop any of the other fellas walking in on you.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, and I couldn’t give him one, able to see it, feel it. Millie, her scent in my nose, her lips on mine as I pushed her down onto the bed. We were dark shadowy shapes, my mind unable to cope with much more, silhouettes that came together and fell apart, only to reach for the otheragain. I watched the savage dance of our bodies in my mind’s eye, right up until the woman herself appeared again.

“Oh, you’re still here?”

Yeah, I was, for as long as she wanted me to be. Whatever altruistic thoughts I had about being her wingman deserted me the minute Millie appeared. The office uniform was the exact same as the one I wore most days, but that just illustrated all the ways our bodies differed. I was pretty sure the fellas’ eyes weren’t drawn to my cleavage peeking out from between the collar of the shirt, nor the way the fabric moulded over my chest.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d know how to get back to the party.”

At her small smile, I offered her my arm, watching her just stare at it for a second. Millie knew what to do. She had to, a girl that looked like her, and for just a second, I thought she’d laugh at me. Instead, the dimple popped as she put her arm in mine. My feet felt ten tonnes lighter as we walked back, barely touching the floor as we went through the door.

Of course, that’s when it all went to shit.

“Here she is! Splash.”One of the firefighters grinned as we went to take our seats.

“No, no, no…” Judy started to say.

“Hey, it's better than Bun Bun,” another guy said, the lot of them cackling, and that’s when I realised what was happening. Australians never called anything by its real name. We made words shorter, used rhyming slang, but the most common thing was coming up with some stupid nickname that had a convoluted story behind it.

“That was a movie, wasn’t it? The one with the mermaid,” another bloke said.

“Darryl Hannah,” Brent informed them from the head of the table. “Bloody gorgeous, that woman.”

“Darryl!” Jason’s grin widened as my head started to shake.

“Dazza!” another guy said.

“Awesome,” Millie said with a tight smile. “So why Bun Bun?”

“Officer Hops,” Judy explained with a sigh, “from Zootopia?”

“Ohh…” Millie chuckled. “Oh god.”

“I got Hops, Hoppy, VB for a while.” This was an acronym for a very popular beer. “Bunny, Bunny Girl and then finally Bun Bun.”

“Because she’s got a bun in the oven.” Charlie appeared by Judy’s shoulder with a grin. “C’mon Dazza,” He ruffled Millie’s wet hair, right before I shot him a dark look. “Let's get you some food.”

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