Page 24 of When We Burn

“Okay. Daddy, can I go watch TV?”

“Until dinner,” Bridger confirms.

“What can I do to help? I can press out patties or cut vegetables or whatever you need.”

“You,” he says, pointing to me with the business end of a knife, “sit your gorgeous ass on that stool and talk to me while I work.”

“You’re quite complimentary.”The hottest man I’ve ever seen just called me gorgeous.I inch up onto the stooland lean on the countertop, watching him, not sure what else to say.

“I call ’em like I see ’em.” He winks at me and pops a piece of cheese into his mouth, then passes one to me, which I accept.

I’m starving. My post-school snack seems so long ago right now.

What also feels like so long ago is when Bridger made it clear we’d never be more than friends. And despite usually being clueless about these things, even I can feel the shift. He wanted to kiss me in my driveway. He touches me, flirts with me. All I can conclude is that Bridger has changed his mind about being just friends. What it’s going to lead to, I have no idea, but I’m interested to find out because grown-up Bridger is way better than he was when I had a crush on him when I was a teenager.

However, I’m also nervous because I wasn’t lying to him this morning when I told him that I shouldn’t be messing around with a student’s parent. There’s no explicit rule against it, but surely it’s frowned upon from an ethical point of view.

“You got quiet,” he says and gestures for me to follow him out onto the deck in the backyard so he can put the burgers on the grill that’s already fired up.

I watch him put the patties over the fire and close the lid, and then he turns his attention over to me.

“Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“I was just thinking that what I said to you thismorning isn’t wrong. I really shouldn’t be doing…anythingwith a student’s dad.”

He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge, and I salivate.

“Could you get fired?” he asks.

“No, there’s nothing explicitly written in my contract.”

His body relaxes with my answer, and he reaches out to take my hand, links his fingers with mine, and brings it up to his lips, where he presses a kiss to my knuckles.

“Then we’re not doing anything wrong,” he says. “This is a small town, Dani. People have relationships all the time. And it’s not like I’m fucking you on your desk, although when I saw you in that black pencil skirt last week, that quickly became my number-one fantasy.”

Stunned, my mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. Finally, I squeak, “What?”

“You heard me. In case I haven’t made myself crystal clear, I think you’re gorgeous, and I plan to spend alotmore time with you. If you think that I can stay away from you now that you’re back in Bitterroot Valley, and we’re both single, and we have this chemistry between us, you’re crazy. We’re not hurting anyone.”

Did I fall and hit my head? Am I in a coma? Is this an alternate reality?

“Breathe, kitten.”

I pull in a breath. “You’re not kidding.”

“I’m dead fucking serious.” He reaches up with his free hand and tucks my hair behind my ear, then he skims those magical knuckles down my cheek. “The timing wasnever right before. You were too young for me, and then when you weren’t, you were gone. The time is right now, and I’m not stupid enough to walk away from you. However, if this isn’t what you want, I need you to spell it out for me so I don’t waste any more of your time.”

I frown. “You would do that? You’d walk away if I told you to?”

“It would fucking suck, but yeah, I would. Because you deserve everything good in this life, and that includes being with someone thatyouchoose to be with.”

Holy. Swoon.

“So, no more friend zone.”

“I fucking hate the goddamn friend zone.”

His dark eyes are on mine, taking in every expression on my face, in that serious way he’s always had that makes my toes curl.

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