Page 13 of When We Burn

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t fake the smile with me. I know better.”

“What do you want me to say? That I’m afraid to go to sleep tonight? That having my head under the water, even for those few seconds, took ten years off my life? All of that is true. But, I survived it. I’m right here, lying under the stars with you, and I didn’t die today. And, most importantly, nothing happened to Birdie, that little daredevil.”

He grins, just like I’d hoped, and then he sighs, and I can’t help but smile back at him.

“Dani?”

“Yeah?”

His eyes dart down to my lips, and I instinctively lick them again.

“I want to kiss you.”

“You do?”

His brown orbs come back up to my own, and he nods as he sobers once more. “Yeah, I fucking do. So, if that’s a problem for you, I need you to say so.”

I lift my eyebrows, but I don’t say anything at all because the idea of Bridger’s lips on mine is absolutelynota problem for me.

But before he can press his lips to mine, his phone rings, and he winces.

“I’m sorry, this is work.”

“Then you’d better answer it.”

He sits up again, fishes his phone out of his pocket, and answers. “Blackwell. Shit, okay. I need to contact one of my family members to stay with Birdie.” He looks down at his watch, and I can see the internal war taking place.

“Bridger, go. I’ll watch her,” I whisper. He looks at me, and there’s indecision in his eyes.

“One moment,” he says. Man, does he sound sexy when he’s in fireman mode. My ovaries are doing the hula. “You sure, sweetheart? I can call one of my brothers or?—”

“Happy to.”

He turns back to the call and says, “ETA is twenty minutes.”

He hangs up and then shoves his hands through his hair. I push myself to my feet and then brush my hands together. “Go ahead and go. I’ll head over to your place and watch her. She’ll just sleep anyway.”

“You don’t have to?—”

“We can stand in the driveway and argue about it, or you can go to work. It’s fine. I know my way around a kid, and Birdie knows me.”

Bridger blows out a breath. “Thank you. Go grab whatever you need, and I’ll meet you over there.”

“Deal.”

I rush inside and gather my pillow and a throw blanket, and then decide that’s really all I need and hurry across the street. The door opens before I have the chance to knock.

“She’s out cold,” he says. He’s already changed into his uniform, and it makes me salivate.

Good God, Bridger’s hot in uniform.

“Dani?”

“Huh? Sorry. Don’t worry about us. You’ll be home before she even wakes up.”

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