Page 101 of Branded Hearts

In this moment, nothing else matters except the beautiful woman beside me.

“I’d like to do... you know... that again. Soon, maybe?” She pauses, her lips twisting as she considers, and I resist the urge to pinch her cheeks and kiss her senseless.

“Soon, definitely. One step at a time.”

“One step at a time,” she echoes.

She rests her head on my chest for a few more moments, not long before looking up at me again. “Hey, Bradley Bear?”

She’s always so inquisitive. It’s what I love about her.Love?Settle down there, mate.

I hum in response, a smirk playing on my lips as I look down at her. She hesitates, nerves flickering in her eyes.

“I kinda… like you.”

My smirk widens into a grin. “Only kinda?” I tease.

She ducks her head, hiding her blush. “Maybe more.”

“I like you too, sunshine,” I murmur, brushing her hair back gently. And in that instant, wrapped up together, I realise this is just the beginning.

I hope.

34

“Okay, Millie girl, now we add the flour,” I say, holding the measuring cup out for her to pour into the bowl. Millie giggles, grabbing the cup and trying to pour it in. Some flour ends up on the counter and on her little apron, but she’s having a blast.

“Good job! Now we mix it all up!”

Kat and John dropped her off about an hour ago for their much-needed ‘date night.’ The last time they had any real time to themselves was before Millie came along. So, when Kat asked if I’d like to watch Millie instead of Mum and Dad, I just couldn’t pass it up. Now, here we are, attempting to bake cupcakes in my kitchen, with Disney songs playing in the background. “Be Our Guest” is currently filling my apartment with a lively, fun mood.

She eagerly starts stirring, but most of the flour ends up flying out of the bowl and onto the floor. We both burst into giggles, and I quickly grab another cup of flour to salvage our cupcakes. As I watch Millie mix the batter, my mind drifts back to last night, and I can’t help but smile to myself, lost in the moment.

“Why ya smiling, Meli?” my niece asks, her eyes wide and curious.

I chuckle, feeling slightly embarrassed. Trust me to be caught out by my almost four-year-old niece. “Well, Millie, I’m just thinking about something that happened last night,” I say, trying to keep it vague.

“What happen?” she presses, tilting her head to the side.

I smile at her innocence. “Oh, just something fun.”

“Fun? Like baking?” she asks, her eyes lighting up.

“Sort of,” I reply, unable to contain my smile.

Millie seems satisfied with my answer and returns to mixing the batter, singing along to the music. After a few more attempts, we finally manage to mix everything together properly. I scoop the batter into the cupcake tin while Millie watches, her eyes wide with excitement. Meanwhile, my mind wanders back to last night, recalling the warmth of Bradley’s embrace, the softness of his lips on mine, his groans. The way he held me afterward. His words.

Definitely soon.

One step at a time.

I like you too, sunshine.

My core vibrates at the thought of seeing him again. I want him so bad. Ineedit. I need to feel him inside me—to experience that deep connection with him. The thought makes my heart flutter, and my body aches with longing.

As we fill up the rest of the cupcake batter in the tins, my phone starts ringing. I glance at Millie, who’s happily singing along to the music, and then reach for my phone across the counter. Butterflies erupt in my stomach when I see it’s Bradley calling.

“Stay there, Millie. One sec,” I say, holding my hand out to her before answering the call. Trying to steady my nerves, I bring the phone to my ear. “Hello.”

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