Page 55 of Only Ever You

Faye barely had time to choke on her gasp when Bash scooped her up before she could land on her ass.

“You alright?” he asked effortlessly, an arm beneath her knees and the other around her back.

The volcanic rush of heat from Faye’s chest down to her stomach and beyond screamedno; she was not alright. Breaking a bone wasn’t on her Christmas wish list, but she liked being in Bash’s arms, the weight of him against her – the dizziness swimming in her head from being so close to his mouth that she could feel the foggy cloud of his breaths. All of it. Far too much than she should.

Faye felt as though she was still falling, though just not the physical kind.

Bash’s eyes tunnelled into hers more with every second she sat in his arms without answering. His blunt nails dug into her thigh like he was trying to bring her back to the present.

What had he asked, again?

“Yeah.” If she was breathless, blame it on the shock.

She would think that after eleven years, her body might’ve gotten over how Bash made it throb and pulse at the most inappropriate times – when they were with their friends, when they innocently danced, when his lips parted around one of her doughnuts or his tongue licked cheesecake off of a spoon.

From on ahead, Matt whistled a tune that made Faye burn with blush, followed by the distinctive giggles of two little girls.

“You can … um … put me down now.” She struggled to get the unfortunate suggestion out past the knot in her tongue.

Bash blinked. “Right.”

He walked on a little out of the muddy patch beneath them before setting her down. Whilst Faye straightened out her coat and fixed her hat, shecaught how he flexed out his hands before he buried them into his pockets.

Great.Thoughts of those rippling tendons on the back of his hands werejustwhat she needed right then.

“Thank you.” Faced with him, she patted his chest.

Why on earth did she pat his chest? And why was it still so solid beneath all of this padding of his coat? How easily would he catch her if she jumped up now and wrapped her legs around his waist?

“You’d have made a great fireman.” Okay, now she just blurted any words that came to mind at all.

Really smooth, Faye. Well done.

Bash was entirely too close so she made a lunge back, drawing her hands into her coat pockets to resist patting any other area of him.

The corner of his mouth pulled. “Sliding down that pole would’ve been fun.”

“I don’t think they actually use those … Do they?”

Bash gave a shrug and a pout that said, ‘fuck if I know’.

He stepped up as if to move past her, and his shoulder brushed against her arm.Too soon.It was too soon to be touched again.

“I’m starting to think you just like the uniforms,” he taunted, throwing a murderous wink in for good measure.

Faye pulled her scarf up around her face to cover the flaming heat of her cheeks. Her body reacted so easily to him these days – it was torturous. To be trapped inside of herself unable to let this frustration out.

She couldn’t let him win like that. “I don’t object to them at all.”

Bash laughed –laughed –and reached behind him to tug her along.

The others slowed for them to catch up and they quickened their pace. Faye dipped her gaze as they got near, afraid someone could read her inappropriate thoughts if they looked in her eyes.

A look passed between the brothers that she couldn’t decipher – one of mischief met by that of annoyance before Bash strode out quicker, his long legs moving faster than Faye could keep up with, and put a hand firmly on his brother’s back. He pushed Matt forwards with something hushed that she couldn’t hear.

Men were strange. Brothers even more so. They spoke a secret language of only eye contact that Faye gathered was based upon the foundation of one ribbing the other and the other not being amused by it.

Saira dipped back with Maya glued to her side. “Are you okay?”

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