Page 29 of Into the Fire
“You’re acting weird,” Emery said softly once June was out of earshot.
He looked over, both hands on the counter. “Yeah, I’m trying not to be stupid here. I don't know how to do this part.”
“Too late,” she muttered under her breath, mostly joking.
He shot her a look, and she softened. “It's okay, I get it. She’s little. This is… a lot.”
“Yeah,” his voice dropped lower. “But I also can’t stop thinking about you. So...”
Her breath caught, but he didn’t move closer. He stood and grabbed his keys, wallet, and cell phone,putting them in the proper pockets of his perfectly fitting jeans.
He was trying. She saw it. He wanted her, but not at the expense of his daughter’s safety or trust.
So, she let it go, for now.
But as she turned toward the table, she murmured over her shoulder, “You’re lucky I’m patient.”
He smirked faintly. “You’re lucky I’ve got willpower.”
The moment hung between them—warm, charged, and waiting for the next time the hallway was empty, or June was out of earshot… and he’d let his guard slip again.
???
It was a half day at school for a grading week, and it threw a wrench in June's routine. She somehow seemed extra tiredand wired at the same time, and by the time Emery finally convinced her and got her down for a nap, she was mentally wiped, but also a little bit proud of herself.
She stepped quietly out of June’s room, pulling the door shut with a soft click. The hallway was dim, quiet, and peaceful with the successfully negotiated nap.
Coming down the stairs, she saw Levi standing at the kitchen sink, washing his hands. He must have come in as she was getting June down. He dried his hands and leaned against the counter as she walked into the dining room, his gaze warm and heavy.
“Your child,” she whispered. “Is lucky she’s adorable.”
He chuckled low in his throat. “So are you.”
Her brows lifted. “I’m adorable?”
“At this moment?” He stepped closer to her, voice low and lazy. “Yeah. Kinda wild-eyed. Bit of glitter on your cheek. A little flustered.”
“You noticing glitteris a red flag.”
“I notice a lot about you.”
His words hit somewhere deep in her chest, but she kept her voice playful. “Yeah? You been staring again, Levi Walker?”
“Maybe,” he murmured, closing the distance between them until her back hit the opposite wall. His hand came up, fingers just brushing her hip, grounding but still careful.
He didn’t touch her like last night—not yet. But his eyes dropped to her mouth, and her heart thundered.
“June’s asleep,” she said.
“I know.”
“No tiny witnesses.”
“I know,” he repeated, even quieter this time. “But I’m still gonna be good. For a little longer.”
She smirked up at him. “Define ‘a little.’”
His hand slid just a little higher, his thumb grazing under the hem of her t-shirt. “Until I forget why I’m trying so hard not to touch you.”
