Page 30 of Into the Fire
Her breath caught.
“You’re gonna make me lose my mind,” she whispered, almost a challenge.
He grinned, that slow, lazy kind of grin that made her knees weak. “Baby, I think we’re already past that point.”
And then with just a breath of space left between them, he leaned in, lips brushing her cheek, his voice a rasp against her ear. “Later.”
And just like that, he stepped back, leaving her against the wall, flushed and buzzing and wrecked with want. For now, she'd have to settle for watching him walk back out of the house and down the driveway to the paddock on the far side of the barn to finish up his afternoon work.
Later.
She was going to hold him to that.
???
The house felt cozy with the smell of butter and garlic, a sauce for the pasta simmering on the stove. Emery moved around the kitchen with ease, barefoot, her hair twisted up in a messy bun that struggled to contain her loose curls and flyaways, and one of Levi’s old flannel shirts thrown over her tank top. It swallowed her frame in a way that made him lose his train of thought the moment that he stepped through the door.
His boots hit the floor with a quiet thump. June’s laughter came from the living room, chasing the last of her nap fog as she flipped through books on the rug.
He froze for a beat in the doorway, his boots dusty and a faint sunburn on his neck. The kind of tired that weighed heavily on his shoulders. But all of it faded the second his eyes landed on Emery.
“Hey, cowboy,” she said, soft and familiar, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was becoming just that, more and more each day.
He tried not to smile too much. Failed entirely.
Her eyes went wide for half a second, realizinghe was staring because she was still in his flannel, and she laughed, holding up a hand in mock guilt. “Okay—wait, before you say anything, I know this is yours.”
Levi raised a brow, not moving from the doorframe. “Didn’t say a word.”
“I spilled juice on my sweatshirt,” she said, tugging at the oversized collar like it was suddenly too noticeable. “Like, not a little. A full-on grape juice massacre. And I wanted to throw it in the wash before it stained.”
“So, you raided my closet?”
She gave a sheepish smile, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “It was in the dryer. I wasn’t creeping, I promise.”
He grunted softly, lips twitching. “Didn’t say you were.”
Her eyes narrowed. “But you are staring.”
“I mean…” He tilted his head. “It’s working for you, Em.”
She breathed lighter, laughing as she turned back to the stove. “You’re ridiculous.”
Levi stepped farther into the kitchen, wiping his hands on the back of his jeans. The soft clink of June’s toys filled the background. “Smells good in here.”
Emery stirred the skillet. “You’ve got your daughter to thank. She said she was ‘craving cheesy noodles, like macaroni, but fancy.’ So, I improvised.”
“Fancy noodles, huh?” he muttered. “I leave for four hours, and she’s suddenly got a developed palate.”
“She also said she’d only eat it if I sang the ‘fancy noodle song’ while I stirred.”
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll up your hazard pay.”
Emery grinned, but she caught the shift in his posture, something heavier under the humor. He lingered near the edge of the kitchen, one hand resting on the counter, eyes scanning her face like he was about to say something important.
“What is it?” she asked gently.
He glanced toward the living room, where Junewas now deeply focused on her stuffed giraffe, using the stethoscope in her little ears to give it a check-up, then turned back to Emery. “I need to ask you something.”
