Page 9 of When We Ignite
“It’s not like that. You’re my brother-in-law, and you have my number. He can have it too. It doesn’t have to be a secret,” I said dismissively.
“Mm-hm,” he mumbled, scrolling through his phone before putting it away.
I stared at his pocket. “Did you just send it?” My heart was roaming somewhere around my throat.
“Mm-hm,” he said again, smiling, his tone mocking. “Don’t worry, I can keep a secret.” He winked.
“There’s no secret to keep,” I insisted.
My phone chimed—a high note notifying me that I had just received a text.
A beat of silence passed between us.
“Mm-hm,” Henry said once more before standing up. “Remember what I told you. Don’t get into this thinking you have the upper hand. Ash is clever—he’ll see you coming a mile away.” He started walking back into the house.
“I’m not getting into anything,” I said again, but he just gave me a look before stepping inside.
Shit.
I pulled out my phone. I had one new text.
Unknown Number
miss me?
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I had no idea what to say back. I wanted to sound witty and interesting. I kept looking at the text, rubbing my knuckles softly on the underside of my nose. I opened the chat and stared at it some more. Sebastian knew I had read it, so I had to reply.
Why was he even texting me in the first place? What could I say to that? I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. It wasn’t as if something could ever happen between us, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to lose interest.
It was just harmless flirting for a little while, and then we would both move past it.
I didn’t even know how you were supposed to flirt with a man—a thirty-four-year-old man at that.
Me
working late?
My heart drummed in my chest as I pressed send. That was casual enough—not acknowledging the implication of his question without killing the conversation.
Unknown Number
always
Now what? I looked down at the screen, wracking my brain for something to ask him.
Unknown Number
want to keep me company?
I blinked, confused.
Me
