Page 33 of The Front Runner
“What the—what on earth is this?”
Her head tips back, and she laughs, a full laugh that warms me from the inside. One hand falls across her chest, and the press of her forearm against her breasts makes them strain against the plain gray T-shirt she’s wearing beneath her open coat. “Yup. Worth every penny.”
It tastes like some sort of caramel cupcake blended into a coffee. It’s atrocious. But she bought it for me, and that makes me want to drink it.
“I’m going to drink this, but I’ll put you out of your misery. I take my coffee black.”
“Was that so hard? Why didn’t you just tell me?” She shakes her head, looking amused.
Because I’m a greedy bastard who liked feeling taken care of.
“Because the coffee doesn’t matter when I’m in your company.” I meant it to come out teasing, but it doesn’t—because I mean it.
I take another sip as silence settles over us like a heavy blanket. I can hear the hum of the heater and the soft munching from Farrah’s stall. The smell of fresh wood shavings blends with the sweet smell wafting up out of my coffee mug.
“I want to end our deal. You don’t need to do the last two dates. I’m happy to help Loki, no matter what. I should never have put you in that position.”
Mira scoffs and waves me off. “It’s fine.” And then with a chuckle and slight shake of her head, she admits, “I had fun on our first fake date.”
The wordfakeburns. Maybe it’s accurate, but whatever I’m feeling for Mira feels… well, not fake. I nod, effectively plunging us back into silence.
“Thank you for hiring Nadia.”
Her head tilts. “I like her. She’s got spunk. And I really could use the help. Sounds like she excels in math and sciences, which is exactly what I need. She can do schoolwork and still get some socialization around the clinic. The girls are going to love her.”
“Right.” I snort. “Billie is going to love having my family around.”
“Billie is a good person. She won’t hold a single thing against your sister. Plus, she’s probably the last person in the world who would judge a person by their family.”
I grumble. “Yeah, maybe.” Knowing Billie’s background, I suppose it’s possible.
“It’s going to be great. You’ll see.”
I just nod. My throat feels thick.
“Where did you go to vet school?” I blurt out eventually, trying to fill the space with something. Unsure why she hasn’t left yet.
“In Calgary.” She smiles wistfully. “I loved it. Every second. The late nights studying. The classes. The stress. I thrived there.”
I smile too. I can totally see it. There’s an academic side to Mira. She’s a bit nerdy. But in the best possible way. There’s something about a woman who wields her brain like a weapon and her tongue like a whip that makes me want to worship at her feet.
Never mind physical chemistry, I need intellectual chemistry to hold my attention. Getting lost between the sheets with just any warm body has lost its appeal the older I’ve gotten. And I have no doubt that if I stripped Mira down, there would be a battle of wills. She would keep me on my toes, and I’d keep her on hers. And then I’d have her on her knees.
I shake my head, trying to clear my filthy mind.
“Did you always want to be a vet?”
She sighs now. “Yeah. I did. I was constantly tending to the animals on my parents’ farm or finding injured animals. Birds.” She snorts. “Rats.”
“Rats?”
“Hey, man. Even rats need love.” She winks at me. I’m pretty sure she just called me a rat in a very roundabout way.
“You’ve got a big heart. Your family must be very proud of you.” It comes out teasingly, but I mean it seriously.
“Yeah. I think they’d be happier if I found a good man and pumped out some babies though.”
“Really? But you’re still so young.”
