Page 156 of Ignition

“Oh, it’s you. I almost didn’t recognise you with clothes on,” I taunted, letting a slow smirk tug at my lips.

“Oh, shut up,” she huffed, but her voice was a scarf wrapping around me in the cold.

My lips pulled into a genuine smile as she padded towards me. She hugged me tight, and my body seized for a second, forgetting how to function. Her hair brushed over my cheek as she pressed into me, warm and soft—everything I was afraid to wreck.

My hands balled into fists and my mind scrambled for something to stop her arching into me like that.

Sighing softly and losing the fight with myself, I pulled her flush against me. Her fingers dug into my coat, and her face nuzzled into my neck, kicking up fierce goosebumps. Her scent danced in my nose, that maddening citrus and spice, so annoying in how much I craved it all over my clothes. All over my bed. All over—

Pale snowflakes settled in her dark hair, then dissolved, before repeating the cycle.

My mouth brushed her temple before a ragged, rattling sigh tore from deep in my chest, turning into a groan halfway—of agony or contentment, I couldn’t say.

Just as quickly as she’d melted into me, she retreated. My muscles stiffened in protest, but then she shivered, and a surge of protectiveness flared inside me, entirely concerning.

In the blink of an eye, I moved: guided her towards the car by the small of her back, opened the passenger door, and deposited her into the seat.

She buckled in, and I shrugged off my coat and draped it around her legs for good measure, ignoring her adorable huff of indignation.

I arched a brow at her, gave her a look, and her mouth clamped shut as she settled down, pale fingers curling into the wool.

I punched the dial for the seat-warming function, buckled up, and pulled away smoothly—as if nothing earth-shattering had happened in the pocket of time between when we’d parked and now. But my heart hammered at my ribs, calling me a liar in Morse code.

As if the world itself wanted to mock me, K by Cigarettes after Sex started on the stupid radio station Pri had picked.

My finger shot out to jab at the next button, then froze when she let out a tender sigh and started humming along to it.

So, naturally, I turned up the volume.

Her body arched towards me, and a lock of hair fell over her cheek as her head lolled to the side. I brushed it out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, and her eyes fluttered closed at my touch, making my chest ache.

I dragged my hand back and placed it on the gear stick, gripping it until the plastic groaned.

“I could definitely doze off like this,” she murmured, her voice a wisp of sound cutting under the bass.

Her hand reached out blindly to cover mine, and my pulse stumbled over itself. I stared down at it for a heartbeat longer than I should have.

When I didn’t respond, she carried on, “When I was little, whenever I couldn’t sleep, my parents would put me in the car and drive around.”

A soft chuckle escaped her as the memory curled warm and thick in the small cabin.

“I’d be snoring in minutes.”

My chest pinched to the point of pain at the mental image of a little Mia, dozing off in the backseat, head lolling just so.

The car skidded a touch, and my knuckles blanched on the wheel as I straightened it, blaming it all on the thin coating of snow dusting the dark streets.

The few and far between headlights flashed over us, and the orange glow from the dashboard played over the side of her cheek, tugging my lips into a half-smile she didn’t catch.

“Not much has changed, then.”

I glanced sidelong at her and found her sleepy eyes on me.

“You’re gonna drool on the expensive leather,” I scolded, trying to tuck the fondness behind a smirk, but my fingers only slotted against hers tighter.

She had no business looking so goddamn adorable curled up like that.

I wanted to keep driving for hours.