Page 73 of Sit, Stay, Love
She patted a bead of sweat from her top lip. ‘Where the magic doesn’t happen.’
He chuckled. ‘I’d like to read some of your writing someday, if you’d let me.’
‘Just go to PeacefulSlumbers.com.au.’
He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Can I have a tour? If there’s time.’
She laughed. ‘It’ll take about two minutes.’ She waved her arm around. ‘This, as you said, is my office.’
‘I like the addition of the three dog beds.’
‘And out here…’
She waited for him to move, but he just pressed himself into the doorjamb and sucked in his breath. His lips quirked into a crooked grin. ‘After you.’
She looked up at him as she tried to squeeze past, but he stretched out an arm and blocked her exit. Her boobs were squished against his tight abs, and as she tried to wiggle through the gap, the friction between their bodies almost made her gasp. He gazed down at her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Then he dipped his head, his soft, full pout moving rapidly towards her mouth.
She quickly scooted under his arm before his lips could find hers.
‘No kissing. Remember?’
‘Oh, yeah. I vaguely remembered that rule… the last time we were kissing.’ He grinned and caught the tip of his tongue in his front teeth.
Her heart fluttered all over the place and she scowled at him, trying her best to look stern. ‘Well, we’re working today. So—’
‘So we can kiss when we’re not working? Is that our new rule?’ He lifted a brow.
She puffed out in exasperation and moved into the room across the hall. ‘This is the lounge room.’ She quickly fluffed the cushions.
The third bedroom had been converted into a lounge room when the reception area took over the original living space. The room was small, but cosy, with a maroon couch and chaise taking up most of the floor. A giant television hung on one wall, an unused fireplace housing a pile of books took up another, and the third wall had a window that looked down the paddock towards the kennels and the small barn beyond.
Ethan picked up a framed photo of her and Toby wearing Christmas hats and laughing while brandishing turkey drumsticks.
‘Cute,’ he said.
‘That was last Christmas. His mum was on a cruise again, so he had Christmas with my family.’
He nodded and picked up another photo.
It was a selfie of the two of them lying on the maroon couch, squeezed in side by side.
He turned it towards her, one eyebrow arching.
She shrugged. ‘Some movie night, probably.’
He put it back down and picked up a third, a photo of Toby cradling Buffy in his arms in a heart-shaped frame. He studied it, his teeth worrying his bottom lip.
‘Anyway.’ She took the photo from his hand and placed it back on the side table. ‘This is the lounge room.’
She shoved him into the hall and pointed at a closed door. ‘Bathroom.’ Then to the kitchen. ‘Kitchen.’ Then she stopped and said, ‘At the end is my bedroom. And that’s it. Let’s go.’
He gave her a looked that saidno way, smiled and pushed past her.
She sighed and traipsed after him.
He stopped just inside her bedroom door and looked around.
‘Shit,’ she said as she shouldered him out of the way. She dragged her doona over her unmade bed, and a bra flipped into the air and landed at her feet. ‘Shit!’ She kicked it under the bed. ‘It’s messy. I’m a little messy.’
