AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shrugged. “He’s not sick. He’s healthy as a horse. Right, little man?”
The puffin ignored me completely, happily distracted by his treat. So I headed over to wash the fish off my hands.
“He doesn’t carry disease or germs that’ll make you sick?” Chris picked up my cup and set it on my desk, then wandered over to the bookshelves and scanned them.
“Nah, he’s a pretty clean bird.” I picked up my coffee and took a sip, propping my hip against my desk.
Chris lifted a photo. “This has to be your mother; you look just like her. Is this Italy?” His attention bounced from the photo to me and back again.
“Yeah, we were in Italy. My stepdad, Dave, is a pilot. He mostly flies international, so when I was a kid, we traveled with him a lot. I was four when he married my mom.” Once I got to high school, I spent more time with Dad, since they were always off on some new adventure, and I had school and homework. As much as I griped about Dad’s rules, even with his baseball schedule, he provided a lot of the consistency in my life.
Chris studied another photo, his eyes narrowing. Ah. That was one of me with my dad.
Nothing I’d seen or heard in the last few months had made it seem like Dad and Chris would ever get along, but I was starting to wonder if it was because they were more alike than either wanted to admit. It was probably best if I just avoided any notion that it was possible.
I took another slow sip of my latte and watched him study more photos. “Did you show up early just to hang out?”
He set a photo on the shelf and turned to me again. “No, I wantedto check on Puff, see how he was, before we take pictures. And you said you missed your afternoon coffee, so I figured I should grab one so you wouldn’t rage.”
When we texted earlier, he’d said he’d see me later, and I had joked that he might not want to because I hadn’t had time for coffee.
“I don’t rage.”
“Not what I hear.” He raised a single bow.
That small move alone made my entire body tighten. What was it about this guy that was so damn attractive? It was almost like every cell in my body came alive when he was near.
He sauntered over and leaned against the desk next to me. Our arms almost brushed and my heart skipped.
“So.” He shifted and crossed his legs at the ankles. He took in the entirety of the room and perused my shelves of avian books and the framed photos of a dozen varieties of birds hanging on the walls. Finally, he focused on Puff again. He cleared his throat and rubbed a large hand over his jaw, almost like he was nervous. “You go back to the shitty boyfriend?”
Oh. My chest pinched. Because, although he hadn’t asked me about it, I had run out on him. We probably needed to talk about it. I bowed my head and shook it, searching for a way to start this conversation. When I looked up, I found him watching me. “No.”
He pursed his lips, like he was waiting for an explanation.
“But…”
He let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “Ah. New guy.”
My heart lurched. “No.”
His dark brown eyes narrowed, and his brows lowered.
“I’m taking a sabbatical.”
Now his brows shot up. “From work? Are you going away?” He tipped his head, swatting at the lock of hair that fell over his forehead.
Still watching me with an intensity that had me squirming, he gripped the edge of my desk, wrapping his long fingers under it tight.
The move brought with it a memory, a feeling, of the way those same fingers bit into my skin. Like an idiot, I was practically gawking at his hands, which then made me notice his strong thighs. My coreheated as the phantom sensation of them tangled with mine washed over me.
He shifted, the muscles there pulling on the tight pants. I had to swallow so I didn’t drool. I had to stop this. I wasn’t dating or hooking up with anyone. Even Chris. I needed a reset.
“Avery?”
Right. He’d asked a question. “No, I’m not traveling.”
Clearing his throat again, he searched my face like he was looking for an answer.
