When We Burn (The Blackwells of Montana #1)

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

DANI

I need to get home. I don’t know how I kept it together for Birdie and Bridger this afternoon, because I was so freaking scared when she couldn’t catch her breath. Her face was screwed up in fear, and my stomach was in my throat. I’ve seen asthma attacks before, of course, and I’ve been trained to handle them, but seeing a little girl you love struggle to breathe?

Terrifying.

I never want to relive that again, and from what Birdie told me after she’d calmed down, that wasn’t even a bad asthma attack.

The thought makes me shiver and not in a good way.

Now that school’s out, I rush home and quickly change into leggings and Bridger’s T-shirt, then hurry across the street and knock on the door.

“Is she okay?” I ask, as soon as Bridger pulls the door open.

“Hello,” he replies, his brown eyes warm as he wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me inside. “She’s great. Come on in, we’re making cookies.”

I blink in surprise. “You’re making cookies?”

“Sure. Doesn’t that make everyone feel better? Come hang out with us.” He winks at me as he closes the door, but before we cross to the kitchen, he pulls me against him and tips my chin up so he can kiss me softly. “Thanks for coming over.”

“Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.”

He grins and seems to want to say more, but I pull back and head for the kitchen, where I find Birdie standing on a stool, stirring batter in a bowl.

“Birdie, look who’s here.”

“Hi, Miss Dani,” the little girl says with a grin. She looks perfectly fine. Her round cheeks are full of color, her dark hair is up in a ponytail, and she’s wearing the cutest apron I’ve ever seen. “We’re making peanut butter cookies.”

“Yum, those sound delicious. I like your apron.”

Birdie looks down at herself. “Daddy helped me tie-dye it.”

I eye the pinks and purples and then turn to Bridger, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Made a huge mess,” Bridger confirms as he joins his daughter and takes over the mixing. His forearms bunch as he grips the wooden spoon, and holy Moses, that’s a zing right to the vagina. “But it was fun. Right, peanut?”

“Yeah,” Birdie agrees, nodding. “Can we make the balls now?”

“I think it’s ready,” Bridger confirms.

“How can I help?” I ask.

“You sit.” My handsomer-than-should-be-legal boyfriend points at me with the business end of his spoon. “Just talk to us. We’ve got this covered.”

“What happened at the doctor?” I ask, but then shake my head. “Unless that’s none of my business, of course.”

“Hey.” I look up at Bridger, and he crooks his finger at me. “I changed my mind. Come here, sweetheart.”

Jumping off the stool, I round the island, and he turns to face me.

“She’s your business. I’m your business, just like you’re ours, so ask anything you want. Got it?”

“Sure, but why did I have to come all the way over here for this?”

His lips twitch, and then he bends down and kisses me. Not a little peck, but a full-blown, erase-my-mind-of-all-rational-thought kiss. His tongue nudges against the seam of my mouth, and I open for him and wrap my arms around his neck, clinging to him.

“Grown-up kisses are gross .” Birdie makes gagging noises, making us laugh as we pull apart, and I return to my stool. “Daddy said you’re going to kiss in front of me, but not all the time, okay?”

My eyes whip to the man in question. He told her?

“And Birdie’s very happy that you’re going to be spending more time with us,” Bridger agrees, smiling at me so sweetly, I want to climb over this island and go back to the kissing. “Right, peanut?”

“Yeah, you’re his girlfriend. You can stay the night. ”

At that, I start to cough on my own spit, because I was not expecting that to come out of a five-year-old’s mouth.

“And Pickles can stay, too. So she’s not lonely,” Birdie adds, so matter-of-factly, as if she’s got it all sorted out.

She’s the cutest ever.

Bridger slides a glass of water over to me, that smile still firmly in place, and as I raise the glass to my mouth, he bites his lower lip, as if he’s trying to keep himself from laughing his butt off.

“Oh, this is funny, huh?”

He shakes his head, chuckling as he rolls peanut butter cookie balls between his palms and sets them on the cookie sheet. “You’re adorable. You should have seen your face. Anyway, now that we have all of that cleared up, Birdie saw Blake, and she’s got some sort of a bug. So, he gave her a breathing treatment and told her to lie low for a few days until it’s gone. No more running around.”

“I like to run around,” Birdie says with a frown. “I’m good at it.”

“You really are good at it,” I agree. “But you can hold off for a few days, and then you’ll be even better at it.”

“Does this mean I can’t go to dance class on Saturday?” Birdie asks her father, horror filling her brown eyes.

“Oh, you enrolled her? I’m so glad. I met Skyla, the owner, at Bee’s shop the other day, and she was so nice. And seriously beautiful.”

I frown down at my hands. I really shouldn’t have mentioned the latter, but she really is so pretty.

“No one holds a candle to you, kitten. ”

I snort, and Bridger freezes, the fork in his hand pausing in the middle of helping Birdie to make crisscross figures in the dough, and only his eyes lift to mine.

“Are you telling me that I haven’t made it perfectly clear how gorgeous you are?”

And just like that, the man has me tongue-tied.

“You have made it clear that you find me attractive, yes. This is not a conversation to have in front of your daughter.”

Birdie looks at me and then at her dad, and Bridger sets the fork down altogether, leans on the counter, and frowns at me.

Oh, jeez, I didn’t mean to make him mad at me. My stomach sinks, and I wish I could erase the last three minutes of conversation entirely.

“I disagree,” he replies. “I think it’s important for my daughter to see that her dad thinks his woman is the most beautiful girl in the world. Because you are.”

I feel my cheeks darken with embarrassment, and I simply shrug. “Thanks. Anyway, how exciting for dance. You must be so happy, Birdie.”

Bridger’s eyes narrow as he watches me, but he drops the subject and goes back to helping Birdie get the dough situated on the pan as the little girl tells me all about how ready she is for her new class.

Bridger slides the pan into the oven, and Birdie yawns.

“Can I go watch my tablet in my room?” she asks him .

“Sure. I’ll let you know when the cookies are ready to eat.”

“Okay!” She jumps off her stool and starts to run off, but Bridger stops her.

“Walk, peanut.”

She slows down, walking calmly back to her room.

“I’m so glad that she’s feeling okay. She scared me today.”

Bridger marches around the island, and I turn on my stool, facing him as he reaches me. His face is so serious, so intense, that I put my hands on his chest and blink up at him.

“What’s wrong?”

He frames my face in his hands and tips his head down so he can lean his forehead against mine. “It’s really good to have you here, sweetheart. And you’re wearing my shirt.”

“Your clothes pretty much make up my whole wardrobe when I’m not at work these days.”

He grins, and his hands slide back into my hair as his lips find mine, and my whole body goes from simmering to boiling with just that simple touch.

I grip his forearms as he steps closer, nudging his way between my knees, and my nipples are at full attention. Finally, he growls, palms my butt, and lifts me onto the countertop as if I weigh nothing at all. I let out a little gasp of surprise.

“I like being able to put you where I want you.” His voice is raspy, and one hand is back in my hair now, gripping tightly. I love the slight tug against my scalp. “And I fucking love your hair. It’s so soft, so thick, and it looks good wrapped around my fingers.”

“Have I mentioned that you’re good with your mouth?”

That has his lips tipping up in a sly grin, and I let out a breathy laugh.

“That, too, but you say the sexiest things.”

“I can’t help myself.” He plants his lips on my forehead. “And later, when it’s dark and Birdie’s asleep, and we’re behind a locked door, I’m going to whisper all the sexy-as-fuck things that I’m going to do to you.”

I don’t suppress the shiver that runs through me with that comment.

“Yes, please.”

“And you’re going to do the same.”

“Uh …”

“You know I love your dirty mouth,” he says, kissing down my cheek and over to my nose. “If you want to come, you’ll use it.”

“Well, when you use that kind of incentive, how can I argue?”

He laughs, and then I press my hand to his chest, pushing myself back.

“Wait. I have plans tonight.”

His eyebrows climb in surprise. “You do?”

“Yeah, so we might have to take a rain check for dirty talk.”

He braces his hands on either side of my hips, caging me in. “Who do you have plans with tonight, kitten? ”

I lick my lips, watching his mouth. I really want it on me again.

“Dani.”

“Yeah?”

“Who.” He kisses my nose. “Do you.” Kisses my cheek. “Have.” Brushes his nose over my jaw. “Plans with?”

“If I don’t tell you, will you keep doing that?”

“No.” He pulls away.

“Well, that backfired.” I reach for him, but he won’t let me touch him. “Hey, come back. It’s nothing bad. Don’t withhold you from me, Bridge. I don’t like that.”

“Okay.” He folds me against him, and this is much better. “Sorry, baby. I was playing with you and pushing your buttons. Now I know how far is too far.”

“This is a way better method of getting me to talk.” I nuzzle his chest with my nose. “I have a book club meeting at Billie’s Books tonight. It’s our first one.”

He chuckles, and I can hear it vibrating through his breastbone. “First of all, I need to up my game if you’re ditching dirty talk for book talk. What did you read for this meeting?”

“ Beyond the Thistles by Samantha Young, and it was so good. Sexy with a little suspense, and it’s set in Scotland, which only ups the sexy factor.”

“Spicy books, then, huh?” He kisses the top of my head, and his hands are rubbing circles on my back. Maybe I shouldn’t go to book club tonight.

“You know it. Anyway, it’ll be fun. I probably won’t get home until around nine, though. ”

“Just come over here when you’re done. I’ll go get Pickles, and she’ll be here, too.”

I tip my head back and rest my chin on his chest, watching him. “You mean I can have both book club and dirty talk? I don’t have to choose?”

“I’d never make you choose.” He kisses my nose as the oven timer dings. “Have fun with the girls talking about your smut, and then come home to me. Win-win.”

“I will take you up on that offer.” I kiss his chin before he pulls away to check the cookies in the oven. “I can make dinner before I go. Chicken noodle soup from scratch sounds good, and it’s good for Birdie.”

Bridger’s gaze moves to the rain coming down outside, and he nods. “That actually sounds really good. I won’t say no to that. Thanks.”

“I just have to run home and get the ingredients. I already have everything. I’ll pack an overnight bag and grab Pickles, too, if that’s okay.”

He turns to me, that smile still in place. “That’s more than okay. I’ll help.”

After he transfers the cookies to a rack, he calls down the hallway.

“Hey, peanut?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m gonna help Dani grab some things from her house. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Okay,” she calls back. “Bring Pickles.”

Bridger shakes his head with a laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re destined to be bossed around by women.”

“I have no complaints with that,” he replies as we step out of the house. “As long as it’s outside of the bedroom.”

“Or the garage,” I reply thoughtfully. “Or the kitchen.”

“Point made, kitten.” He takes my hand, leading me across the street. “Come on, let’s get you back to my place, where you belong.”

“My favorite part,” Alex says, holding her hand up like she’s swearing on the stand in a courtroom, “was when Walker was taking Sloane home from work, and she made him pull over, and they did it in the car, and he was like holy shit, this is the best day ever. ”

Alex shimmies her shoulders, making us laugh.

“Walker was delicious, in a very alpha, grumpy, I-want-to-eat-him-up way,” Bee agrees. “I’m so glad you recommended this author, Skyla, because now I have to go back and devour her backlist.”

“You won’t be disappointed,” Skyla replies, that pretty Irish lilt in her voice. She’s in some brown wide-leg denim pants and a green sweater that looks chic and casual at the same time, and her bright red hair is twisted into a long braid. She brought her massive dog, Riley, with her. He’s curled up in a ball at her feet, sleeping soundly. “I’m just honored that you chose my author for the first month’s book.”

“This was a great way to start,” I reply. I’d read the book before, but I had no issue with reading it again so it would be at the forefront of my mind.

There are eight of us here tonight. In addition to Skyla, Bee, and Alex, Charlie’s here, too. Now that wedding season is almost over, and her event planning business is starting to chill out just a tiny bit, Charlie has some time to read.

Summer and Polly Wild—sisters-in-law each married to a Wild brother—are here, and rounding out our group is Jackie Harmon, the owner of The Sugar Studio. She brought us little huckleberry tarts as a treat.

No one bakes like Jackie does.

“What should we read for next month?” Summer asks the group.

“Has anyone read mafia romance?” Alex asks, surprising me. She just laughs at my stunned look. “Oh, honey, I’ll bring you over to the darker side.”

“Mafia romance is delicious,” Bee agrees. “Give me those I will kill you without thinking twice, but I’m so obsessed with this girl, I’ll burn the whole world to the ground for her vibes. It’s so hot.”

“I’d love to try whatever you recommend,” Skyla says, clearly excited at the prospect as everyone else agrees.

“I love a man who’d burn the world down for his girl,” I admit. “So, let’s do it.”

We decide on an SJ Tilly read, Nero , for next month, and then spend an hour discussing authors, favorite reads and tropes, and, of course, the spicy scenes we love.

It’s fun to talk about the books I adore with these women. I hope we get more members as time goes on and we spread the word about our new club.

“Speaking of spice,” Polly says, turning to me. “I hear you and Bridger have been extra cozy lately.”

The whole room goes quiet as everyone turns to me.

“Who’s Bridger?” Skyla asks, leaning over to Alex.

“The fire chief,” Alex replies. “Super hot. Been our friend forever. They’re just realizing that they’ve had feelings for each other for a long time. He’s a single dad.”

“Thanks for the recap,” I tell my sister with a laugh. “But yeah, that sums it up.”

“Oh, a friends-to-lovers, single-dad romance,” Skyla says, leaning in. “We love those. So, is he good with his…hose?”

“Oh, my God!” Billie exclaims, shaking her head. “No, we’re not talking about my brother’s anything.”

“He’s your brother?” Skyla demands with a laugh. “This just gets better. And aren’t the two of you the best of mates?”

“Yes,” I say, laughing with her. “Bee’s the only girl out of five siblings.”

“They’re all sexy as fuck,” Summer informs the newcomer. “It’s gonna suck for Bee one day, when her sisters-in-law want to talk about how good her brothers are in bed.”

“I can’t believe we’ve gone from fictional sex to sex with my brothers. Gross.” Bee shivers and then makes fake gagging noises.

“If you must know, Bridger is exceptional with his…hose.” I bust out laughing again at Bee’s horrified expression, and then shake my head and hands both. “I’m kidding. Well, I’m not kidding, but I won’t go into details.”

“Ah, not fair,” Polly says.

“Things are really good,” I say instead. “He’s kind and sweet, and he’s a great dad.”

“And he seems to be obsessed with you,” Alex reminds me. “According to my sources.”

“Sources that you won’t divulge.”

“Never.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and takes a bite of her tart.

“I heard,” Charlie adds, “that they were quite sweet at the drop-off line the other day. Or maybe that was today.”

Was it today? This has been the longest day ever.

And it’s not over yet.

“He likes me.” I shrug and smile smugly. “And it’s definitely reciprocated.”

“I love this,” Skyla says with a happy sigh as she reaches down to pet Riley between the ears. “I’m so happy that I found this group so soon after moving to town.”

“And we’re happy to have you,” Bee replies. “Do you have any delicious, Irish brothers that might be single?”

Skyla’s smile spreads. “You know, I might just.”

“Well, bring them to town, friend,” Charlie says with a wink. “We need more book boyfriend material.”