“Well yeah, but aren’t they mostly spambots or something?” Milo scratched the back of his neck.
Dammit. Could he stop being adorable for one minute while I tried to make sure we both had a nice platonic night out that didn’t involve any further teeth-to-lip incidents?
Probably not. The adorability seemed to come naturally.
“Do you not read your comments?” I asked.
Milo shrugged. “I readyourcomments,” he said. “Your pocket is squirming.”
I laughed. “He’s been restless today. Getting comfortable, I think.”
“Can I see?” Milo asked, eyes soft and hopeful. Not that Iwantedto say no to him, but even if I had, I couldn’t have. I didn’t get how anyone could.
I opened my jacket like I was selling fake Rolexes in the park just as a tiny head poked out of the kitten pocket.
Milo’s whole face changed again, like Orion’s fluffy little head was the most incredible thing he’d ever seen. If someone looked at me like that someday, I’d die happy.
He stepped forward, close enough that I could feel his body heat, and bent down a little to look at Orion.
“You smell good,” I said before I could stop myself. But hedidsmell good, like oranges dipped in chocolate and wrapped in an old leather jacket. It wasn’t as though I could just not notice.
This close, there wasn’t a whole lot I could avoid noticing. I couldn’t help thinking how warm he was, how under the expensive-smelling cologne I could just make out the scent of clean skin, how the edge of his suit jacket—did he not own other clothes?—was brushing against me. I couldn’t miss the way one corner of his lips curled at the compliment, or the way he lowered his lashes, like he wasn’t used to it.
I couldn’t imagine him not being used to it. I couldn’t imagine people not constantly slipping him their number.
For a second I wondered how many other people messaged him all the time, but in the next instant I knew. It was just me. At least, I was the only one he messagedback.
If I kissed him now, I’d end up disappointing Hayden and Wes one way or another.
But if he kissed me back this time, I wouldn’t have cared.
The front door swinging open saved me from doing anything I’d regret. Again.
“Is that a kitten?” a vaguely familiar voice asked. Milo straightened up like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and Orion made the most pitiful sound I’d ever heard come out of any living creature.
“Aww, sweetheart,” Milo soothed. “I still love you.”
He bent down again and pressed the softest kiss to the top of Orion’s head.
I’d never been envious of a cat before, but here we were.
“This is Orion,” I told Roxie, who was staring at the two of us. Understandably so.
“And you must be Milo,” she said, extending a hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like we’ve known each other forever.”
“I… likewise,” Milo said. The lie was so bad that even Roxie caught it.
“Dawn’s never mentioned me to you,” she said, and it wasn’t a question. “Don’t worry, not offended.”
“I don’t think it’s because you’re not important to her,” Milo said sincerely. “It’s probably because I don’t make enough time to talk to her.”
“Well, you’re here now,” Roxie said, offering Milo her genuinely gorgeous smile. I didn’t know her all that well—she worked at the hospital, I thought, but not as a doctor or a nurse. Something in admin. Something important.
I hadn’t seen much of her until recently, when she’d started coming to visit the florist. Regularly.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why, once I’d seen her looking at Dawn.
Irresistibility must’ve been a family trait.
